Geneseo Woman Charged With Aggravated DWI

TOWN OF GENESEO: Livingston County Sheriff Thomas J. Dougherty reports the arrest of a Geneseo resident on felony DWI charges after an investigation by the Sheriff’s Office.

On September 24, 2019 at approximately 7:40 pm, the Livingston County Emergency Communications Center (E-911) received a call for a possible intoxicated driver on Avon Geneseo Rd. (Rt. 39). Deputy Mike Donals, who was assigned to the Sheriff’s Office STOP DWI Unit, located the vehicle in question and initiated a traffic stop on Lakeville Rd. (Rt. 20a).

The operator of the vehicle was identified as 32 year old Lissa R. Wells. The Deputy Sheriff suspected that Wells was under the influence of alcohol and conducted a roadside DWI investigation that included the performance of standardized field sobriety tests.  At the conclusion of the roadside investigation, Wells was taken into custody for DWI. Wells was also operating the vehicle with her two children, ages 2 and 9 as passengers.

Wells was then transported to the Sheriff’s Office Headquarters in Geneseo where Deputy Heather Benjamin from the Sheriff’s Office Jail Division administered a breathalyzer test. The breathalyzer test revealed that Wells had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .09%.  Wells was arrested and charged with felony Aggravated DWI with a Child Less Than 16 years old in the Vehicle (Leandra’s law), Driving While Intoxicated, and two (2) counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

Wells was then turned over to Central Booking Deputies at the Livingston County Jail for processing and pre-arraignment detention. The District Attorney’s Office was contacted in regards to bail due to the felony level charges and it was recommended that Wells be released on her own recognizance.  Wells was later arraigned at the Livingston County Centralized Arraignment Part (LC-CAP) at the Livingston County Jail before Town of Groveland Judge Jenean Love. The Judge released Wells on her own recognizance.  The children involved were turned over to a responsible third party and Child Protective Services was contacted.

Deputy Mike Wade, Deputy Tim Sweeting, and Officer Chris Matteson from the Geneseo Police Department assisted with the investigation.