December 7, 2006, 11:06 PM EST

The Central Islip man who was allegedly drunk when he plowed into a car, killing two people Wednesday, was arraigned on a charge of driving while intoxicated and may face felony charges, officials said.

A court officer escorted accused driver Nilssen Torres-Paredes, 30, before Judge Howard Bergson Thursday and he looked around the courtroom. None of his family was present.





Torres-Paredes, still dressed in a white and light green hospital gown, blue sports shorts, white socks and no shoes, stood silently before the judge in First District Court, Central Islip. The charges against him were read along with the statements he made to police.

"I had two glasses of red wine earlier," Bergson said Torres-Paredes told police after the 2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer, registered to his grandmother, collided with another vehicle and then burst into flames.

The victims were Audra Kaczur, 24, and David Calogero, 31 -- the girlfriend and best friend of Paul Kind, the driver of the second vehicle. Police said Kind, 32, was making a left turn from Lowell Avenue onto Rockaway Street in Islip Terrace when they were struck by Torres-Paredes.

Assistant District Attorney Martin Lorenzotti said Torres-Paredes may face felony charges, but he declined to elaborate.

Bergson ordered the defendant held on $200,000 cash bail or $400,000 bond.

Suffolk police said Torres-Paredes' previous arrests show that he was deported from Miami in 1997, after he was convicted on charges of assault and criminal possession of a weapon in Brooklyn. There is no record of Torres-Paredes coming back into the country.

In September, Torres-Paredes was arrested by a sheriff's deputy when he was spotted speeding and following another vehicle too closely on Route 27 in West Babylon. Suffolk County sheriff's department chief of staff Alan Otto said he produced a fake Florida driver's license with the name Dennis Gomez. He was charged with forgery and criminal impersonation and released on $800 bail, Otto said. The case is pending.

"I have to live with this for the rest of my life," Thomas Kaczur, Audra's father, said. "My wife has to live with this. Paul has to live with this. We've been abused beyond what would be considered humane. What stigma does he have to carry through his life?"

Meanwhile, Torres-Paredes' family said they also are in mourning for the victims. His grandmother said he had studied medicine for five years in Ecuador, where he has two young daughters. He came to the United States hoping to finish his studies, said Leonor Cuero, 73. But instead he started working and sending money back home. Family members said he worked at a local electronics company installing cable.

A wake for Kaczur is being held today at the Chapey & Sons funeral home in East Islip. A funeral is planned for Saturday at the Holy Family Ukrainian Catholic Church in West Islip. Funeral details for Calogero were not available Thursday.
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