On Saturday, June 8, the New York State Police from the Rhinebeck barracks arrested Jeffrey P. Tompkins, 64, of Hyde Park, for three counts of Reckless Endangerment in the first degree, a class D felony.

On that day at approximately 6:40 p.m., troopers were dispatched by Dutchess County 911 to Pinebrook Drive in the town of Hyde Park for a report of gunfire. Upon arrival, troopers report that they found an armed subject, later identified as Tompkins, and determined that he was the source of the gun shots in his apartment. Investigation found a domestic incident had occurred in which Tompkins fired three rounds from a Smith and Wesson 9MM shield semi-automatic pistol into an apartment wall. Tompkins surrendered without further incident.

It’s been a little over two weeks since a Saugerties man killed his father in the parking lot of a New Paltz diner and shot himself following a police pursuit, and investigators are still trying to piece together why it happened.

According to New Paltz Police Lieutenant Robert Lucchesi, police have not yet “ascertained a specific motive” as to why Jeremy Kaartine, 22, decided to gun down his father, Andrew Kaartine, 58, of Orange County. “We do know that the son contacted the father to arrange this meeting to try and reconcile, as they’d been estranged,” said Lucchesi. The father was shot quickly by his son and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jeremy Kaartine sped off in his red Camaro and was soon being chased by law enforcement officers. He lost control of the vehicle shortly after turning off Thruway exit 20 in Saugerties where he lived.

“It appears the gun wound that killed him was self-inflicted, but we have not yet determined whether he shot himself while driving or after he lost control of the vehicle,” said Lucchesi.

Lucchesi said police recovered two guns from the car of Jeremy Kaartine, both of which were legally registered to him.

Jeremy Kaartine was single with no children, and has a step-brother. Lucchesi said that the suspect did have “ongoing mental and emotional issues,” but that police still have not landed on a specific impetus for such a ghastly crime. As for whether the suspect could have been under the influence of any substances at the time of the shooting, Lucchesi said police are waiting on the results of a toxicology report.

The store, located on Rt. 17m in New Hampton, Orange County

Shortly after 10 a.m. yesterday morning, state police responded to reports of an armed robbery at the Adult World Boutique located on Route 17m in New Hampton in Orange County.

A 911 call from the clerk reported that two men entered the store brandishing handguns and demanding cash, and that approximately $2,800 in cash was stolen from a safe. The men were seen by witnesses exiting the business holding handguns and fleeing in a light colored Ford Focus. A short time later the vehicle was stopped by Village of Goshen Police on Route 17m in Goshen. The occupants were taken into custody by responding troopers and Goshen officers.

The ensuing investigation by the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation determined that the robbery had been staged to cover the previous embezzlement of cash by the clerk who had originally called 911.

According to police, clerk Venessa Mirabel, 47, of Middletown, had been stealing cash from the business over the course of the past month. A plan was allegedly hatched with three accomplices to stage a robbery of the business in an effort to hide the previous thefts. Anthony Williams, 22, Jesse Hocutt, 32, and Sabrina Williams, 25, all of Hurleyville, were arrested as a result of the investigation. Mirabel was also arrested. 

All were charged with counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, a felony, and fifth-degree conspiracy, a misdemeanor.  Mirabel was charged with additional counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, and providing a false written statement, a misdemeanor. All four were arraigned in the Town of Wallkill Court and remanded to the Orange County Jail in lieu of cash bail. 

The investigation is continuing and additional charges are expected. 

A 30-year-old East Kingston man was found guilty of arson and criminal mischief in connection with two fires in February of 2018.

Michael Watzka Jr. was arrested last September following an investigation into a suspicious Feb. 22 at 114 John St. in East Kingston that destroyed an abandoned garage and, two days later, another suspicious fire at the former East Kingston Methodist Church on Brigham Street less than a block from the first fire. According to the DA’s office, the second fire was so intense that firefighters had to do a “surround and drown”, pumping thousands of gallons of water into the structure. The flames could be seen for miles.  At the height of the fire, the two-story building’s walls collapsed outward nearly crushing several firefighters.

The fires were deemed suspicious as there was no electricity connected to either building, the proximity of the two structures, and that the fires occurred only two days apart.

