A New York City police sergeant has admitted in court to causing a deadly drunk-driving crash, a case that ended with a serving officer standing before a judge as the person responsible for another driver's death. The New York State attorney general's office announced that NYPD Sergeant Tiffany Howell pleaded guilty in connection with the fatal wreck.
According to prosecutors, Howell pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and manslaughter. The dual plea marks a striking outcome for a member of the police department, formally accepting criminal responsibility for a crash that took a life rather than fighting the charges at trial.
The crash happened back in January in Westchester County. Authorities said Howell was driving the wrong way when she slammed into another vehicle, a head-on impact that proved fatal. The wrong-way element of the collision underscored how the crash unfolded on a busy parkway where traffic moves at high speed.
The man who was killed was identified as Manuel Boitel, who was 61 years old. He was struck as Howell drove against the flow of traffic, and he did not survive the collision, leaving his family among those affected by the officer's actions that night.
The deadly wreck took place on the Taconic State Parkway in the Mount Pleasant area of Westchester County. The parkway, a major route through the region, became the scene of the fatal head-on crash that authorities say was caused by the sergeant driving while impaired.
The case was handled by the New York State attorney general's office, which announced the guilty plea. Prosecutors framed the outcome as an act of accountability, with a law enforcement officer being held to the same legal standard as any other driver responsible for a fatal drunk-driving crash.
Howell now faces four to 12 years in prison when she is sentenced. The plea closes the question of guilt in the case and shifts attention to the sentencing phase, when a judge will determine how much time the former sergeant will serve for the crash that killed Manuel Boitel.