JOHN PLAYFORD SENTENCED IN ULSTER COUNTY ON VEHICULAR MANSLAUGHTER CHARGES
John Playford, 22, of Mower Mill Road, Saugerties, was sentenced in Ulster County Court on November 16, 2017 to a period of four to twelve years in state prison upon his conviction after a guilty plea to Vehicular Manslaughter in the First Degree and Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree.
Playford pled guilty on November 2, 2017, and admitted that he caused the death of Jacob Sweeney, age 22, after driving off the road on State Route 32 in Saugerties after consuming beer and smoking marijuana.
The investigation, headed by the Saugerties Police Department, with assistance from the New York State Police and the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, revealed that on January 31, 2017 at 3:22 a.m. the Jeep Cherokee operated by Playford veered off the road snapping a telephone pole in half before hitting a snowbank, small tree, a house, and overturning several times ejecting the passenger, Jacob Sweeney. The Jeep ended up overturned behind a rock wall approximately 350 feet from the point in which the vehicle left the roadway.
Playford was arrested on March 2, 2017, and indicted by an Ulster County Grand Jury shortly thereafter. Blood tests revealed that Playford’s blood alcohol content was .18, more than twice the legal limit, and his blood contained active marijuana metabolites indicative of recent usage.
The investigation revealed that Playford drove to a local convenience store in the early morning hours of January 31 to purchase a twelve pack of beer after drinking for several hours during the day. After driving along quiet back roads, Playford was returning to Mower Mill Road travelling at a high rate of speed on State Route 32 when the crash occurred.
Inside the State Route 32 residence, which Mr. Playford crashed into, were a fourteen year old and twelve year old. Playford’s Jeep Cherokee smashed through the bedroom wall of the house and nearly struck the boys while they were asleep. The owner of the house described to the Court at sentencing that her family suffered from PTSD as a result of this incident.
Peggy Sweeney, the mother of Jacob Sweeney, shared an emotional statement with the Court at sentencing. Sweeney expressed her love for Playford, who was a close friend of Jacob Sweeney, and acknowledged that Playford did not mean to kill Jacob on that fateful morning. Peggy Sweeney asked Playford to write to her family if he needed support while in state prison but also agreed that Playford deserved to be punished for his actions.
Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright stated, “The courage and compassion shown by Peggy Sweeney is simply incredible. For all of the heartache that her family suffered as a result of this crime and to speak those powerful and emotional words to the man who killed her son is a testament to her character. We hope that that citizens of Ulster County will continue to hear the message that drinking and driving can be a deadly combination.”
The case was prosecuted by Senior District Attorney Gerald Van Loan.