SCCC president offers apology for his arrest

Sometime late May 4 or early May 5, Steady Moono, Schenectady County Community College’s new president, decided to escort colleague Paula Ohlhous to her home in Delanson in rural Schenectady County.

Moono, scarcely 10 months into his job as SCCC’s top guy, wanted to make sure that Ohlhous, the college’s chief of staff, arrived home safely from a social event, according to Moono’s lawyer.

So Moono, 54, decided to follow Ohlhous, 50, in his black 2013 Mercedez-Benz SUV to ensure her safety. By 1 a.m., both were under arrest on charges of driving while intoxicated.

Moono and Ohlhous, who was driving a grey 2008 Toyota, were pulled over by separate state police officers at 12:49 a.m. on May 5. They were both driving westbound on Route 7 in Duanesburg, away from Schenectady and toward Ohlhous’ house, when police pulled them over for crossing the double-yellow line, according to police records. Both failed field sobriety tests. Moono registered a .08 percent blood-alcohol content while Ohlhous had a .09 percent blood-alcohol content, according to troopers.

On Thursday, a day after news of their arrests was made public, SCCC officials remained tight-lipped about the details of the case, including where Moono and Ohlhous had been the night of the arrests. Instead, SCCC officials referred questions to Moono’s attorney, George LaMarche III. LaMarche confirmed the explanation of Moono’s arrest, which was also conveyed by multiple sources familiar with the situation.

Moono and Ohlhous both pleaded guilty Wednesday evening in Duanesburg Town Court to reduced charges of driving while ability impaired, which carries a $500 fine and 90-day license suspension.

But for the SCCC community, the cases created an unwelcome distraction on the eve of the college’s 46th graduation ceremony.

Addressing the 2016 graduating class Thursday afternoon, Moono apologized directly to his colleagues and the college — but mostly the students.

“I apologize to you graduates; for you, this has served as a distraction to your accomplishment,” he said during the commencement ceremony. “That saddens me more than any personal punishment.”

LaMarche said that Moono informed the college of the arrest “immediately thereafter” — within a day.

The SCCC Board of Trustees discussed the matter in executive session at Monday’s meeting and took no action.

At Thursday’s commencement, Board Chairwoman Ann Fleming Brown provided an implicit endorsement of Moono in the face of the arrest and subsequent guilty plea.

“I’m honored to work with a man of the character and leadership that Steady Moono brings to Schenectady County Community College,” Brown said.

In his apology, Moono traced his long journey from a poor village in Zambia to Schenectady, recalling the sacrifices that family and friends had made to support him along the way. “Life is about overcoming adversity,” he said.

“That means admitting that I did something wrong recently,” he said. “I let many of you down. For this, I am sorry.”

Gazette Reporter Haley Viccaro contributed to this story.

Categories: News, Schenectady County