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Willie Singleton, 48, died and his wife Aryn suffered major injuries in the April crash on Sunrise Highway in Massapequa
A father and son face felony charges after prosecutors said the dad poured vodka shots for his 19-year-old son inside a Bentley just before the teen drove off drunk and killed another man in a crash on Sunrise Highway in Massapequa.
Brian August, 19, of Bay Shore was allegedly driving with more than twice the legal limit for alcohol when he struck 48-year-old Willie Singleton’s Polaris Slingshot on April 19, killing Singleton and sending his wife to the hospital with major injuries, Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said.
August was arraigned Wednesday on a 13-count indictment that includes two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, first- and second-degree vehicular manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter, and multiple assault and DWI charges. He pleaded not guilty and remains in jail on $500,000 cash bail, $1.25 million bond, or $2 million partially secured bond.
His dad, Freeport resident Brian Kitchen, 42, was also arraigned Wednesday on charges of first-degree and second-degree reckless endangerment.
Prosecutors said Kitchen allegedly served his son liquor before the crash — some of which he gave to August inside the Bentley before the crash. He pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance.
Donnelly said August had been “in the driver’s seat of his father’s Bentley tossing back multiple shots of vodka” before turning sharply across multiple lanes of traffic on Sunrise Highway at Unqua Road and colliding with Singleton’s three-wheeled vehicle.
Singleton, who was from Bay Shore, was thrown from the Slingshot and pronounced dead at Good Samaritan Hospital a short time later. His wife Aryn suffered major injuries that required surgery and the insertion of a metal rod in her leg.
Investigators recovered a 1.75-liter bottle of vodka and several empty miniature bottles from the car, according to the DA’s office. Blood drawn from August about four hours after the crash showed a blood alcohol content of 0.20 percent, officials said.
If convicted, August faces up to 8⅓ to 25 years in prison. Kitchen faces up to 2⅓ to 7 years. Both men are due back in court Dec. 2.
Top photos: Facebook/Aryn Singleton
