Recent Leandra's Law Arrests Raise Concerns On Long Island

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The head of a Long Island anti-drunk driving group said it appears more and more mothers are getting arrested and charged under Leandra's Law.

"I've been doing this for 25 years now and it seems like all of a sudden there's some kind of increase," Marge Lee of Dedicatedd told WCBS 880's Sophia Hall.  "It does seem that there's been an increase in not just mothers, but parents who have been arrested for driving drunk with their kids in the car."

Lee is reminding parents one drink is too many if you have to drive anywhere with a child in your car.

"If you have to transport your child any place, it's just not worth it, not even one drink," Lee said. "Your job as the mother is to protect that child."

In the most recent incident Monday night, Suffolk County police said Jeannie Muller, 34, of Nesconset, was allegedly driving drunk with a 4-year-old child in the car when she struck two moving vehicles in Selden.

She is charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child passenger 15 years old or younger and endangering the welfare of a child.

Last week, a 47-year-old Long Island woman was accused of driving while intoxicated with a teenager in the car.

Last month, a woman was arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated with three children – one of whom police said she had just picked up from school.

In January, a Long Island man was accused of driving drunk with his two young children, ages 5 and 12, in the car.

Also in January, police said a Hauppauge woman was drunk when she crashed her SUV into a home with her 15-year-old daughter in the vehicle.

Lee said something needs to be done to stop intoxicated parents from getting behind the wheel.

"What are we waiting for? I wish the judge would give them the strictest penalty, give them the harshest sentence because we've gotta send a message to parents who won't take care of their own kids. We as a society have to take care of these kids," Lee said.