Upstate man in Nassau DWI case effectively sentenced to 'lifetime driving ban,' prosecutors say

A judge sentenced an Ulster County man to prison time after a felony drunken-driving conviction Nassau prosecutors said would make the defendant "subject to a lifetime driving ban."

Nassau County Judge Alan Honorof on Thursday sentenced Morgan Smith, 45, of Kingston, to 1 and 1/3 to 4 years in prison and revoked his driver's license for a year.

Prosecutors said Smith's conviction after an October trial marked his eighth drunken-driving conviction. They said if he tries to reapply for a driver's license, more stringent licensing regulations that went into effect in 2012 will prevent him from getting one.

Police arrested Smith in November 2013 in Long Beach after he crashed his car into a tree after driving up on a sidewalk near a bus stop, authorities said.

In a statement Friday, Nassau Acting District Attorney Madeline Singas called Smith "exactly the kind of driver we all fear," adding: "He is the perfect example of why we continue to fight to strengthen our laws."

Smith's attorney declined to comment Friday.