A Brooklyn grand jury has indicted an off-duty police officer for vehicular manslaughter, driving while intoxicated and speeding in the the death of a pastor's daughter last month, law enforcement sources said.
The officer, Andrew Kelly, had no traces of alcohol in his blood when tested some seven hours after the accident, which mowed down 32-year-old Vionique Valnord as she tried to hail a taxi after leaving a wedding reception in Mill Basin, sources said.
Kelly, 30, a seven year veteran of the NYPD, had been driving a Jeep Cherokee with friends, including a fellow off-duty cop, about 1 a.m. Sunday September 27th when Valnord was struck. The other officer in the car fled the scene and was later suspended from the force.
Kelly had pleaded not guilty at his arraignment at Brooklyn Criminal Court. He had initially refused a blood test and delays in informing prosecutors and getting a court order resulted in the seven hour delay in testing his blood.
Despite the negative results, sources said they could build a case against Kelly. At his arraignment, the prosecutor described a sergeant at the scene reporting that Kelly had red, watery eyes and slurred speech, and that there were alcoholic beverages in the Jeep.
If convicted, Kelly faces up to seven years in prison.
