Nesconset Man Receives 4 to 12 Years for Fatal DWI

A Nesconset man was sentenced to serve 4 to 12 years in prison after driving drunk and fleeing the scene of a fatal accident.

Robert Watson III, 24, pleaded guilty in July to one count of vehicular manslaughter, first-degree assault and aggravated driving stemming from an October 2010 accident that killed Patchogue resident Kevin Mead.

Watson was driving his 2007 Nissan on Veterans Memorial Highway in Bohemia when he driven by 57-year-old Allan Collins. Collins was in the left turning lane, stopped at a red light at the intersection of Johnson Avenue.

Following the crash, Watson sped off but was quickly apprehended by police.

Mead, 26, who was sitting in the back of the Mazda, sustained severe head and neck injuries in the crash. He was rushed to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital, where he died as result of the injuries 11 days later.

When Watson pleded guilty in July, he said he had been out having a few beers at a Smithtown bar then was drinking vodka with a friend, before getting behind the wheel of the car, according to Newsday. Watson had a 0.21 percent blood-alcohol at the time of the accident. The legal limit is 0.08 percent.

He apologized to his family for his actions in court on Wednesday.

Read Newsday (subscription required) for the statement and reactions of the victim's family.