New York Cop Pleads Not Guilty to DWI & Vehicular Manslaughter

A New York police officer has pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter for running over a woman who was trying to hail a taxi cab.

Officer Andrew Kelly was off duty when he fatally ran over 32-year-old Vionique Valnord in Brooklyn on Sept. 27.

According to the police report, Kelly was driving with another off-duty police officer and three civilians when he struck Valnord. First responders to the scene stated that Kelly's breath smelled of alcohol, and that he was slurring his speech.  Kelly refused to take a breathalyzer test. After submitting to a court-ordered blood test seven hours later, his blood alcohol concentration was zero.

In court, Kelly stated that he was not drunk, but simply did not see Valnord when the light turned green. However, reports from the scene indicate that when Kelly was asked if he had been drinking he originally said no, but then said, "not really."

Kelly, who has since been suspended from the NYPD, now faces charges of vehicular manslaughter and driving while intoxicated.  If convicted, he could lose his position as a law enforcement agent and be sentenced to up to seven years in prison, fines, probation, and driver's license suspension or revocation.

The New York Police Department is currently investigating whether there was a cover up.

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