Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy, III announced today that Anton K. Hawkins (DOB 12-12-86) of 436 Manhattan Street, Schenectady NY, was sentenced today to one and 1/2 to 3 years in a state correctional facility and after that a 3 year mandatory installation of an ignition interlock device for any vehicle he drives (the 3 year time period begins upon his release from prison), plus a license revocation, before the Hon. Jerry J. Scarano in Saratoga County Court, for the crime of Vehicular Assault in the Second Degree, an E Felony, in violation of Penal Law Section 120.03 (1).
The sentence today arose out of a car crash involving serious physical injury that occurred on I-87, in the Town of Halfmoon, back on November 24, 2012. Hawkins lost control of the Toyota Camry he was driving while in an intoxicated condition southbound on I-87. The Camry spun out of control on the southbound lanes of the Northway, flipped, rolled over and ended up on its roof in the northbound lanes of I-87, one of his passengers was ejected from the vehicle all the way to the shoulder East of the Northbound lanes, causing serious physical injury to the passenger. The other passengers in the Camry were injured but not seriously. The State Police conducted a thorough investigation and made the arrest. State Police were able to utilize GPS technology from a cell phone in the vehicle along with witness accounts from passengers to establish Hawkins was traveling at approximately 140mph just prior to the crash. The defendant’s reckless driving prior to the crash was also recorded and on a cell phone in the vehicle. The footage depicts the speedometer of the Camry maxed at approximately 140mph just seconds prior to the crash. State Police were able to pinpoint the time and location of the video based upon the GPS coordinates from the phone.
Attached to this press release is a photo of the speedometer of the car the defendant was driving at the time of the crash showing the car travelling at least at 130mph.
Assistant District Attorney Patrick Campion said, “As a DWI prosecutor, I rarely see the crime as it’s actually being committed, but in this case, based on the passenger’s cell phone footage taken in the car, I could see the defendant driving at an extremely reckless speed, maxing out the speedometer while intoxicated.”
DA Murphy said “The cell video of the car careening down the Northway going 130 mph with music blasting on the stereo is chilling. It’s beyond frightening to think that this defendant was actually driving and a miracle that he didn’t kill someone. I’m glad the judge removed him from our roadways for the safety of our community. The ignition interlock device will help to stop him from driving drunk in the future. Let’s hope he gets the message.”