NY Politician Allegedly Blames Wife Before DWI Arrest: 'You Know How Women Drive'
The politician who was formerly the top Republican in the New York State Assembly allegedly told a tow truck operator that his wife was driving his state-issued car when it went into a ditch on New Year’s Eve.
The New York Post reported that in a witness statement, AAA employee Michael Scoville said when he arrived at the scene of the accident in the Ontario County town of Victor in western New York, Kolb’s 2018 GMC Acadia was “down in the ditch, backed into the guide wire of a telephone pole.”
The door to the driver’s side of the car was open “and a white male was leaning into the vehicle,” Scoville said in the statement.
“I saw the vehicle was running. The male stood up and put his hands up and said ‘My wife was driving!’ he then said ‘You know how women drive,’” Scoville said.
Scoville, who did not use Kolb’s name in the statement, said the man claimed “his wife was up in the house.”
The AAA employee said in his statement that he called police because the vehicle hit the wire, thus turning it into a reportable accident, according to the Democrat and Chronicle.
Police said when they reached the scene, Kolb, 67, was in the driver’s seat but was “unsteady on his feet as he exited.”
Kolb showed “significant signs of intoxication after a series of field test that were administered roadside,” court documents said.
His blood alcohol level was reported at .16 — twice the legal limit of .08 — and he was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
Court documents said that when police interviewed Kolb, he had “glassy bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath, unsteady on his feet, and an oral admission of operating the motor vehicle.”
Kolb had reportedly been trying to turn into a driveway when he slid off the road and down an embankment.
On Jan. 3, Kolb resigned his post as minority leader of the state assembly.
He also issued a statement saying he made “a terrible lapse in judgment, one I have urged others not to make, and I take full responsibility for it.”
Not long before the accident, Kolb had written an Op-Ed on the subject of drinking and driving that was published by the Daily Messenger in Canandaigua, New York.
“As we prepare to revel in the upcoming holiday celebrations, it is especially important to remember to do so safely,” he wrote. “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.”
“December is National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month, and its message is important: 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,” Kolb added.
“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. Please, use these services, or a sober, reliable designated driver when making your way about town,” he wrote.
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