Long Island driver in street race that killed 5 arrested yet again
MINEOLA, Long Island (WABC) -- A Long Island driver who participated in a 2014 street race that killed five teenagers was arrested yet again Wednesday, this time for allegedly firing a shotgun in his backyard.
Cory Gloe was sentenced to six months in jail and probation last May for his role in the deadly crash, after pleading guilty in March to a 17-count indictment that included five manslaughter charges in exchange for the shorter sentence.
He was one of two drivers engaging in a drag race in Farmingdale in May 2014, during which the driver and four passengers in the other car died when that vehicle crashed into an oncoming SUV.
The SUV driver and his passenger were seriously injured. Prosecutors said Gloe goaded the other driver into racing, and his plea agreement came despite revelations from prosecutors that he had posted an epithet to police and that he was arrested again while awaiting sentencing.
The latest incident also happened in Farmingdale, when officers responded to a call for shots fired on Lyons Avenue at approximately 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. Arriving officers were were informed by the residents that they observed their rear neighbor, Corey Gloe, now 20, firing a 12-gauge shotgun in his yard.
They also informed the officers that earlier in the evening, at approximately 5 p.m., a woman in her yard with her 3-year-old daughter had seen Gloe discharge the shotgun into the air, but did not notify police at that time.
The officers entered the rear yard, where they observed Gloe and two friends, a 20-year-old and a 19-year-old woman sitting in the yard. They also observed numerous shotgun shells on the ground. As the investigation progressed, the woman informed the officers that Gloe had placed the weapon in the trunk of her car in front of the home.
The shotgun was recovered, and Gloe was placed under arrest without incident.
He is charged with two counts of prohibited use of a weapon, two counts of reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child.
Prosecutors had pressed for a one to three-year sentence in the drag racing case, citing the social media posts that appeared to mock the criminal justice system. They also noted Gloe's previous arrest on a weapons charge, which was later dropped.
It's a disturbing case of deja vu for the loved ones of the five teens.
"He's had two years to grow up, get a conscience, live a morally proper life, not endanger anyone else," said Sandra Lonnborg, mother of one of the crash victims, Carly Lonnborg.
"Playing with long weapons in a densely populated suburban area can have horrific outcomes in this particular case," said Nassau County Acting Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter. "I only hope that the courts handle this as a serious crime."
Gloe, who was treated as a youthful offender for the deadly 2014 crash, was only sentenced to six months in jail. But this time many of the crash victims loved ones hope he'll face a harsher punishment.
During his arraignment on weapons charges Thursday he entered a plea of not guilty, but could face up to seven years in prison if found guilty on the newest top charge.
