Man on 11th lifetime DWI arrest released on $40K bond

A Rotterdam man on his 11th lifetime drunk driving arrest — the second in 10 years — was released Tuesday on $40,000 bond, officials said.

Wayne Wells, 66, of Amsterdam Avenue, appeared in court Tuesday after being arraigned last week on a new indictment charging him with felony aggravated driving while intoxicated.

He is accused of driving drunk just before 8 p.m. Nov. 12 on Greenpoint Avenue, smashing into a parked car, prosecutor Nicolaus Brooks-McDonald said.

Wells also tried to flee the scene, but a bystander spotted what had happened, got out of his car stood in front of Wells’ vehicle to prevent him from leaving, Brooks-McDonald said.

Police responded and tests showed Wells’ blood alcohol content to be .22 percent, nearly three times the legal limit of .08, Brooks-McDonald said.

Wells was arraigned and released then on $10,000 cash bail. He returned to court last week to be arraigned on his indictment and he was ordered held pending a bail application.

In court Tuesday, Brooks-McDonald indicated Wells has 10 prior driving while intoxicated arrests dating back to 1973, eight convictions, four for felonies.

Newspaper records indicate only one of those 10 prior arrests, in 2007, happened in the past 25 years.

Wells was charged in the 2007 case with aggravated driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, as his last previous DWI case was more than 10 years earlier.

Wells’ current case, however, is less than 10 years since the 2007 arrest, making his current case a felony.

Brooks-McDonald argued for an increase in Wells’ bail to $25,000 cash, citing Wells’ long history of similar crimes.

Wells’ attorney Mark Juda asked for his bail to be restored at the original amount, noting Wells has attended all his court appearances as asked.

Judge Mark Caruso ultimately set bail at $20,000 cash or $40,000 bond. Wells posted that bond later and was released, officials said.

Wells had a valid license at the time of his arrest, officials said. His license is currently suspended based on the November arrest, state officials said Tuesday.

Though Wells got his license back after his 2007 conviction, he is now subject to a lifetime review by the DMV, according to regulations instituted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2012.

After that review, anyone whose license is revoked and is seeking reinstatement will be permanently denied a new license for life if they have five or more alcohol- or drug-related convictions over their lifetime.