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YORKTOWN, N.Y. – Assembly member Steve Katz (R,C,I–Yorktown) was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, according to New York State Police.
Police said Katz, 59, was pulled over for speeding at around 10 a.m. March 14 on Interstate 87 in the Town of Coeymans, according to a press release from New York State Police. Katz was given a ticket to appear in the Town of Coeymans Court on March 28, according to the release.
"While northbound on I-87, Mr. Katz was stopped for traveling at 80 miles per hour in a posted 65 miles per hour speed zone," New York State Police said in a release. "After noting the odor of marihuana (sic), a New York State Trooper found Katz in possession of a small bag of marihuana."
Katz released a statement Friday afternoon calling the arrest an "unfortunate incident" and was "compelled to address it briefly."
"First, I will not let this incident impede my public service and my calls for real mandate relief, a better economic climate and better services for those in need in New York," he said. "This should not overshadow the work I have done over the years for the public and my constituency. I am confident that once the facts are presented that this will quickly be put to rest."
Katz was elected to the state Assembly for the 99th Assembly District in November 2010. His newly-drawn district includes Yorktown, Somers and parts of Putnam County. For 21 years, Katz has been a veterinarian in private practice, while maintaining a residence in Yorktown with his wife Nicole and their four daughters, according to the Assembly member's biography.
Katz earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1984 from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Science from Cornell University in 1976, according to the biography. Katz resides in Mohegan Lake with his family.
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