Kingston Police say four 12-year-olds are responsible for painting offensive graffiti on buildings on Sunday, Oct. 21 and did it for “shock value rather than hate.”

Police said it was important to share this information with the public following the shooting last Saturday that killed 11 at a Pittsburgh synagogue.

The Kingston graffiti included backwards swastikas, “666”, stars, and other tags.

According to police: “The investigation into the crime, corroborated by evidence, showed that the graffiti was sprayed where it was convenient. They were not spreading an ideology or belief, nor were they targeting any one individual, group, or entity in particular. Although this crime struck many emotions in our community, it was not motivated by bias of race, sex, religion or other prejudice.”

Police said the investigation was ongoing and no further information would be released at this time.

Carlos Andino-Lopez

An Ellenville man and a Greenfield Park woman are facing charges after a “buy and bust” operation by city police.

According to police Carlos Andino-Lopez and Ina Jennings were arrested on Oct. 30 following a joint operation by the Kingston Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit, the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team and a Town of Ulster K-9 unit. Cops say they seized a “substantial amount” of heroin in the undercover operation.

Andino-Lopez is charged with felony counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and third- and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was held for arraignment. Information on bail was not immediately available.

Jennings was charged with misdemeanor seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and released with an appearance ticket.

Jesse J. Smith

Christina Bach Arvidson

Christina Bach Arvidson, 31, a former Saugerties resident, was killed Nov. 5 in what state police are calling a murder-suicide at her home in the Schoharie County town of Summit.

According state police public information officer Trooper Kerra Burns, autopsies confirmed that 24-year-old Dustin McMahon turned the gun on himself after shooting Arvidson. She said police were dispatched to the home at 12:15 p.m. on Nov. 6 after, she wrote in an email, an “associate of the couple” was called by McMahon’s employer when he did not show up to work. The person then called authorities when he found the pair dead in the home. Citing the ongoing investigation, troopers declined to give further information on the deceased’s relationship or the type of gun used.

A professional photographer and a mother of three, Arvidson’s professional website and Facebook page contain numerous photos she took — newlywed couples, wide-eyed babies and family portraits. According to her obituary, she was born in Kingston to Sharon and Daniel Bach, and graduated from Saugerties High School in 2005. She had an associate’s degree from SUNY Cobleskill and a bachelor’s degree from Empire State College. She is survived by her husband, William Arvidson; her three children, Annie Grace, Logan and Talon; her parents; her grandparents; and her siblings, Niki, Jesse and Tara.

“She cherished her children and all their activities and was the most amazing Aunt,” her obituary stated.

“Christina was a bright light,” wrote Arvidson’s sister Nikki on the Gofundme page for a fund established to defray funeral expenses and help her children. “A strong, loving, hard-working, and loyal mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend. A gifted photographer, she captured the most precious moments of countless lives, instantly putting families at ease with her infectious sense of humor and down-to-earth personality. … Christina was a truly dedicated mother, educating and devoting herself to become the best possible advocate for her children, and always putting them first. … [H]er strength, dedication, devotion, and sheer love for her children and loved ones will be her greatest legacy.”

Police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident — anyone with pertinent information is encouraged to contact State Police Troop G at (518) 783-3211.

Donations for funeral expenses and towards the care of Arvidson’s children can be made out to Arvidson Children’s Fund, c/o Sawyer Savings Bank, 87 Market St., Saugerties, NY 12477. Prospective donors can also use the family’s Gofundme page, https://www.gofundme.com/in-memory-of-christina-bach

Connor Chargois

Nearly 10 months after his arrest on Feb. 27, a Saugerties High student who was found in possession of an arsenal after police were tipped off by social media posts which referred to the Columbine killers has admitted his guilt.

Connor Chargois, 18, of 5 Sawyerville Terrace pleaded guilty on Nov. 30 to the felony of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a charge that carries a maximum of seven years in prison. His sentencing before county court Judge Donald A. Williams is scheduled for Feb. 8, 2019.

Back on Feb. 21, after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Parkland, Fla. and on the same day as a public forum on school safety, Chargois took to the messaging app Snapchat, writing that he “env[ied] Eric and Dylan [Harris and Klebold, the Columbine shooters],” that “it must have been so f—ing fun” and that “they had the right f—ing idea.” Within hours of posting, students notified administration, who then brought the troubling messages to the Saugerties Police Department. Detectives, with the assistance of state police and the county DA’s office, determined that Chargois had authored the messages. They interviewed both Chargois and his father, 58-year-old Bruce Chargois; while Connor Chargois admitted writing the Snapchat messaging, he and his father denied that they had access to any weaponry.

