SARANAC LAKE - A former state police Troop B commander has resigned from his upper-level position at the state Liquor Authority following allegations that he misused his agency-issued car.
According to the Press-Republican newspaper, Peter Person, of Keeseville, resigned as director of New York City operations and assistant enforcement director last week, days after an article in the New York Post alleged he used a Liquor Authority vehicle for personal purposes, including commuting to work in Harlem from his home in Keeseville.
Person denies the allegations and told reporters his resignation was for political reasons, not because of the report.
"There is a lot more to this than everyone knows," he told the Press-Republican.
According to records obtained by the New York Post, Person had logged monthly mileage of 3,000 to 4,700 traveling between his Harlem office and Keeseville home.
Person was found to have charged gas and maintenance expenses to his state-issued credit card. As a supervisor, he was not required to do field work, although this is among his reasons for the high mileage.
Person's annual salary at the Liquor Authority is $74,210, and he also has a waiver to collect his state police pension from his 25 years in the department.
A Liquor Authority spokesperson was not immediately available for comment this morning.