Police: Driver hauling 80K pounds of wine was drunk

Broome County Sheriff's deputies say the driver of a tractor-trailer carrying 80,000 pounds of wine had a blood-alcohol content of more than three times the legal limit.

Deputies arrested Jae C. Ehrgood, 57, of Madison, Pa., on Friday after receiving multiple calls about a tractor trailer swerving in and out of its lane on Interstate 81 South.

A sheriff's deputy tracked the vehicle and saw it swerving, then stopped the tractor-trailer near Exit 4 in Kirkwood. The driver told the deputy he was hauling a full load — 80,000 pounds — of wine, according to the sheriff's office.

A sobriety test was conducted, and Ehrgood was subsequently arrested on suspicion of DWI. A chemical breath test conducted later revealed a BAC of 0.25, or more than three times the legal limit in New York, according to the sheriff's office.

Ehrgood faces one count of aggravated DWI, BAC of 0.18 or more, a misdemeanor; one count of Driving While Intoxicated, a misdemeanor; and one count of Moving from Lane Unsafely, an infraction.

He was issued appearance tickets returnable to the Town of Kirkwood Court at a later date.