But in the ensuing investigation, police seized ammunition of varying calibers, homemade knives, machine-fabricated gun parts, a prototype of a firearm that Connor Chargois admitted he had been manufacturing in his basement, as well as a number of completed homemade firearms in both .22-caliber and 9 mm capacities, authorities said.

Bruce and Connor Chargois

The Saugerties father-son duo who were both charged with felony weapon charges earlier this year after the son made threatening remarks online were in county court recently to plead guilty.

Connor Chargois of 5 Sawyerville Terrace, 18 at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty on Nov. 30 to the felony of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a charge that carries a maximum of seven years in prison. His sentencing before county court Judge Donald A. Williams is scheduled for Feb. 8, 2019.

According to authorities, back on Feb. 21, after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting in Parkland, Fla. and on the same day as a public forum on school safety, Chargois took to the smartphone apps Snapchat and Instagram, writing that he “env[ied] Eric and Dylan [Harris and Klebold, the Columbine shooters],” that “it must have been so f—ing fun” and that “they had the right f—ing idea.” Within hours of posting, students notified school administrators, who then brought the troubling messages to the Saugerties Police Department. Detectives, with the assistance of state police and the county DA’s office, determined that Chargois had written the messages. They interviewed both Chargois and his father, 58-year-old Bruce Chargois; while Connor Chargois admitted writing the message, he and his father denied that they had access to any weaponry.

But in the ensuing investigation, police seized ammunition of varying calibers, homemade knives, machine-fabricated gun parts and a prototype of a firearm that Connor Chargois admitted he had been manufacturing in his basement, as well as a number of completed homemade firearms in both .22-caliber and 9 mm capacities, authorities said.

Bruce Chargois made his own guilty plea Wednesday morning in Ulster County Court to a felony count of tampering with physical evidence. He will be sentenced on Feb. 14, 2019.

“I’m struggling with this case, as I have from the outset — this may be one of the most difficult sentences I’ve participated in in 39 years,” said Judge Williams. “This case and your son’s case are causing great consternation to this court. I have read every letter, every word of the hundreds of letters that I have in your support.”

Bruce Chargois admitted he hid his son’s arsenal of weaponry inside Greco Amusement Center arcade machines during the investigation into his son’s threats. He was also charged with the class D felony of third-degree possession of a weapon in Feb., but this charge was dropped in accordance with the plea deal agreed to by District Attorney Holley Carnright.

About two-dozen spectators, including Village Mayor Bill Murphy and Town Justice-elect Christopher Kraft, were in court. A number of interesting factual nuggets about the case were sprinkled into the hour-long court session. Along with the fully automatic 9mm Uzi submachine gun, an AR-15 rifle, ammo of varying calibers, homemade knives, machine-fabricated gun parts, a prototype of a gun that Connor Chargois had admitted to making in the basement and a number of finished guns in both .22-caliber and 9mm capacities, a Sten gun and a Mosin-Nagant rifle were found.

The judge asked “where in God’s name” were two high-capacity feeding devices for which the packaging was found at the Sawyerville Terrace home, but not the devices themselves.

“If those feeding devices have not been recovered, they pose an even more serious threat to this community and this court will consider that in its sentencing,” said Williams.

Bruce Chargois admitted in court to transporting the weapons from his home to his workplace in attempt to hide them. Initially, Bruce Chargois described them as “the items,” to which Williams shot back, “A toothbrush is an item.” Then, the defendant called them “the guns,” and when Williams asked him to elaborate, Chargois mentioned that he did not know what an Uzi looked like.

Williams then had the bailiff swear Chargois in and interrogated him on his knowledge of the weapon, asking whether he had ever seen a war film or performed Google searches when his son took a dramatic interest in weaponry. Bruce Chargois then told the court that he might faint — Judge Williams said later that this wasn’t the first time he’s intimidated a defendant to the point of fainting — and the court went into a brief recess.

After recovering, Bruce admitted to purchasing weapon-building kits at a Numrich Arms outlet when his son was 16, two years prior to this year’s incident.

“You should’ve asked, ‘What can my son do with these? What are the dangers? What is the final product?’” chided Williams. “Were you concerned that a 16-year-old may have components that he could assemble a machine gun with?”

The case was prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Michael Kavanagh. Bruce Chargois was represented by Tom Melanson, while his son was represented by Cappy Weiner.

Left, Kevin Gardener (rear) and Maurice Stansberry Jr. leave court; right, Maurice Stansberry Sr. enters court. (Photos by Jesse J. Smith)

A father, his teenage son and a third teen are accused in the shooting death of a Kingston man on an isolated stretch of Sawkill Road over the weekend.

