Siena point guard pleads not guilty

PHOTOGRAPHER: Justin Mason

Ronald Moore approached the bench and pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor driving while intoxicated, just like any one of the scores of accused people facing a charge in Colonie Town Court Monday.

Through defense attorney Kevin O’Haire, the 21-year-old star point guard for Siena College’s basketball team quietly denied the charge plus misdemeanor counts of driving with a blood alcohol content above 0.08 percent and third degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, as well as two traffic infractions.

The only difference was that none of the other defendants appearing before Justice Andrew Sommers could say they had several television news networks, nearly a dozen reporters and Siena’s spokesman waiting at the courtroom entrance afterward.

Moore and O’Haire were joined by college spokesman Ken Jubie as they whisked out of Colonie’s Public Safety Building saying little to the gaggle of reporters asking them questions. A short distance outside the building, O’Haire turned to the media and made a brief statement on the star player’s behalf.

“We’re not going to speak to any particulars of the case,” he said. “But I’m confident we’ll be able to work something out in the near future.”

With that, Moore and O’Haire disappeared into a vehicle, leaving Jubie to face reporters. The Siena spokesman said he couldn’t discuss Moore’s case because of student confidentiality, but said the college wanted to make an appearance at the court to ensure his rights were not infringed upon.

“Because of who Ronald is, we wanted to make sure he is afforded the rights that all of our students would be,” he said.

Court documents show that Moore was traveling in a 2006 Chevy with Pennsylvania tags when he went through a red light on Loudon Road at a high rate of speed. Colonie Police Officer Raymond Milham stopped him near Siena College’s entrance at about 3 a.m. and noticed the an “odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath,” the arrest report states.

Moore told police he drank one beer while at Dapp’s Tavern — a popular bar among Siena students located about two miles away in Watervliet — and that he was headed back to his town house on campus. After failing field sobriety tests, Moore was arrested.

Later at the station, investigators determined his BAC to be 0.12 percent. At his arraignment the following evening, his driving privileges in New York were suspended and he was ordered to reappear next month.

Moore was considered one of the top point guards in the nation and is credited with being a key component of the Siena Saints’ basketball success over the past two years. Moore led the nation by a wide margin in assists per game at 7.76 and broke the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference career record with 818, good for 24th on the all-time Division I list.