WESTERLO—The Albany County District Attorney’s Office is seeking jailtime for a Greenville man who is charged with drunk driving in Westerlo.

Joseph Hyson, 39, of 9779 Route 81, Greenville, was indicted last Friday on four counts: two felony charges of driving while under the influence of alcohol, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and reckless driving.

He faces two-and-a-third to seven years in jail on the top count of the indictment, the district attorney’s office said.
"[Drunk driving] means jailtime," said Richard Arthur, a spokesman for District Attorney P. David Soares. "DA Soares is committed to prosecuting these cases aggressively and sending people to jail."

Arthur told The Enterprise that Soares, who is in his first year in office, wants to publicize DWI indictments more, so people understand that the consequences of drunk driving include jail.

According to the district attorney’s office, Hyson was stopped at 6:29 p.m. on Route 32 in Westerlo for traffic offenses and failed field-sobriety tests. His blood-alcohol content was .09 percent, Arthur said.

According to Arthur, Hyson had a switchblade knife when he was arrested.

In a statement, Soares said that he was particularly upset about this case because it happened at dusk, when visibility is poor, and many people use Route 32 to return home after working in Albany.