A 68-year-old Hudson Valley man found out the hard way that a creek is not a roadway.

The Ulster County Sheriff's office was recently called out to Melissa Road in the Town of Kingston for a report of "a vehicle driving in the Sawkill Creek." When they arrived, officers say they discovered a drunk driver sitting in a disabled car in the creek. They were able to assist the man and rescue him from the vehicle.

An investigation into the incident uncovered what led to the car winding up in the creek. Police say the driver was operating a vehicle under the influence and wound up hitting the side of a home near the Sawkill Creek. Instead of stopping, the man continued to drive down the bank of the stream, thinking he was still on the road.

The elderly man continued to drive the vehicle after entering the creek, making it 200 yards downstream before crashing into a rock.

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After being rescued, a large crane was brought in to remove the man's vehicle from the stream. According to the DEC, the Sawkill Creek was just stocked with trout a few weeks before the incident.

The driver of the vehicle was arrested and charged by police with the misdemeanor of Driving While Intoxicated. In addition, the DEC issued multiple tickets to the Sawkill man including disturbing the bed and banks of a protected stream, polluting the water in contravention of standards, and disposing of refuse in a trout stream.

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