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L.I. Teen Pleads Not Guilty To Charges She Pinned Sister With Car

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A Long Island woman has been charged with allegedly using her vehicle to pin her sister against a garage during a dispute.

Marissa Kovalovsky, 19, was arrested Wednesday and appeared in court on Thursday where she pleaded not guilty to charges of reckless endangerment, WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported.

L.I. Teen Pleads Not Guilty To Charges She Pinned Sister With Car

According to Hall, Kovalovsky was accused of forcefully driving her Ford SUV towards her sister on Tuesday at their home in Port Jefferson Station.

Her sister was hit by the car, pinned against the garage and suffered leg injuries, Hall reported. According to Newsday, Suffolk County police said Kovalovsky's 17-year-old sister was taken to a hospital for treatment.

"My understanding is there was another individual involved, there was an argument between more than two people and unfortunately, the younger sister gets injured," defense attorney Edward Palermo told reporters including Hall on Thursday. "My belief is the conduct's accidental, it wasn't intentional, the injury's very minor."

This is not the first time that Kovalovsky has had a run-in with the justice system. She previously had two misdemeanor convictions and five failures to appear in court, Hall reported.

"She's a kid who's come a long way, in my opinion," Palermo said. "She had some issues as a youngster, I represented here. She's had some mental health issues in the past, but she's had her life on track. I actually ran into her about a week ago, she's in a relationship, she's having a baby, and then I was shocked to get this phone call yesterday, but it really seems to me to be out of character for her at this point in her life."

Hall reported that the judge issued a stay away order, stating that Marissa must not be near her sister. Kovalovsky will live with her grandmother, who posted her $5,000 bail.

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