Police say the incident occurred just before noon on Saturday, Dec. 1 near 341 Sawkill Road, adjacent to the Boice farm. Police say Maurice Stansberry, 38, of Kingston, his son, Maurice Stansberry Jr., 17, and Kevin Gardener, also 17 and also of Kingston, got into an altercation with Mark Lancaster and an unidentified witness. (On social media, several people claiming to be friends and family of Lancaster said that the witness was Lancaster’s own 17-year-old son, a fact corroborated by one source close to the investigation.) Police say both parties were parked off the roadway when the dispute took place.

According to police, the elder Stansberry shot Lancaster through the torso, leaving him mortally wounded. Lancaster was later transported to HealthAlliance Hospital Broadway Campus, where he was pronounced dead. 

The killing and subsequent hunt for the suspects triggered a massive, multi-agency police response Saturday afternoon. Sawkill Road was closed between Route 209 and Washington Avenue. Heavily armed tactical teams staged in a parking lot on Hurley Avenue and conducted a search in the adjacent Stony Run apartment complex.

According to state police records, one of the teen suspects was arrested at the crime scene 20 minutes after the shooting. A second was arrested at an undisclosed location in Kingston at 9:23 p.m. the night of the shooting. Stansberry Sr. was arrested in Kingston at 7:08 p.m.

All three suspects were arraigned in Ulster Town Court on charges of second-degree murder and jailed without bail. On Tuesday, Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright said state police investigators had zeroed in on a motive for the crime, but he declined further comment pending the presentation of the case to a grand jury.

“These parties were known to each other,” said Carnright. “This was not a random act.” 

On Tuesday, all three suspects appeared in court for a hearing before Town Court Judge Marsha Weiss. Last year, Stansberry Jr. played on the Kingston High School football team. In May, he made the school’s honor roll. A number of KHS students, as well as friends and family of the defendants, packed the courtroom during the hearing and stood outside in clusters speaking in hushed tones and crying. 

Inside the courtroom, closely guarded by sheriff’s deputies and Town of Ulster officers, the Stansberrys and Gardener appeared before Weiss at a hearing to determine if they had counsel and whether they wanted a preliminary hearing. All three men remained expressionless during the hearing. At one point Stansberry Sr. tilted his head back and appeared to doze off. 

Gardener, who was represented by attorney Paul Gruner, and Stansberry Jr., represented by attorney Joe O’Connor, opted to forgo the preliminary hearing — where prosecutors must reveal enough evidence to convince a judge that the defendants’ continued detention is justified — after being informed by Assistant District Attorney Margot Hanstein that the case was likely to go before a grand jury on Thursday, Dec. 6.

Public defender Andrew Kossover, who represents Stansberry Sr., opted for a preliminary hearing on Friday, Dec. 7 at 9 a.m. Kossover said he and his client decided to proceed with the hearing after Hanstein declined to turn over video in support of the prosecution’s case.

Following the hearing, all three suspects were returned to the Ulster County Jail without bail.

Maurice Stansberry Sr., Maurice Stansberry Jr. and Kevin Gardener.

Police believe a Kingston man was shot and killed in a dispute over two ounces of marijuana following a car chase on Sawkill Road.

Maurice Stansberry, 38, his son, 17-year-old Maurice Stansberry Jr. and Kevin Gardener, 17, have been charged with second-degree murder in the Dec. 1 incident that left Mark Lancaster, 39 dead. The elder Stansberry, who police believe fired the fatal shot, is also charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.

According to conversations with attorneys involved in the case and evidence presented at bail hearings in the week since the shooting, police believe the incident began with a dispute at the Sawkill trailer park between the Stansberrys and Gardener and another group that included Lancaster and two others. One source close to the investigation said that one of those involved in the dispute and a witness to the shooting was Lancaster’s own 17-year-old son. Cops believe the confrontation was over two ounces of marijuana. Following the dispute, police believe the Stansberrys and Gardener fled the trailer park, pursued by a car containing Lancaster and two more unidentified individuals. The pursuit ended just before noon near 341 Sawkill Road. According to attorney Joseph O’Connor, who represents Stansberry Jr., a video from a dashboard camera of a vehicle parked near the crime scene captured what happened next.

“You can hear the shot coming from out of [Stansberry’s] car,” said O’Connor. 

After the shooting, Lancaster was taken to HealthAlliance Hospital’s Broadway Campus where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy would later cite a gunshot wound to the torso as the cause of death. One of the teen suspects (state police documents to not specify which) was taken into custody at the crime scene. Stansberry and a second teen were arrested in Kingston later that evening. All three have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

Following a bail hearing last week, the elder Stansberry was sent to Ulster County Jail without bail. Bail for his son is set at $300,000. Gardener remains in the Ulster County Jail; it’s unclear if bail has been set. 

