June 29, 1999

VETERAN NEW YORK CITY POLICE DETECTIVE CHARGED IN VEHICULAR DEATH OF QUEENS MOTORIST AND SERIOUS INJURY TO WIFE.

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today the arrest and indictment of an off-duty New York City police detective on charges of manslaughter and driving while intoxicated in connection with the death of a 62 year old Queens motorist in a collision last year. The defendant is also charged with vehicular assault for causing serious physical injury to the motorist's wife in the same collision.

District Attorney Brown identified the defendant as Robert Bolson, 37, who has been suspended from the Police Department pending disposition of the charges. The defendant is a 15 year veteran of the Department and had been assigned to the 105 Precinct Detective Unit at the time of the incident.

According to the District Attorney, "the defendant's alleged conduct included driving through a residential neighborhood at a high rate of speed on a dark rainy night while intoxicated." The District Attorney added, "Although it is always regrettable when a police officer is charged with a crime, conduct such as that which is alleged here will not be tolerated."

According to the charges, on the night of April 26, 1998 at about 9:40 p.m., Frederico Hurtado and his wife, Hilda, were returning home in their 1987 Ford Taurus when at the intersection of 93^rd Avenue and 222^nd Street a 1986 Ford Mustang driven by the defendant smashed into the driver's side of the Hurtados' vehicle, killing Mr. Hurtado and causing serious physical injury to his wife.

The defendant is charged with manslaughter in the second degree, vehicular manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, driving while intoxicated, assault and vehicular assault. He will be arraigned on the charges later today in Queens Supreme Court. If convicted he faces up to fifteen years in prison.

Assistant District Attorney James M. Liander, Deputy Chief of the District Attorney's Integrity Bureau, together with Assistant District Attorney Yvonne Creque presented the matter to the Grand Jury under the supervision of Bureau Chief Vincent J. Carroll, Jr. and under the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney Robert D. Alexander. Mr. Liander is in charge of the prosecution.

The investigation was conducted by Lieutenant John Donnelly of the Police Department's Internal Affairs Bureau under the supervision of Deputy Inspector James Waters.

It should be noted that an indictment is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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