A Franklin County correction officer has pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter in the death of a passenger who was killed when he crashed while driving intoxicated earlier this year, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Monday, November 2. This correction officer vehicular manslaughter plea highlights the serious consequences of impaired driving.
Ryan Bordeau, 25, of Malone, entered the plea to second-degree vehicular manslaughter before Judge Craig P. Carriero in Franklin County Court. The judge remanded him to the county jail pending sentencing, which is scheduled for January 8, 2027, according to the attorney general’s office. This case serves as a reminder of the legal ramifications of a correction officer vehicular manslaughter plea.
The passenger, Jennifer Hathorn, was pronounced dead at the scene in the early hours of January 28. The crash occurred late the previous night on State Route 11 in the town of Chateaugay.
What investigators said happened
In its November 2 announcement, the attorney general’s office said Bordeau was off duty and driving while intoxicated when he lost control of his vehicle, left the roadway and crashed. No other vehicles were involved.
Bordeau was employed as a correction officer by the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The department suspended him after the incident, the office said. The release did not announce a subsequent change in his employment status.
New York State Police responded to the crash and arrested Bordeau. He was initially charged with second-degree vehicular manslaughter, a class D felony, and two misdemeanor counts of driving while intoxicated.
He was arraigned in Malone Town Court on January 28 and initially released on his own recognizance. The attorney general’s Office of Special Investigation was notified after that arraignment and opened its investigation on January 30.
Why the attorney general investigated
The Office of Special Investigation’s involvement reflects a statewide accountability process that can apply even when an officer is off duty and the person who dies is not in custody.
Under New York Executive Law Section 70-b, the office investigates—and, when warranted, prosecutes—deaths caused by police officers and certain peace officers. The attorney general’s office explains that this includes correction officers.
The process begins with an assessment when an officer may have caused a death. If that assessment indicates the officer caused it, the office conducts a full investigation. Opening an investigation is not itself a finding of wrongdoing; in Bordeau’s case, the subsequent criminal proceeding has now resulted in a guilty plea.
For readers elsewhere in New York, including the Mohawk Valley, that distinction matters: the office’s jurisdiction is not limited to deaths during arrests or encounters inside a jail or prison.
Sentencing remains ahead
Monday’s plea marks a change from the allegations described in the office’s January 30 investigation announcement. Bordeau has admitted guilt to the vehicular-manslaughter charge, but a sentence has not yet been imposed.
The office said he waived his right to appeal. Its announcement did not specify an agreed-upon sentence or explain the disposition of the two original misdemeanor DWI counts. Those details should not be assumed from the manslaughter plea.
The next announced court date is January 8. Until then, the November 2 release says Bordeau will remain remanded to the county jail pending sentencing.
Reporting is based on the attorney general’s November 2 plea announcement, its January 30 investigation notice and the state law governing the Office of Special Investigation. The featured photograph is an official portrait of Attorney General Letitia James, provided by her office; it does not depict the crash or court proceeding.