The Town of Ulster Police began a four-month intensive investigation that led to the arrest of Watzka, a volunteer firefighter for the East Kingston Fire Department. Watzka was the first responder to each fire and participated in fighting both fires.

According to the DA’s office, Watzka had made several statements to his then-girlfriend indicating that he wanted to burn the two buildings to clear a line of sight between his residence and hers. He also reportedly told friends that wrapping duct tap around one’s shoes could disguise footprints.

The Ulster County Arson Task Force located a beer bottle near the area of the first fire that had defendant’s DNA. Also found at the first fire were a set of footprints that had duct tape impressions. A video at the East Kingston Fire depicted Watzka reaching deep into a trash can, appearing to hide something.  The Town of Ulster Police located crumpled duct tape in that trash can.

The trial commenced on Monday, June 17, and proof concluded yesterday. The jury deliberated for less than two hours. Watzka was convicted of third-degree and fifth-degree arson, and third-degree criminal mischief.

The trial was presided over by the Hon. Donald Williams. Watzka faces a maximum state prison sentence of fifteen years.  He will be sentenced on September 6, 2019 in the Ulster County Court.

This case was prosecuted by Sr. Assistant District Attorney Clifford Owens and Assistant District Attorney Jarrid Blades. The defendant was represented by Russell Schindler of the Public Defender’s Office.

DA Holley Carnright

The Ulster County District Attorney’s Office has formed a Conviction Integrity Unit to review cases with an eye towards identifying instances where an innocent person may have been convicted for a crime they didn’t commit.

The unit will review cases referred to them by the legal community and the public and, if warranted, reinvestigate them.

“The concerns here are obvious,” said District Attorney Holley Carnright. “And there have been so many advances in [investigative and forensic] science, it’s a good opportunity for us, in cases that warrant review, to have a chance to do so using those techniques.”

The unit includes senior representatives from the DA’s office, defense attorneys Tom Melanson and Cappy Weiner, Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa, Kingston Police Chief Egidio Tinti and community activist Theresa Widmann. Referrals to the unit will be reviewed by a unit coordinator reporting directly to the DA. If the coordinator finds a legitimate issue of innocence, the case will go before the full committee. The committee will then develop a detailed action plan to re-examine the case. The committee is authorized to order a full reinvestigation of the case or forensic testing of evidence using techniques that were not available at the time of the conviction. As an additional protective measure, the full committee will meet twice a year to look at cases that were found to be without merit by the unit coordinator.

Carnright said the unit would focus on cases where the convicted person claimed they were actually innocent of the crime, rather than “wrongfully convicted” based on flawed legal procedure. In appellate courts, defendants can claim wrongful conviction based on things like a judge giving improper instructions to the jury or prosecutors failing to turn over relevant evidence without actually asserting innocence. Appeals courts, however, do not routinely authorize new investigations or forensic testing absent some demonstrated flaw in the legal process leading to conviction.

“The appellate process deals with what [evidence] was there at the time and was that sufficient to support a conviction,” said Carnright. “Generally, it’s not the defendant saying, ‘I’m really innocent.’ It’s ‘my lawyer screwed up, the judge screwed up, my sentence was unfair.’” 

Carnright said the unit’s formation was not spurred by any particular case or complaints about his office or local police agencies. Rather, he said, it was created in recognition of advances in forensic science and recognition that, despite safeguards, checks and balances, mistakes happen.

“This office has a duty to provide every safeguard to assure that only the guilty suffer the consequences of a criminal conviction,” Carnright wrote in a statement announcing the unit’s formation.

The announcement comes as Carnright prepares to step down after 12 years as Ulster County DA. His chief assistant, Mike Kavanagh, is running to succeed him. Kavanagh faces a challenge from Kingston-based litigator Dave Clegg, who is running on a reform platform that stresses rehabilitation and “restorative justice” for non-violent offenders. Clegg said he welcomed the formation of the unit and would continue and possibly strengthen it if elected.

“This is something I’ve been talking about all along,” said Clegg. “I guess they heard me.”

The New York State Police are investigating the robbery of Trustco Bank, located at 1490 State Route 9 in the town of Wappinger, which occurred late yesterday morning.

