Accused Drunk Driver Pleads Not Guilty To Mowing Down Two Brothers

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (WPIX) - An accused drunk driver, described by his lawyer as a decorated Marine staff sergeant who served time in Iraq, pleaded not guilty Monday on charges he mowed down two brothers as they crossed an East Meadow street this past weekend.

James Farr, 33, of Garden City pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree vehicular manslaughter and one count of DWI at his arraignment in Frist District Court in Hempstead.

According to authorities, a breathalyzer revealed that Farr had a blood-alcohol content of 0.21 - more than double the legal limit - when he got behind the wheel of his BMW and drove on the Hempstead Turnpike at around 4 a.m. Sunday. Farr stuck and killed Thomas Occhiogrosso, 27, and Joseph Occhiogrosso, 28, as they were attempting to cross the street near Conti Square Boulevard, police said.

Thomas Occhiogrosso, who was an inactive reservist with the U.S. Navy, was pronounced dead at the scene, while brother Joseph Occhiogrosso, who worked as a plumber, was transported to Nassau University Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries.

A lawyer for Farr claims the brothers "darted out of nowhere."

Far was ordered held without bail at his arraignment Monday. Prosecutors said charges against the defendant may be upgraded pending the results of an investigation.

Mom Who Abandoned Baby In Shoebox Arrested

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (WPIX) - Bail has been set at a half a million dollars for the Long Island mom accused of abandoning her newborn in a shoebox in the lobby of a Hempstead apartment building.

Xiomara Gamez, 25, was arraigned on charges of reckless endangerment, child abandonment and child endangerment at First District Court in Hempstead. She pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Prosecutors say Gamez has a drug addiction and has six other children who live with their father. They say she admitted to being addicted to cocaine during her latest pregnancy.

The newborn infant nicknamed "Baby Hope" by authorities was left "completely soiled" in a Timberland box on the floor of an apartment lobby at 5 Lafayette Ave. on Sunday, according to prosecutors.

Judge Robert Bruno ordered Gamez held on $500,000 bond or $250,000 cash bail as she faces charges of first-degree reckless endangerment, abandonment of a child and endangering the welfare of a child.

Gamez abandoned the newborn girl, nicknamed Baby Hope, "because of her addiction" to drugs, the prosecutor said. Authorities said the newborn was in good health when she was found with her umbilical cord tied off with dental floss.

After an investigation Nassau County detectives found Gamez and arrested her Wednesday.

Gamez is set to appear back in court on Tuesday.

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Police Search For Mother Of Abandoned LI Baby

HEMPSTEAD (CBS) ― Police are searching for the mother of a newborn baby abandoned in Hempstead, Long Island Sunday night

Nassau County Police say the baby, named 'Jane Doe Hope' by authorities, was found in the foyer of a building on 5 Lafayette Avenue at around 9:30 p.m.

According to police, a resident from the building discovered the baby in a shoebox. The 1-day-old baby was taken to Nassau County Medical Center where she is said to be in good condition.

A local resident expressed her concern.

"I'm surprised that one of her friends or someone didn't know, said Reamellow Foskey. "I mean, someone had to know, her mother or someone. Too bad she didn't know me, she could have brought the baby to me."

Under New York State's Safe Haven Law, a mother can drop a baby off at a police station or hospital and not face prosecution. But because the baby was dropped off at an apartment building, it is being investigated.

Detectives asked anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS.