Westchester County assemblyman Steve Katz was to have been in an upstate court this morning to address charges of marijuana and speeding violations dating back to mid-morning on March 14 when his car was stopped by a state trooper along a stretch of the Thruway in the Southern Albany County town of Coeymans.
At the time of the incident, it was widely reported that the trooper detected the odor of marijuana and found a bag that was said to contain roughly an eighth of an ounce of the drug. Katz' attorney Susan Chana Lask appeared on his behalf this morning, afterward addressing the media, telling reporters there were "no charges," therefore "no story."
Katz, who had been en route to a legislative hearing in Albany, called the traffic stop an "unfortunate incident." He'd been clocked driving at 80 miles per hour in a 65 mile zone.
Lask says Katz did not receive any special treatment - the case was dismissed. Katz must pay a $75 dollar fine. He had no prior record and according to Lask, there were "difficulties in proof."
Katz was not charged with driving under the influence. The 59-year-old Westchester County Assemblyman is known as the "anti-pot Republican": Katz has opposed the legalization of medical marijuana and has served on the Assembly Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.
