Hannacroix man pleads guilty to vehicular manslaughter charge

ALBANY — A Hannacroix man pleaded guilty Wednesday in Albany County Court to charges stemming from a September motorcycle accident that left his passenger dead, according to the Albany County District Attorney’s Office.

Alex Hamilton, 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree vehicular manslaughter, a class D felony, before Judge William A. Carter, according to a statement from the Albany County District Attorney’s Office.

Hamilton was accused of driving drunk on his motorcycle Sept. 2 on Route 403 in Westerlo with his passenger, Leanne Rose Prudhomme, 23, of Berne, when he veered off the road and struck a telephone pole. Hamilton and Prudhomme were both ejected from the motorcycle, which was sheared in half.

Prudhomme was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of death was exposure to blunt-force trauma, Albany County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy William Rice said in September.

Hamilton suffered internal injuries from the accident and was charged with driving while intoxicated, an unclassified misdemeanor. Police also charged Hamilton with having no insurance, operating a motorcycle without a license, having unregistered motorcycle switch plates and driving an uninspected vehicle, all violations. He was also charged with crossing road-hazard markings, a moving violation, Rice said.

An investigation following the accident determined Hamilton drank several alcoholic beverages throughout the day prior to the crash, according to the District Attorney’s Office. A blood analysis test was taken two hours after the crash and found Hamilton’s blood alcohol content was .08 percent, the legal limit.

Hamilton was released on bail. He faces between 1 and 3 years in state prison, according to the Albany County District Attorney’s Office. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 4.

In addition to his sentence, Hamilton will be subject to a minimum six-month license revocation, which is subject to the determinations of the Albany County Department of Motor Vehicles, and having an ignition interlock device installed for three years upon his release, according to the District Attorney’s Office.