Investigation revealed a white male subject dressed in all black, with a black umbrella, and ski mask entered the bank. He threatened the use of an explosive device to gain access to the vault, and left the bank with an undisclosed amount of U.S. currency.

The investigation remains on-going.  If anyone has possible information regarding this incident they are asked to please contact the New York State Police at (845) 677-7300.  Please reference case #8994748.

On June 21, the New York State Police from the Livingston Barracks arrested Kelli R. Wagers, 39, of Philmont, for two counts of Criminal Sex Act in the 2^nd degree, a class E felony, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a class A misdemeanor, and two counts of Sexual Abuse in the 3^rd degree, a class B misdemeanor.

On June 17, State Police investigators were alerted by Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth staff of possible sexual abuse by an employee. Police investigation determined that a Columbia County woman employed as a clinician at Berkshire Farm Center in Canaan committed two sexual acts and instances of sexual abuse with a victim under the age of 17 years old while at the facility.

Wagers was arraigned before the town of Livingston Court, and remanded to the Columbia County Jail in lieu of $15,000 cash bail or $30,000 secure bond.

From the Ulster County District Attorney:

Ellenville residents, Melinda Baker, 51, Melissa Quick, 39, Paula Sciancalepore, 53, and Robin Shaver, 58, have each plead guilty to Criminal Use of a Public Benefit Card in the Second Degree, a Class A Misdemeanor.

These defendants were arrested as part of a Federal/State/Local joint task force investigation into a heroin distribution ring which operated in Ellenville. During the course of the investigation law enforcement learned that these individuals were cheating the food stamp system by selling their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards, issued through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), for roughly 50 cents on the dollar and using the cash to purchase heroin.

Jeremy Kaartine of Saugerties, who on June 1 shot and killed his estranged father in a New Paltz diner parking lot and then turned the gun on himself after he led cops on a car chase back to his hometown, was issued a pistol permit by state Supreme Court Justice Julian Schreibman. Schreibman approved the permit over the strenuous objections, on the grounds of Kaartine’s repeated run-ins with town police, of Sheriff Juan Figueroa, Sheriff’s Chief Civil Administrator John McGovern and Saugerties Police Chief Joe Sinagra.

Law enforcement can’t confirm that the gun used in the June 1 incident was the one Schreibman issued the permit for, but according to New Paltz police, the gun Kaartine used to slay his father and then himself was registered to him. An email between McGovern and Chief Sinagra in which the former warns that Kaartine has obtained a permit is dated May 9 of this year.

Schreibman did not return a phone call seeking comment.

To obtain a pistol permit in Ulster County, applicants must submit a detailed form, submit to fingerprinting and provide four character references. That information is used by the sheriff’s office to conduct a detailed background investigation that includes juvenile records and instances of police contact that did not result in criminal charges. The results of the investigation are then turned over to a judge who has sole discretion on whether to issue the permit and what, if any, restrictions are placed on it. All applicants must undergo an in-person interview with the judge prior to issuance of the permit. In addition to issuing a permit, judges must also approve the purchase of each individual handgun. Judges may also order the suspension or revocation of a permit.

In an interview this week, Sinagra said there was no way Kaartine should have been allowed to have a handgun.

“At the end of the day what this really demonstrates is there’s a need for law enforcement to have a voice with respect to individuals having the ability to obtain a pistol permit,” said Sinagra. “In this case, when you take a look at the history, the question that begs to be answered is, ‘How did this individual get the permit in the first place?’”

By the time Kaartine, 22, had gotten his pistol permit, he had a long history of interactions with Saugerties police. According to documents obtained from the Saugerties Police Department, Kaartine had racked up approximately two dozen interactions with town police over the last decade or so, including 10 domestic disputes. It’s unclear whether he had interactions with other police agencies.

According to documents, Andrew Kaartine, the father slain by the son, placed two calls to police in 2011 when Jeremy was 15, telling police he feared for his safety and requesting a police escort to pick his child up for custody visits. Also in that year, Jeremy Kaartine allegedly threatened to harm his father and destroy his home.

In interviews with police, documents show, Jeremy Kaartine’s mother said that he suffered from clinical depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and “physical and mental disability.” One incident, also in 2011, resulted in charges of second-degree harassment, third-degree assault and unlawful imprisonment. (The disposition of those charges, due to his status as a minor when charged, is not public at this time.)

