Kerry Kennedy Returns to No. Castle Court With New Lawyers
Kerry Kennedy returned to North Castle Justice Court early Tuesday evening to answer her driving while impaired charge with two new lawyers by her side and was granted an adjournment of her case until November.
During her brief appearance that lasted a few minutes before Town Justice Elyse Lazansky, Kennedy reaffirmed her guilty plea that she entered on July 17, four days after she was involved in an accident with a tractor-trailer on I-684.
Her new attorneys, Gerald Lefcourt and William Aronwald, asked for an adjournment until Nov. 20 so they could acquaint themselves with the case. Lazansky granted their request.
Immediately after her appearance concluded, Kennedy was hustled from the courtroom via a back door and into a white Lexus that was waiting for her and her counsel in the parking lot behind Town Hall in Armonk. Neither Kennedy nor her attorneys spoke or stopped to answer questions.
It is not known why Kennedy’s previous attorney, Robert Gottlieb, was replaced.
Kennedy, 52, was charged with DWI, a misdemeanor, following her July 13 accident on southbound I-684 between Exits 3 and 4. She continued driving until reaching Exit 3 and turned onto Route 22. A short time later Kennedy’s car, which had become disabled from a flat tire, was found by a North Castle police officer. The officer noticed that Kennedy appeared to be disoriented and asked her to undergo a series of field tests.
Results of blood tests taken after she was stopped subsequently revealed no alcohol in her system but there was the presence of Ambien, a sleeping pill. Kennedy said in July following her last court appearance that she may have mistakenly taken Ambien rather than her daily thyroid medication.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, Rocco Scuiletti, was subsequently charged with leaving the scene of an accident. He pleaded not guilty to the charge in North Castle court last week and has requested a trial.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