O’Connor described his client as a “good kid” who lived with his mother in Kingston and attended Kingston High School. Stansberry Jr. plays on the Kingston High School football team and, in May, appeared on the junior class honor roll. O’Connor said his client had received letters in support of his bail application from a number of his fellow students and some teachers at the school. Gardener’s attorney, Paul Gruner, said his client had recently dropped out of Kingston High School to look for work and was enrolled in a GED program. Gardener, he added, lived with his mother and stepfather in Kingston and had no previous criminal convictions. 

An obituary for Lancaster described him as a Kingston native and father of six, including a four-month-old daughter. The death notice said that Lancaster was an event promoter who enjoyed mixing music, skateboarding and gardening. 

“He was a crazy, bright and fun spirit in this world,” the obituary reads.

Attorneys for the accused said that they expected the case to go before an Ulster County grand jury in January. Law enforcement officials, meanwhile, say that the investigation is ongoing and additional charges could be brought.

“Frankly, at this point in the case it is too early to be commenting on any of the evidence,” said Gruner. “There is still a lot to be done in terms of investigating the case.”

Deandre Green

Ulster County law enforcement officials say that a forged-check scheme uncovered by the District Attorney’s Office illustrates how social media and easily available software brings age-old scams into today’s world.

On Dec. 5, Deandre H. Green, 20, of Kingston was indicted by an Ulster County grand jury on two felony counts of scheme to defraud and 25 felony counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument. Green, who is currently serving two to six years in state prison on unrelated robbery charges in Poughkeepsie and Albany, was indicted following a two-year investigation by the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office. Officials say the alleged crimes contained in the indictment took place between October 2016 and January 2017. The scam ended when Green was locked up for the robberies.

“It took a couple of years for us to get all of the evidence together to obtain this indictment,” said Ulster County Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Culmone-Mills.

Officials say that Green’s foray into bank fraud began simply enough, stealing checks from mailboxes in Uptown Kingston, altering the amounts and the payees and attempting to deposit them. The scheme evolved when Green obtained software used to generate payroll checks and began using social media to recruit accomplices. According to Culmone-Mills, Green would reach out to potential accomplices by posting photos of cash and promises of easy money. Participants were asked to open bank accounts and send Green their online banking data including passwords, account numbers and routing numbers. Other accomplices sent Green copies of their payroll checks. Green would use the checks as a template and, using the computer program would generate new, forged ones. Green would then deposit the forged checks into various bank accounts and attempt to withdraw the funds. Culmone-Mills said Green recruited as many as 65 people to aid him in the scheme by providing paychecks, banking information or both. Most of the recruits, she said were young adults lacking in financial sophistication. 

“He used younger, naïve — and I’m using ‘naïve’ generously — people,” said Culmone-Mills of Green’s accomplices.

Green’s scam began to unravel in 2016 when a District Attorney’s Office investigator stumbled across some of his social media posts. Suspecting a bank fraud scam, the investigator alerted prosecutors, who launched an investigation. Meanwhile, Green continued to deposit thousands of dollars in forged checks into a number of local and national financial institutions.

The indictment alleges that Green attempted to deposit $24,847 from 10 separate businesses and individuals. That figure, Culmone-Mills said, only includes transactions that took place in Ulster County and where investigators were able to establish a clear link between Green and the fraud. Overall, Culmone-Mills said, investigators believe Green tried to deposit about $800,000.

Despite the seemingly lucrative nature of the fraud, Culmone-Mills said that Green reaped relatively meager returns. Usually, she said, banks declined to clear the checks, most of which totaled between $400 and $500. 

“In most cases these we’re accounts that had just been opened with $5 in them,” said Culmone-Mills. “So the banks didn’t let the checks go through.”

Of the $24,847 in fraudulent checks charged in the indictment, investigators believe Green was only able to withdraw $1,987. As for the people who handed Green their banking information and paychecks to aid the scam, few of them, Culmone said, saw any of the promised windfall. 

“He wound up scamming everyone,” said Culmone-Mills. “A lot of the participants didn’t get a dollar out of it.”

Culmone-Mills said similar forged check scams had popped up in other jurisdictions, including one that was the subject of a massive indictment by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office earlier this year. Culmone-Mills said the scheme spread virally online; investigators believe that Green learned the scam and obtained the software needed to forge the checks through a network of online conments. Green, in turn, may have taught the con game to others.

