The Kingston Police Department reports the arrest of 39-year-old Jesus Perez-Perez of Kingston for Rape in the 1st degree, Sexual Abuse in the 1st degree and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

On Sunday, January 17, members of the Kingston Police Department responded to a report of ca child being sexually abused. An initial report was taken by patrol and then turned over to the detective division. An investigation ensued and resulted in the arrest of Jesus Perez-Perez.

Perez-Perez was also arrested on an outstanding bench warrant for Leaving the Scene of Property Damage Accident and Driving While Intoxicated.

Perez-Perez was processed, arraigned and remanded to Ulster County Jail on $100,000 cash bail.

An unlicensed and intoxicated Saugerties teen crashed into an unoccupied vehicle early this morning on Mike Kraut Road in the town of Saugerties causing damage, according to police.

On January 19 at 1:35 a.m., Saugerties Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting a personal injury motor vehicle crash in front of  61 Mike Kraut Road in the town of Saugerties. Ulster County 911 reported that a vehicle had crashed into a residence and that the vehicle was on fire and occupants were entrapped. Upon arrival, officers found all occupants were out of the vehicle. Police established that the operator of the vehicle, a 17-year-old female from Saugerties, was operating a 1998 Honda recklessly northbound on Mike Kraut Road at an excessive speed. The vehicle veered off the westbound shoulder of the roadway and into the yard at 61 Mike Kraut Road, colliding with a parked, unoccupied vehicle, propelling that vehicle into another vehicle that was parked. (The vehicle had not crashed into the residence as initially reported)  The 17-year-old operator and her 19-year-old male passenger were treated at the scene by paramedics and then transported by DIAZ Ambulance to the Westchester Medical Center Health Alliance Hospital Broadway campus in Kingston. 

The female is scheduled to appear in the Town of Saugerties Justice Court on January 27 to answer her charges. Additional charges are pending as the investigation is ongoing. 

The Malden/West Camp Fire Department and Diaz Ambulance assisted at the scene.  

(ULster County Sheriff’s Department)

Members of the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (URGENT) and Town of Shandaken Police report the arrest of two Chichester men after an investigation into narcotics sales in the town of Shandaken.

On January 16, URGENT, along with members of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office and Town of Shandaken Police Department, executed a search warrant at an address on Route 214 in Chichester. URGENT seized approximately 212 grams of loose, uncut fentanyl, 11 grams of cocaine, alprazolam and methadone tablets, a quantity of cash, and drug packaging materials. As a result, Christopher Carter, 47, and Bobby Blue Jr., 42, were charged with the offenses below:

• Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree – A2 felony (narcotic 4 ounces or more)
• Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree – B felony (narcotic intent to sell)
• Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree – C felony (narcotic drug 1/8 ounce or more)
• Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree – D felony (controlled substance intent to sell)
• Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree – A misdemeanor

Both defendants were arraigned in the Town of Shandaken Justice Court and remanded to the Ulster County Jail without bail. The investigation is ongoing and additional arrests are expected.

(Ulster County Sheriff’s Department)

Any person(s) charged with an offense or offenses are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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

The City of Kingston Police Department reports the arrest of 37-year-old Raymond A. Snyder of Murray Street in Kingston for Murder in the 2nd Degree and Burglary in the 1st Degree.

On July 11, 2020 the Kingston Police Department received a call for shots fired at a residence on St. James Street. Uniformed Patrol officers responded and located a male ultimately determined to be 47-year-old Romero K. Underwood at the residence with an apparent gunshot wound.

Underwood was transported to Hudson Valley Health Alliance Hospital (Broadway Campus) where he ultimately succumbed to his wounds. Detectives and investigators from the Kingston Police Department, New York State Police, and Ulster County Sheriff’s Office immediately began an investigation into the case.

Members of the Kingston Police Department’s Detective Division and Special Investigations Unit furthered the investigation into the death today with the arrest of Romero Underwood with the arrest of Raymond Snyder. Snyder was processed at the Kingston Police department and is currently awaiting arraignment.

Detectives and investigators are continuing their investigation into the matter.

Jamaad Mikal Murphy 

The New York State Police announce the arrest of Jamaad Mikal Murphy, 27, of Middletown, for second-degree murder.

On December 17, 2019 Murphy was indicted by an Orange County grand jury for second-degree murder related to the November 3, 2019 killing of Matthew Napoleoni outside of the Made in Puerto Rico Latin Cuisine and Sports Bar in the town of Wallkill.

After an intensive 14-month manhunt, the New York State Police and the FBI Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force located Murphy at residence in the town of Ramapo, Rockland County. He was then transported to the Orange County jail and remanded without bail.

The following agencies assisted in the manhunt: the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York, the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office, Town of Ramapo Police, Town of Haverstraw Police, Town of Newburgh Police Department, City of Newburgh Police Department, Jacksonville Police Department in Jacksonville, NC, the Gastonia Police Department (North Carolina), the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and the New York Drug Enforcement Task Force (DETF).

Natividad Rodriguez-Rivera, 35, formerly of South Street, Highland, was indicted today by an Ulster County grand jury on the charge of predatory sexual assault of a child.

Rodriguez-Rivera is accused of engaging in a course of sexual conduct between August of 2017 and August of 2019, which included multiple acts of sexual conduct with a child less than thirteen years old in the Town of Plattekill. Predatory sexual assault against a child is a class A felony. 

Rodriguez-Rivera was arrested by the New York State Police in Ellenville on August 21, 2019. He was arraigned in the town of Plattekill and has been held in the Ulster County Jail with bail set in the amount of $250,000 cash or $500,000 secured bond or $750,000 unsecured bond.

Ulster County District Attorney David Clegg commended the courage of the child victim who came forward to report “these abhorrent acts” and her family who took swift action by quickly reporting the offenses to the police.       

