SCPD: Boozed-Up Mom Busted After Crash

A Medford woman is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges after Suffolk County police said she crashed her SUV into the woods while allegedly driving drunk with her two young sons inside late Saturday night.

Police said the crash occurred at approximately 11:25 p.m. on July 18, when Jesher Rivera-Barreto, 31, was driving a 2006 Toyota 4Runner southbound on Horseblock Road at the intersection of Montauk Highway in Brookhaven.

According to investigators, Rivera-Barreto lost control of the vehicle, left the roadway and slammed into a wooded area.

Rivera-Barreto and her two passengers, her 1-year-old and 4-year-old sons, were transported to NYU Langone Hospital–Suffolk in Patchogue for evaluation. Police said Rivera-Barreto and the younger child suffered minor injuries and were treated before being released. The 4-year-old was not injured.

Both children were released to their father at the hospital.

Following the investigation, Suffolk County Police charged Rivera-Barreto with Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated with a Child Passenger Less than 15 Years Old under Leandra's Law, Driving While Intoxicated, and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

Leandra's Law, enacted in New York in 2009, makes it a felony to drive while intoxicated with a child age 15 or younger in the vehicle. The law was named after 11-year-old Leandra Rosado, who was killed in a 2009 crash while riding with an intoxicated driver.

Rivera-Barreto, of 230 Mount Vernon Ave. in Medford, was held overnight at Suffolk County's Fourth Precinct pending arraignment Sunday in First District Court in Central Islip.

The investigation remains active. Detectives from the Fifth Squad are asking anyone with information about the crash to contact them at 631-854-6552.