SCHENECTADY — The Schenectady cannabis shop owner arrested on and charged with four felony counts for his alleged role in a Feb. 11 car crash near Crossgates Mall has become the public face of legal cannabis in Schenectady since his Upstate Canna Co. shop opened on upper Union Street last spring.
Don Andrews was arrested Thursday and charged with a count of aggravated vehicular assault, three counts of second-degree assault and one count of driving while ability impaired by the combined influence of drugs and alcohol, state police said.
Schenectady’s Upstate Canna owner arrested in Guilderland Thruway crash, troopers say
He is charged in connection to the February crash near the Guilderland mall that saw Andrews’ Tesla careen through a Crossgates ramp overpass and land on Interstate 87 northbound, causing secondary crashes that resulted in several people suffering injuries, according to state police.
Andrews did not respond to a request for comment on Monday. His attorney Matthew Simone said on Monday that Andrews had pled not guilty to all charges, with Simone declining to comment further on the case.
Andrews, 35, opened Upstate Canna Co. in March 2023, with persistently long lines forming outside of the 1613 Union St. shop, which was the