“We know this is still going on,” said Culmone-Mills. “There are people out there doing this and recruiting others to do it.”

The Elmendorf Street Bridge (photo by Dan Barton)

Seth Lyons

Seth Lyons knew Anthony Garro for just a few minutes before he beat him to death.

In a statement to police that was played at his trial, Lyons tells cops that on the night of Nov. 29, 2017, Garro offered him a sandwich as they sat on a discarded couch in a trash-strewn railroad cut underneath the Elmendorf Street Bridge in Midtown. Lyons, 20, had been up for several days straight — smoking crack, living on the street and feeling suicidal. Garro, he told police, offered to talk to him about problems. Instead, Lyons suspecting — apparently falsely — that Garro had taken his cell phone, viciously attacked him as he was sleeping. Lyons battered Garro to death with bricks, bottles and a large boulder. Then he left Garro’s partially nude corpse next to the tracks beneath a discarded Christmas tree.

On Monday, Dec. 17, members of Garro’s family attended Lyons sentencing in Ulster County Court and told Judge Donald Williams that their loved one’s offer of a sandwich and a sympathetic ear to a troubled young stranger was exactly what they would expect from Garro — a compassionate and generous man whose life was derailed by a genetic defect and an unconquerable addiction to alcohol.

“He saved your life, that is exactly what he did,” said Garro’s longtime girlfriend Laurie Difalco. “He was trying to help you, because that’s the kind of person he was.”

Lyons, formerly of Port Ewen, was convicted of second-degree murder following a jury trial in Ulster County Court. At trial, defense attorney Bryan Rounds argued that his client, who had a long history of mental illness, acted out of “extreme emotional disturbance” brought on by drug use and lack of sleep. Rounds also argued that Lyons did not actually intend to kill Garro in the frenzied attack.

In his remarks prior to sentencing, Judge Williams said he wholeheartedly agreed with jurors’ rejection of both arguments. Williams went on to sentence Lyons to the maximum, 25 years to life in state prison. Williams said he would also recommend that Lyons serve his time separated from the general prison population and that he receive intensive treatment for mental illness while behind bars.

“You are a dangerous peril to commit violent acts upon others if permitted by this court, or the Division of Parole,” said Williams.

The family speaks

Anthony Garro Jr.

Prior to sentencing, Garro’s parents, sister, aunt and girlfriend spoke about his life and struggles in a victim impact statement. Anthony Garro Sr. told the court that he and his wife adopted Anthony as a newborn in 1968. All they knew about his parents is that they were Native American migrant workers. Garro, a scientist and academic, said that he would later learn that his son suffered from brain damage caused by in utero exposure to alcohol. His son, Garro said, suffered from a severe learning disability and had become a full-blown alcoholic by age 15. As an adult he worked sporadically, and often lived on the streets as he struggled with his addiction.

Garro settled in Kingston in the early 2000s. He was the father to a 17-year-old daughter who was raised in New Jersey by her grandparents. Garro Sr. said that despite his struggles, his son remained a valued member of the family who he recalled as an avid fisherman, a talented artist and a standout athlete.

“We never lost hope that turn from that life and return to our family,” said Garro of his son’s life on the streets. “But Mr. Lyons took that hope from us.”

Difalco told the court that she and Garro had been together for a decade and that he frequently lived with her. Garro, she said, was a “savior” who would often be penniless because he had given away his last few dollars to someone a little worse off. A few years ago, she said, he witnessed a 17-year-old boy struck by a train in Kingston. By the time police arrived, Garro had stripped nearly naked using his clothes as tourniquets in a vain attempt to save the boy’s life. Other family members spoke of sleepless nights and disturbing intrusive thoughts of Garro’s last moments that have haunted them since his death.

“He has no soul, no conscience, no idea of mercy, no sense of right or wrong,” said Dawn Garro of her brother’s killer. “And because of that we will be left hurting for the rest of our lives.”

Andrew S, Rodriguez

Update: Police report Friday afternoon that Rodriguez has been arrested. 

Saugerties police are searching for a man who broke into a home in the village and tried to take the homeowner’s pills at gunpoint at 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday, December 19.

The alleged perpetrator, 21-year-old Andrew S. Rodriguez, allegedly threatened to shoot the homeowner and his health aide if they didn’t give him the medication, and got physical with the homeowner; police arrived after both the healthcare aide and a neighbor who heard the commotion called 911. Rodriguez left the scene in a waiting vehicle that was parked in front of the home — no one involved saw the make and model of the vehicle, or its license plate number. Police said Rodriguez had a personal relationship with the homeowner, and that he is still considered armed and dangerous.

