A Mineola woman was among 25 Nassau County residents arrested in a recent two-week sweep targeting convicted drunk drivers who attempted to violate ignition interlock requirements.
Lisa Wallace-Faath, 46, of Mineola was arrested in the sweep operation, which was conducted by the county District Attorney’s office and the county Department of Probation.
The operaton used surveillance on convicted drunk drivers to ensure their compliance with the law.
Under the law, convicted drunk drivers are required to have ignition interlock devices installed in their cars and are not permitted to drive any vehicle without them.
“Ignition interlocks protect our roadways by requiring that convicted drunk drivers prove that they’re sober when they get behind the wheel,” said Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice. “When those protections are circumvented, however, every motorist and pedestrian is endangered. This sweep shows Nassau County law enforcement’s commitment to ensuring compliance with this life-saving measure.”
Ignition interlock devices became mandatory for any drunk driver sentenced on or after August 15, 2010. The device requires the driver to pass a breath test in order to start the vehicle, as well as “rolling retests” until the vehicle is stopped and turned off. If the device detects alcohol on the driver’s breath, the horn will honk, the lights will flash, and the driver is instructed to stop the car.
In some cases the police may respond to investigate. In all cases, a notice of violation will be sent to Probation, the DA’s Office, and the court. In addition, the vehicle will enter “lockout” mode, preventing the car from starting if the driver does not report to the service provider.
Wallace-Faath and the other defendants were arrested after driving illegally to meet with their probation officers. Rice said that the DA’s Office will continue to work with the Department of Probation to conduct spot checks on convicted drunk drivers going forward.
They were charged with operating a motor vehicle without a court-ordered interlock and aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle.
