Updated: Ex-Congressman Sweeney charged with drunken driving
By SCOTT WALDMAN, Staff writer Sunday, November 11, 2007
CLIFTON PARK -- Former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney was charged with drunken driving early this morning after a traffic stop on the Northway, State Police said.
The arrest was the latest embarrassment for a one-time Congressional rising star whose re-election campaign was derailed last year by allegations of domestic violence.
Sweeney was pulled over by a state trooper on the Northway in Saratoga County at 1:20 a.m., police said.
Police said he was charged with driving while intoxicated.
Sweeney's attorney, E. Stewart Jones, confirmed the arrest on Sunday. He denied that his client had a drinking problem and said that Sweeney, who lost a bid for re-election last year, would try to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.
"He is a private citizen," Jones said. "This is a private matter."
Jones said Sweeney would follow whatever the courts ordered him to do and that he would seek to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.
CLIFTON PARK Sweeney charged with DWI Ex-congressman allegedly had 0.18 blood alcohol level BY J. JUDE HAZARD AND MICHAEL GOOT Gazette Reporters
Former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney was arrested early Sunday morning on a charge of driving while intoxicated. State Police Lt. Scott Corburn said authorities observed Sweeney traveling north on the Northway at about 1:19 a.m. Police said Sweeney moved from the center lane to the passing lane in an unsafe manner, and that he failed a police field sobriety test after being pulled over. Sweeney had a blood alcohol level of 0.18 percent — more than twice the legal limit, according to police. He was released on an appearance ticket and is due back in Clifton Park Town Court on Wednesday. State law says people with blood alcohol levels of 0.18 or higher can be charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, but it was not clear if Sweeney would face that charge. Sweeney’s attorney, E. Stewart Jones, did not return a message left for comment at his law firm Sunday evening. Sweeney lost his bid for a fifth term to current Congresswoman Kirsten Gillibrand in November 2006. Before his election defeat, Sweeney had been touted as a rising star in the Republican Party. His name had been floated as a possible gubernatorial candidate when former Gov. George E. Pataki announced in July 2005 that he would not seek a fourth term. About a week before Sweeney’s last congressional election, a state police blotter surfaced about a domestic violence incident at Sweeney’s Clifton Park home. At 12:56 a.m. on Dec. 2, 2005, Sweeney’s wife Gayle had reportedly said her husband was “knocking her around.” She did not file a complaint with police and there was no arrest. The purported police document said Trooper Scott Gunsel went to the house to investigate and Mrs. Sweeney had stated that the verbal argument had turned physical after he grabbed her by the neck and pushed her around the house. Sweeney reportedly had scratches on his face and Gayle Sweeney stayed at a friend’s house for the evening. Sweeney had initially said that there was false information and disputed the accuracy of the document. He had initially said he would release the police report, but changed his mind on the advice of his attorney. Police are not allowed to release information unless those involved sign a notarized waiver of privacy regulations. The couple officially divorced this past September. The Police Benevolent Association criticized the administration’s handling of the Sweeney incident. They claimed the police report was changed from reading as a “domestic disturbance” to a “call for service.” In November 2006, state police Capt. Frank Pace was effectively demoted and the union said that Pace was made a scapegoat for the Sweeney incident. However, attorney Jones told reporters that he believed Pace leaked the report because of a grudge against his client. Pace had investigated Sweeney’s son, John Sweeney Jr., who pleaded guilty in November 2005 to second-degree assault following an August 2004 brawl in Stillwater, where he and two other teens were accused of punching and kicking Matthew Brady of Saratoga, which left him with a severe head injury. Sweeney Jr. received five years probation. This is not the first arrest on an alcohol charge for Sweeney, who had served as Rensselaer County’s STOP-DWI coordinator from 1982 to 1992. In 1978, he pleaded guilty to a traffic offense of driving while impaired. In April 2006, Democrats criticized Sweeney for partying with the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity at Union College. Students interviewed by the Concordiensis, the college newspaper, initially said that Sweeney had been drinking but then backed down from that assertion.