“It’s a desperate measure when you enter someone’s home with a gun,” said Police Chief Joseph Sinagra Friday morning. “If [locals] hear a knock at the door, they should know who it is — if they don’t, they should be calling the police.”

Police said Rodriguez is 5’9″ with black hair and brown eyes, and weighs approximately 180 pounds. Saugerties Police obtained a warrant for his arrest, in which he is charged with the felonies of first-degree attempted burglary and first-degree armed robbery.

Anyone who may know the whereabouts of Andrew S. Rodriguez is asked to call the Saugerties Police Department (845) 246-9800. All calls will be kept confidential.

Detectives from the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a robbery in the Town of Gardiner.

On December 24 at approximately 4:30 a.m., deputies responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Mobil convenience store at 604 Route 208 in Gardiner.

Preliminary investigation suggests a male entered the store, displayed a knife and demanded money. The suspect is described as a white male, medium height, medium build, wearing a white hooded sweatshirt, dark athletic pants, black gloves and a red bandana. The store sustained a small cash loss.

Members of the public with information are asked to contact Detective Peter Montfort at (845) 340-3663 or (845) 338-3640.

Andrew Rodriguez

Helped by tips from the public, Saugerties police nabbed a burglar, considered armed and dangerous, on the afternoon of Dec. 21 who, police allege, stole oxycodone at gunpoint from an elderly village homeowner two days earlier 

Andrew S. Rodriguez, 21, has since been sent to Ulster County Jail on $100,000 bail and has been charged with the felonies of first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary.

According to Saugerties Police Chief Joseph Sinagra, Rodriguez was previously the victim’s home care aide, and knew there were drugs in the house. Rodriguez, police said, allegedly threatened to shoot the homeowner and his current health aide if they didn’t give him the medication, and got physical with the homeowner; police arrived after both the healthcare aide and a neighbor who heard the commotion called 911. Police said Rodriguez left the scene in a waiting vehicle that was parked in front of the home — no one involved saw the make and model of the vehicle, or its license plate number. 

Tips from the public brought detectives to 189 North St. in Kingston; Sinagra said the perpetrator had been recently evicted from his previous apartment, which complicated the search. When Rodriguez left the apartment and saw officers outside, he reportedly ducked back into the house and called the Saugerties Police Department for guidance on how to comply safely, because there were small children in the apartment. Sinagra said that he spoke to the fugitive personally, and stayed on the line with him until he was put into handcuffs.

A preliminary hearing is set for Rodriguez in Village Court on Dec. 27.

Sinagra said that, in this case, “the media really [facilitated] a quick resolution.”

Chief Joseph Sinagra (photo by Dan Barton)

Statistics released by the Saugerties Police Department for January through November of 2018 show a spike in felony offenses since 2017, but reduced numbers of misdemeanors and total crimes. This is mirrored in national trends, according to Saugerties Police Chief Joseph Sinagra.

Most of the 76 recorded felonies this year, as opposed to the 52 in 2017, were the result of crimes against property — stolen jewelry, vandalism, criminal mischief and general damage to or loss of property — rather than violent crimes, said the chief. “Although charges are up, it’s not a reflection of crimes against people.”

Sinagra attributes this, partially, to a higher replacement value for damaged or lost items — goods are just becoming more expensive every year, pushing what would be misdemeanor crimes up to felonies. A total of 177 misdemeanors were recorded, not including arrests made in December, as opposed to 224 in 2017.

Only one pedestrian was hit this year, a drastic decline from the 14 recorded in 2013; since that year, the number has been steadily declining. Sinagra said that this single accident was caused by error on the pedestrian’s behalf rather than the operator of the vehicle that struck them.

“Although some people thought we were being overzealous in our pedestrian safety efforts, the numbers show that our efforts were worth it,” said Sinagra. “We’ve seen a drastic decrease in pedestrians’ accidents. It’s an ongoing educational effort but it pays off in the end. When you look at the big picture, people aren’t going to the hospital which lowers insurance premiums. We have a healthier society for it.”

Similarly, there were no fatal car accidents between January and November of 2018; last year there were three. The amount of car accidents fell drastically — 578 as opposed to 638 in 2017.

Although statistics are not yet available for the number of mental hygiene arrests — instances where, due to an individual’s possible inclination to hurt themselves or others, that individual is involuntarily transported to the closest hospital — Sinagra said that they have been gradually increasing each year, and predicts that 2018 will be no different. In 2016, 117 such transports were carried out; in 2017, there were 148.

