Tokson
WHITE PLAINS – An Armonk man was arraigned in Westchester County Court on Wednesday on a 14-count indictment in connection with the death of a woman.
On December 13, 2015 at about 5:50 p.m., Zachary Tokson, 23, was driving an SUV north in the southbound lanes of I-684 in the Town of Bedford when he crashed head on into a station wagon. The victim, Elena Lopez, died instantly on impact from several blunt force trauma injuries.
Tokson suffered a laceration of his eye and his passenger suffered broken ribs, a dislocated femur and lacerations to her liver and spleen. She survived.
An investigation revealed that Tokson had been drinking hours earlier at a bar in Brewster. After leaving the bar and having stopped for some food, Tokson and his passenger got on I-684 south and stopped at a Bedford rest area to take a nap. Tokson woke up and began driving the wrong way in I-684 for about 1.1 miles before the collision.
A search of the vehicle revealed a closed, empty bottle of whiskey and a mixed alcohol drink inside a closed soda bottle.
Tokson pled not guilty to the charges and is in the Westchester County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bond. If convicted, he faces up to to 25 years in state prison.
The indictment against Tokson included two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide, one count of manslaughter, two counts of vehicular manslaughter, two counts of vehicular assault, two counts of driving while intoxicated, one count of reckless driving, three counts of obedience to and required traffic-control devices, and one count of driving the wrong way.
