Champ charged under Leandra’s Law

Monday, August 20, 2018 - 05:47

GUILDERLAND — A Clifton Park man was charged under Leandra’s Law by Guilderland Police who were conducting a sweep for drunk drivers.

On Sunday, Aug. 19, at about midnight, police stopped Tracy H. Champ in the area of Western Avenue and Interstate 87, according to a release from Guilderland Police.

Champ, of 143B Beach Road in Clifton Park, had two children, ages 13 and 10, in the car, the release said.

Leandra’s Law is named for Leandra Rosada, who was 11 when she was killed in a car that flipped on the Henry Hudson Parkway in New York City; the car was being driven by a friend of the child’s mother, who was speeding and believed to be drunk at the time. The law makes driving while intoxicated an automatic felony when a child 15 or younger is in the vehicle.

Champ was charged with driving while intoxicated with a prior conviction within 10 years, a felony; with two counts of aggravated DWI under Leandra’s Law, also a felony; with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor; and with second-degree criminal contempt, also a misdemeanor.

Champ was arraigned in Guilderland Town Court by Judge Christine Napierski and released on his own recognizance.

— Melissa Hale-Spencer

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