According to a police report, Kaartine pushed his mother in a stairwell, where she sustained an injury to her thigh from a nail jutting out of the wall, and barricaded her there. In January of 2012, police were called to Saugerties High when Kaartine refused to leave a classroom. The police report on that incident said that Kaartine was “abusive and confrontational” toward the responding officer, and “punched the door, slamming it open” upon leaving the room — ultimately, Kaartine had to be physically restrained before he calmed down. At age 16, he was put on a Person in Need of Supervision Petition, which gets family court involved when other disciplinary actions by parents have failed.

Since Kaartine was 11 years old, both parents had called police multiple times to seek out police assistance in such situations, according to the documents. Police had also responded to Kaartine’s home in 2017 when he threatened suicide.

“As discussed, despite the history of domestics between Karen Masters, who was forced to surrender her pistol permit, and her son, Jeremy Kaartine, Hon. J. Schreibman, over the strenuous objections of myself and Sheriff [Juan] Figueroa, granted Jeremy a pistol permit, restricted to the premises [of his home],” wrote Sheriff’s Department Chief Civil Administrator John McGovern, who oversees the department’s pistol permit bureau, to Saugerties Police Chief Sinagra via an email with the subject line “Officer Safety” on May 9 of this year.

While Schreibman approved the pistol permit, the paperwork to actually collect them — referred to as coupons — was approved by state Supreme Court Justice James Gilpatric.

“Jeremy purchased two handguns, which were approved by Hon. J. Gilpatric. The coupons to take possession of the handguns are here at UCSO for Jeremy to pick up.”

McGovern’s unsettling valediction punctuating the email was “be safe.”

On May 15 of this year, less than a month before the murder-suicide took place, a neighbor reported that Kaartine was shooting a pistol repeatedly at a trash pail atop a chair at their apartment complex with his mother looking on. Although an investigation revealed that Kaartine had, in fact, been shooting his pistol within 500 feet of the neighboring residence — a misdemeanor under state penal law — the neighbor declined to press charges and rescinded her previous statement.

“We do what we’re supposed to do here at the sheriff’s office, which is gather the information and give that to the licensing officer,” said Figueroa, who said that he had spoken to a county attorney to determine what he could release to the press on the matter. “Ultimately that decision is made by the licensing officer … any and all information regarding any interactions with law enforcement on all applications we submit to the court. it’s ultimately the decision of the court, the licensee renders the decision.”

Masters surrendered her own pistols and pistol permit in November 2017, four days after police were called to her home when her son threatened suicide on the first of the month.

“Sometimes, people are nice to you after your [sic] dead,” said Kaartine, according to Masters in her statement to responding police. “On the day of the funeral, everybody acts like they care.”

Kaartine allegedly went on to say that no one cared about him, that he was not normal and that his existence was meaningless. Police brought him to HealthAlliance Hospital in Kingston for a mental evaluation. The handgun in Kaartine’s bedroom, a Beretta 9mm, had reportedly not been removed from the box at that time. Kaartine told police that his mother had “bought the gun for him as a present … for his own protection because he spends most of his time at home.” Masters told police, the documents show, that she had purchased the gun for her son three months prior from a gun shop in the Albany area, and that she had a H&R .32-caliber revolver of her own.

According to police documents, Masters told officers that she and her son Jeremy felt threatened by the family living next door for lodging a number of noise complaints against them earlier that year (according to police documents, Kaartine made eight noise complaints about his neighbors and the children that lived there within two months that year. Many of the instances were “unfounded” according to police — in one incident, a responding officer wrote that they “[assured the neighbor] that she and her grandchildren could have fun and make noise in the pool” and noted that they were not making any noise upon arrival and “were doing nothing wrong.” Masters approached police in this period asking whether an order of protection could be arranged on her and her son’s behalf; because no arrests were made, it could not.

Along with the applicant’s criminal record, licensing officers receive a detailed questionnaire filled out by four area residents testifying to the gun-seeker’s good character, and conduct an in-person interview with the applicant. Any Ulster County resident that is charged with a crime is ordered to turn in their permitted guns to authorities until the case is adjudicated.

