Alleged bail jumper in fatal DWI crash pleads not guilty
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Andrew Gibson, 43, was finally arraigned on Tuesday on an unsealed indictment after skipping bail in February. He had pleaded guilty in November 2021 to aggravated vehicular homicide.
Mother of four Lisa Sperry died in the head-on DWI crash with Gibson on County Route 401 in Westerlo in 2021. His indictment was for two new charges over his alleged attempt to escape justice:
- First-degree bail jumping, a class D felony
- Second-degree bail jumping, a class E felony
His attorney, Janes Knox, entered a plea of not guilty on Gibson's behalf and did not ask Judge Roger McDonough to consider bail. His next scheduled appearance is August 17 at 1 p.m.
Initially, the sentencing was scheduled for February 1, but he was released under the supervision of the department of probation pending sentencing. He never showed, but the original sentence as a part of his plea deal was going to be 8 1/3 to 25 years in state prison. Before being a no-show, he'd made bail by posting a hefty $160,000 bond.
The grand jury handed up the indictment on April 8. Over the weekend, Gibson was arraigned on unrelated charges in Rensselaer County before heading to Albany County Court for the Tuesday arraignment. Because he has at least 2 prior felony criminal convictions, the court could consider him a "persistent felon" after these latest charges.