45°
Members of the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, East Fishkill Police Department and New York State Police troopers conducted the joint sobriety checkpoint, which led to six arrests, three of which were for impaired driving. The checkpoint was held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10 on Route 52 in East Fishkill.
Police said that during the checkpoint, 1,790 vehicles drove through the area. Among the local residents facing charges:
- Frederick Gottwald, 20, of Fishkill, who was charged with DWAI Drugs, a misdemeanor and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation;
- Theresa Earl, 58, of New Paltz, who was charged with DWAI Drugs, a misdemeanor;
- Harold White, 57, of Hopewell Junction, who was charged with DWAI Drugs, a misdemeanor, and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation;
- Additionally, three others were charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation.
According to Dutchess County STOP-DWI Coordinator William Johnson, the checkpoint was funded through a Statewide Enhancement Grant Project that was awarded to his organization.
The objective is to enhance public safety and the visibility of the STOP-DWI Program activities through coordinated multi-agency impaired driving enforcement and compliance details targeting impaired driving offenders and violators.
Grant project activities include multi-jurisdictional checkpoints and coordinated Ignition Interlock offender compliance.
“The multi-agency enforcement details funded through this enhancement grant project allow our law enforcement partners to stand shoulder to shoulder and work together toward one single goal," he stated. "There is an obvious shared commitment to public safety on the roadways, as there continues to be an alarming presence of drug-impaired drivers. Interestingly, a large majority of motorists passing through these enforcement details offer strong encouragement and thank the officers for their efforts.”
Click here to follow Daily Voice East Dutchess and receive free news updates.
