RYE, NY — New York State Police arrested a Connecticut man on drunken driving charges after finding two children in his vehicle during a traffic stop early Sunday.
Leopoldo Lima Flores, 37, of Stamford, Connecticut, was charged with two counts of DWI with a child passenger less than 16, a violation of Leandra’s Law.
Troopers assigned to State Police Tarrytown initiated a traffic stop at approximately 3:31 a.m. on a 2026 Honda CRV traveling northbound on the New York State Thruway (I-95) for vehicle and traffic law violations.
During an interview with Lima Flores, troopers detected signs of alcohol impairment.
Standardized field sobriety tests and a preliminary breath test were administered, which returned positive results for alcohol impairment.
Further investigation revealed that two children under the age of 16 were in the vehicle.
Lima Flores was transported to State Police barracks in New Rochelle for processing.
The children were turned over to his wife, who was in the vehicle at the time.
Lima Flores was also issued several uniform traffic tickets.
He was released to his wife and is due in Rye City Court on April 24, 2026.
Leandra’s Law, also known as the Child Passenger Protection Act, is named after Leandra Rosado, an 11-year-old girl who was killed in a car crash after the driver, who had allegedly been drinking for several hours prior to the crash, lost control of her vehicle on the Henry Hudson Parkway.
The law, which became effective Dec. 18, 2009, sets some of the toughest DWI provisions in the country.