“It’s a direct reflection of the dismantled healthcare system that we have in this country, particularly New York State,” Sinagra posited. “We see more and more people that are suffering from mental health issues that are not getting the intensive, daily care that they need.”

Two-hundred eighty-one detective cases were opened between January and November of 2018 as opposed to 346 in 2017 — Sinagra said that the numbers would be closer after the numbers of cases opened in December were factored in.

Throughout 2018, including December, the total number of complaints called into the department came to 24,594, in comparison to the 21,973 tallied in 2017.

More robust data, including numbers for December 2018 and a more involved breakdown of types of crimes will be available in January or February. Sinagra said to get a truly accurate picture of policing trends, these reports would need to be considered. Additionally, data would need to be cross-referenced with that of the sheriff’s office and the State Department of Environmental Conservation police, who also respond to calls in Saugerties. Mandated as a term of the department’s continued status as an accredited agency in the state, Sinagra said that compiling these statistics each year helped the department “stay ahead of the curve” in their policing.

A 40-year-old Rosendale man is in jail after a Sunday morning chimney fire led to the discovery of an indoor marijuana grow operation.

Yesterday morning at around 6:30 a.m., the Rosendale Fire Department responded to a chimney fire at 359 Main St. Firefighters extinguished the fire with no damage to the residence and no injuries reported. The home was occupied by the caller and resident, Vance Riley.

While inside the residence, the fire department located an indoor marijuana growing and processing operation and notified Rosendale Police. Detectives from the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office and investigators from the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team were also called to assist. A search warrant was obtained and a search of the residence yielded about twelve pounds of marijuana, a rifle, shotgun, and other equipment for growing marijuana, packaging material and records.

Police said the street value of the seized marijuana is estimated at $10,000.

Riley was arraigned in the Town of Rosendale Justice Court and remanded to the Ulster County Jail without bail to reappear on a later date.

Update: State Police report the fugitive has been captured.

Broussard’s mugshot, a local security cam screen grab, and Ursula Bourque

New York State Police, along with the United States Marshalls and the City of Middletown Police Department, are currently searching for a fugitive from New Iberia, Louisiana. 

Kristan R. Broussard, 33, is wanted for second-degree murder. He is described as 5 feet 10 inches and 150 pounds and is believed to be in the company of Ursula Bourque, age 30. Bourque has a distinct tattoo around her neck. They were confirmed to be in the Middletown area on Tuesday, January 8.

State Police are asking the public to contact law enforcement with any information or possible sightings in the area. Broussard is considered possibly armed and dangerous. Police are asking the public not to approach the individuals if they are observed and contact State Police Middletown at 845-344-5300.

On Tuesday, January 15, 35-year-old Michael J. Rich was arrested by Saugerties Police on the misdemeanor charge of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree.

Police did not have to look hard to find him. Rich was appearing in the Town of Saugerties Justice Court on an unrelated vehicle traffic matter when, according to a court officer, he dropped an item containing a powdery substance.

The substance was tested and revealed to be cocaine.

Rich was taken into custody by officers and processed at police headquarters. He was released by the Village of Saugerties Justice Court on his own recognizance and is scheduled to return to the Village of Justice Court on January 28 to answer the charge.

Maurice Stansbury Jr.

A Kingston man, his 17-year-old son and a second teen have been indicted on murder and robbery charges stemming from a Dec. 1, 2018 incident that left 38-year-old Mark Lancaster dead of a gunshot wound. Meanwhile, sources say, one of the accused teens has made bail and is currently attending Kingston High School. 

On Jan. 15, an Ulster County grand jury handed up an indictment charging Maurice Stansbury, 38, Maurice Stansbury Jr., 17, and Kevin Gardener, 17, with second-degree murder, robbery and weapons charges. All three men are charged under New York’s “felony murder” statute which allows defendants to be charged with murder if they are found to have participated in a crime during which someone is killed. The statute applies even if the defendant is not accused of directly causing the victim’s death.

In the case of the Stansburys and Gardener, the underlying felony was an armed robbery at the Sawkill Trailer Park. Cops believe the robbery occurred in the course of a marijuana deal with three victims, including Lancaster. Police believe the deal involved two ounces of marijuana, according to previous court testimony. Following the robbery, police believe, the Stansburys and Gardener left the trailer park in a vehicle with Lancaster, his teenage son and a third unidentified person in pursuit in a second vehicle. The chase ended near 341 Sawkill Road. There, police believe, there was a confrontation and one of the alleged robbers opened fire with a handgun, striking Lancaster in the torso. He was later pronounced dead at HealthAlliance Hospital’s Broadway Campus. Stansbury Jr.’s lawyer, Joseph O’Connor, said a camera on a vehicle parked near the scene captured portions of the confrontation, including a shot apparently fired by someone in his client’s vehicle. One of the teens was arrested at the scene of the shooting; the second and Stansbury Sr. were arrested in Kingston later that day.

