Police say: Driver tried to injure passenger — her husband — by crashing into pole
The Enterprise — Elizabeth Floyd Mair
A telephone pole was sheared when Patricia Dudley of Guilderland drove into it on Saturday afternoon in an effort to harm her husband, who was a passenger in the vehicle, police say.
GUILDERLAND — Patricia M. Dudley, 61, of Guilderland was trying to hurt her husband — who was a passenger in her vehicle — on Saturday when she crashed into a utility pole at 3357 Carman Road, shearing it in half, police said in a press release.
Police also said Dudley was under the influence of prescription drugs. She was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment and third-degree criminal mischief, both felonies, and driving while under the influence of drugs, a misdemeanor.
Events unfolded this way, according to the release from Guilderland Police: After splintering the utility pole, Dudley turned left onto nearby Ronald Place and continued to drive erratically, and then turned onto Goffredo Drive and drove over a stop sign at the corner of Terry Avenue and onto the front lawn of 17 Terry Ave., almost hitting the house.
First Sergeant Michael Minette told The Enterprise that he believed that police had received a number of calls reporting the incident.
One lane of Carman Road in the area of Ronald Place was shut down from about 2 to 4 p.m.
After being arraigned in Guilderland Town Court before Judge Richard Sherwood, Dudley was remanded to Albany County’s jail.
Dudley’s husband suffered minor injuries and was transported to St. Peter’s Hospital, Minette told The Enterprise.
