Detective in fatal crash battled alcohol abuse

By Kevin Deutsch

The drunk NYPD detective who struck and killed a 67-year-old grandmother on Kingsbridge Avenue Oct. 30 had a history of alcohol abuse and got into an accident 13 years ago that left a teen in need of reconstructive surgery, according to court documents and a police source.

Det. Kevin Spellman, 42, of Riverdale told investigators he didn’t see the car he hit in the 1996 crash until it was right in front of him — the same explanation he gave when he slammed into Drana Nikac as she crossed Kingsbridge Avenue near West 232nd Street nearly two weeks ago.

Det. Spellman’s insurance company paid for the girl’s surgery following the earlier crash. Court records from that case make no mention of alcohol.

Det. Spellman, a 22-year department veteran, was also forced to do a stint in rehab three years ago after his superiors found he’d been drinking during a “verbal altercation,” a police source said.

Police are still investigating the Oct. 30 accident that killed Ms. Nikac. A pedestrian told police he had a green light when he crossed the street just ahead of Ms. Nikac, the NYPD said, suggesting she still had the right of way when she ventured into the roadway.

Investigators believe Det. Spellman was probably driving at or near the speed limit of 30 mph when his government- issued sedan slammed into Ms. Nikac at about 6:30 a.m. The veteran detective refused a Breathalyzer test at the scene and again at the station house. Nearly five and a half hours later, police drew his blood to test its alcohol content. The result: a reading of 0.21 — more than two-anda- half times the legal limit, the NYPD said.

Det. Spellman, who worked in the highly regarded Bronx Fugitive Task Force, got off work about midnight and went out drinking, police said. Investigators believe he may have thrown back beers at Pauline’s Cabaret, a popular police hangout on Broadway at West 236th Street. It’s not clear where else he might have been drinking.

“He’s a good man and a good cop, very well-known around here,” said one customer at Pauline’s, adding that he’s known Det. Spellman more than 10 years. “He just made a mistake — a tragic mistake. Everybody feels terrible about it.”

Det. Spellman was considered an elite detective, with wellhoned investigative skills. He worked on a number of major cases, including the hunt for suspects in the killing of NYPD Officer Russel Timoshenko.

Det. Spellman, who could not be reached for comment, is charged with criminally negligent homicide, second-degree vehicular homicide and driving while intoxicated. He is free on $100,000 bail.

This is part of the November 12, 2009 online edition of The Riverdale Press.

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