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Former Patchogue-Medford schools chief Michael Hynes faces upgraded charges in an alleged DWI crash that seriously injured a motorcyclist in Sayville, court records indicate.
The ex-superintendent — who led Shelter Island schools before his five-year run at Pat-Med — pleaded not guilty to driving while intoxicated following the November crash that sent 63-year-old Alberto Fernandez of Sayville to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore with serious injuries. Hynes, 54, of Sayville now also faces a second-degree vehicular assault charge, according to court records.
Hynes will be arraigned on the charges before State Supreme Court Justice John Collins on Friday, according to a Newsday report.
Police said previously that Hynes was driving a 2019 Honda Civic north on Railroad Avenue when he started making a left onto Depot Street and crashed into a 2022 Harley-Davidson motorcycle heading south on Railroad Avenue about 9:05 p.m. on Nov. 24.
Hynes had a blood alcohol level of at least 0.08, court records indicate. Additionally, court records allege he had “bloodshot glassy eyes, slurred speech and was unsteady on his feet” while interviewed by police in the moments after the crash.
Earlier in November, Hynes had resigned as superintendent of Port Washington schools, where he had served since 2019.
A longtime school administrator who has worked in education for more than 26 years, Hynes has achieved some national notoriety for his outspoken stances against Common Core and standardized testing, and for his call to get rid of the U.S. Department of Education.
