LAKE GROVE, N.Y.
— A Suffolk County grand jury has indicted a 68-year-old Huntington Station man accused of fatally striking a pedestrian and fleeing the scene earlier this year, prosecutors announced Friday.
Sarkis Dadourian was arraigned on June 6 on one count of leaving the scene of an incident resulting in death, a Class D felony, in connection with the Feb. 2 crash that killed 24-year-old Sampada Aduulla of Stony Brook. He faces up to 7 years in prison if convicted.
According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Dadourian was allegedly driving a 2007 Honda Accord eastbound on Nesconset Highway at the intersection of Hallock Road at approximately 6:20 a.m. when he struck Aduulla as she was crossing the highway.
An eyewitness told investigators that Dadourian exited his vehicle briefly to inspect the damage before fleeing the scene. Police issued a vehicle description to the public shortly afterward.
Tip from auto body shop led to suspect’s arrest
Two days later, Suffolk County Police received a tip from a Nassau County auto body shop that a car matching the description had been brought in by a man who claimed he had hit a deer. The vehicle was seized as evidence. Dadourian later surrendered to detectives on February 10.
“This decision to leave the scene of a crash that resulted in the death of a young woman made a tragic situation worse,” District Attorney Raymond Tierney said in a statement. “My office will seek to hold the defendant accountable for his actions that day.”
At arraignment, Justice Steven A. Pilewski ordered Dadourian to surrender his passport and placed him on supervised release. He is scheduled to appear in court again on July 22.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney MacDonald Drane of the Vehicular Crime Bureau. Detective William Erdman of the Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit led the investigation.
