A 46-year-old Green Island man is facing felony charges after police say he crashed into an occupied parked vehicle and then plowed into the side of a Watervliet home before walking away from the scene. Ryan Deveaux was taken into custody a short distance from the crash near 4th Street and 3rd Avenue, where police say a chemical test later showed his blood alcohol content at .23 percent — nearly three times New York's legal limit of .08 percent.
Watervliet Police responded just after 4 p.m. on October 7 to a report of a vehicle crashing into a home, according to Newport Dispatch, which first reported the arrest details. Police say Deveaux struck an occupied parked car before leaving the roadway and coming to rest against the side of a residence. The outlet reported that no injuries were reported in the crash, though the home did not sustain serious damage. A witness told police the driver was seen walking away from the scene after contacting 911, and officers located and stopped Deveaux a short distance away, leading to a roadside investigation and his arrest. Watervliet Police released the official details of the arrest on Monday, five days after the collision occurred, per the same account.
A Chemical Test Nearly Triple the Legal Limit
The .23 percent reading places Deveaux's case well above the threshold for New York's toughest intoxicated-driving charge. Under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 1192(2-a)(a), an Aggravated DWI charge is triggered when a driver registers a blood alcohol concentration of 0.18 percent or higher, according to the Law Offices of Jason Bassett. That standalone offense exists specifically to impose harsher penalties on the most heavily intoxicated drivers.
What elevates Deveaux's exposure further, per the same report, is a prior qualifying DWI conviction within the past 10 years. Newport Dispatch reported that Deveaux was charged with Aggravated DWI with a prior conviction, Driving While Intoxicated with a previous conviction of a designated offense within 10 years, and operating a motor vehicle with .08 of 1 percent or more alcohol with a prior conviction — all charged as Class E felonies. Under New York State law, that prior-conviction escalation can carry a maximum sentence of up to four years in state prison, fines between $1,000 and $5,000, and a minimum 18-month license revocation, according to the New York State DMV. The exact date and location of that earlier conviction have not been disclosed.
Fines, Interlocks and a Separate Hit-and-Run Charge
Beyond prison exposure, a felony DWI conviction in New York triggers automatic financial penalties that stack on top of court fines. The state DMV imposes a Driver Responsibility Assessment fee of $250 annually for three consecutive years — $750 total — billed directly to the driver, plus mandatory court surcharges of up to $520 for felony convictions, the DMV notes. Anyone convicted of a misdemeanor or felony DWI in New York must also install and maintain an Ignition Interlock Device on every vehicle they operate, typically for at least 12 months, and complete a seven-week state-approved Impaired Driver Program, according to the Law Offices of Jason Bassett.
Deveaux was also charged with leaving the scene of a property damage accident, Newport Dispatch reported. Under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 600(1)(a), leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage without reporting or exchanging information is a traffic infraction punishable by up to 15 days in jail, a $250 fine, and three points on a driving record for a first offense, according to the Benjamin Goldman Law Office. Deveaux was remanded to the custody of the Albany County Correctional Facility, Newport Dispatch reported; it remains unclear whether bail was set at his arraignment.
The Arrest in Watervliet
The crash occurred in Watervliet, where police located and arrested Deveaux a short distance away.
The investigation was handled by the Watervliet Police Department, a force established in 1870 and currently led by Police Chief William Rice, which operates distinct Operations and Investigations divisions, according to the City of Watervliet.
The Deveaux case lands amid a broader pattern of impaired-driving prosecutions across the Capital Region, including a Waterford trucker recently sentenced for driving high before a 600-mile haul and a New Lebanon woman charged under Leandra's Law following an ATV crash.
