Man accused of DWI with 4 kids in car

Police say a Ronkonkoma man was drunk behind the wheel with his wife and four children in tow when he crashed into another vehicle. Investigators say 28-year-old Courtney Barker was seen driving erratically

News 12 Staff

Nov 4, 2014, 3:31 AM

Updated 3,636 days ago

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Police say a Ronkonkoma man was drunk behind the wheel with his wife and four children in tow when he crashed into another vehicle.
Investigators say 28-year-old Courtney Barker was seen driving erratically before the crash Sunday night on the Long Island Expressway near Exit 69.
He crashed his 2006 Cadillac SRX into a 2012 Buick, causing damage to both vehicles. Police say no one was injured, including the children, ages 2, 4, 9 and 14.
Suffolk police say Barker failed a field sobriety test after the crash. A witness stopped at the crash scene and provided video recorded on a personal dashboard camera of Barker driving erratically before the crash, according to investigators.
Barker was charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a child, plus aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child, which is a felony under Leandra's Law.
Prosecutors requested $30,000 bail at his arraignment, but a judge released Barker on his own recognizance because of his clean record and community roots.
The children were released to the care of Barker's wife.
At the courthouse, Barker declined to comment to reporters and covered his face with a hooded sweatshirt.