GREENPORT—Toxicology reports indicate that Hudson Police Officer William B. Wrigley, 35, of Livingston, who was killed when the car he was driving crashed head-on into a tree, had a blood alcohol level of .15% at the time of his death.

The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release about the finding March 6 after concluding its investigation into the accident which occurred on County Route 19, just south of the State Route 9 intersection in Livingston, January 24 at 5:13 a.m.

The officer, an 11-year veteran of the Hudson force, was off-duty and was driving his personal vehicle, a 1997 Honda Civic, headed south when the car went off the west shoulder and hit the tree. Mr. Wrigley died at the scene.

Dr. Jeffrey Hubbard performed an autopsy on Mr. Wrigley at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, January 25. The results show that he died of multiple massive traumatic injuries sustained in the accident. The toxicology report found no evidence of drugs, according to the release.

“We at the Hudson Police Department are saddened and disheartened by the news regarding Officer Wrigley. As a department we cannot condone drinking and driving, and believe that the police, in order to gain the public trust and confidence, need to operate above the law and set an example for the community. That being said, Officer Wrigley made a mistake in operating his vehicle that morning, and he paid a heavy price for that mistake. The totality of the circumstances are tragic, and for a while will deter from his greater legacy which included, fairness, kindness, and service to our city and country,” said a statement from the Hudson Police Department contained in the release.

“This doesn’t change how I feel about Bill Wrigley nor does it change that he was a great cop. All this does is make it hurt a little bit more. Let’s let the man rest,” Hudson Police Commissioner Gary Graziano said in the release.