Stansbury Sr. and Gardener remain in Ulster County Jail. Stansbury Jr. is free on $300,000 bail. According to sources familiar with the case, Stansbury Jr. is back at Kingston High School where he previously played for the Kingston Tigers football team. In a prepared statement issued Wednesday, Kingston City School District Superintendent Paul Padalino declined to discuss specifics of the case, but wrote, “We are aware of the situation and have taken appropriate measures to keep our students safe.”

Maurice Stansberry Sr. and Maurice Stansberry Jr.

A father and son accused of murder and robbery in an alleged drug rip-off pleaded not guilty in Ulster County Court last week. Maurice Stansberry Sr., 38, and Maurice Stansberry Jr., 18, appeared before County Court Judge Donald Williams to enter their pleas on Jan. 24. A third defendant, Kevin Gardener, 18, also faces murder and robbery charges in the Dec. 1, 2018 incident that left Mark Lancaster, 38, of Kingston dead.

Police believe the incident occurred after the Stansberrys and Gardener met up with Lancaster and two other individuals for a pot deal at the Sawkill trailer park around noon on Dec. 1. Prosecutors believe the deal involved about two ounces of marijuana. During the deal, cops believe one of the three defendants produced a handgun and robbed Lancaster and his companions. The suspects then fled in a car; police believe Lancaster followed in his own vehicle. The chase ended at a spot near 341 Sawkill Road — there, police believe, one of the three alleged robbers opened fire from inside the vehicle, striking Lancaster in the torso. He was pronounced dead at HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley’s Broadway campus a short time later.

All three suspects were taken into custody within 12 hours of the shooting. Prosecutors have said that video from a dashboard camera of a vehicle on the scene captured the incident.

Prosecutors have not yet said who possessed the gun or who shot Lancaster. The Stansberrys and Gardener are charged under the state’s “felony murder” statute, which allows for conviction on murder charges based on a defendant’s participation in a crime during which someone is killed, whether or not they actually carried out the murder. Stansberry Jr. is free on $200,000 bail and is back attending Kingston High School. At last week’s arraignment he pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and first-degree robbery.

Fire my lawyer

Stansberry Sr., who along with Gardener remains incarcerated at the Ulster County Jail, asked County Court Judge Donald Williams to remove the Ulster County Public Defender’s Office from the case and assign him a new attorney. Stansberry Sr. complained that the Public Defender’s Office had waived his right to a preliminary hearing without consulting him first. In response, Williams said that the decision to waive the hearing was at the discretion of his defense attorney and he was not entitled to choose among taxpayer-funded lawyers. Stansberry Sr. then indicated that he would seek private counsel.

Tyler Kuhn

John Tyler Kuhn, 35, was behind the wheel of a 2012 Mercedes-Benz C30 the morning of January 6 when it left Rt. 32 in Saugerties, rolled several times and struck a tree, causing severe injuries to two passengers. Now, he faces up to 15 years in prison.

Yesterday, Kuhn was arraigned in Ulster County Court on an indictment charging him with Aggravated Vehicular Assault, two counts of Assault in the Second Degree and two counts of Driving While Intoxicated. Kuhn has been remanded to the Ulster County Jail.

The indictment alleges that Mr. Kuhn drove recklessly while intoxicated, and that his recklessness resulted in serious physical injury to two or more people. (A fourth passenger was treated for minor injuries.)

The twisted remains of the Mercedes

The one-car crash happened on Rt. 32 between Fawn Road and Blue Mountain Road. At the time of the crash, the vehicle had been occupied by four individuals, 24-year-old Keishawn Blanch of Catherine Street Kingston, whom was trapped within the remains of the vehicle, and had to be extricated out by firefighters, 23-year-old Brittney Ruskie of Elm Street Saugerties and, 23-year-old Justin Malloy of Saugerties, both rear seat passengers that had been ejected from the vehicle during the crash, as well as Kuhn of Highland Court, Saugerties, who was removed from the vehicle by a passersby prior to the arrival of police.

An overhead view of the crash site

All four victims were treated at the scene by paramedics from Diaz Ambulance and Mobile Life Support. Blanch and Ruskie were airlifted from the scene by helicopters and transported to the Albany Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. Atmospheric Weather conditions prevented additional helicopters from assisting at the scene, resulting in land transport by Mobile Life Support and Catskill Ambulance of the remaining two victims to the Albany Medical Center.