March 2006

Hidden Heroin - Tracy Baxter @ 2:42 pm EST
Driving around with a loud muffler and a broken tail-light was just the beginning of Alexia Durling's troubles. The 29 year old Kingston man was pulled over on Route 9W in Highland and State Police say it didn't take them long to figure out that Durling had given them a phony name. A records check determined that the car registration was suspended and a search by Troop F canine "Phin" turned up 100 decks of heroin under a car passenger seat. Durling and three other Kingston men....39 year old Hugo Velez, 41 year old Kevin Elder and 18 year old Cordell Graham...now face felony drug possession charges.

Name Change? - Tracy Baxter @ 2:23 pm EST
Pressure continues to build to keep the "Stewart" in Stewart Airport. Members of the Stewart Airport Commission passed a resolution Tuesday morning, saying it vehemently opposes any name change for the airport that doesn't include the name, Stewart. The airport operators.....National Express Group...have wanted to change the name as a way to better market the Newburgh area airport but others...including members of the Stewart family and officials including the Governor...want the name Stewart kept in any name change. Officials at National Express say they'll reconsider their earlier decision.

Marine Honored - Tracy Baxter @ 2:18 pm EST
A plaque honoring a local marine who was killed in Iraq last year has been installed at the Naval and Marine Corps Reserve Center in West Virginia. 23 year old Joseph Tremblay of New Windsor died in March of 2005 when his vehicle hit a land mine. Corporal Tremblay joined the Marine Corps after graduating from Newburgh Free Academy in 1999. After serving 4 years, he remained in the reserves and volunteered for active duty.

Speed Enforcement - Tracy Baxter @ 2:13 pm EST
If you have a "leadfoot" you could be in trouble when you drive on the stretch of the Thruway between Orange and Rockland counties. State Police say they've stepped up speed enforcement patrols, in the wake of three fatal crashes that claimed 9 lives in that area since February 7th. Even though speeding wasn't a factor in two of those accidents, troopers will be looking for speeders, aggressive drivers and improper lane changers. Despite the accidents, the rate of deaths on the Thruway is well below the national average.

Friday, March 24, 2006

10 Years - Tracy Baxter @ 11:48 am EST
A former Walker Valley volunteer fireman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for setting 4 fires in the area last year. 21 year old Patrick Dickson was also sentenced to 5 years post-release supervision after the prison time. Dickson had pleaded guilty to charges contained in a 10-count indictment including arson, burglary, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief. Police say Dickson set 4 fires in Walker Valley and 2 in Mamakating during a 3-month period. One of the fires destroyed a house and killed the family cat.

Monday, March 20, 2006

Payroll Thefts - Tracy Baxter @ 12:18 pm EST
Police in Goshen have made a second arrest in connection with the theft of payroll funds from the Orange County Mental Health Association and the person arrested in not only an employee but the daughter of the other employee who was arrested earlier this month. Police have charged 28 year old Jessica Rothenberger of Middletown, a Support Services Coordinator with the Mental Health Association, with grand larceny for her role in the theft of thousands of dollars in payroll funds. Rothenberger's mother...Elaine Finn of Middletown...was previously charged with grand larceny. She had served as Human Resources Payroll Manager at the time of the thefts. Goshen Police say an investigation has turned up more than 85 thousand dollars missing from Mental Health Association payroll accounts.

Shovel Assault - Tracy Baxter @ 12:11 pm EST
A 74 year old man has been charged with felony assault following a property line dispute with a neighbor in Sullivan County. 74 year old Leo Belcher is accused of attacking the neighbor with a shovel, breaking the shovel in half. State Police say Belcher had removed the property line markers between his lot and the neighbor on West Mohegan Trail. Belcher was sent to Sullivan County Jail on 500 dollars bail and will be in court Tuesday.

Friday, March 17, 2006

Fatal Hit & Run - Tracy Baxter @ 12:21 pm EST
There was another fatal accident in the area. This one happened Thursday night in the Town of Rosendale and it resulted in felony charges. State Police say 27 year old William Martin of Highland struck and killed a female pedestrian as she was walking along the intersection of James Street and Parkcrest Drive. Troopers say Martin was driving drunk and drove off. He was later arrested and charged with vehicular manslaughter and driving while intoxicated. The name of the victim had not been released pending notification of relatives.

Thruway Fatal Collision - Tracy Baxter @ 12:18 pm EST
Three people were killed and a 4th is described in grave condition after an empty tanker rig rear-ended a mini-van that had stopped in the driving lane of the Thruway northbound in the Town of Tuxedo near the Harriman interchange. The crash occurred at about 7 Friday morning. The victims were reportedly from Flushing Queens. The truck driver wasn't seriously hurt. The accident was not far from the scene of a crash earlier in the week that left a 3 year old girl dead and her father seriously injured.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Mall Shooter Pleads - Tracy Baxter @ 1:52 pm EST
The Ulster County man arrested for a shooting spree at the Hudson Valley Mall in the Town of Ulster pleaded guilty Wednesday to all charges contained in an 18-count indictment. 26 year old Robert Bonelli Junior of Glasco wounded two people when he fired more than 60 shots from an automatic weapon back in February of 2005. Bonelli faces from 20 to 40 years in prison when he's sentenced on the charges of assault, reckless endangerment and criminal use of a firearm. Bonelli told the judge he had tried to commit suicide earlier and decided to try to get police officers to do the job themselves.

