On April 25, 2010, police in upstate Oneida County arrested a 20 year old Bedford resident for a New York drunk driving charge while he was supposedly driving at 153 mph. The driver, Shane Crolick, was reported to have been driving a 2005 Dodge Neon with three other people in the vehicle when he was chased by a trooper and eventually crashed his vehicle into a guardrail. Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident.
According to Terence Corcoran of Lohud.com, more than 100,000 drivers were convicted of speeding on Lower Hudson Valley roadways from ’06-’07 and about 450 were convicted of operating their vehicles in excess of 100 miles per hour.
Mr. Crolick is charged with Driving While Intoxicated (Blood alcohol level above 0.08 percent), reckless driving and unlawful flight (for attempting to avoid arrest), which are all misdemeanors under New York State law. He was released on $5,000 bail. If Mr. Crolick has no prior DWI’s and speeding tickets, he may be able to obtain a reduced plea to a DWAI, or Driving While Ability Impaired, which would then allow him to avoid a criminal record, as a DWAI is a traffic infraction, not a crime such as a DWI. However, due to the charge of operating at such a high speed under the Vehicle & Traffic Law, there is a question as to whether the local prosecutor would be willing to reduce the charges. We will attempt to follow the outcome of this case.
Please contact the Westchester County Drunk Driving Lawyers at the White Plains, New York Law Office Of Mark A. Siesel online or toll free at (914) 428-7386 if you or a loved one is charged with a New York DWI or other criminal offense for a free consultation to discuss your legal rights and options.