QUEENS, N.Y. — A Far Rockaway man has been indicted on 21 charges, including aggravated vehicular assault and endangering the welfare of a child, for allegedly driving drunk and high with his three children in the car before crashing into a school bus, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Thursday.
Junior Deslances, 42, is accused of speeding, crossing a double yellow line, and causing the head-on collision on Brookville Boulevard on the morning of November 18, 2024. His three children, ages 15, 11, and 5, were in the back seat of the vehicle and were injured, two of them seriously.
“The defendant, as alleged, made the irresponsible and selfish decision to get behind the wheel after drinking alcohol and consuming marijuana, putting the lives of his own children at risk as well as everyone else on the road,” District Attorney Katz said in a statement.
According to court records, Deslances was allegedly driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content of .17 percent, more than twice the legal limit. He also tested positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana. Just before the crash, the two older children reportedly unbuckled their own seatbelts to secure their youngest sibling, who was not restrained.
The collision left the oldest child with multiple facial fractures and the 11-year-old with spinal cord fractures and a deep cut to the face. The youngest child suffered a head laceration. The school bus driver was treated for head pain and nausea.
A search of the 2008 Acura SUV uncovered marijuana cigarettes and an open bottle of beer. Authorities say Deslances was driving on a suspended license at the time of the crash.
If convicted, Deslances faces up to 15 years in prison. He is scheduled to return to court on February 4, 2025, before Justice Michael Hartofilis.
