Assemblyman Steve Katz, R-Yorktown, Westchester County,
was ticketed Thursday morning on the state Thruway for alleged marijuana possession and speeding, State Police said Friday.
Katz, 59, who was first elected to the state Assembly in 2010, was pulled over for allegedly driving 80 mph in a 65 mph zone at about 10 a.m. Thursday, State Police told Gannett’s Albany Bureau. He was stopped headed northbound on the Thruway in Coeymans, just south of Albany. The Legislature was in session on Thursday.
Earlier this week, the Westchester-area lawmaker questioned whether the state’s spending of $60 million towards the new lease agreement for the Buffalo Bills was prudent.
When an officer approached the vehicle, the state trooper smelled marijuana, police said. Katz turned over a small bag of what appeared to be marijuana, said State Police spokeswoman Darcy Wells. “He was alone and cooperative,” Wells said. Katz was charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and speeding, police said. He was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Coeymans Court on March 28 at 9 a.m., police said.
He attended the Putnam county state of the county address on Thursday night at 7 p.m., arriving a bit late, waving to the audience and taking his seat in the front row. Joseph Ahearn, a spokesman for Katz, said Friday morning that the assemblyman had no immediate comment and would release a statement later Friday or Saturday.
Katz, a veterinarian, has been an outspoken lawmaker since taking office. He was re-elected last November. He voted against the legalization of medical marijuana last year.
In October, Katz compared Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver to Joe Paterno’s cover-up of Jerry Sandusky’s child abuse after Silver quietly reached a settlement with two female aides that accused a fellow lawmaker of sexual harassment.
Earlier this week, Katz drew criticism from Buffalo officials after he spoke on the Assembly floor and criticized $60 million in aid for the Buffalo Bill stadium, saying that only a “handful of people” go to the games. Last year, Katz admitted to a pair of past arrests related to his veterinary business decades ago.