Ya know I actually felt bad for this guy when he was running for office and the week before the election the old domestic violence dirt reared it's ugly head. But since then, he has been in the news more times than I care to read about. The guy needs to straighten up and fly right. He is like a loose cannon out there. Actually, I'm rather tired of hearing about him.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
CLIFTON PARK State police say Sweeney nearly hit trooper’s car BY PAM ALLEN Gazette Reporter
Former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney’s near miss with a state trooper’s car was the incident that led to his DWI arrest early Sunday, state police said Monday. He also refused to take a breathalyzer test until his attorney, E. Stewart Jones, advised him otherwise, authorities said. Sweeney, who faces a charge of aggravated DWI for allegedly registering a bloodalcohol level of .18 percent, was pulled over just south of Northway Exit 9 at 1:19 a.m. Sunday after his vehicle veered from the center lane and almost hit a state police car, police sources said. Authorities described the incident as follows: State police were traveling northbound, just south of Exit 9, and responding to an unrelated call when they were almost hit by Sweeney’s 2004 BMW. Troopers said they smelled alcohol on Sweeney’s breath when they pulled him over and administered a field sobriety test, which Sweeney failed. He refused to take a breathalyzer test when he was taken to state police barracks in Clifton Park. At that point, Sweeney called Jones, who advised him that refusing the breathalyzer test would automatically amount to a oneyear suspension of his driver’s license by the state Department of Motor Vehicles. Sweeney then took the test, registering .18 percent, more than twice the legal limit of .08 percent. He was charged with aggravated DWI, a an elevated DWI charged enacted about a year ago, and failure to use the vehicle’s designated lane. Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III said on Monday he would not comment on the specifics of Sweeney’s case, because he hadn’t seen the arrest report and police statements yet. DWIs are elevated to an aggravated offense when the driver’s BAC registers at or above .18 percent, Murphy said. Stipulations associated with the “aggravated” charge may require the driver to plead guilty to a misdemeanor DWI, surrender his driver’s license for one-year and have an alcohol evaluation. A driver charged with an aggravated DWI cannot plead the charge down to DWAI, which is only a violation. “The charge has significant pleabargaining restrictions,” Murphy said. Sentences for aggravated DWI include fines between $1,000 and $42,500, and/or up to a year in jail. Sweeney was released and is scheduled to answer the charges at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Clifton Park Town Court. Sunday’s arrest was not Sweeney’s only alcohol-related driving charge. In 1978, he pleaded guilty to a traffic offense of driving while impaired. He was not charged with any offense in 2001 when, as he was leaving Willard Mountain in Washington County in his 2001 Jeep, he knocked down a utility pole, cutting power in the surrounding area. He told police he took his eyes off the road to adjust his radio and he blamed the accident on driver inattention. Sweeney denied reports that he was drunk at a Union College fraternity party he visited during his 2006 campaign. A Troy native, Sweeney served as coordinator for Rensselaer County’s STOP-DWI program from 1982 to 1992. He served as congressman for the largely Republican 20th Congressional District from 1999 to 2006, when he was defeated by Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand. Once the favorite in the 2006 congressional race, Sweeney lost to Gillibrand after allegations of domestic violence against his wife surfaced just days before the election. Sweeney, 52, and his then-wife, Gayle, initially denied the allegations. Later, during the couple’s heated divorce, both parties accused the other of alcohol-induced domestic abuse. Both secured orders of protection against the other. The divorce was finalized in September. Sweeney’s last known address was Clifton Park. Sweeney was the New York State commissioner of labor under Gov. George Pataki from 1995 to 1997, and executive director and chief counsel of the state’s Republican Party from 1992 to 1995. A call to Sweeney’s attorney, was not returned Monday.
Source: Sweeney passenger a shock Arresting State Police officers in DWI case surprised to find a woman on ex-congressman's lap
By ROBERT GAVIN, Staff writer First published: Wednesday, November 14, 2007
State Police received an unexpected surprise when they stopped former Rep. John Sweeney on the Northway early Sunday -- a female passenger on his lap, a law enforcement source said Tuesday. When troopers began following the ex-lawmaker north on I-87, just south of Exit 9, they assumed the Clifton Park Republican was driving alone in his 2004 BMW, said the individual, whose identity is being withheld by the Times Union.
The 23-year-old woman, who has not been identified, was on Sweeney's lap, the source said.
Sweeney, who is expected to appear in Clifton Park Town Court tonight, pulled over after he swerved toward a State Police cruiser -- nearly striking the vehicle, the individual said.
The former congressman refused to take a roadside field sobriety test, in which drivers blow into a device, but did take a Breathalyzer exam back at the State Police barracks, said Maj. Patricia Groeber, who commands Troop G in Loudonville.
Groeber said she had no knowledge of Sweeney's alleged swerve toward the police cruiser.
The Daily Gazette newspaper on Monday reported that Sweeney refused to take the Breathalyzer test until he spoke to his attorney, E. Stewart Jones.
Reached late Tuesday, Jones acknowledged the men spoke, but said there was "never a refusal" by Sweeney to take the test.
"Obviously he took it because the results are as they've been described," the attorney said.
Jones declined to answer questions about the woman or provide other details. Asked about Sweeney's alleged swerve toward the cruiser, he said "I'll comment on that once this case is resolved."
