Community Corner
DWI Crash Victims Refuse Meeting With Judge
They don't want to hear anything judge has to say except that Charlotte DePersia is going to prison after violating her probation.
In lieu of $500,000 cash bail or a $1 million bond, Charlotte DePersia has been locked up in the Suffolk County Correctional Facility since April 10, when she was arraigned for allegedly violating her probation for drunk driving and vehicular assault.
The victims of the in Bridgehampton — which led to the East Hampton woman's probation — already when DePersia for her repeat drunk driving offense. And now they are refusing to meet with the judge who promised that DePersia would finally be sent to upstate prison if she consumed alcohol while on probation.
"We can only deduce that your reason for wanting to speak with us would be an attempt to justify not sending Charlotte DePersia to upstate prison, as you stated you would do, several times on the record ..." reads an email to Judge William Condon signed by Matthew Gluck and Lindsay Soyka, of East Quogue, and Mark and Karyn Scholack, of New Jersey.
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Enclosed with the email was the transcript of DePersia's Dec. 13, 2011, sentencing. Highlighted in yellow are all instances of Condon telling DePersia that she would have no margin for error during her probation, and that having one drink would land her in prison.
The victims' letter concludes, "We have full faith that you will abide by your word and impose the sentence of 1 1/3 to 4 years at an upstate prison for Charlotte's probation violation."
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The sentence comes at the recommendation of Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota.
DePersia stands accused of having two drinks in Montauk, recorded by an ankle monitor that measures alcohol in sweat. Prosecutors say she admitted to the Probation Department that she had two glasses of wine. She entered a plea of "denial" April 10.
DePersia is due back in court Tuesday. Her attorney did not immediately return a call placed Thursday afternoon.
Soyka, who previously told Patch she suffered a broken nose, bruised knees and fractured eye socket during the crash, requiring multiple surgeries, also has a civil case pending against DePersia.