“In this particular case, there’s enough red flags that really should have prevented this person from obtaining a pistol permit,” Sinagra said. “This tragedy may have still occurred whether this individual had a permit or not, but we need to be responsible enough to be sure that when we recognize that there’s an issue, particularly with mental health issues, that the individual not be allowed to get a permit.”

Yesterday evening at 9:30 p.m., Saugerties Police responded to a residence on 9W for a reported physical domestic involving the use of a knife. According to police, 38-year-old Elizabeth Mack had punched the victim in the face causing lacerations to the victim’s mouth and also stabbed the victim with a knife multiple times causing minor lacerations to the victim’s abdomen.

Mack was arrested and charged with the misdemeanors of:

• Menacing in the 2nd Degree
• Assault in the 3rd Degree
• Endangering the welfare of a child (as the couple’s children, ages two and four, were present during the attack)

Mack was arraigned in the Town of Saugerties Justice Court and released on her own recognizance, with the court issuing an order of protection on behalf of the victim. Mack is scheduled to re-appear in the Town of Saugerties Justice Court tomorrow to answer the charges.

Ryan Williams

Ryan Williams, 29, of 28 May Street, Poughkeepsie, was sentenced today in Ulster County Court to 25 years to life in prison for his conviction for second-degree murder.

The case stems from an incident on July 1, 2018 which took place on Route 299 in the Town of Lloyd when the defendant, operating a Porsche Cayenne in speeds in excess of 128 mph, fled from a Town of Lloyd police officer. At the intersection of Route 299 and South Street in the Town of Lloyd the defendant crossed into oncoming traffic and struck a Ford 150 pickup truck, killing driver Danielle Pecoraro, 39, of New Paltz.  Pecoraro’s daughter, Mery Rosado, and a passenger in a vehicle following the pickup truck were seriously injured.

The defendant’s BAC at the time of the crash was .33.

Prior to trial, prosecutors sought to have evidence that the defendant had been convicted of crimes committed while fleeing from a police officer on four previous occasions admitted, arguing that that information was relevant to the jury’s determination of whether the defendant was acting with depraved indifference to human life. However, the court ruled that the evidence of defendant’s previous fleeing form a police officer, though relevant, would be prejudicial to the defendant and the jury was not allowed to hear that proof.

At sentencing, Rosado, the oldest of Pecoraro’s four children, addressed the court. According to the DA’s office, she said: “Someone was going to die that day . . . the community lost a gem of a woman but I lost my best friend.  Why did I live and she die? I live everyday with the pain of losing my best friend.”

The defendant, who has not had a valid license to drive in NYS since 2011, stated in papers filed with the court prior to sentencing that he did not intend to injure anyone.

In his comments to the court, prosecuting attorney Joey Drillings stated “that the defendant acted with depraved indifference to human life in that he recklessly engaged in conduct which created a grave risk of death. He acted with an utter disregard for the value of human life –  a willingness to act, not because he intended grievous harm to the person who was killed, but because he simply did not care whether or not grievous harm resulted.  He took a grossly unreasonable risk to human life and did not care how that risk turned out. His actions reflected a wicked, evil, inhumane state of mind, as manifested by his heinous and despicable acts.”

In handing down the life sentence County Court Judge Donald Williams stated to the defendant: “your action and conviction legally and morally rises to the same level as premeditated or intentional murder.”

Ryan Williams was represented by Carol Morgan, Esq. The case was prosecuted by Sr. Assistant District Attorneys Joey Drillings and Lisa Bondarenka.

Maurice Stansberry Sr. enters court before hearing last December.

Kevin Gardener (rear) and Maurice Stansberry Jr. leave court after a hearing last December.

Three men accused in the December 2018 murder of a man during an alleged marijuana robbery may get separate trials after prosecutors said in court this week they planned to use texts between two of the codefendants to make their case.

Maurice Stansberry Sr., his son Maurice Stansberry Jr. and Kevin Gardener all face murder and robbery charges stemming from the Dec. 1, 2018 shooting death of 38-year-old Mark Lancaster on Sawkill Road.

