Freeport Man receives prison sentence for deadly DWI

Tyshaun Johashen, a resident of Freeport, was given a prison sentence of six to 18 years on Oct 13, following a fatal collision that occurred in March when he was found driving under the influence of alcohol. Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly made the announcement.

On August 30, Johashen, 32, pleaded guilty before Judge Robert Bogle to multiple charges, including Aggravated Vehicular Homicide, Assault in the Second Degree, Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle in the First Degree, and Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated.

The defendant was sentenced to serve a prison term ranging from six to 18 years, in contrast to the Nassau County District Attorney’s recommended seven to 21 years.

“Tyshaun Johashen was at least three times the legal limit for alcohol and driving with a suspended license when he struck and killed Mia Pollidore,” DA Donnelly said. “I am weary of having to talk to families who have lost loved ones to drunk and drugged drivers. This prison sentence — and a lifetime of having to live with taking another person’s life — is the result of making the reckless choice to drink and get behind the wheel. This defendant’s actions left two families heartbroken, and at sentencing today that heartbreak was on display as the mother of this defendant embraced Mia’s mother and apologized for what her son had done. Lives continue to be ripped apart on our roads. Enough is enough.”

According to the charges, on March 1, at around 7:02 p.m., the victim, 24-year-old Mia Pollidore, was walking westward across Babylon Turnpike just south of the Babylon Turnpike and Carroll Street intersection.

At that moment, the defendant was driving a 2018 Nissan Sentra southbound on Babylon Turnpike, exhibiting a high level of intoxication, when he collided with the victim as she crossed the street.

The impact caused significant trauma to the victim’s head and legs, and she was declared deceased at the scene at 7:11 p.m. Tyshaun Johashen was apprehended at the scene by law enforcement officers from the Nassau County and Freeport Police Departments.

Subsequent investigations revealed that he was driving at a speed of at least 60 miles per hour, well above the posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour.Notably, the defendant’s blood alcohol content was recorded at 0.24, as measured more than three hours after the accident. At the time of the crash, his driver’s license was under suspension due to a prior DWI prosecution in Queens, which remains pending.

The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Tara DePalo of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau, while the defendant is represented by Richard Langone, Esq.