Republican Lawmaker Who Wrote Column Against Drunk Driving Charged with New Year's Eve DWI
Brian M. Kolb, the top Republican in the New York Assembly, was arrested on New Year’s Eve and charged with driving while intoxicated — just a week after he penned a guest column in his local newspaper warning about the dangers of getting behind the wheel drunk.
Authorities from the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office took Kolb to jail on Tuesday night, the Associated Press reported, after he failed a field sobriety test with his blood-alcohol content clocking in at over the 0.08 percent legal limit.
Kolb crashed his 2018 GMC Acadia in front of his home in Victor, New York, the vehicle falling into a ditch. Officers told The New York Times that a passerby noticed the car just before 10:30 p.m. local time and called police. No one was hurt and no other cars were involved in the crash.
The politican is currently out of county jail, awaiting a future court appearance, The Washington Post reported. A district attorney from the neighboring Yates County has been appointed as special prosecutor in an effort to avoiding claims of unfairness.
If convicted, a first-time DWI offender in New York faces a maximum penalty of a year in jail and $1,000 in fines, with a mandatory driver’s license revocation of at least six months, the Post said.
The minority leader from Canandaigua, a 20-year political veteran who represents a district outside Rochester and has a history of supporting stricter driving while intoxicated legislation, explained on Wednesday that there was “no excuse” for his behavior and that he had a “lapse in judgement.”
“I fully recognize the severity of the situation and I am profoundly sorry,” Kolb said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. “There is no excuse and no justification for what occurred Tuesday evening. I made the wrong decision, and it is one I deeply regret.”
In his column warning against driving while under the influence of alcohol during the holidays, which was published on Dec. 20 in the upstate Daily Messenger newspaper and again on his website, Kolb also said that “there is no excuse for impaired driving.”
“Here in New York, we have taxis, ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft and a robust public transportation system,” Kolb said. “Please, use these services, or a sober, reliable designated driver when making your way about town.”
“Many of our holiday traditions, especially our New Year’s Eve celebrations, involve indulging in spirits. Done safely, and in moderation, these can be wonderful holiday experiences. However, tragedy can be only one bad decision away,” Kolb wrote, noting that December is National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month. “Do not operate a vehicle if your ability to do so is impaired. Drunk driving is not only dangerous to the driver, but to vehicle passengers, bystanders and other drivers. Please consider the ramifications of impaired driving, especially as we prepare to close out 2019 and welcome in a new decade.
“There is much to celebrate this year, and our time with family and friends is to be cherished,” Kolb continued. “It is my sincerest hope that we can reduce and ultimately eliminate drunk driving tragedies that unfortunately mar the season and, for too many families, turn a season of cheer into a never-ending nightmare. Together, by making responsible choices, we can combat these unneeded, avoidable situations and ensure everyone has a safe, happy and healthy holiday season.”
Since then, many of Kolb’s political colleagues have weighed in on the situation, with Republican Assemblyman Kieran Michael Lalor calling for him to step down as minority leader.
“That he hasn’t done so already is a disgrace,” Lalor tweeted.
