Endicott Man Pleads Guilty in Wrong Way Crash that Injured Sheriff’s Deputy

An Endicott man who was to stand trial next week for a wrong-way, head-on crash on Route 17 that left a Broome County Sheriff's Deputy with serious injuries, will be sentenced in October after entering a guilty plea

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34-year-old Daniel Butash was facing 11 different charges including felony assault and drunk driving in connection with the crash early February 1 in Vestal that injured Deputy Kristy Botsford.

August 7, Butash pleaded guilty to felony aggravated vehicular assault and felony assault.  He had pleaded not guilty to all charges against him in April and pretrial proceedings earlier this month concerned what comments made following the crash might be admissible in court.

Butash's trial had been tentatively set to begin August 12.

Butash admits driving a 2018 Tesla while having a blood alcohol content of at least .18% at the time of the crash.  Prosecutors said the Endicott man's B.A.C. was .25% when his car slammed into the patrol sport utility vehicle at 60 mph.

Deputy Botsford was trapped in the vehicle in 20-degree temperatures for hours while rescuers worked to free her.  She suffered multiple injuries, including a broken leg and ankle, as a result of the crash.

The Broome County District Attorney's Office says Butash is expected to be sentence to two-and-a-third to 7 years in prison when he is sentenced October 11.