All three men are slated to go on trial, together, on July 22. All three are charged under New York State’s “felony murder” law. Under the statute, when a person is killed during the commission of a crime, all participants in the crime can be held liable for the murder — whether or not they actually caused the victim’s death. In order to prove a felony murder case, prosecutors must show that all of the defendants showed a “community of purpose” and acted in concert to carry out the underlying crime. In this case, Senior Assistant District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji will need to prove that the Stansberrys and Gardener were all willing participants in the marijuana robbery that preceded Lancaster’s death.

Prosecutors believe that Stansberry, 39, his son and Gardener, both 18, went to the Sawkill Trailer Park around noon on Dec. 1, 2018 to meet with Lancaster and two others. During the meeting, cops believe, one of the defendants produced a handgun and relieved Lancaster and his companions of about two ounces of marijuana. The trio then fled the scene in a vehicle. Police believe Lancaster and his friends went looking for the robbers and found them near 341 Sawkill Road. In the ensuing confrontation, Lancaster was shot in the torso. He succumbed to his injuries at HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley’s Broadway Campus a short time later. All three suspects were taken into custody within 24 hours of the shooting; Stansberry Sr. and Gardener remain in the Ulster County Jail while Stansberry Jr. is free on $200,000 bail.

The prospect of a joint trial for the three defendants was thrown into doubt during a series of pre-trial hearings before Ulster County Court Judge Don Williams on Monday, July 2. The hearings were held to determine what evidence would be shown to jurors and to hash out other legal issues in advance of the trial. In order to try the defendants together, prosecutors would have to walk a fine line to avoid setting up an irreconcilable conflict between the accuseds’ constitutional rights. Under the Constitution, every criminal defendant has the right to cross-examine their accuser, but defendants in a criminal trial may not be compelled to take the witness stand. In order to avoid this conflict, prosecutors would have to avoid using any statements from the men that might implicate their co-defendants in the crime.

Initially, Nneji told Williams that he planned to prosecute the case without using any statements or other evidence that could put the co-defendants on a legal collision course with one another. During a break in the proceedings, Nneji told reporters that separate trials would be an unnecessary burden on taxpayers, the court system and witnesses.

“It is a matter of making sure that the right thing is done and done efficiently,” said Nneji of the joint trial strategy.

But a short time later, Nneji told Williams that after reviewing the case with co-counsel, he had decided to use evidence that could require Stansberry Sr. to be tried separately. Specifically, Nneji said, he planned to use text messages between Gardener and Stansberry Sr. in which the pair discuss marijuana robberies and in which Gardener allegedly asks the older man if he can borrow his gun. In response, Stansberry Sr.’s attorney, Assistant Public Defender Russell Schindler, said that he would seek a separate trial for his client. Schindler told Williams that it would likely take him a week to prepare a motion for severance.

The pretrial hearing, which Stansberry Jr. and his attorney did not attend, also addressed evidence of “Prior bad acts” that might be introduced at trial. Nneji told Williams that he had a witness who would testify that a few months prior to the shooting, Gardener and the Stansberrys had participated in another marijuana robbery in Highland. During that incident, Nneji told the court, the trio carried — but did not display or fire — the same gun that would later be used in the Dec. 1 holdup and shooting.

“All three of them were aware of the gun,” said Nneji of the alleged rip-off in Lloyd. “They took it with them for the purposes of using it if necessary.” 

Nneji also indicated that he would try to introduce evidence that Stansberry Sr. was a member of the Bloods street gang who had recruited Gardener into the group. In response to questions from Williams, Nneji conceded that there was no evidence that the Sawkill robbery was gang related.

Tuesday’s hearings also covered a photo array used by state police investigators to obtain an eyewitness identification of Stansberry Sr. (A second eyewitness apparently failed to pick Stansberry Sr. out of the photo lineup).

Nneji said he also planned to introduce a video shot from a dashboard camera that captured the shooting. Schindler, meanwhile, asked Williams to redact the audio portion of the dash-cam video to avoid exposing jurors to statements by the defendants or witnesses that might be inadmissible in court.

The pretrial hearings are expected to continue on Wednesday, July 3. Williams said that he would rule on some of the issues raised at a later date.

On Friday evening July 5 at 9:35 p.m., Saugerties police responded to the corner of Main and Partition streets for a reported stabbing. Investigation established that the victim, a 36-year-old male, had been stabbed in the area of his neck with a steak knife. According to police, the victim reported that while engaged in a domestic dispute, 33-year-old Lisa M. Carrube of Saugerties, stabbed him, causing injury. The victim was treated at the scene by paramedics for a superficial wound to his neck.  