State Police have refused to release Sweeney's public arrest report. Police officials Tuesday referred the matter to a State Police captain who handles Freedom of Information Law requests.
On Monday, State Police issued a news release stating that Sweeney was driving northbound on I-87 about 1:19 a.m. Sunday when troopers stopped him for making an unsafe lane change. A trooper, noticing a "strong odor" of alcohol on the former congressman's breath, issued sobriety tests, which Sweeney failed.
His blood alcohol level registered at 0.18 percent -- over twice the legal limit of 0.08 -- causing him to be charged with aggravated DWI as well as the standard DWI charge. He was also ticketed for the lane change.
Sweeney, a one-time STOP-DWI coordinator for Rensselaer County, lost his seat last November to Democratic Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand amid allegations of spousal abuse.
writer Leigh Hornbeck contributed to this report. Robert Gavin can be reached at 434-2403 or by e-mail at rgavin@ timesunion.com.
The 23-year-old woman, who has not been identified, was on Sweeney's lap, the source said.
It just keeps getting better doesn't it? Honestly....this is more information than I need or want to know. Don't ya just love the liberal media? I wonder how this would have played out if Sweeney was a dem.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
CAPITOL Sweeney’s campaign committee in debt BY BOB CONNER Gazette Reporter
While the political career of former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney appears to be over, his “Sweeney for Congress” campaign committee is still in existence, and heavily in debt. The Sweeney committee owes $223,587.21 and has $16,765.37 cash on hand, according to its Oct. 15 quarterly filing with the Federal Election Commission. The committee did not take in any contributions during that quarter. Sweeney, a Republican from Clifton Park, pleaded guilty this week to driving while intoxicated. He represented the 20th Congressional District, including most of Saratoga County, for eight years. He was defeated last year by Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand. Sweeney did not return phone messages left at his Clifton Park law office. The committee’s biggest debt, $118,955.20, is owed to The Traz Group, a New Jersey direct mail firm. Ed Traz of The Traz Group did not return calls for comment. The amount of the debt to Traz has remained unchanged in FEC fi lings this year, although the overall debt has increased. In the January filing covering the last quarter of 2006, the Sweeney committee said it owed $199,900, and had $26,130.75 cash on hand. The Sweeney campaign committee is also in debt to local companies, including Success Magazine and Adirondack Scenic. Spokesmen for both companies said they no longer expect to collect the money. Sweeney is himself treasurer of the campaign committee but is not personally responsible for its debt. “He personally doesn’t have liability,” said Tom Cronin, editor-inchief of Clifton Park-based Success Magazine. Carl Zutz, sales manager for Adirondack Scenic, said it provided materials for a Sweeney event when first lady Laura Bush came to campaign for him. Sweeney’s fundraiser with Bush was held at the Hall of Springs in Saratoga Spa State Park a month before the election. Zutz said he believes that after Sweeney lost, promised donations to his campaign failed to materialize. Zutz said it would not be the first time that a political campaign has proven to be a bad debt for Adirondack Scenic. It’s happened before with candidates from both parties, he said. Cronin said the campaign’s debt to Success is for advertising in the magazine. Sweeney appeared on the magazine’s cover shortly before the election, but Zutz said that had nothing to do with the advertising. The magazine recently featured a prominent story about Gillibrand (although she did not make the cover). “It’s the way of the world,” said the Success editor. The New York Racing Association is owed $2,000 by the Sweeney committee, apparently for costs associated with a campaign event at Saratoga Race Course. NYRA spokesman John Lee declined to comment in detail about the debt, which he said it may not be able to collect. NYRA is itself in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, and owes millions of dollars to various creditors. The congressional district remains heavily Republican and there was some speculation after the election that Sweeney might run again, which he did not rule out. Since then, however, his messy public divorce and now the drunkdriving conviction would appear to rule out any candidacy. A personal and police scandal that broke in the campaign’s final days was widely seen as the key factor in Sweeney’s defeat. But Democrats did well across the nation in 2006, and Gillibrand’s campaign was much better funded than those of previous challengers to Sweeney.
By SCOTT WALDMAN, Staff writer Last updated: 11:53 a.m., Sunday, April 5, 2009
CLIFTON PARK — Former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney was arrested early this morning and charged with driving while intoxicated.
At 3:30 a.m., Sweeney, 53, was stopped for speeding on Route 9 in Clifton Park, State Police said. He refused sobriety tests and was charged with felony DWI, police said.
He was taken to Saratoga County jail and released a short time later after posting bail.
Sweeney is scheduled for an appearance in Clifton Park Town Court on Thursday at 5 p.m.
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