ONEONTA — One passenger was arrested on a drug charge while another was sent to the hospital for treatment of overdose symptoms, city police said after investigating a property damage accident Monday.
The two-vehicle crash happened on Chestnut Street between Spring and West streets.
Domenico Finkbiner, 18, of Sidney, was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, heroin, a misdemeanor, police said.
Christopher Guardiano, 24, of Unadilla, was taken by Oneonta ambulance to A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital for treatment of drug overdose symptoms, police said. Guardiano, a front-seat passenger in a van, was found unconscious with a hypodermic needle on his lap, police said.
Finkbiner and Guardiano were passengers in a van driven by Eric Doherty, 21, of Unadilla, who was ticketed for following too closely, police said.
Doherty’s van hit the back of a vehicle driven by Rose Grant, 58, of Oneonta, police said.
Doherty gave police permission to search his vehicle, police said, and some baggies typically used for heroin were found, but they were empty.
In a separate incident at 2 p.m. Monday, police responded to a state police request to be on the look-out for a car with an occupant sought in a reported theft in the town of Oneonta.
City police saw a car matching the description at the Country Store on Main Street and held a suspect, who was turned over to troopers.
