There is new information tonight on the deadly DWI crash that happened over the weekend and took the life of a young Niagara Falls man. 17-year-old Ashley Sullivan was arraigned today on a DWI charge. But police say more charges are likely to follow for Sullivan's involvement in the crash that killed her boyfriend 20-year-old Alex Rozicki.
The wreckage is now cleared away but flowers mark the spot where Rozicki lost his life early Saturday morning in North Tonawanda. "For whatever reason, the car left the roadway and struck a approximately 4-foot wide brick pillar the entrance to Deerwood Golf Course," said North Tonawanda Police Chief Randy Szukala.
Rozicki, who was a passenger in the car, was declared dead at the scene. Police say they detected the presence of alcohol so they had probable cause to arrest Sullivan for DWI. "Right now she's charged with DWI. The investigation is continuing," said Szukala.
But North Tonawanda police expect to lodge even more serious charges against Sullivan which could potentially include criminally negligent homicide or vehicular manslaughter. The Niagara County prosecutor would then have to prove two things in court: that Sullivan acted criminally negligent so that her actions caused the death of Rozicki, and that she was drinking and driving. A high blood alcohol content here is irrelevant in a sense, because Sullivan was not of legal drinking age so she shouldn't have had any alcohol in her system at all. However, a reading over the legal limit would give prosecutors solid evidence that Sullivan was an impaired driver. Police are interviewing people the couple was partying with before the crash because they could become eyewitnesses at a trial.
"Some friends say they were at a party, I'm not sure where at," said Joshua Brandel, a friend of Rozicki.
Detectives are also reconstructing the accident to determine the speed of the vehicle and what caused the car to veer off the road. "Was it argument? Something going on? I don't know," said Szukala.
Sullivan was released on her own recognizance today. She's due back in court later this month. Channel 7 spoke to Rozicki's family today but they preferred not to speak on camera right now.
Twitter
Facebook