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Court records: Limo driver faces four counts of criminally negligent homicide

thomas Spota

Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota is expected to announce the results of a grand jury investigation into last summer’s fatal limousine crash in Cutchogue.

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A source familiar with the results of the investigation told The Suffolk Times the limo driver, Carlos Pino, has been indicted and will be arraigned later today. Online court records show Mr. Pino faces four counts of criminally negligent homicide, a Class E felony, and other charges.

The crash occurred when a vehicle driven by Peconic resident Steven Romeo struck the limousine as it attempted to make a U-turn at the intersection of Route 48 and Depot Lane. Court records show Mr. Romeo has been indicted on two counts of misdemeanor Driving While Intoxicated and an infraction forDriving While Ability Impaired.

The DA’s announcement will take place at a press conference in Hauppauge at 12:45 p.m.

Four young women were killed and six people were injured when a pickup truck collided with a limousine on Route 48 in Cutchogue July 18.

Limousine passengers Lauren Baruch, 24, of Smithtown; Stephanie Belli, 23, of Kings Park; Amy Grabina, 23, of Commack; and Brittney Schulman, 23, of Smithtown, were killed. Fellow passengers Alicia Arundel, 24, of Setauket; Melissa Crai, 23, of Scarsdale, N.Y.; Joelle DiMonte, 25, of Elwood; and Olga Lipets, 24, of Brooklyn were injured, as were Mr. Romeo and Mr. Pino of Old Bethpage.

Following the crash, Mr. Romeo, 55, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. Later, it was revealed that his blood alcohol level was below the legal limit when a blood test was administered one hour and 40 minutes after the crash, but it investigators have maintained he was drunk at the time the incident occurred.