A Brooklyn man pleaded not guilty in Suffolk County court today to a 12-count indictment for being drunk while driving the wrong way on the Northern State Parkway and killing a New York city police officer.
Michael Bowen, 50, faces a maximum of 25 years in jail for the actions which lead to the death of NYPD officer Andres Menzies, 35, who was on his way home to North Babylon from his patrol in Queens.
“The defendant was so inebriated behind the wheel on the Northern State that he claimed to be on his way to Mount Vernon, telling state police at the accident scene, 'I have no idea where I am,'” said District Attorney Thomas Spota. “Tests on the blood drawn from the defendant found his blood-alcohol level to be .26, more than three times New York’s legal threshold of .08."
Prosecutors said that Bowen, traveling east on the parkway shortly after midnight on November 15, made a U-turn and drove west against the eastbound traffic, nearly colliding with two other vehicles before the fatal collision that killed police officer Menzies, a father of five.
Bowen, who has no prior criminal record, is alleged to be a dual citizen of the United States and Barbados, officials said. State Police investigators are in the process of confirming his status.
