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Prosecutors: Off-Duty LI Cop In Fatal Wrong-Way Crash Had BAC Double Legal Limit

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Prosecutors say an off-duty Long Island police officer had a blood alcohol content more than twice the legal limit when they say he smashed into a van in a deadly wrong-way crash last week.

Authorities say Robert Scheuerer, 24, was driving a 2000 Nissan Pathfinder when struck a 2016 Ford van on the westbound side of Sunrise Highway in West Islip on Sept. 27. The van caught fire. The driver died at the scene.

Police said Scheuerer was driving east in the westbound lanes.

The body of the driver of the van was burned beyond recognition. Police say they need to perform a DNA test to identify the body.

Scheuerer, 24, who is assigned to the Suffolk County Police Third Precinct, was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, a Class D Felony.

The Suffolk County officer pleaded not guilty to reckless endangerment at a hospital on Tuesday. A spokesman for District Attorney Thomas Spota says toxicology results were released on Wednesday.

Scheuerer's attorney says people shouldn't judge the case yet.

Scheuerer has been suspended without pay.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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