Kerry Kennedy's impaired-driving trial set for January 22

A judge in New York state Tuesday set Kerry Kennedy's trial on a misdemeanor impaired-driving charge for Jan. 22. Still to be decided, however, is where the trial will take place, The Rye Daily Voice reported. Lawyers for both sides agreed the North Castle Town Court is too small, the online newspaper said. Kennedy's attorney, William Aronwald, suggested White Plains as a possibility. "They cannot try the case here," Aronwald said. "The preference is North Castle, so the question is trying to find a suitable space." Kennedy, a 54-year-old human-rights activist who is the daughter of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, the niece of President John F. Kennedy and ex-wife of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, was arrested in July 2012 after her car swerved into a tractor-trailer rig on Interstate 684. She said she had accidentally taken a small amount of the prescription insomnia medication Ambien prior to the crash. Aronwald said while his client is frustrated by how long the case has dragged on, there will be no plea deal. "She is looking forward to her day in court," Aronwald said. "Accidental ingestion is not a criminal offense." In May, Judge Elyse Lazansky denied Kennedy's motion to dismiss all the charges. Kennedy, who lives in Bedford, was accompanied to the courthouse Tuesday by her sister-in-law, Molly Kennedy of Mount Pleasant, when she appeared in North Castle Court, the Daily Voice said. She left without talking to reporters, the newspaper said.