A former Staten Island police officer was released from Dutchess County jail Friday after serving 10 years at Green Haven Correctional Facility. He was convicted of driving drunk and hitting three family members as they crossed a street in August 2001. The three people were killed, including a baby who was delivered after the accident by emergency Cesarean section. He was charged with four counts of second degree manslaughter and sentenced to 15 years, the maximum.
While his parole had been denied at least three times, he was released for good behavior, and will continue to be on supervised release until 2017. By law, inmates can be released after serving at least two-thirds of their sentence. He had a good disciplinary record, completed assigned duties willingly and progressed in his DWI and anger-management programs. He served as a teaching assistant in classes at the jail while earning paralegal and personal-training degrees.
At the time of the accident the 51-year old was partying with his police buddies at the precinct then at a strip club. His blood alcohol content was listed at .16 hours after the incident. He quickly quit the police force after his arrest. The man has described his crime as “inexcusable” but is happy to be home. He must continue substance testing, refrain from alcohol, is not allowed to go to bars, must find employment and participate in DWI-impact panels. In 2010 the man made a training video for the New York Police Department that warned of the dangers of drunken driving.
Source: silive.com, “Staten Island cop who killed regains his liberty,” Frank Donnelly, April 27, 2012
