A former NYPD officer has entered a guilty plea for Criminally Negligent Homicide after driving under the influence resulted in her husband's death. Bernadine Thomas, 36, from Maybrook, Orange County, was behind the wheel, racing at speeds of up to 109 MPH with a blood alcohol content of .10, when the fatal incident occurred on the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Rockland County on February 26, 2023. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the plea, indicating that Thomas will remain out on bail until her sentencing scheduled for May 7.
Thomas is slated to receive five years' probation for her plea to the charge. This is following a tragic event where she failed to keep her car on the roadway, causing it to veer off and violently collide with a tree, leading to her husband’s declaration of death at the scene. Her decision to waive her right to appeal was also part of today's proceedings in front of County Court Judge Kevin Russo in Rockland County.
The Office of Special Investigation (OSI), as mandated by New York State Executive Law Section 70-b, rigorously assesses incidents where an officer's action—or inaction—may have led to a death, be they armed or unarmed, in custody or not. This protocol applies regardless of whether the officer was on or off duty. It was pursuant to this law that the OSI conducted their full investigation into the incident involving Thomas, who was off-duty at the time of the crash.
Upon reaching their conclusion, the OSI's assessment evidently found enough evidence to proceed against the former officer. Sentencing is still to come, but Thomas already appears set to avoid incarceration, as she has been granted the opportunity to remain temporarily a free woman until the legal process reaches its next waypoint in May.
