L.B. woman convicted of aggravated DWI

Manuela Torres, 56, of Long Beach was convicted on Monday of aggravated DWI and leaving the scene of an accident.

The jury at a Nassau County Court found Torres guilty of crashing into two parked cars at about 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 7. According to District Attorney Kathleen Rice, Torres was driving eastbound on West Beech Street in Long Beach after spending the night drinking in the West End when she crashed. When the owner of the vehicles came out of his house, Torres attempted to flee the scene, the owner was able to reach into Torres’s vehicle, shift the car into park, and remove the keys before she could drive away. Torres left the scene and walked eastbound on West Beech Street before she was arrested a few minutes later. Her blood-alcohol content at the time of her arrest was .28 percent, more than three times the legal limit. Rice said this was Torres’ third alcohol-related driving offense.

Nassau County Court Judge Philip Grella presided over the trial and will sentence Torres on Jan 19, 2010. She faces up to four years in prison. Torres is represented by Ronald Meltzer.