New York State Police at Oneonta made an arrest Friday after a driver drove the wrong way on Interstate 88 for approximately seven miles near the city of Oneonta. Multiple motorists were forced off the roadway and had to take evasive action when a vehicle was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-88 around 11:59 a.m. A senior investigator for the State Police attempted to stop the vehicle and after close to seven miles was able to get the driver into a U-turn near Exit 16.
An investigation revealed that the operator, Steven D. Wiedeman, age 72, of Otego, was impaired. He was arrested at approximately 12:30 p.m. for the misdemeanor of Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs. He was issued appearance tickets to the city of Oneonta court on September 28, then released to a sober third party.
State Police did not report any injuries to the motorists who took evasive action to avoid the on-coming vehicle.
