Schenectady Police Officer John Lewis was arrested on Saturday night for what is at least the sixth time in two years.
Department officials tell us that they received a call at approximately 6:00 p.m. that a drunk man had left the emergency department at Ellis Hospital, hit a car, and took off.
Investigators say that that man was Lewis - a 15-year veteran of the force who has spent much of the past two years off the job.
Lewis's troubles with the department date back to 1998 when he was fired for allegedly using a racial slur; an arbitrator later reinstated him.
Since the spring of 2008, Lewis has been arrested numerous times on charges that include drunk driving, stalking, harassment, and vandalism.
In December, a Schenectady County grand jury indicted Lewis for allegedly hacking into his ex-wife's e-mail account and threatening her.
Days later, he was apparently stabbed in Berkshire County.
Schenectady Police say Lewis's termination hearing has been completed and the department brass is waiting for a final decision by an arbitrator.
City residents say that Lewis has already had too many chances.
"Police are supposed to be models for the rest of the society and, certainly, this is not the kind of model that we want to have our kids and the rest of everybody else in the city to portray so, yeah, he definitely needs to go," says Don Ackerman of Schenectady.
City resident Chuck Tillman says, "He should be thrown off the force in my opinion."
Lewis is being held at Schenectady County Jail without bail.
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