A grand jury charged a 20-year-old Albertson woman with aggravated vehicular homicide Thursday in the fatal DWI crash of a Valley Stream woman. The indictment marking the first time the aggravated vehicular homicide law has been used since it was enacted on Nov. 1.

Sophia Santos is charged in connection with the death of 62-year-old Virginia Casazza-Urgo of Valley Stream. Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice says Santos was driving drunk on Hempstead Turnpike in Levittown on Nov. 11 when she ran a red light and struck Urgo?s car. Other passengers were also injured as a result of the crash.

Urgo was driving home from her birthday party when the accident occurred.Rice and state Sen. Charles Fuschillo drafted the aggravated vehicular homicide bill to fill a hole in state law pertaining to fatalities from drunken-driving cases.

?This new law now gives prosecutors the tools they need to appropriately charge drunk drivers who kill others and hold them accountable for their actions," says Fuschillo.Aggravated vehicular homicide is a Class B felony that carries up to 25 years in prison. The minimum prison time associated with Class B felonies is five years.

Santos? bail was set at $1 million cash or bond. She was ordered to return to court Jan. 7.

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