Brunswick councilman, legislator charged with DWI after traffic stop
Daniel Casale apologized in statement, will appear in court on March 6
A Town Board member who also serves as a Rensselaer County legislator and a state Senate aide was charged with drunken driving after he was stopped by a deputy for driving without his headlights on, according to the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office and court records.
Daniel Casale was stopped at 9:12 p.m. Feb. 8 on Patriot Place, the street on which he lives, according to the sheriff’s report.
Casale had a blood alcohol content of 0.13 percent, according to the sheriff’s office. Casale was ticketed for driving while intoxicated, operating a motor vehicle with a BAC in excess of 0.08 percent — the state threshold — and failure to use headlights with windshield wipers.
Casale, who is scheduled to appear in court on March 6, works on the staff of state Sen. Daphne Jordan, R-halfmoon. Casale is the son of former state Assemblyman Pat Casale.
“I demonstrated incredibly poor judgment and have embarrassed my family, my community, my colleagues and myself,” Casale said in a prepared statement released Monday. “I apologize to my wife, our children and my constituents and will face the legal consequences for my actions.”
“I’ve spent the past several years helping people and was too proud and too embarrassed to ask for help myself,” Casale said. “I’m going to seek the help I need to get better and avoid anything like this from ever happening again.”
When the paperwork reached Town Court, Brunswick Town Justices Terry Buchanan and Larry Kronau recused themselves because Casale is a town official. The justices asked Rensselaer County Judge Debra Young to assign the case to a judge in another town or city.
Casale’s term on the Brunswick Town Board expires this year; it’s not yet clear whether the Republican will seek re-election to the post. In the County Legislature, Casale represents the towns of Schaghticoke, Brunswick and Pittstown.