March 2007

Chase Arrest - Tracy Baxter @ 12:52 pm EST
City of Middletown police say he's a man well known to them because of past criminal activity. Late Wednesday afternoon police were about to arrest him on drug charges when he drove off...leading officers on a chase that began in Middletown and ended in Fair Oaks ...in a front lawn along M and M road. 34 year old Lasharn Nemley of Middletown was charged with felony drug possession as well as a series of vehicle and traffic offenses. Police say Nemley ran into another car during the chase. He was ordered held on 20 thousand dollars bail in Orange County Jail.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Fatal Plunge - Tracy Baxter @ 11:39 am EST
A man who watched his wife drive off a 300-foot cliff with their children inside the family van has pleaded guilty to child endangerment and will likely escape prison time. It happened last June at a scenic overlook at Perkins Memorial Drive in Harriman State Park. Victor Han of Queens admitted in Rockland County Court that he knew his wife was putting herself and their children in danger. Prosecutors say Han was helping his wife Hejin commit suicide. Han is expected to get three years probation when he's sentenced in June. The two children were wearing seat belts. They survived without major injury.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Girl Scout Theft - Tracy Baxter @ 11:06 am EST
An Ulster county woman has been charged with stealing money during a girl scout meeting.....money that had been collected through the sale of girl scout cookies. County Sheriff's deputies say 28 year old Lisa Lunan of Kingston was arrested following the disappearance of more than 500 dollars from a girl scout meeting at a church in Port Ewen. Police say Lunan stole the money while at the meeting with her daughter. The money had been collected by scouts that had gone door-to-door selling cookies.

Shooting Arrests - Tracy Baxter @ 11:02 am EST
State Police have made two arrests...in connection with a shooting last Wednesday in Bloomingburg. A 27 year old Bloomingburg man was dumped off at the Quickway Diner. He had been shot in the face. He was airlifted to Westchester Medical Center but investigators were able to interview him there...and that helped lead to the arrest of two, 21 year olds from the Whispering Pines Trailer Park in Bloomingburg. Christopher Pelliccia and Timothy Finnegan were charged with first degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon. They were arrested Sunday night in Monroe where they were hiding out in a motel. Finnegan was later charged with possession of marijuana.

Friday, March 23, 2007

Pet Food Recall - Tracy Baxter @ 11:24 am EST
A spokesperson for the State Department of Agriculture and Markets says rodent poison was found in tainted pet food that killed several animals and triggered a nationwide recall. Agency spokesperson Jessica Chittenden wouldn't identify the chemical or its source. The deaths of 16 animals led to the recall of 60 million cans and pouches of pet food sold throughout North America under 95 brand names and produced by Menu Foods.

Student Indicted - Tracy Baxter @ 10:28 am EST
A former Newburgh Free Academy student has been indicted for attacking a school custodian last November. 18 year old Brandine Polenski of Newburgh is facing assault charges for injuring the custodian while Polenski was attending N-F-A. 65 year old Donald Ferguson suffered a separated shoulder in the attack. The District Attorney's office is seeking an order of protection to keep Polenski away from Ferguson and the school.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Fatal Stabbing - Tracy Baxter @ 11:57 am EST
Police in the Town of Warwick say it was the result of a fight over a girl. 31 year old Dwayne Brooks of Warwick has been charged with second degree murder for the fatal stabbing of a Middletown man last night. 31 year old Michael Bristow died of a stab wound to the chest. It happened on McEwen street in the village of Warwick. Brooks is being held without bail in Orange County Jail.

Chinese Food - Tracy Baxter @ 11:55 am EST
That Chinese take-out food you've been ordering may taste great but it probably contains a lot more fat and sodium than you think. A report released Wednesday by the Center For Science in Public Interest says just one take-out dish could include up to a teaspoon and a half of salt. And appetizers like spare ribs have the highest amounts of sodium and fat. Some report recommendations to cut the fat and salt: order stir-fried vegetables and ask for brown rice instead of white.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Home Invasion Arrests - Tracy Baxter @ 1:21 pm EST
State Police in Ulster county have arrested two city of Kingston men...they say...are responsible for a home invasion robbery last week in the Town of Rochester. 51 year old James Mateo and 54 year old Joseph Buckler have been charged with first degree robbery, first degree burglary and criminal possession of a weapon. Investigators say last Thursday the pair forced their way into the home on Rock Hill road and once inside, they assaulted the two occupants...tied them up...then stole money and drove off. The victims were able to free themselves and call police. Mateo and Buckler are being held without bail for a court appearance Wednesday.

Local Casualty - Tracy Baxter @ 1:15 pm EST
The war in Iraq has again taken its toll on our area. Military officials have reported that a soldier from Sullivan county died last week during a fight with enemy forces in Baghdad. Private First Class Anthony Kaiser....a 1998 graduate of Narrowsburg High School...was 27 years old. He grew up in Skinner's Falls and was a member of the Narrowsburg Fire Department before joining the army. Kaiser is survived by his wife Heather.

