Driver responsible for crash had 5 prior DWIs, revoked license, East Greenbush police say
EAST GREENBUSH, NY (WRGB) — An Albany man police say was responsible for a crash Monday was driving with a revoked license, and the current arrest is his sixth DWI in New York, according to East Greenbush police.
On December 19, at 5:26 pm, East Greenbush Police were dispatched to State Route 4 in the area of Walmart for a report of a two-car motor vehicle accident. Through investigation it was found that the person responsible for the accident was Erik T. Smith from Albany, NY. According to police, Smith rear-ended another vehicle and a subsequent investigation determined that the vehicle he was operating, a 2017 Volkswagen, crashed into a 2022 Volkswagen which was occupied by a driver and his adult passenger.
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Officers observed Smith to have glassy eyes, impaired speech, a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his mouth as he spoke and poor motor coordination. Smith refused to provide a breath sample to determine his blood alcohol content.
Police say Smith was operating the vehicle at the time of the crash with a revoked NYS driver's license for prior DWI arrests dating back as far as 1994 and as recently as May of 2022. This current arrest makes it the 6th time that Smith has been arrested for DWI in New York.
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Smith was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree, DWI, refusal to take a breath test and following too closely.
Smith was arraigned in East Greenbush Town Court and released to weekly check-ins with Rensselaer Count Probation.
