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CATSKILL---Greene County Sheriff Richard Hussey won't be driving to and from work during the next six months and he's learned firsthand about the consequences of refusing a sobriety test.
Hussey had his driver's license suspended for six months last week when he appeared in Columbia County Court for a hearing by the state Department of Motor Vehicles. State law provides for an automatic suspension of an accused driver's license if he or she refuses to submit to a Breathalyzer test following a traffic stop.
Hussey,67, a former state trooper and corrections officer, was stopped by the state police in September, 2005 after they received a report of an erratic driver. He was ticketed for misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. The complainant followed the sheriff as he left a local bar and videotaped his arrest.
Hussey's license was returned to him after his Sept. 25, 2005 arrest but he hadn't had any DMV hearing until last week. Earlier this month, 14 months after his arrest, he was indicted by a Greene County grand jury on drunk driving charges. He is awaiting trial.
He says the suspension won't affect him doing his duties because he works from his desk and he'll get a ride to and from work from family members or the undersheriff. Although he could apply for a conditional license that would allow him to drive to and from work, he said he wouldn't do so.
Greene County district attorney Terry Wilhelm has disqualified himself from the case and Washington County district attorney Kevin Kortright is prosecuting the case. Numerous judges have recused themselves and Rensselaer County Court Judge Patrick McGrath has been assigned to hear the case in Greene County.
Hussey was first elected sheriff in 1999. His current term expires next December.
A county legislator who heads the county's public safety committee has taken issue with Hussey's claim that the license suspension won't affect his duties and says that if he's convicted, disciplinary action against him could be forthcoming. 12-27-06
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© 2006 North
Country Gazette
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