PSEG employee driving work truck in Farmingdale charged with drunk driving

A PSEG Long Island employee driving a company truck in Farmingdale early Friday was arrested and charged with driving a company truck while intoxicated, according to Nassau police and court records.

Just after 1 a.m. Friday, police in the Eighth Precinct received a call about a “highly intoxicated” man “driving a PSEG truck who had struck a street sign,” police said. When officers arrived at the scene on Main Street in Farmingdale, they saw 38-year-old Dwayne Hogan “sitting in the driver’s seat of a PSEG freight truck,” court records say, with “a damaged sign lying on the ground.”

“They conducted their investigation and then took him into custody,” the Nassau Police spokesman said.

Hogan was charged with four counts of driving under the influence, including operating a commercial vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

Documents attached to the case said police found a damaged bus stop sign “lying on the sidewalk” next to the truck. When asked what he had been drinking, the driver replied, “A little vodka” from a nearby bar, according to the documents.

According to court documents, police conducted a breathalyzer test and found his blood alcohol level to be 0.23%.

Hogan was arraigned Friday before Nassau County District Judge Jaclene A. Agazarian, where he pleaded not guilty, according to court records and the Nassau District Attorney’s Office. He was released on bail but with a mandatory driver’s license suspension. His next court date is Sept. 30.

In a statement, PSEG Long Island said: “We take this matter very seriously. A thorough investigation is being conducted and appropriate action will be taken.”

Hogan is represented by the Legal Aid Society, which declined to comment on the case Tuesday. He could not be reached for comment.

PSEG said, “The safety of customers, employees and the public is of paramount importance to PSEG Long Island.”

Mark Harrington, a reporter for Newsday since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.