Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas recently announced that a New Hyde Park man has been arraigned on grand jury indictment charges for a New Year’s Day crash that seriously injured a Nassau County Police Department officer.
Keith Dillon, 29, was arraigned before Acting Supreme Court Justice Patricia Harrington on a slew of charges consisting of: two counts of aggravated vehicular assault, second-degree assault, two counts of first-degree vehicular assault, second-degree vehicular assault, two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, second-degree reckless endangerment, three counts of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and or drugs, and reckless driving.
“There’s no excuse for people to drive drunk and high,” said Singas. “Yet this defendant allegedly got behind the wheel—under the influence of both alcohol and drugs —and jeopardized the life of every single person on our streets. William Gomes is a brave police officer who was working the night shift on New Year’s Eve to keep us safe from drunk drivers. Tragically, he must live with the injuries he sustained that night while protecting us. My office is committed to aggressively prosecuting this case—and every case—against people who drink and drive.”
Singas said at approximately 2:24 a.m. on Jan. 1, Dillon was allegedly driving his 2014 Dodge Ram at a high rate of speed southbound on Glen Cove Road in Greenvale—while intoxicated and impaired by Xanax—when he drove onto the center median, crashing his vehicle head-on into an unmarked police car, driven by NCPD Officer William Gomes.
Gomes was on DWI patrol at the time of the crash, and the force of the collision pushed the car approximately 50 feet backwards and rotated the car approximately 180 degrees. Dillon’s vehicle flipped over and came to a stop approximately 30 to 40 feet from the officer’s car. Xanax and cocaine were allegedly found in Dillon’s car after the crash.
Gomes suffered a brain bleed, broken elbow and leg fractures which required multiple surgeries to repair. To this day, he walks with a permanent limp and cannot fully bend his left elbow or touch his face with his left hand. Dillon suffered a fractured ankle.
Bail was continued, and Dillon is due back in court Wednesday, Aug. 15. If convicted of the top count he faces a maximum sentence of five to 15 years in prison.
—Submitted by the office of Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas
