Drink & Drive, Lose Your Ride

District Attorney Adam Levy is not in the used car business but Putnam’s chief lawman told the Courier Monday that he will do everything in his power to protect local residents from “irresponsible and dangerous felony offenders.”

Levy’s recently enacted vehicle forfeiture program tabbed “drink and drive and lose your ride” took effect Monday when the District Attorney’s office conducted its first auctioned sale of two vehicles acquired through the county’s new Drunk Driver Civil Forfeiture Program.

A 1993 Mitsubishi Diamante and a 1997 Ford Ranger pick-up, driven by convicted drunken drivers who had a history of driving while intoxicated, sold for $775 and $441 respectively.

Levy said since 2008, he and his staff have gone to “great lengths to educate the public about the inherent dangers associated with driving drunk. We have spoken with our local high school students, their parents, homeowners and countless civic associa- tions about the dangers of DWI. As a matter of fact our anti-drunk driving campaign’s name was first coined by a student at Putnam Valley High School in Cold Spring as part of an anti-drunk driving campaign.”

Levy said the D.A.’s office had increased the range of penalties for first time offenders and now with the Civil Forfeiture Program,” we have taken the next step to increasing penalties for repeat drunk driving. People in our county who repeatedly have driven drunk have demonstrated themselves as being too reckless to be afforded the right to own a vehicle and operate a car. That’s why the program was begun. I’m glad we are off to a good start.”