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Dresden Town Supervisor Robert Banks has been charged with driving while intoxicated
after he was involved in a motor vehicle accident last week in the village of Whitehall.
Banks, 63, of Dresden was arrested Tuesday afternoon under suspicion he had been
drinking when he crashed his car.
According to police, at approximately 9:41 p.m. on Dec. 23 a vehicle drove by
Banks crashed into a house at the corner of Williams and Saunders Streets, across from
the Whitehall Village Office and adjacent to Elks Lodge 1491.
Members of the Whitehall Volunteer Fire Company and the Skenesborough EMS
removed Banks from the car and he was transported to Glens Falls Hospital.
Police waited until Tuesday afternoon to arrest and charge Banks with DWI because he
had to be taken to the hospital following the accident Friday night. He was not seriously
injured.
A breath test was not administered at the scene because Banks was brought to the hospital,
but a blood sample was drawn and will be tested for the presence of alcohol.
Reached for comment Tuesday afternoon, Banks said he had an issue with his leg
getting stuck on the gas pedal which was the reason for the crash.
He did admit to having a “few beers” at the Elks Lodge, but said he was not intoxicated.
It could take several weeks for the New York State Crime Lab to determine the results of
the test.
Police Chief Matt Dickinson said Banks traveled only a few feet off the road before striking
a porch attached to the house.
“There wasn’t much damage. He just hopped the curb and smoked the tires,” Dickinson said.
Dickinson said the blood test was a common procedure for anyone involved in a motor
vehicle accident.
Banks was also charged with failure to keep right.
Additional charges could be pending.
Banks will appear in Whitehall Village court at a later date.
Banks was released on his own recognizance after meeting police at the station.
Banks, who is retired from the Naval Reserves, was reelected as Dresden’s town
supervisor in November.
He is the longest running supervisor in the history of the town and one of the longest serving
members of the county board.
At the county level, he is chair of the Intercounty Solid Waste Coordinating Committee
and serves on the Finance, Public Safety and Human Services committees.
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