Cadet Charged - Tracy Baxter @ 1:11 pm EST
There's been another drug charge involving a West Point cadet. Timothy Turner....a member of the Class of 2010...was charged with the wrongful use of cocaine. If he's found guilty, he faces the maximum penalties of dismissal from the Army, total forfeiture of pay and five years in prison. Turner is the 6th cadet to be charged with a drug-related offense in the past two months.

Bogus Bills - Tracy Baxter @ 1:07 pm EST
Town of Poughkeepsie police say he is a high school student who was doing a lot more than his homework. They say he was making counterfeit money on his home computer. The 16 year old Spackenkill High School student...who was not identified...is accused of making several fake 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollar bills. Police say several of the counterfeit bills were given to an 18 year old Spackenkill student who then brought them to Millbrook High School. An administrator there notified police.

Friday, March 16, 2007

Standoff Arrests - Tracy Baxter @ 11:21 am EST
Town of Poughkeepsie police have three men in custody following an armed robbery and standoff at an apartment Thursday evening. Two, 29 year olds from Pleasant Valley....Shaun Schmand and Michael Sanfilippo and 26 year old Michael Martinez...gave themselves up after a 40 minute standoff with police at a Main street apartment. They're charged with the earlier robbery of a Citgo station at gunpoint on Manchester Road. Police say the trio may be responsible for recent robberies throughout the town.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Port Arson - Tracy Baxter @ 2:09 pm EST
Firemen in the city of Port Jervis had an early morning call to deal with and police say the fire there was intentionally set. The fire was discovered at around 3:30 Thursday morning. It destroyed a garage at 140 Ball Street and destroyed the car inside. A car parked outside was damaged. Port Jervis police later charged 53 year old Floyd Randall with arson. He was being held for arraignment. Police say the fire was apparently set as the result of a domestic dispute.

Burglary Indictment - Tracy Baxter @ 2:07 pm EST
Police say he used the money he stole to bail his girlfriend out of jail and now 27 year old Jamie Oliveris of Monticello has been indicted by a Sullivan County grand jury on burglary charges. Oliveris was arrested in December by police in Liberty for breaking into two different Chinese restaurants. Police say Oliveras took a few hundred dollars during the burglaries at the Great Wall and Garden Zheng restaurants. He was being held without bail pending arraignment.

Another Loss of Life - Tracy Baxter @ 2:03 pm EST
There's been another loss of life on the Thruway south of the Harriman exit and the two-vehicle crash killed a Monticello man. It happened shortly after 5 Thursday morning. State Police say a car driven by 57 year old Robert Cohen slammed into the rear of a tractor-trailer rig on the southbound ramp leading to the Ramapo Service Area in Sloatsburg. Cohen suffered head and chest injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. On Tuesday two truckers from Maryland died in a fiery collision that involved their rigs on a stretch of the northbound Thruway in the Town of Tuxedo.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Civil Confinement - Tracy Baxter @ 12:05 pm EST
Governor Eliot Spitzer was scheduled to sign a bill Wednesday that is designed to keep the most dangerous sex offenders locked up even after their prison terms end. Under the new law, mental health experts will assess inmates before they're released to determine if they pose a risk of committing more sex offenses. A jury will then decide whether an ex-convict is likely to commit future crimes and a judge will rule on confining the offender or putting them under intensive supervision after release. This latest attempt at civil confinement of the worst sexual predators faces a likely constitutional challenge.

Speed Contest - Tracy Baxter @ 12:01 pm EST
Town of Poughkeepsie police had their hands full on Route 9 Tuesday evening after three vehicles got into a speed contest. Officers were able to get the cars stopped but then one driver took off again and hit the side of a police car. The driver later pulled into a parking lot, jumped out and was found hiding in a 30 foot pine tree. The 18 year old...who wasn't identified by police...faces an assortment of charges including reckless driving, resisting arrest and unlawful fleeing from a police officer.

Driver Sought - Tracy Baxter @ 11:59 am EST
Ulster County Sheriff's deputies were searching for the driver of a car that crashed on Ulster Heights road in the town of Wawarsing Tuesday night. Police say the car was going at a high rate of speed when it went out of control and hit trees and a snowbank. The driver left the scene but a passenger...Donald Avery of Ellenville...was ejected and was pinned under the car. He was later airlifted to St. Francis hospital. His condition was not available. A friend of Avery's was charged with obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest. Police say 23 year old Cory Bradford of Ellenviille fought with police, firemen and EMT's while they were working to remove Avery from the crash scene.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

Driver Death - Tracy Baxter @ 12:33 pm EST
A man from the hamlet of Wallkill was killed when his truck crashed on the Thruway near Suffern Wednesday afternoon. State Police say 38 year old James Verdile died instantly when his vehicle veered off the road, hit a guardrail and then a bridge abutment at the Airmont Road overpass. The crash backed up Thruway traffic for about 10 miles. Verdile was driving for Byrne Dairy of Montgomery. A witness told police that he was talking on his cell phone just prior to the crash.