NY Woman Charged with a Felony DWI

I commented recently about a new law in New York that makes it a felony to drive drunk if there are minor children in the car. The law was signed into law earlier this year.

Monique Sexton, a 25-year-old, was celebrating her birthday on Tuesday when she was stopped for driving her Ford 81 mph in a 55 mph zone on the Long Island Expressway.

She was found to have a BAC of .11, police said. In addition to being charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, she has also been charged with a felony DWI under the new New York law.

These sorts of laws usually begin in New York or California, and make their way to the rest of the country. I would not be surprised if within 5 years North Carolina joins New York as a state with a Felony DWI for driving drunk in a car with underage children.

Update: As of December 1, 2011, a DWI in North Carolina that involves a passenger who was under 18 at the time of the DWI is a mandatory Level 1 DWI requiring at least 30 days in jail, and up to two years in prison.