CAMBRIA, NY — A Buffalo man faces aggravated driving while intoxicated charges after rear-ending a Niagara County Sheriff’s Office patrol vehicle Tuesday afternoon.
Eric M. Mende, 33, of Buffalo, was arrested following the collision at approximately 3:06 p.m. at the intersection of Lockport Junction Road and Saunders Settlement Road.
A marked patrol vehicle was stopped in traffic traveling southbound on Lockport Junction Road when it was struck from behind by a 2017 Chevrolet Cruze driven by Mende, according to Sheriff Michael Filicetti.
Deputies determined Mende was intoxicated following an investigation at the scene.
Mende was taken into custody and transported to the Sheriff’s Office, where he submitted to a chemical breath test.
He is charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated with a blood alcohol content higher than 0.18 percent, open container and additional vehicle and traffic law infractions.
Mende was remanded to the Niagara County Correctional Facility pending centralized arraignment.
The deputy operating the patrol vehicle was transported to a local hospital for evaluation.
