Two drunk hit and runs in New Berlin in 24 hours
NEW BERLIN – The Town of New Berlin Police responded to separate hit and run accidents this weekend nearly 24 hours apart, charging both defendants with drunk driving.
New Berlin officer-in-charge Dominick Commesso said officers on patrol early Saturday and Sunday morning came upon accident scenes that toppled two different utility poles in the Village of New Berlin.
Commesso said Friday night, officer Edward Ulfik was making routine rounds through the village at about 2:15 a.m. when he came upon a snapped utility pole and scattered car debris along South Main Street.
“Only a short time earlier, Officer Ulfik had passed the location and there was not damage; he realized the damage must have occurred very recently,” said Commesso.
Ulfik noticed a trail of debris and engine fluids heading out of the village and in the direction of the Town of Pittsfield. The officer then came upon a damaged car and a man attempting to change a flat tire.
Commesso said the vehicle was “badly damaged and not legally driveable,” but the defendant still managed to travel less than a mile from the scene to Otsego County Road 13 in the Town of Pittsfield.
Police arrested the driver, 29-year-old Christopher W. Gonzalez of Oneonta. He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and driving while ability impaired. He was eventually released and is scheduled to appear in New Berlin Town Court at a later date.
Commesso said NYSEG crews responded and immediately began repairs on the damaged electrical lines.
Just over 24 hours later, another New Berlin patrol came upon an accident scene involving another downed electrical pole at about 2:25 a.m. Sunday, along Greene Street in the village.
Commesso said Sgt. Robert Jones and his K-9 partner, Bruno, were on patrol when they found a disabled SUV lurched against the snapped utility pole. As Jones pulled up to the scene, Commesso said all three of the SUV’s occupants fled. He said a short foot pursuit ended with one of the passengers being apprehended.
With aid from the New York State Police, Jones tracked the suspects to a wooded area using his canine, about a mile from the accident scene. Troopers and the officer located the other two suspects hiding beneath some brush near County Rt. 8, said Commesso.
Police charged 18-year-old Cody D. Mabe, with driving while intoxicated, unlawful possession of an alcoholic beverage, resisting arrest, obstructing government administration and leaving the scene of an accident. He was arraigned in Town of New Berlin Court and remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility in lieu of $5,000 cash bail.
Police released the two passengers without charge.
“Vehicles in each instance were towed after receiving significant damage. The SUV appears to be a high impact crash for a 30 mile an hour zone; the pole snapped in half, (SUV) had a bent frame, ripped-off a tire and its air bags deployed,” said Commesso.
Again, police reported that NYSEG crews responded immediately to repair the damaged wires and replace the utility pole.
“The object of having and enforcing DWI laws is not to punish drunk drivers, it’s to protect the public from being hurt by them. Both of these incidents were serious accidents inside the village and the utility poles could have easily been a person walking down the street,” said Commesso. He said the village had seen an unusual flurry of DWI arrests in the last week.
“We had four DWI arrests last week; that’s a high number for a town that sees an average of about 30 DWI arrests a year,” he said.
New Berlin officer-in-charge Dominick Commesso said officers on patrol early Saturday and Sunday morning came upon accident scenes that toppled two different utility poles in the Village of New Berlin.
Commesso said Friday night, officer Edward Ulfik was making routine rounds through the village at about 2:15 a.m. when he came upon a snapped utility pole and scattered car debris along South Main Street.
“Only a short time earlier, Officer Ulfik had passed the location and there was not damage; he realized the damage must have occurred very recently,” said Commesso.
Ulfik noticed a trail of debris and engine fluids heading out of the village and in the direction of the Town of Pittsfield. The officer then came upon a damaged car and a man attempting to change a flat tire.
Commesso said the vehicle was “badly damaged and not legally driveable,” but the defendant still managed to travel less than a mile from the scene to Otsego County Road 13 in the Town of Pittsfield.
Police arrested the driver, 29-year-old Christopher W. Gonzalez of Oneonta. He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and driving while ability impaired. He was eventually released and is scheduled to appear in New Berlin Town Court at a later date.
Commesso said NYSEG crews responded and immediately began repairs on the damaged electrical lines.
Just over 24 hours later, another New Berlin patrol came upon an accident scene involving another downed electrical pole at about 2:25 a.m. Sunday, along Greene Street in the village.
Commesso said Sgt. Robert Jones and his K-9 partner, Bruno, were on patrol when they found a disabled SUV lurched against the snapped utility pole. As Jones pulled up to the scene, Commesso said all three of the SUV’s occupants fled. He said a short foot pursuit ended with one of the passengers being apprehended.
With aid from the New York State Police, Jones tracked the suspects to a wooded area using his canine, about a mile from the accident scene. Troopers and the officer located the other two suspects hiding beneath some brush near County Rt. 8, said Commesso.
Police charged 18-year-old Cody D. Mabe, with driving while intoxicated, unlawful possession of an alcoholic beverage, resisting arrest, obstructing government administration and leaving the scene of an accident. He was arraigned in Town of New Berlin Court and remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility in lieu of $5,000 cash bail.
Police released the two passengers without charge.
“Vehicles in each instance were towed after receiving significant damage. The SUV appears to be a high impact crash for a 30 mile an hour zone; the pole snapped in half, (SUV) had a bent frame, ripped-off a tire and its air bags deployed,” said Commesso.
Again, police reported that NYSEG crews responded immediately to repair the damaged wires and replace the utility pole.
“The object of having and enforcing DWI laws is not to punish drunk drivers, it’s to protect the public from being hurt by them. Both of these incidents were serious accidents inside the village and the utility poles could have easily been a person walking down the street,” said Commesso. He said the village had seen an unusual flurry of DWI arrests in the last week.
“We had four DWI arrests last week; that’s a high number for a town that sees an average of about 30 DWI arrests a year,” he said.
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