Oceanside woman drove drunk with kids in car, cops say

An Oceanside woman who was driving drunk with three children in her car and was involved in an accident in Long Beach last Friday night left the scene, according to Nassau County police.

A 4th Precinct officer was helping Long Beach police investigate a car crash at the corner of West Park Avenue and Indiana Avenue. The officer was looking for a car that rear-ended another car and then drove away. A witness at the scene had taken a picture of the license plate, and the officer used it to track the car down. He found the car as it pulled into a driveway on Links Drive West in Oceanside.

When the driver, Eileen F. Danon, 43, got out of the car, the officer determined that she was drunk and arrested her. There were three children in the car, ages 11, 9 and 6. Police left the children with a neighbor. No injuries were reported.

Danon was charged with three counts of aggravated driving while intoxicated, three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident without a report.

At her arraignment on Saturday, First District Court judge Andrea Phoenix suspended Danon’s license and set bail at $9,000 because she had refused a breath test. Her next court date is Aug. 13.

“She’s absolutely innocent,” said Danon’s lawyer, Mineola-based Robert Brunetti. “We intend to prevail on the case on this trial.” He called Nassau County breath tests unreliable and said he would not even submit to one while sober.