Long Beach Motorist Pleads Guilty to Hitting, Dragging Girl While Drunk

A Long Beach man pled guilty to the top charge against him after he drove drunk, hit a 15-year-old girl crossing the street, and dragged her for 600 feet, according to Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice. 

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German Gutierrez, 50, pleaded guilty Thursday to the top charge of first-degree assault, depraved indifference, aggravated driving while intoxicated, and leaving the scene of an accident with serious physical injury in exchange for a promised sentence of eight years in prison from Judge Tammy Robbins. The DA’s Office recommended a sentence of 10 years.

Rice said that just before 9 p.m. on Sept. 3, 2012, Gutierrez was driving his 2002 Jeep Liberty eastbound on East Beech Street in Long Beach without his headlights on when he drove through a stop sign at Edwards Boulevard and struck a 15-year-old girl walking her bicycle southbound across the street. Rather than stopping to help, Gutierrez kept driving, pinning the victim beneath her bike and dragging her under his vehicle for more than 600 feet.

After the victim fell away from the vehicle, Gutierrez continued driving, striking a parked vehicle and driving on the sidewalk before coming to a stop in the street and falling out of his vehicle.

The victim suffered such serious road rash injuries to the left side of her body that her knee and elbow joints were exposed. Extensive skin grafts have resulted in permanent scarring, and she suffered an injury to the tendons in her left hand that may require surgery.

Gutierrez told officers at the scene that he had consumed “like, a thousand drinks” and hadn’t technically killed anyone, the DA said. He registered a blood-alcohol content reading of .30 percent more than three times the legal limit, five hours after the incident.

“The physical and emotional scars this brave young woman has suffered will be a constant reminder of the horrors she suffered at the hand of this defendant, but today’s guilty plea ensures that Mr. Gutierrez pays a serious price for his crime,” Rice said.

Assistant District Attorney Katie Zizza of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau is prosecuting the case for the DA’s Office. Gutierrez is represented by Attorney Kevin Connoll.