'Melrose Place' Actress Amy Locane Accused in Fatal Drunk-Driving Crash

[Zoneboy]

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Amy Locane, an actress who once starred beside Johnny Depp, Brendan Fraser and Adam Sandler, is accused of killing a Montgomery woman in a drunk-driving crash Sunday, not long after she allegedly fled the scene of another collision, authorities said today.

The former "Melrose Place" cast member and mother of two is facing charges in the crash that killed Helene Seeman and critically injured her husband, Fred Seeman.


She appeared in Superior Court in Somerville today, dressed in green jail garb and handcuffed to a woman accused in a cocaine distribution ring.

Tears ran down the 38-year-old’s face as she was arraigned by Superior Court Judge Robert Reed, who set bail for the Hopewell woman at $50,000. She was released this afternoon.

She is charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and third-degree assault by auto. If convicted, Locane could spend five to 10 years in prison.

Around 9 p.m. Sunday, Locane, whose married name is Locane-Bovenizer, crashed into the couple as they pulled into their driveway, court papers said. Locane was driving a 2007 Chevy Tahoe north on Cherry Hill Road when she struck the passenger side of a 2010 Mercury Milan, which had been traveling south.

Helene Seeman, the passenger, was pronounced dead at the scene; Fred Seeman was flown to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick with broken bones and internal injuries. He was in critical condition today, a hospital spokesman said.

Not long before the collision in Montgomery, Locane was involved in a hit-and-run crash several miles away, Somerset County Acting Prosecutor A. Peter DeMarco, Jr., said in a statement.

Locane rear-ended a car in Princeton, DeMarco said. When the driver of the other car tried to phone police, Locane got back in her SUV and drove off, the prosecutor said.

The other driver followed, telling police she was "swerving and knocking down several mailboxes."

Later Sunday, after the fatal crash, the actress admitted to police that she had consumed "several glasses of wine" prior to driving, according to court papers.

Officers reported smelling alcohol on her breath and that the actress’ eyes were bloodshot and glassy, and her speech was slurred, court papers said. They said she appeared "uncoordinated."

She was arrested and transported to University Medical Center in Princeton, where her blood was drawn for lab tests.

A Trenton native, Locane now lives in Hopewell with her husband, Mark Bovenizer, and their two children. Locane’s attorney, Peter O’Neill, declined to comment after court. No one answered the couple’s home phone today.

Locane’s last film of note was a minor role in 2002’s "Secretary," starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader, though her career began promisingly enough, with a critically-acclaimed turn in John Waters’ "Cry-Baby," starring Johnny Depp, and roles in the teen flicks "School Ties" and "Airheads," both with Brendan Fraser.

She’s best known for her short-lived role as aspiring actress Sandy Harling in Fox’s 1990s hit "Melrose Place."

Locane gave up on Hollywood several years ago and moved back to New Jersey. She met her future husband, who ran Princeton Community Liquors, while working at a nearby store, according to People’s Celebrity Baby Blog.

"I’ve learned it’s not about being famous and big money," she told the blog in 2007. "L.A. can be a fun place, but when it comes down to it — and this might sound hokey — there’s no place like home."

Recently, Locane played a leading role in "Miss Connections" at Hopewell borough’s Off-Broadstreet Theatre, which held a matinee Sunday.

[Marvo301]

I just looked up Amy Locane on IMDB.com. Her two daughters are 3 years old and one year old. If she is convicted and receives the maximum sentence she could miss a significant part of their growing up.