Crime & Safety
Police: Witness Stops Man Running Away From DWI Crash
Northern Westchester man charged with felony drunken driving after car hits utility pole.
An accident witness who helped a driver get out of a wrecked car that hit a utility pole chased the driver and held him for police after he tried to run away from the scene of the alcohol-related wreck, according to Port Chester police.
The driver, Cadwallader Washburn Kelsey, 22, of 22 Banksville Road, North Castle, was accused of felony driving while intoxicated and other charges in connection with the accident, in which the a passenger was also injured when a 2011 Honda Pilot driven by Kelsey slammed into a utility pole and overturned.
The accident took place about 8 p.m. on Saturday at Putnam Avenue and Hewlitt Place. Police said witnesses went to the car to assist the driver and the passenger, a 39-year-old Brooklyn man who was injured and could not get out on his own.
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After the driver was helped out through a window and witnesses were assisting the passenger, police said one of the witnesses saw Kelsey running away from the wreckage. Police said the witness rushed after Kelsey, grabbed him and held him until police arrived.
In the meantime, ambulance crews arrived to assist the passenger, who was taken to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla for treatment. Police said that when village officers arrived and questioned Kelsey he appeared intoxicated. Kelsey complained of pain and was also taken to Westchester Medical Center for treatment, but he was back at Port Chester police hearquarters by about noon.
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Kelsey was charged with felony driving while intoxicated, police said, because of a previous DWI arrest in 2010. Police also said Kelsey does not have a New York driver's license and his license in Connecticut was suspended. He was charged with aggravate unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and also charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident.
Kelsey was also issued traffic tickets. He was later released on $740 bail pending a June 11 hearing in Port Chester Village Court .
Police said a Con Edison crew was called to the scene of the crash to assess the damage to the utility pole.
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