In Today's Paper

Man charged with second DWI in two weeks


By DON LEHMAN
dlehman@poststar.com
Published on 8/31/2006




GLENS FALLS -- A Queensbury man was arrested on felony drunken driving and unlicensed operation charges after he hit two parked cars late Tuesday, the second time in two weeks he was charged with felony driving while intoxicated, police said.

When asked by police how much he had had to drink, Robert L. Edwards, 46, of 4 Barber Ave., replied "too much," Glens Falls Police Chief Joseph Bethel said.

His blood-alcohol content was found to be 0.31 percent, nearly quadruple the DWI threshold of 0.08 percent, police said.

Edwards was free on his own recognizance at the time of his arrest Tuesday, after being arrested on felony DWI and aggravated unlicensed operation charges Aug. 15, Bethel said.

He was arrested about 9:10 p.m. Tuesday after police got calls from residents of Sheridan Street that a car had hit two parked cars, the chief said.

Officers arrived to find Edwards leaning against his car but unhurt, Bethel said. Sgt. John Winchell recognized him as a person he had arrested for DWI weeks earlier, and asked him how much he had consumed, the chief said.

"He said 'too much' and said he was drunk," Bethel said.

The arrest came 14 days after Edwards was arrested on Orville Street after police pulled his vehicle over, Bethel said. In that case, Edwards fled his vehicle and ran through yards in the area, the pursuit ending when he was found hiding under a boat trailer in a back yard, police said.

He surrendered without further trouble at that point, and his BAC in that case was found to be 0.17 percent, Bethel said. He told police at the time the arrest was his third for DWI, Bethel said.

Edwards was arraigned before Glens Falls Judge Richard Tarantino and sent to Warren County Jail for lack of $7,500 cash bail or $15,000 bail bond.

He was arrested Tuesday by Winchell and Glens Falls Police Officer Jammie Rossi.