NYPD sergeant was allegedly drunk in deadly wrong-way crash in NY

NEW YORK (PIX11) --- An off-duty NYPD sergeant was allegedly driving with a blood alcohol level three times the legal limit when she hit and killed a driver on a New York highway earlier this year, authorities said Monday. Sgt. Tiffany Howell, 47, allegedly had a .26 blood alcohol level when she crashed her car head-on into the victim's vehicle on the Taconic State Parkway at 11:37 pm. on Jan. 22, prosecutors said. The driver, Manuel Boitel, 61, was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved, officials said. Boitel, a doorman, was on his way home from work when he was killed. Authorities said Sgt. Howell's blood alcohol level was three times more than the legal limit, and she was driving 50 mph on the wrong side of the parkway before the deadly crash. Sgt. Howell was arrested and indicted Monday on charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, manslaughter, and vehicular manslaughter, authorities said. The cop pleaded not guilty at her arraignment on Monday in Westchester County Court. Bail was set at a $250,000 bond, a $500,000 partially secured bond, or $100,000 cash. Sgt. Howell, an 18-year NYPD veteran, has been suspended without pay, police said. The officer's attorney could not immediately be reached.