WHITE PLAINS – A Yorktown man was arraigned on Monday for a wrong-way head-on crash he caused while driving intoxicated in December 2020 that resulted in the death of an Ossining mother.
Mark Cope, 41, faces a sentence ranging from one to three years to 8 1/3 to 25 years in state prison.
On December 23, 2020, at about 9:07 p.m., Cope drove northbound in the southbound lane on Route 9 in Peekskill when he crashed head on into the car driven by Ossining resident Shina McClam.
Cope had a blood alcohol content above the legal limit at the time of the collision.
“This horrible tragedy cost a woman her life and a daughter her mother due to Mark Cope’s decision to selfishly get behind the while of his car while intoxicated,” said District Attorney Miriam Rocah.
McClam, 32, died at the scene. McClam’s six-year-old daughter and 18-year-old niece, who were in the car, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were both treated for a week at Westchester Medical Center.
Cope was indicted on three charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, manslaughter, aggravated vehicular assault, vehicular assault, aggravated DWI, two counts of DWI and reckless driving.
