Michael
Bailey holds his daughter, Samyah, as boxing legend Teddy Atlas plants a
kiss on the cheek of the so-called "Miracle Baby." The 22-month-old
girl lost her left eye after she was hit by a stray bullet as she sat in
her stroller. Atlas gave Samyah the kiss after presenting her with a
gift during a fundraiser to benefit her family back in October at The
Roadhouse, Sunnyside. Michael Bailey was arrested Saturday and charged
with drug possession and driving while under the influence of alcohol
and drugs.Michael Bailey, 28, whose criminal history became a hot topic during this year's district attorney race on Staten Island, found himself back in cuffs after police say they spotted him and him and his wife allegedly smoking pot inside his parked 1998 Nissan Saturday.
The incident happened at around 4 p.m., outside of 55 Holland Ave. in Mariners Harbor.
Bailey and his wife had bloodshot eyes, police said, and the car reeked of marijuana, but when police approached, he locked the door and refused to come out at first.
Once he finally emerged, a bag of marijuana fell from Bailey's lap onto the ground, authorities allege.
The Nissan is the same vehicle that Samyah's family used to transport the wounded girl to Richmond University Medical Center. Bailey had initially refused to be searched, authorities said, and when police took him and Ms. Mahoney to the 120th Precinct stationhouse, they found out why.
A strip search revealed Bailey had hidden 55 bags of crack and 11 bags of cocaine in a larger plastic bag by wrapping them around his genitals with a rubberband, authorities said.
In all, Bailey has been charged with three separate counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, along with criminal possession of marijuana and operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and drugs, said Peter N. Spencer, spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan.
Bailey is slated to be arraigned Tuesday.
Ms. Mahoney was not charged with any crime and set free, said a law enforcement source.
Bailey's 2-year-old daughter, Samyah, made national headlines in September after a stray bullet struck her in the face as she sat in her stroller outside the crowded courtyard of the Arlington Terrace Apartments in Mariners Harbor.
After the shooting, baby Samyah spent nine days in Richmond University Medical Center, West Brighton, where she underwent several surgeries to fix the extensive damage to her head and face. While doctors were unsure if she would make a full recovery, Samyah beat all odds and earned the title of "miracle baby."
The story also became a political issue during Staten Island's District Attorney race between GOP District Attorney Donovan and Democratic challenger Michael Ryan.
Ryan criticized Donovan for not relocating the Bailey family after the shooting.
In an earlier Advance story, Donovan said the family had refused his office's offer to relocate Samyah, her mother, and the girl's grandmother.
Donovan said the family declined because the offer did not include Samyah's father, whom Donovan said was a "two-time convicted felon" who currently has two open cases against him with the D.A.'s office.
"I would not spend one dime relocating that individual," Donovan said. "They wanted to bring the father. I wouldn't pay for it."
Eventually City Councilwoman Debi Rose stepped in and arranged for Ms. Mahoney and baby Samyah to be relocated to a temporary home.
According to a law enforcement official, that temporary home was an apartment in the Park Hill section of Clifton.
Ms. Mahoney and Samyah spent 30 days there, before moving back to their Holland Avenue address in the Arlington Terrace Houses.
At the time of the arrest on Saturday, Samyah's grandmother was watching her, said a law enforcement official.
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