Carrube fled the scene prior to the arrival of police. A few hours later, at 2:35 a.m., Carrube was located by police responding to a call for service of a reported female screaming on Jane Street. Upon their arrival officers discovered the screaming female was Lisa Carrube. Police said when officers attempted to take Carrube into custody, she fought with officers. 

She was arrested on the following charges:

• Second-degree assault (a felony)
• Resisting arrest (a misdemeanor)
• Disorderly conduct (a violation)

Carrube was taken into custody and processed at Saugerties Police Headquarters and then arraigned in the Village of Saugerties Justice Court. Carrube was remanded to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail.  

On Wednesday June 19, the New York State Police at Middletown arrested Michael Edison Ramos,  34, of Middletown after a three-month long investigation into the theft of cash down payments at Nissan-Kia Middletown car dealership.

State Police were first alerted to the thefts in March after a customer realized that they had not been credited by the dealership for the full amount of their down payment. The ensuing investigation identified several additional victims.

Ramos was arrested and charged in both the towns of Wallkill and Wawayanda with the following felonies:

• Grand Larceny 3rd Degree
• Grand Larceny 4th Degree
• Falsifying Business Records 1st Degree
• Scheme to Defraud 1st Degree

He was also charged with Possession of Personal Identification Information, a misdemeanor.

He was arraigned and remanded to the Orange County Jail in lieu of $7500 cash bail.

Since that arrest, more victims have come forward. The New York State Police Middletown BCI are now looking for victims who may have dealt with Ramos while he acted as a realtor in the Middletown area. Anyone that feels they may have been victimized as a result of their dealings with Ramos is asked to contact investigator Joseph Dawson at the NYSP Middletown BCI (845)344-5352.

Police say many of the victims are Spanish speaking, so the above information is also being offered in Spanish:

El 26 de junio del 2019, La Policía Estatal de Nueva York emitió un comunicado de prensa como resultado del arresto de Michael Edison Ramos, de 34 años de edad, de Middletown, NY. Desde la emisión de dicho comunicado, más víctimas han comparecido y han declarado los presuntos crímenes que les ocurrieron mientras el Señor Ramos trabajaba como vendedor de autos. La Policía Estatal de Middletown BCI buscan víctimas que puedan haber estado en contacto con El Señor Ramos mientras desempeñaba la función de agente inmobiliario en el área de Middletown, NY. Se le pide a cualquier persona que piense que puede haber sido victimizada como resultado de su vínculo con el Señor Ramos de ponerse en contacto con el investigador Joseph Dawson de NYSP Middletwon BCI (845) 344-5352.

The Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (URGENT) reports the arrest of a Kingston man following a stop in the city of Kingston.

On Wednesday, July 10, at about 12:30 p.m., members of URGENT observed Adam F. Houghton, 38, exiting his residence on Fitch Street in Kingston. He was recognized as being wanted for two outstanding traffic misdemeanors and taken into custody. During a search, police say he was found to be in possession of a quantity of cocaine.

A search warrant was obtained for his residence. Police report that the resulting search yielded approximately one half kilogram of cocaine and over $100,000 in cash. Several rifles and pistols were also seized.

Houghton was charged with the felony of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. He was arraigned in the Town of Esopus Court and remanded to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $2,000 cash bail or $4,000 secured bond.

This investigation remains open and additional charges may be filed.

URGENT was assisted by the Ulster County Emergency Response Team and City of Kingston Building and Safety Department.

The following agencies have members assigned to URGENT: Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, Ulster County Probation, Town of Plattekill Police, Village of Ellenville Police and the United States Department of Homeland Security Investigations.

Juan Torres-Hernandez, 49, of 108 Livingston Street in Saugerties, was sentenced Wednesday, July 10, in Ulster County Court to four years in state prison followed by 10 years of post-release supervision for his conviction to Attempted Sexual Abuse. He will be required to register under the New York State Sexual Offender Registration Act for a minimum of twenty years. Additionally a stay away Order of Protection on behalf of the victim was issued until December 13, 2033.

