The District Attorney in Hamilton County will handle prosecution in the case of the New York state trooper accused of leaving the scene of an accident that left a Northville man dead on May 22.
James T. Curry will serve as special prosecutor following appointment by state Supreme Court, Fulton County, according to a notice from District Attorney Louise K. Sira.
Trooper Brian Beardsley, 32, of Amsterdam, was charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident by the Fulton County Sheriff’s Department after an investigation that began with a 911 call from Beardsley’s girlfriend.
The as-yet unidentified woman told police there was a body in the road on County Route 110 in Broadalbin at about 2:41 a.m. in the early morning of May 22.
Responding officers found the body of Chad Finch, 29, lying in the road. Police learned Beardsley was driving down that road with the woman. Authorities confiscated his pickup truck and reported he’d struck Beardsley that morning.
Sira said the prosecutor was sought because of a potential conflict of interest. There are several cases pending in Fulton County involving Beardsley as a witness or arresting officer.
State Police suspended Beardsley without pay for 30 days and began their own investigation.
Beardsley was arraigned in Broadalbin Town Court earlier this week and posted bail. A return date of June 23 was set.
Sira in the release referred any questions to Curry’s office.
A call to the Hamilton County District Attorney’s office late Friday afternoon was not returned.
Police and one relative this week said Finch was walking home to his mother’s house at the time of his death.
Finch left two young children. He was an avid camper and enjoyed fishing and boating, according to his obituary.
He was buried Thursday at the Broadalbin Mayfield Rural Cemetery.
Categories: Schenectady County
