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Orange County resident Matthew Labar of Goshen, age 42, pleaded guilty to felony DWI charges on Friday, Jan. 12, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced on Friday, Jan. 26.
According to Hoovler's office, on Saturday, July 29 around 4:15 p.m., Labar was seen stumbling on Main Street in Warwick. There, he was soon spotted by Village of Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard, who tried to help him, officials said.
When the two reached Labar's vehicle, Newhard grabbed his keys. However, according to Hoovler, Labar managed to use a spare set of keys to start the vehicle and began driving away while Newhard was hanging out of the vehicle's window.
Labar then hit several parked cars in the parking lot where he had started driving before he was subdued by a United States Park Police officer who had seen what was happening while passing by. The officer was able to subdue Labar until Warwick Police officers arrived at the scene and took him into custody.
A later test revealed that Labar's blood alcohol content was 0.33 percent, over four times the legal limit, officials said.
Newhard suffered minor injuries as a result of the incident.
Under a plea deal agreement, Labar will face between one to three years in prison when he is sentenced on Friday, April 12.
In a statement, Hoovler condemned Labar's actions while also praising Newhard for his selflessness in the incident.
"I commend Mayor Newhard for his selfless and quick-thinking actions that likely prevented what could have been a terrible tragedy," Hoovler said, continuing, "Drunk drivers put us all at risk through their careless decisions. Incidents such as this one are not accidents, they are serious crimes and perpetrators need to be held accountable."
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