Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III announces that 57 year-old Mark Abbott of 238 Skillen in the City of Buffalo was arraigned this afternoon by Erie County Court Judge Thomas P. Franczyk on an indictment charging him with Feloniously Driving While Intoxicated, Resisting Arrest, Failure to Signal and Failure to Maintain his Lane. 

It is alleged that on June 10, 2014, Abbott was driving drunk in the vicinity of the I-190/I-90 interchange in the Town of Cheektowaga. Allegedly, Abbott used his vehicle and the highway guardrail to maintain his balance during field sobriety tests and, once informed he was under arrest, resisted arrest and attempted to flee the scene in his vehicle.

As stated in open court, Abbott has four prior convictions for Driving While Intoxicated as well as a conviction for Criminally Negligent Homicide in connection with the deaths of three people during a drag race on Maple Road in the Town of Amherst. 

If convicted as charged, Abbott faces a maximum sentence of five years in state prison.

Like all defendants accused of a crime, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.