Keith Girard
Kerry Kennedy, ex-wife of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is reportedly working on a deal to avoid a conviction on drugged driving charges (Photo: Getty).
Kennedy, 54, the daughter of late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, collided with a tractor trailer on a suburban New York parkway in July 2012.
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She fled the scene but was later forced to pull over on a side road because her 2008 Lexus SUV suffered a flat tire in the collision. When police caught up with her, she said she could not remember the accident.
She later tested positive for Ambien, a drug normally used as a sleep aid. But during Woods’ 2009 sex scandal, one of his mistresses, New York party girl Rachel Uchitel bragged about using the drug to enhance their sexual intercourse.
Ambien can produce mildly hypnotic side effects and heightened sensations. But it’s also been known to cause blackouts. Other side effects include sleep-walking.
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Kennedy, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, is scheduled to stand trail on Monday (Feb. 24). Her defense lawyer, William Aronwald, is ready to argue that she took Ambien by mistake, confusing it with medication for a thyroid condition, according to The New York Daily News.
Whether that’s enough to convince a jury of her innocence is problematic. Hence, effort are underway this weekend to work out a plea deal.
Kennedy is reportedly ready to plead guilty to leaving the scene of an accident, a misdemeanor, if the drugged driving charge, also a misdemeanor, is dropped, according to the News.
A conviction on the latter charge could cost the ex-wife of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo the loss of her license for 180 days and mandatory attendance in a driving safety program.
Kennedy is engaged in international human rights work and wants to avoid a conviction that might restricting her ability to travel abroad.