Woman Arrested and Charged with DWI with Kids in the Car

A Poughkeepsie woman is facing serious charges after a late night traffic stop over the weekend.

Just after midnight Friday night, at 12:58 a.m. April 18, State Police in Wappinger pulled over a GMC traveling southbound on Church Street in the City of Poughkeepsie for a violation.

According to police, the driver, Deneen C. Majors, 39, of Poughkeepsie, displayed signs of intoxication during the traffic stop. Majors subsequently failed Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, police said.

Police also said two children, 10 and 13, were also in the vehicle at the time of the stop. The children were safely released to a sober third party, according to police.

Majors was taken into custody and transported to State Police Barracks in Wappinger, where she reportedly refused to submit to a chemical breath test.

Majors was charged with:

• Two felony counts of Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated with a Child Passenger (Leandra’s Law);
• Felony First-degree Aggravated Unlicensed Operation;
• Misdemeanor Driving While Intoxicated;
• Vehicle and Traffic Law violations

Majors was released with tickets.

What is Leandra's Law?

Leandra's Law was named in honor of Leandra Rosado, an 11 year old girl who was killed while riding in a car with the intoxicated mother of one of her friends on the Henry Hudson Parkway in New York City on October 11, 2009.

In response to this tragedy, the NYS Legislature made several changes to the Vehicle and Traffic Laws:

• First time offenders driving while intoxicated (.08 Blood Alcohol Content [BAC] or more) or impaired by drugs, with a 15 year old or younger child passenger can be charged with a class E felony punishable by up to 4 years in prison.
• People charged with driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 or greater with a 15 year old or younger child passenger automatically have their license suspended during the criminal case.
• Drivers who drive while intoxicated or impaired by drugs and cause the death of a 15 year old or younger child passenger may be charged with a Class B felony, punishable by up to 25 years in State prison.
• Drivers who drive while intoxicated or impaired by drugs and cause serious physical injury to a 15 year old or younger child passenger may be charged with the Class C felony, punishable by up to 15 years in State prison.
• Even if no child is in the vehicle, anyone convicted of any felony or misdemeanor drunk driving offense is sentenced - in addition to any fine, jail or prison sentence – to a period of probation or conditional discharge. During that period, the driver is required to install and maintain an Ignition Interlock Device, for at least 12 months, in any motor vehicle he or she owns or operates. The driver also has an ignition interlock restriction added to his or her driver’s license.
• A parent, guardian, custodian or anyone legally responsible for a child who is charged with driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs while that child is a passenger in the car is reported to the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment by the arresting agency.