NY lawmaker charged with DWI
Kolb condemned drunk driving five days earlier
New York Assemblyman Brian Kolb was arrested and charged with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated after a crash on New Year’s Eve.
Deputies responded to a crash at 10:27 p.m. Tuesday in Ontario County, New York, and identified Kolb as the driver of the 2018 GMC Arcadia involved in the incident. No one was injured, and no other vehicles were involved.
Kolb was in the vehicle in a ditch in front of his home when the deputy arrived, Ontario County Sheriff Kevin Henderson said. Kolb cooperated with deputies, Henderson added. The vehicle Kolb was driving is registered to New
York state, Henderson said.
Kolb failed a field sobriety test and was arrested, Henderson said. While at the Ontario County Jail, Kolb was given a Breathalyzer test, which indicated his blood-alcohol content was over 0.08%, Henderson said.
Kolb, charged with DWI and unsafe turn, was processed at the Ontario County Jail and is scheduled to appear later in court. The sheriff declined to reveal from where Kolb was headed or how far he traveled. “Mr. Kolb made the choice to operate a motor vehicle on the highway in an intoxicated manner, and now he’s being held accountable,” Henderson said.
In a statement Wednesday morning, Kolb acknowledged his arrest:
“This was a terrible lapse in judgment, one I have urged others not to make, and I take full responsibility for it. I want to offer sincere apologies to my family, friends, colleagues, and the people of the 131st Assembly District. I fully recognize the severity of the situation and I am profoundly sorry. There is no excuse and no justification for what occurred Tuesday evening. I made the wrong decision, and it is one I deeply regret.”
Kolb has represented the 131st Assembly District since 2000 and has served as the assembly minority leader since 2009, the longest tenured legislative leader in Albany. The district covers all of Ontario County and a portion of Seneca County.
Kolb’s arrest came five days after he tweeted, “There is no excuse for driving impaired this holiday season.” That tweet, posted on Dec. 26, has since been deleted.
News of Kolb’s arrest prompted at least one assembly colleague and fellow
Republican Kieran Michael Lalor to call for him to step down from his post.
“@GOPLdrBrianKolb should step down as Assembly Minority Leader,” Lalor tweeted. “That he hasn’t done so already is a disgrace.”
Henderson, a Democrat, said he believes in transparency after his joint news conference with Ontario County District Attorney Jim Ritts, who is a Republican.
“For me, politics has nothing to do with it,” Henderson said. “We’re both standing side-by-stating that he’s being treated no differently than anyone else. I am being very transparent about this. He’s afforded the same opportunity to go through the criminal justice program. He has taken ownership and he’s not denying this.”
News of the arrest of one of the state’s most powerful Republicans wasn’t released to the media until 12 hours after the crash.