Police: Man Ordered To Attend Anti-DWI Program Drove To Class Impaired By Alcohol

A participant in a county-run program designed to show convicted drunken drivers the impact alcohol-related accidents have on families has been charged with driving to the class with his ability impaired by alcohol, according to the Rockland Sheriff's Department.

Captain William Barbera said Louis Aschettino, 51, of Spring Valley was charged Tuesday at 6:38 p.m. after showing up for a court-ordered Victim Impact Panel session conducted by the Rockland STOP-DWI program at the county Fire Training Center in Pomona. Barbera said participants in the sessions are required to take a breath test for alcohol when they show up.

Barbera said an initial test of Aschettino detected alcohol and then Aschettino was required to take a field sobriety test. At the time police were questioning Aschettino, Barbera said they discovered Aschettino had driven to the session in Pomona and that his driver's license had been suspended for a previous alcohol-related incident.

Aschettino was charged with driving with ability impaired, a violation, and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, a felony. Barbera said Aschettino was arraigned before Ramapo Town Judge Rhoda F. Schoenberger and ordered held in the Rockland County Correctional Center on $10,000 bail. Aschettino is scheduled to appear in Ramapo Town Court on June 7.

Barbera said that unless they have been granted a conditional license, people ordered to attend the program at the training center usually do not have a valid driver's license and are driven there by a friend or family member, or take a taxi or public transportation.

Leslie Chernin, coordinator of the STOP-DWI program, said people who have been ordered to attend the Victim Impact Panel sessions have been caught drinking previously. However, she said this is the first time an attendee has been arrested at a session.

In the Victim Impact Panel sessions, victims of alcohol-related accidents speak about the drunk driving crash in which they were injured or a loved one was killed. Each panelist tells their story and how their lives were affected by the crash or the death of a family member.  There is no interaction between the victims and the attendees, but a question and answer period may follow if the victims are willing to participate. 

The audience members consist of people convicted of alcohol-related offenses and those on probation for driving while intoxicated. The groups range in size from about 100 to 150 each session, Chernin said.

According to the STOP-DWI program, the Victim Impact Panel provides two significant services: For many of the offenders, this is the first time they have ever been "face to face" with the possible consequences of their actions. For the victims, the panel gives them an opportunity to speak out, and perhaps, find some healing in the process.

Some panelists bring photographs of their family member who was killed by a drunk driver and explain how the loss has forever changed their lives. Victims also feel that sharing their stories and pain may prevent another person from suffering by possibly preventing drunk driving offenses.

The panel meets six times each year at the training center.  More than 2,000 people have attended panel sessions, according to Rockland STOP-DWI.