No lockdown
Times Sq. susp got DWI case break
THE DRUGGED-UP driver who terrorized Times Square last week got a pass from the judge in his 2015 drunken driving case when she declined to order his use of an ignition interlock device, court records show.
Richard Rojas, 26, was before Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Melissa Crane on Sept. 8, 2015, when he pleaded guilty to a drunken driving charge, a violation, stemming from an earlier impaired driving arrest.
Crane, noting the earlier arrest, ordered that his license be revoked for six months, and that he participate in the state’s STOP-DWI treatment program. She also called for an alcoholdetecting ignition lock for Rojas’ car.
But the judge quickly changed her mind when she noticed in his paperwork that he had completed a “favorable assessment” meant for intoxicated driving offenders. “Did he do the assessment? Yes. It is a favorable assessment. So actually, I would take back my requirement,” she said.
In the end, Rojas got off light with a $500 fine and a mandatory six-month loss of his license. He also had to attend a drinking-and-driving program.
In court, Rojas answered the standard plea questions and claimed he drank only two glasses of wine.
Reached outside her Upper East Side home Monday night, Crane declined to discuss the case on ethical grounds. “I respect the press a great deal. It is the backbone of a free society,” she said. “You understand, unfortunately, I cannot comment.”
A source familiar with the case said the judge was following a recommendation from prosecutors.