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Colonie woman BAC almost three times legal limit, also charged with child endangerment
COLONIE – A 42-year-old woman who has a day job of protecting children for New York State is now facing charges including aggravated DWI with a 14-year old in the front passenger seat known as Leandra’s law.
Under New York’s Leandra’s Law, a driver charged with DWI or DWAI-Drugs can face felony aggravated DWI charges if a child is in the vehicle. Leandra’s Law was named after Leandra Rosado, an 11-year-old girl killed in a 2009 car crash.
According to reports, on Thursday, March 6 at 7:21 p.m. Colonie police responded to the Towers of Colonie apartment complex on Sand Creek Road for a report of a vehicle that crashed into a building and left the scene. When officers arrived they located a gray 2017 Nissan Rogue with front-end damage at another building in the complex. Officers observed a woman, later identified as Michal P. Roberts-Contreras, of Colonie, standing outside of the vehicle looking at the damage.
While speaking with Roberts-Contreras, officers observed her to have slurred speech, poor coordination, droopy and watery eyes and an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from her breath. She told police that consumed “less than a pint of liquor,” a few hours earlier, but did attempt to conceal two open bottles from the front seat in her coat pocket, reports said.
Roberts-Contreras was given and failed field sobriety tests and tested positive for breath alcohol on a pre-screening device. An investigation and her admissions found that she failed to navigate the turn off Sand Creek Road and crashed into a garage nearby. Police also determined that a 14-year-old boy was riding in the front passenger seat. Colonie building department and the apartment complex maintenance staff were called to check the structure.
She was taken into custody and, at the police station, provided a breath sample that returned a .20 percent BAC. Roberts-Contreras was charged with felony aggravated DWI – with a child less than 16, and acting in a manner to injure a child, aggravated DWI – .18 BAC or more and DWI, all misdemeanors, and ticketed for leaving the scene of a property damage accident and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle.
The police report showed Roberts-Contreras works for Child Protective Services and a search at SeethroughNY.com and Openpayrolls.com confirmed she has worked in that unit at the State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) since 2015.
“The New York State Office of Children and Family Services’ (OCFS) utmost priority is the safety and well-being of all New York children. We do not comment on personnel matters,” a spokesperson for OCFS said.
According to OCFS, it maintains a state-wide hotline called the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR). The SCR receives telephone calls alleging child abuse or maltreatment within New York State.
When a report of child abuse or maltreatment is accepted by the Statewide Central Register (SCR), it is transmitted to local departments of social services (LDSS) for investigation and monitored for prompt response. Section 423 of the Social Services Law requires local departments of social services (LDSS) establish a county or city child protective service (CPS) to investigate allegations of child abuse and maltreatment.
It is local law enforcement agencies that are responsible for investigating crimes committed against children. There are times that county CPS and law enforcement will collaborate, they said.
Roberts-Contreras works for the State and her position title is Child Protective Services Specialist. She does not directly investigate crimes.
Roberts-Contreras was released with an appearance ticket for Colonie Town Court on Monday, March 24.
