Kerry Kennedy, the ex-wife of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and a daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, was arrested after a traffic accident on Friday on charges of driving while impaired by drugs, the state police said.
Kennedy, 52, was found seated behind the wheel of a white Lexus at about 8 a.m. in the Westchester County town of North Castle.
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| Kerry Kennedy (AP Photo) |
"911 calls reported a white vehicle operating in an erratic manner in the southbound lanes south of exit 4 that collided with a tractor-trailer," police said in a statement.
"State Police arrived and a subsequent investigation found Kennedy to be operating the motor vehicle while her ability was impaired by drugs," the statement said without giving further details.
A spokesman for Kennedy, Ken Sunshine, said Kennedy was not impaired.
"Kerry Kennedy voluntarily took breathalyzer, blood and urine tests — all of which showed no drugs or alcohol whatsoever in her system. The charges were filed before the test results were available," Sunshine said.
The accident came two months after Kennedy's sister-in-law and close friend, Mary Kennedy, took her own life. At the time, Kerry Kennedy spoke emotionally about Mary Kennedy's battle with alcoholism and depression.
"She was battling, battling those demons and keeping them out of the paradise that was Mary," Kerry Kennedy said of her former Brown University roommate at the time.
Mary Kennedy was the estranged wife of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy and nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy.
Kerry Kennedy was ordered to appear in court on July 17.
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