A Suffolk County police officer was indicted on upgraded charges for allegedly driving drunk the wrong way on Sunrise Highway, crashing head-on into a van and killing its 37-year-old driver three months ago, authorities said.
Robert Scheuerer pleaded not guilty Wednesday at Suffolk County court to charges of vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter, reckless endangerment, reckless driving, driving while intoxicated and other charges.
“The defendant had 10 pints of beer and a Margarita,” Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.
Prosecutors said the 24-year-old police officer had a blood alcohol content of 0.17 percent—more than double the legal limit—more than an hour after he drove his Nissan Pathfinder eastbound in the westbound lanes of Route 27, crashing into a van driven by Brian J. Fusaro in Bay Shore at 4:40 a.m. Sept. 27.
“Mr. Fusaro was trapped in his vehicle and he was burned to death,” Spota said.
Scheuerer, a Third Precinct officer on force for one year who was off duty at the time, has been suspended without pay, authorities said. He is free on $250,000 bail and due back in court Jan. 18. He faces up to 25 years in prison, if convicted.
