Police

Update: Corrections officer involved in fatal crash suspended

PAUL SQUIRE PHOTO | Southampton police said an unknown man was struck and killed near this section of Flanders Road early Monday morning by a drunk driver.

The Riverhead man who police said struck and killed a pedestrian while driving drunk on Flanders Road early Monday morning is a sergeant at the Suffolk County Jail and has since been suspended without pay, officials said.

Christopher Dean, 41, is a 15-year veteran of the Suffolk County Correctional System, according to Suffolk County undersheriff John Meyerricks.

Mr. Dean has been suspended without pay for 30 days, Mr. Meyerricks said, the maximum amount of time an employee can be suspended without a hearing.

Southampton Town Police said Mr. Dean was driving a 2002 Mercedes–Benz vehicle westbound on Flanders Road about 12:30 a.m. when he struck and killed a pedestrian who was walking on the westbound side of the roadway.

Officers who responded to the scene found the unidentified man lying dead in the road near the intersection with Old Quogue Road, police said.

Mr. Dean was arrested at the scene and charged with driving while intoxicated. He was arraigned in Southampton Town Justice Court and posted bail, court officials said. He is due back in court on July 25.

Police said Monday that they still do not know the identity of the man who was killed.

He was described as being middle-aged Hispanic male, approximately 5-feet tall, with black hair. At the time of the accident, he was wearing tan cargo shorts, a gray polo shirt and white Ferrato sneakers.

Detectives are asking for help in identifying the man and locating his next of kin. Anyone with information should call the Detective Unit at (631) 702-2230.

Traffic was closed in both directions from the traffic circle to Ludlam Avenue during the course of the investigation and has since reopened.

Members of the Flanders Volunteer Ambulance Corps, the New York State Troopers, and the Riverhead Fire Department also responded to the scene to assist, according to police.

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