DA: Blood alcohol level of truck driver Steve Romeo was below limit
SOUTHOLD, N.Y. --
Steve Romeo's level was .066, said Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota at a news conference Friday morning. The legal limit is 0.08 in New York.
He clarified that the result, while it is below the legal threshold for driving while intoxicated, does not mean that the charge will be lowered, according to Suffolk District Attorney Tom Spota. "Right now, standing alone, standing alone, (the charge) would be driving while impaired. But that is not the final factor that we would consider in determining whether it is driving while intoxicated," said Spota.
Romeo has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge. His next court date has been rescheduled for September.
DA's spokesman Robert Clifford said Romeo's attorney asked for bail to be reduced from $500,000. On Thursday, a New York judge reduced bail for the pickup truck driver. The D.A. said Steven Romeo's bail was lowered to $50,000 at a court hearing Thursday.
Investigators have not talked to survivors, including have not talked to victim who was released. Investigators have interviewed the limo driver.
Romeo has been hospitalized since Saturday. The attorney said he expected to be hospitalized for the foreseeable future.
Prosecutors have said the limousine, carrying eight women, was making a U-turn after leaving a winery when Romeo broadsided them.