Police: Drunk Minivan Driver Hits Sign, Tries to Hit Cop

Police in both villages were chasing down an evasive white van on the evening of Sept. 20.

The van reportedly struck a street sign on Beekman Avenue in Sleepy Hollow just after 5 p .m. and made its way to Tarrytown where the driver allegedly tried to hit an officer and eventually got cornered with a DWI charge.

A caller first told Sleepy Hollow police that the van, a white minivan with a blue stripe, was driven by a man and was last seen heading down Clinton Street from Beekman after knocking down a sign. 

Sleepy Hollow police searched the area and alerted Tarrytown police. 

Meanwhile, officials said they would have the sign held at the DPW garage and the DPW place a traffic cone over the piece of metal left protruding from the street. 

After the van left the scene of knocked down sign in Sleepy Hollow, things got much worse for this driver in Tarrytown. 

Tarrytown police, after receiving the alert of a property damage hit and run in Sleepy Hollow, sent their sergeant working at the Lyndhurst craft fair to the intersection of Kraft Foods (now Montefiore). Police here reported seeing a van fitting the description with NY plates, failing to comply to orders to stop. 

The van turned around and was now heading north on Route 9 approaching Walter Street. Another officer said the van attempted to hit him as he approached while it was stopped in traffic. The van then fled onto Walter Street toward Sheldon Avenue, entering a driveway on Sheldon, a dead end street. 

Here, police were able to block the van in. 

The man, a Sleepy Hollow resident, 54, was arrested for driving while intoxicated and reckless endangerment, with his car impounded. And headquarters, he consented to a breathalyzer test which tested positive. 

Police found he had a prior conviction out of state in Vermont but local district attorney's office authorities advised charging him here with a misdemeanor DWI at this time. Their office would follow up with Vermont as well. 

Tarrytown Lt. William Herguth said it was unknown what the nature of the Vermont offense was at this time.

The defendant was also charged with various traffic violations by Tarrytown police as well as leaving the scene of a property damage accident by Sleepy Hollow police. At 6 p.m. Sleepy Hollow police brought a witness to the scene to positively identify the vehicle and issue summonses to the driver. 

The defendant was arraigned by Tarrytown Judge Kyle McGovern with bail set at $5,000 cash/$10,000 bond and taken to Westchester County Jail. 

He was charged with misdemeanor offenses of:

• reckless endangerment in the second degree, 
• operating vehicle with a blood alcohol count of .08 or greater, first offense,
• and driving while intoxicated. 

Note: An arrest does not indicate a conviction.