CARMEL – Putnam County Acting Supreme Court Justice Joseph Spofford has ruled that former Poughkeepsie Council Chairperson Sarah Salem will not serve any more time in jail for their* DWI conviction last year.
At her January 23, 2023, sentencing, Poughkeepsie City Court Judge Scott Volkman sentenced Salem to 60 days in the Dutchess County Jail. Salem spent less than seven hours in jail before their* attorney convinced Judge Spofford to sign an order releasing them from custody until a full hearing could be scheduled. The judge agreed and Salem was released from jail on the same day they* arrived.
At a Thursday morning hearing before Judge Spofford, Salem’s attorney, Steve Patterson, argued that Judge Volkman’s jail portion of the sentence was excessive and was ordered as a penalty for Salem demanding a jury trial. Senior Assistant Dutchess County District Attorney Ryan LeGrady who prosecuted Salem disputed the claim unsuccessfully. The prosecutor told the judge that Salem could have faced a maximum of 364 days in jail and the 60-day sentence was a mere 15 percent of the full sentence.
Part of Salem’s original sentence included 30 days of around-the-clock electronic monitoring for alcohol, using the SoberLink device. The monitor performs random tests to detect alcohol in the user’s blood system and the test results are sent to the probation department for evaluation. When the judge refused to send Salem back to jail, LeGrady successfully requested that Salem be required to wear the Soberlink for an additional 30 days.
When Judge Spofford signed the papers releasing Salem on January 23rd, Patterson told Mid-Hudson News that Judge Spofford’s decision was appropriate. “We believe that Judge Spofford’s granting of the stay of the sentence is the right thing to do under the circumstances. The sentence handed down by Judge Volkman goes beyond what’s necessary to satisfy justice, especially considering that both the Dutchess County District Attorney’s office and the probation department recommended a straight probationary sentence with no jail time.”
In addition to using SoberLink for 60 days, Salem’s original and still intact sentence includes:
- Vehicle & Traffic violation for running a red light: $150 fine and an $88 surcharge.
- On the DWI conviction: $750 fine and $395 surcharge.
- Any vehicle operated by Salem is required to have an ignition interlock device installed.
- Loss of driver’s license for six months.
- Attendance to various programs including the Victim Impact Panel.
- Three years of probation administered through the Dutchess County Probation Department.
* Salem classifies “their” gender as “X” and uses the pronouns they/them.