Monday, March 13, 2006

BB Shooting - Tracy Baxter @ 12:22 pm EST
A Monticello teen is facing felony assault charges after...police say...he shot a 14 year old boy in the eye with a BB gun. 17 year old Reynaldo Ortiz was being held on ten thousand dollars bail following his arrest. According to Monticello police, the shooting grew out of a fight between the two. The 14 year old was sent to Westchester Medical Center. Police say the BB had gotten lodged in his eye.

Freight Derailment - Tracy Baxter @ 12:19 pm EST
There was a major traffic detour Monday in Campbell Hall as 7 cars of a 51-car Norfolk and Southern freight train derailed at the Route 207 grade crossing. It happened at 5:45 in the morning. Motor vehicle traffic was re-routed around the affected area. There were no injuries and the cars stayed upright with no spillage of contents. The derailment was on a siding off the main line and did not affect morning Metro North commuter traffic. An investigation was underway to determine why the 7 cars jumped the tracks.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Shooter Convicted - Tracy Baxter @ 2:03 pm EST
After a day of deliberations, an Orange County Court jury convicted a Sullivan County man on charges connected with shots fired into a car in Middletown last summer. The jury convicted 36 year old Angel Alomar of Mongaup Valley for reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon. Alomar was found guilty of firing shots into a car on North Street. No one in the car was hit. Alomar faces up to 15 years in prison when he's sentenced April 5th. Police said the shooting involved an argument over money.

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Stolen Funds - Tracy Baxter @ 2:54 pm EST
A former payroll manager for the Mental Health Association of Orange County is facing felony charges for stealing from the agency. Goshen Village Police have charged 52 year old Elaine Finn of Middletown with grand larceny and falsifying business records. Police say their investigation determined that Finn...while Resources/Payroll Manager for the Goshen-based Mental Health Association....stole more than 40 thousand dollars from the payroll. Finn was ordered held in Orange County Jail on 25 thousand dollars bail.

Investigation - Tracy Baxter @ 2:47 pm EST
Goshen Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a patient at the Arden Hill campus of Orange Regional Medical Center. 37 year old Daniel Costello of Warwick was found dead in the bathroom of his hospital room Monday afternoon. He'd been admitted for stomach pain and a possible pancreatic infection. An autopsy was performed but police are awaiting the results of a toxicology exam as part of their investigation.

Bar Shooting - Tracy Baxter @ 2:44 pm EST
Police in Monticello have made an arrest in connection with a shooting at a bar on Broadway early Saturday morning. 48 year old Richard Spanato of Lindenhurst New York faces an assortment of charges including assault and reckless endangerment. Monticello police say Spanato fired 7 rounds from a handgun through the front door window of Chase Bar...located across the street from the police station. A 35 year old Monticello woman in the bar was wounded in the hip. Monticello Officers Robert Pratti and Scott Edwards were able to wrestle Spanato to the ground with no further shots fired. Police officials said Officers Pratti and Edwards are being commended for not returning fire and further threatoning the bar patrons.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Trooper Death - Tracy Baxter @ 12:23 pm EST
The New York State Trooper who was shot and killed in Central New York State ...had ties to our area. It happened Thursday following a bank robbery in Big Flats between Corning and Elmira. Trooper Andrew Sperr was shot and killed while approaching two of the robbers. He managed to wound the two suspects before dying of multiple gunshot wounds. At least one other suspect is still being sought. Trooper Sperr was no stranger to our area. He was assigned to the Monroe Barracks of State Police Troop F...from August of 1996 to February of 2000.

C-A-D-S Start-up - Tracy Baxter @ 12:12 pm EST
If you're in Dutchess county and you use a cell phone to report an emergency, the county's control center can now find you...even if you don't know where you are. The county has activated C-A-D-S...the computer assisted dispatching system. Dispatchers can now determine the location of a cell phone call that comes in to the center. Dutchess county officials say the new system may save lives.

Shutdown - Tracy Baxter @ 12:09 pm EST
One of the nuclear power plants at Indian Point has been shut down after a carpenter accidentally bumped into an electrical switch along the wall of a tower at Indian Point Two. Officials say the carpenter bumped into an industrial-sized light switch that was ten feet off the ground, cutting power to control rods. Entergy Corporation officials say there was no threat to the public. The plant is expected back on line in a few days.

Storm Story - Tracy Baxter @ 12:07 pm EST
Thursday's snowstorm brought life to a near standstill throughout the Hudson Valley with schools closed and community events cancelled. Police report slow going on the roads with up to 8 inches of snow predicted by late tonight. One of the casualties of the storm....the State of the County address to be delivered by Orange County Executive Ed Diana. The speech was rescheduled for friday afternoon in the Orange County Legislative Chamber in Goshen.