Crime & Safety

Judge Clears WI Man of DWI Charges

Dismissed case stems from the Dec. 4 arrest of John Dipretoro.

A West Islip man has been cleared of his DWI charges , according to a report in the New York Post.

According to the Post report, Justice Paul Henry threw out the case saying police must have proof other than John Dipretoro's statement and the case "only shows that he had been drinking, not that he had also been driving.”

The Post cited a quote from legal papers in which Dipretoro, 60, admitted to officers that, "I had been drinking at a bar called Biddy Spratts, and I was trying to drive my car home."

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In addition, The Post also listed numerous other issues in the case that appear to have worked in Dipretoro's favor.

One was that an individual who had been following Dipretoro called 911 after an accident reporting that Dipretoro was behind the wheel. But that statement was not included in legal papers filed by the DA and not cited by prosecutors, the Post reported.

Find out what's happening in West Islipwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In addition, Dipretoro's lawyer Jason Tenenbaum said the crashed car belonged to Dipretoro's cousin, which nullified his admission to police. 

Tenenbaum also said that cops waited too long to give Dipretoro a Breathalyzer test after he initially refused one, according to The Post

However, a spokesperson for the Suffolk County DA's office told The Post that they are "appealing the decision."


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