Sheriff's brother to lose license after 3 DWIs, 13 suspensions, 6 accidents

The brother of Union County Sheriff Joseph Cryan may finally lose his driving privileges — this time permanently — after amassing a decades-long driving record that the Hunterdon County prosecutor called "horrendous."

John Cryan, 55, of Alexandria, pleaded guilty last month to 4th degree assault by auto, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident on July 17, 2013.

Cryan initially had been facing far more serious charges of 2nd and 3rd-degree aggravated assault. But because he fled the scene and investigators never were able to obtain a blood-alcohol reading in order to charge him with driving while intoxicated, prosecutors were hampered in pursing heavier penalties.

At the time of the accident, Cryan's license and registration already were suspended as a result of a 2009 drunken-driving crash in Hunterdon County.

RELATED: Prosecutor looking into Linden cop's DUI record

RELATED: Dashcam video, 911 call captures Linden cop's earlier DUI arrest

The existing license suspension was to last 101/ 2 years, but that didn't stop Cryan from getting behind the wheel and seriously injuring another motorist in the July 2013 crash.

State records obtained by MyCentralJersey.com reveal Cryan's history of drunk and dangerous driving. His driving history includes:

• Three reckless-driving charges in 2010, 2008 and 2001.

• Three DWI charges.

• 13 license suspensions for various offenses including a refusal to submit to breath test, three DWIs, reckless driving and failure to pay fines.

• Two refusals to submit to a breathalyzer test.

• More than 20 motor-vehicle violations, five of which were directly related to accidents.

Cryan also is the subject of a 2003 Superior Court appellate decision, which denied his appeal of a DWI conviction and license suspension in an Aug. 14, 2001, car crash against a tree in Bedminster.

In that case, Cryan failed a field sobriety test and then refused to submit a blood sample.

According to the court record, Cryan had "wondered out loud why he was being treated so severely because: 'it was drunk driving, not some big crime,' " and told a police supervisor that he had given the patrolwoman " 'all his PBA cards' in an unsuccessful attempt to dissuade her from pursuing the DWI case against him."

The latest plea deal calls for a year in county jail and surrendering all driving privileges for life. The lifetime ban on driving is honored by all other states.

RELATED: Linden cop was busted twice for DUI before fatal wrong-way crash

In an interview, Hunterdon County Prosecutor Anthony P. Kearns III said the plea deal was fair.

The victim, who suffered a broken wrist, "was consulted and he was in agreement with the plea offer," he said.

Cryan's attorney, Robert Bianchi, the former Morris County prosecutor, declined to comment on a pending case. The sentencing is scheduled for May 15 in Flemington.

A fourth-degree conviction usually carries no prison time, but prosecutors are seeking a year in county jail based on the "horrific driving record" and the nature of the injuries, Kearns said.

The prosecutors also are basing their request for a permanent license suspension on evidence submitted by the defense of a medical condition Cryan suffers from as a result of a previous car accident.

Staff Writer Sergio Bichao: 908-243-6615; sbichao@mycentraljersey.com