Ulster County Man Was High, Drunk During Crash That Killed Passenger, Police Say
An Ulster County man is accused of being high and drunk and speeding when he crashed his truck in Orange County, killing his passenger.
On Friday in Orange County Court, a grand jury charged 29-year-old James Black of Kingston with vehicular manslaughter, manslaughter, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs.
The charges were filed in connection with a Dec. 22, 2016 crash that killed Black’s passenger, a 37-year-old man. Black was driving his pick-up truck on Quaker Street in the Town of Newburgh, when the truck left the roadway and collided into a tree, killing his passenger, police say.
At the time of the crash, Black is accused of speeding and under the combined influence of both alcohol and marijuana.
The indictment alleges Black’s blood-alcohol level was .19 percent.
“Deaths caused by intoxicated drivers are as tragic as they are preventable,” Orange District Attorney David Hoovler said in a press release. “There is no excuse for driving while intoxicated, and even less for driving while under the influence of both alcohol and other drugs. Those who drive while intoxicated, place the public, and themselves, at risk of death and other serious harm, and must be dealt with severely.”
Black was remanded to Orange County Jail on $200,000 cash bail or $600,000 bond.
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