NYPD officer charged with drunk driving was FIVE TIMES over the legal limit and had a bottle of vodka in the car when he crashed

  • Officer John Finley crashed into a guardrail on a highway on Staten Island 
  • NYPD cop was five times over the legal blood alcohol limit when arrested 
  • He was 'unintelligible in speech' and had vodka in his SUV, officials said
  • Finley is charged with aggravated drunk driving and suspended from work

By Ollie Gillman For Dailymail.com

Published: 19:02 EST, 19 September 2015 | Updated: 08:53 EST, 20 September 2015

NYPD officer John Finley has been charged with drunk driving after crashing his car while five times over the legal alcohol limit

NYPD officer John Finley has been charged with drunk driving after crashing his car while five times over the legal alcohol limit

An NYPD officer has been charged with drink driving after crashing his car while five times over the legal alcohol limit.

John Finley, 45, careered into a guardrail on a highway in Staten Island, New York, and a bottle of Georgi Vodka was found in his GMC Envoy when he was arrested.

The officer, who has served in the force for 25 years, had a blood alcohol level of 0.43 per cent - more than five times over the limit - when he was detained at 10.15am on August 8, officials said.

The legal blood alcohol level while driving in the state of New York is 0.08 per cent.

He was 'unintelligible in speech', court documents say, and on his own when he smashed into the barrier on the West Shore Expressway.

Finley was not charged at the time as Staten Island's District Attorney was awaiting his blood results, authorities said. 

He has now been charged with aggravated drunk driving.

According to the New York Daily News, his alcohol reading was equivalent to 140lb man consuming 14 drinks in an hour.

People have been known to die with blood alcohol levels of 0.4 per cent - lower than Finley's when he was arrested.

The cop was suspended from duty after the crash and was released without bail after his arraignment on Friday.  

Finley (pictured, circled, with other officers), 45, had a blood alcohol level of 0.43 per cent - five times over the limit - when he was detained, officials said

Finley (pictured, circled, with other officers), 45, had a blood alcohol level of 0.43 per cent - five times over the limit - when he was detained, officials said

The officers was 'unintelligible in speech', court documents say, and on his own when he smashed into the barrier on the West Shore Expressway (pictured)

The officers was 'unintelligible in speech', court documents say, and on his own when he smashed into the barrier on the West Shore Expressway (pictured)

He will appear in court on Staten Island on November 4. 

Finley and his NYPD colleague Henry Granda sued a drunk driver in 2012 after the motorist attacked them for pulling him over, the Staten Island Advance reported.

They both said they needed surgery after suffering shoulder injuries in the fight with Pavel Krut, who was 20 at the time.

He was convicted of assault, resisting arrest and driving while intoxicated.

 

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