Governor Hochul Announces State Police Arrest 213 People for Impaired Driving During Thanksgiving Holiday Crackdown

 

Troopers Issue Nearly 14,100 Tickets During the 2022 Thanksgiving Holiday Traffic Enforcement Period

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the New York State Police issued 14,063 tickets during this year's Thanksgiving traffic enforcement initiative, which targeted unsafe driving behaviors during the holiday weekend. State Troopers arrested 213 people for driving while impaired and investigated 927 crashes, three of which included fatalities. The special traffic enforcement period, which is funded by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, ran from Wednesday, November 23, through Sunday, November 27, 2022.  

"Drinking before getting behind the wheel, speeding and distracted driving are all poor choices that can have life altering consequences," Governor Hochul said. "I want to commend the efforts of law enforcement members who worked through the holiday period to crack down on impaired and reckless driving. Their hard work is contributing to keeping New York's roadways amongst the safest in the nation." 

The State Police supplemented regular patrols statewide, including fixed sobriety checkpoints, an underage drinker initiative and the "Operation Hang Up" initiative, which targets distracted drivers by utilizing Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) patrol vehicles to better locate drivers talking or texting on handheld devices. These unmarked vehicles blend in with everyday traffic but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated.  

As part of the enforcement, Troopers also targeted speeding and aggressive drivers across the state. Below is a sampling of the total tickets that were issued. 

• Speeding - 4,757 
• Distracted Driving - 425 
• Seatbelt violations - 1,791 
• Move Over Law - 131 

The results of the campaign broken down by Troop: 

Troop	Region	Speed	DWI Arrests  (# of persons)	Distracted Driving	Child Restraint/  Seat Belt	Move Over	Total  Tickets  (includes other violations)
A	Western NY	320	13	18	221	5	1,201
B	North Country	272	4	6	68	15	865
C	Southern Tier	471	8	30	250	16	1,400
D	Central NY	522	11	41	486	10	1,791
E	Finger Lakes	381	16	15	135	9	1,414
F	Upper Hudson Valley	405	45	65	136	7	1,201
G	Capital Region	411	21	30	94	13	1,116
K	Lower Hudson Valley	836	42	57	90	30	1,679
L	Long Island	411	31	50	77	2	1,132
NYC	New York City	98	4	53	24	2	600
T	NYS Thruway	630	18	60	210	22	1,664

BRONX DAYCARE WORKER INDICTED FOR SEXUALLY ABUSING 2 GIRLS

 

Victims Were Abused Over a 5-Year Period at Family Operated Facility

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx daycare worker has been indicted for sexually abusing two young girls under his care.

 District Attorney Clark said, “No child should be subjected to sexual abuse, especially in a place where they should have been safe. This defendant allegedly used his family’s daycare facility to get access to children and prey on them in unfathomable ways.”

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Jamie Sanchez, 30, currently of Bradenton, Florida was arraigned Thursday on first-degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child, two counts of second-degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child, and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child before Bronx Supreme Court Justice George Villegas. Bail was set at $200,000 cash, $200,000 bond, $200,000 partially secured bond. Sanchez is due back in court on February 28, 2023. 

 According to the investigation, between 2015 and 2020, Jamie Sanchez worked at My Precious Little Angels Daycare at 1238 Reverend James A. Polite Avenue in the Bronx. Sanchez allegedly sexually abused two girls at the facility on multiple occasions at different locations inside the daycare which was operated by the defendant’s family. One of the victims was between the ages of two to five years old when the abuse occurred. The other victim was between the ages of eight to 10 years old. The parents of each girl reported the alleged assaults to police separately in 2022. The defendant, who had moved to Florida in 2020, was extradited to New York on November 30, 2022.  

 Anyone with information about possible child victims of sexual abuse may call the NYPD’s Bronx Child Abuse Squad at (929) 265-3638. To Report Abuse or Neglect 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, anonymously, call the New York State Central Registry Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800- 342-3720. Mandated Reporters: 1- 800-635-1522. Deaf/Hard of Hearing: 1-800-638-5163. If you believe that a child is in immediate danger, call 911.

 District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detectives Julia Watson and Sai Bharadwaj from the Bronx Special Victims Squad for their work in the investigation. 

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt