Published: 09/05/2007
Driver in Essex Avenue crash pleads not guilty
By Douglas A. Moser
Staff writer
A Gloucester teen charged with drunken driving following a crash that put his girlfriend in Massachusetts General Hospital was allowed to remain free until his next hearing in October following an appearance in Gloucester District Court yesterday.
Prosecutors wanted Jason Korinko, 18, of 12 Addison St., Apt. 2, held on $5,000 bail because of the seriousness of the crash early Sunday morning, but Judge Richard Mori decided to release him on personal recognizance until his pretrial hearing Oct. 12. He pleaded not guilty to drunken driving and driving to endanger.
Korinko's girlfriend, Alyssa Bennett, 16, of Maura Way, was out of the intensive care unit at the Boston hospital, defense attorney John Seabrook Jr. said in court. The hospital listed Bennet in fair condition yesterday afternoon.
Mori ordered Korinko to refrain from driving until his hearing.
Bennett was injured just before 1 a.m. Sunday when the 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada that Korinko was driving crashed into a utility pole on Essex Avenue. Korinko and three other teens in the car were able to get out on their own; rescuers removed Bennett from the front passenger seat and took her to Addison Gilbert Hospital. She was flown to Massachusetts General later Sunday.
The crash snapped the pole in four places, leaving pieces of the pole and wires on Essex Avenue. Police closed the road for more than 12 hours Sunday while Verizon replaced the pole and National Grid repaired the wiring. The power company reported no one lost power.
Police said Korinko was speeding while traveling west on Essex Avenue toward the Heights of Cape Ann, where he was taking Bennett, according to Seabrook. Skid marks that measured about 360 feet in length indicated the Bravada swerved back and forth between the two travel lanes before going off the eastbound side into the pole. The car was a total loss.
The other two passengers, Laura Taormina, 16, of Samoset Road, and Jessica Pepe, 19, of Rockport, were taken to Addison Gilbert following the crash for bumps and stiffness from the crash. They were released after treatment. Zach Dench, 17, of Foster Street, was the fourth passenger. He did not go to the hospital.
Two of the passengers told police Sunday that Korinko had been drinking. He admitted to police to having a few drinks Saturday night, then denied drinking when asked again.
Korinko did not pass field sobriety tests, prosecutors said yesterday, and registered a blood alcohol content of .19 when tested. The limit for those over 21 is .08; the limit for minors is .02. Besides the two criminal charges, Korinko was also cited for speeding and a marked lanes violation.
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