The conviction arose from an incident which took place in July of 2018 at the Northeast Center For Special Care in Lake Katrine when he attempted to subject another person to sexual contact when such other person was incapable of consent by reason of being physically helpless. Torres-Hernandez was an employee of the Northeast Center For Special Care at the time and entered the victim’s room in his capacity as a member of the janitorial staff. Another staff member walked in on the offense and reported to authorities immediately.

The case was prosecuted by Special Victims Bureau Chief, Katherine R. Van Loan. The defendant was represented by the Ulster County Public Defender’s Office. The defendant, who is a citizen of El Salvador, was working on a properly issued temporary employment visa which is scheduled to expire on September 9, 2019.

On July 9, the New York State Police from the Poughkeepsie barracks in conjunction with the Dutchess County Child Advocacy Center, and the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department arrested Justin P. O’Dell, 25, of Poughkeepsie, for three counts of Criminal Sex Act in the 2^nd degree, and one count of Rape in the 2^nd degree, all class D felonies.

Police said O’Dell engaged in sexual contact with a victim under the age of fifteen years old, in the towns of Clinton and Stanford. O’Dell and the victim were known to one another.

O’Dell was arraigned before the town of Washington Court, and remanded to the Dutchess County Jail in lieu of $25,000 cash bail or $50,000 secure bond. O’Dell is next scheduled to appear before the Court on July 15 at 10:30 a.m.

On Monday, July 15, the New York State Police from the Poughkeepsie barracks arrested Robert L. Simone, 57, of Poughkeepsie, for Unlawful Surveillance in the second degree, a class E felony.

Investigation determined Robert Simone, while employed as postmaster of the Salt Point Post Office, used an electronic recording device to unlawfully surveil one known victim at the Post Office, located on Cottage Street in the town of Pleasant Valley.

Simone was arraigned before the town of Pleasant Valley Court, and remanded to the Dutchess County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail or $20,000 secure bond. Simone is next scheduled to appear before the Court on July 23.

Left to right: Simeon Walker, Jermaine Miller, Alexander Adkins Padilla

Three men were arrested yesterday in connection with a robbery and beating that took place on the corner of Park and Warren streets at around 11 p.m. Tuesday, July 9.

According to police, the victim, an 18-year-old man, was walking in that area when he was approached by two men. He was punched and fell to the ground, and was the attacked by several other males, one of whom was armed with a billy club, and repeatedly struck him on the head and body. Police say the attackers stole property from the victim then fled on foot. The victim was transported to Ellenville Hospital and treated for his injuries.

Ellenville and county law enforcement executed a search warrant yesterday evening at 23 Church St. in Ellenville. The following arrests and charges were the result.

1. Alexander Adkins Padilla, 32, of Monticello, charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree gang assault, also charged on a bench warrant for failure to appear on a harassment and public lewdness charge. He was arraigned and remanded to Ulster County Jail in lieu of $500,000 cash bail or $1 million property bond.
2. Simeon J. Walker, 18, of Ellenville, formerly of Kingston, charged with second-degree robbery and second-degree gang assault; remanded to Ulster County Jail on $100,000 cash or $200,000 property bond.
3. Jermaine Miller, 17, of EIllenville, formerly of the city of Rochester, charged with second-degree robbery and second-degree gang assault; remanded to Ulster County Jail on $100,000 cash or $200,000 property bond.

The investigation is continuing and more arrests are expected.

The Saugerties Police reports the arrest of 56-year-old Alice L. Saguid of MaryAnn Avenue on the misdemeanor charges of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, fourth-degree criminal mischief, and the violation of second-degree harassment. 

Saguid was arrested following an investigation conducted by police after responding to a 911 call on July 19 reporting a domestic dispute at Saguid‘s residence. Police allege that Saguid engaged in a violent domestic dispute in which she grabbed a kitchen knife and chased the victim around the house. Further investigation led police to conclude there was a history of violent incidents between Saguid and the victim. The victim provided police with a video of a recent domestic dispute in which a person, who police identified as Saguid, armed herself with a running chainsaw, and then chased the victim about the house in an attempt to cut him. 

Saguid was taken into custody at the scene and processed at Saugerties Police Headquarters, arraigned in the Town of Saugerties Justice Court and released on her own recognizance.