NORWICH – A man accused of driving while intoxicated appeared in Chenango County Court to begin his jury trial Monday.

Jury selection was completed and one witness called yesterday. The case continued this morning at the county courthouse and is expected to finish this afternoon.

Robert G. Niles, is charged with DWI, accused of crashing his Toyota pick-up truck near his home on Corbin Road in Afton on Oct., 28, 2006, after allegedly drinking prior to the accident at his place of employment.

Niles, however, contends he walked the short distance to his residence just down the road and began drinking at his home while waiting for friends to come help him out.

“This is really a case of their word against ours, and there is no hard evidence to support the charges,” said Defense Attorney Jeffrey Leibo.

New York State Trooper Craig T. Starr, a seven-year veteran, testified at the trial yesterday.

At a previous hearing ,Starr said, “I came up on the Toyota pick-up in a ditch, empty, I looked in and around the vehicle and noticed an odor of alcohol and beer cans scattered inside the vehicle. As I was doing this, a man with a flash light came walking down the road.”