Tammy Robinkoff, Riverhead GOP chairwoman, faces new charge of aggravated DWI in May crash

Riverhead GOP chairwoman Tammy Robinkoff is facing an additional, upgraded charge following a May  crash in which she is accused of driving drunk and leaving the scene after crashing into five parked cars and a home in Riverhead.

Robinkoff, 60, was charged with the misdemeanor charge of aggravated driving while intoxicated based on a test showing her blood alcohol content was 0.18%, more than double the legal limit of 0.08%, according to court records.

She also faces a second charge of misdemeanor drunken driving and four counts of leaving the scene of an accident, according to officials with the Riverhead Town Justice Court. She was initially charged with one count of drunken driving and leaving the scene of an accident.

Robinkoff has pleaded not guilty to all charges. She is scheduled to return to Southold Justice Court on Aug. 25.

Her attorney, Steven Losquadro, could not be reached for comment on Thursday. He previously said she would, "focus on her well-being and medical conditions," but did not elaborate.

The new charge was filed last week in connection with the May 24 crash on Memorial Day weekend, when she allegedly hit the parked cars and ran over a basketball hoop in a residential driveway, as well as the home's garage, prosecutors said.

At the time, police said they found Robinkoff outside her Honda and described her as having slurred speech, the odor of alcohol on her breath, "bloodshot glassy eyes and unsteady on her feet," according to a criminal complaint.

Robinkoff told police she had come from the VFW, where she said, "I had six Coors Lights," according to the complaint.

She failed roadside sobriety tests and was arrested on the DWI charge. She was taken to Peconic Bay Medical Center, where she was treated for injuries in the crash and underwent a blood test.

Police said Robinkoff is accused of striking the parked cars within five minutes in a stretch of less than two miles between West Main Street through downtown Riverhead while driving to her home. She was found by police nearby around 7:20 p.m.  

Video surveillance from a Ring doorbell obtained by Newsday showed a 2013 gray Honda Fit crashing into two vehicles and a basketball hoop in a driveway before peeling out and clipping a utility pole and then speeding away.

Robinkoff was still listed on Thursday as chairwoman on the Riverhead GOP website. Party officials did not respond to messages on Thursday.

Newsday's Tara Smith and Alek Lewis contributed to this story.