Photo: Mike Groll/AP/Shutterstock
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.
The politican is currently out of county jail, awaiting a future court appearance,The Washington Postreported. 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, thePostsaid.
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.”
Brian M. Kolb.Uncredited/AP/Shutterstock
Inhis columnwarning against driving while under the influence of alcohol during the holidays, which was published on Dec. 20 in the upstateDaily Messengernewspaper andagain 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.”
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 doneso already is a disgrace,” Lalor tweeted.
source: people.com
