POUGHKEEPSIE – A jury of four men and two women found City of Poughkeepsie Common Council Chairperson Sarah Salem guilty of DWI and the violation of passing a steady red light for her role in an accident that occurred on February 26, 2020. The jury delivered their verdict in court just after noon on Tuesday.
Salem was arrested by the City of Poughkeepsie police at the scene of the 2020 accident.
Salem was previously arrested by state police in Wappingers Falls for DWI in 2017. That charge was reduced to DWAI.
The newly-convicted Salem faces a potential sentence of 364 days in jail when she is sentenced on November 15, 2022, in Poughkeepsie City Court.
Dutchess County Assistant District Attorney Ryan LeGrady who prosecuted the case said there are possibly additional punishments for the misdemeanor, including “Two to three years of probation, a combination of jail and probation, or a conditional discharge with a fine, ignition interlock requirement, and some mandatory programs through the DMV.” The traffic violation for the red light conviction carries a fine.
Salem was convicted after several days of deliberation by the jury that City Court Judge Scott Volkman thanked for their diligence in reaching a verdict. It was the first jury trial to be held in city court since the onset of the pandemic. The judge also commended the prosecution and defense attorneys for their professionalism throughout the trial.
The state law for the misdemeanor conviction of the DWI charge requires a defendant to be found guilty of operating a motor vehicle on a public highway, in this case, Main Street in Poughkeepsie, while intoxicated. Noted criminal defense attorney Jeremy Saland says “an intoxicated condition is when you, having consumed alcohol, are incapable of exercising the physical and mental abilities to operate your vehicle as both a reasonable and prudent driver.”
The jury was given, at the request of Salem’s attorney Steve Patterson, an alternative to the DWI charge. The six-member panel could have convicted Salem of DWAI which carries a sentence of up to 15 days in jail, a fine of up to $500, and the mandatory programs administered by DMV. As indicated, the jury opted to convict her of the more serious misdemeanor.
Salem remains free on her own recognizance, ordered to update her alcohol assessment, meet with probation to develop the department’s pre-sentence report, and was told of the penalties she would encounter if she is arrested between now and the November 15 sentencing.
