Danbury Man Charged with Leandra’s Law Following Traffic Stop in Southeast
On September 20, 2026, at approximately 3:25 a.m., New York State Police in East Fishkill conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling eastbound on Interstate 84 in the town of Southeast for violations of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law.
During the traffic stop, the operator, identified as Edber Torres Chamba, 35, of Danbury, Connecticut, exhibited signs of intoxication. Standardized Field Sobriety Tests were administered. Further investigation revealed that two children, ages 1 and 8, were passengers in the vehicle at the time.
Torres Chamba was taken into custody and transported to SP East Fishkill for processing, where he submitted to a chemical breath test that yielded a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.16%. The children were safely released to a sober third party.
As a result of the investigation, Torres Chamba was charged with:
- Two counts of Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated with a Child Passenger (Leandra’s Law), a class E felony
- Driving While Intoxicated, an unclassified misdemeanor
- Operating a Motor Vehicle with 0.08% or More Alcohol in Blood, an unclassified misdemeanor
- New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law violations
Torres Chamba was issued traffic tickets returnable to the Town of Southeast Court on October 13, 2026, at 6:00 p.m.