CLIFTON PARK (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney has been arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated, the second arrest in less than 18 months.
State police stopped Sweeney for speeding around 3:30 a.m. Sunday on Route 9 in Clifton Park. The 53-year-old refused sobriety tests and was charged with felony DWI.
He posted bail and was released. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 9. A telephone number for him could not be found, and a call to his attorney was not immediately returned.
Sweeney pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor DWI in November 2007. State Police said he registered a 0.18 blood alcohol level. In New York the legal blood-alcohol limit is 0.08. He was once a county coordinator for STOP-DUI, a program that aims to reduce alcohol and drug-related crashes.
As part of the plea, Sweeney's license was suspended for six months, he was fined $1,000, and he had to attend a meeting of a victim's impact panel and classes for those convicted of DWI.
Sweeney lost his congressional seat in 2006 to Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, now a U.S. Senator, amid allegations of spousal abuse. During the campaign, Sweeney was criticized after photographs were published of him attending a late-night fraternity party outside his congressional district.