The case is being prosecuted by chief assistant district attorney Katherine R. Van Loan. Rodriguez-Rivera is represented by David Curtain, Esq. of Larkin & Ingrassia, LLP. He will be arraigned virtually by Ulster County Court in the coming weeks.

The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The New York State Police in Ellenville were assisted in their investigation by the Ulster County Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner’s Unit which is part of the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office and the New York State Forensic Investigation Center in Albany which is a division of the New York State Police.

On Friday, January 22, New York State Police arrested Michael L. Ramsey, 39, of Greenport, for operating as a major trafficker and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree, both class A-I felonies, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree with intent to sell, a class B felony, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree, a class C felony, and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a class A misdemeanor.

Also arrested was Richard F. Moon, 53, also of Greenport, for conspiracy in the second degree, a class B felony, and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree,  a class A misdemeanor.

Following a state police investigation, a search warrant was issued by the Columbia County Court for a residence in the town of Greenport. Investigators executing the warrant seized approximately 14.2 grams of fentanyl,  1122 grams of cocaine, 53.2 grams of crack-cocaine, 42.2 grams of heroin, and a “large amount” of money.

Ramsey was arraigned before the town of Greenport court and remanded to the Columbia County Jail without bail.  Moon was released on his own recognizance.

Jahsi Quiles, 19, and Matthew John Harries, 21, both of Kingston, were indicted yesterday by an Ulster County grand jury.  

Both Quiles and Harries are accused of second-degree attempted murder and are alleged to have acted in concert with each other with the intent to cause the death of a 21-year-old victim who was shot in the back and leg on the afternoon of October 7. 

Both defendants were also indicted for first-degree assault and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Jahsi Quiles was arrested by Kingston Police on October 7, 2020. He was arraigned in the Kingston City Court before Judge Lawrence Ball and was released to pre-trial supervision.

Matthew John Harries was arrested by Kingston Police on October 8 and arraigned in the Kingston City Court before Judge Philip Kirschner and released to pre-trial supervision.

In a press release, Ulster County District Attorney David J. Clegg stated “My office is committed to reducing gun violence and will do everything in its power to see that justice is done in this case.”

Clegg commended the efforts of all the police agencies involved in the investigation, but especially the Kingston Police Department for its “rapid” response to the shooting and “prompt” apprehension of the Defendants. 

The case is being prosecuted by Felony Bureau Chief, Marco Caviglia.

Quiles is represented by Tomas Petro, Esq.

Harries is represented by the office of the public defender. Both are scheduled for arraignment on February 8, 2021. 

Note from the DA’s office: The criminal charge is merely an allegation that defendants committed a criminal act and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. 

The City of Kingston Police Department reports the arrest of 25-year-old Meredith S. McSpirit of Rymrock Road, Town of Kingston.

Yesterday, the Kingston Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit concluded an investigation into the sale of heroin and fentanyl occurring throughout the City of Kingston with the arrest of Meredith McSpirit. McSpirit was taken into custody at her residence on Rymrock Road and brought to the Kingston Police Department where she was charged with:

• two counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree;
• two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree
• one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child

McSpirit was at the center of one of the most tragic local stories of the last decade. She was behind the wheel of a vehicle in a Saugerties crash that claimed the lives of four young men in 2015. A grand jury found McSpirit wasn’t impaired at the time of the crash and declined to indict her on any charges.

Members of the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team, a task force made up of law enforcement from throughout Ulster County, report the arrest of six individuals following a long-term investigation into heroin and fentanyl sales throughout Ulster County.

Starting in late September 2020, URGENT began investigating the trafficking of heroin and fentanyl from Springfield, Massachusetts and Paterson, New Jersey to Ulster County. Investigators believed narcotics were being distributed by an organization using local hotels and motels as distribution points. Investigators conducted numerous undercover buys into several individuals identified as part of the organization. Additionally, members conducted traffic stops and executed search warrants resulting in the recovery of over 1,000 bags of heroin and fentanyl over the course of the investigation.

The following individuals have been arrested and charged with the following:

Steven D. Warrick, 51, of Springfield, Massachusetts

• Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (2 Counts)

Louis S. Bellaro, 32, of Wawarsing, New York

• Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (6 Counts)
• Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (6 Counts)
• Endangering the Welfare of a Child

Amber L. Mansfield, 27, of Ulster, New York

• Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree
• Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree
• Endangering the Welfare of a Child

Julie A. Kogut, 41, of Saugerties, New York

• Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree
• Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree

Dylan W. Case, 51, of New Paltz, New York

• Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (2 Counts)

Andrew D. Coddington, 29, of Ulster, New York

• Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (2 Counts)

All defendants were released to appear in court on a later date, with the exception of Mansfield, who was remanded to the Ulster County Jail on a probation violation as a result of the new charges.

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

Note: As always, any person(s) charged with an offense or offenses are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Yesterday afternoon at 2:12 p.m., Saugerties Police responded to a 911 call reporting a domestic dispute on Sawmill Road in the town of Saugerties. The caller reported that she was locked in residence and a male subject was outside banging and whacking at her front door with a machete in an attempt to break in. The perpetrator, identified as 41-year-old Antonio Giordano of Saugerties, was located at his residence and taken into custody without incident. Police said the machete used in the incident was recovered from within Giordano’s residence. Giordano was processed at Saugerties Police Headquarters on the misdemeanor charges of fourth-degree criminal mischief and second-degree menacing.

As a result of an issue with connectivity for a virtual arraignment, Giordano was released on his own recognizance by order of the Town Justice to return to court at a later date to answer his charges.

A utility box depicting Black Lives Matter imagery created by Kingston’s YMCA Farm Project was defaced on Sunday, January 31. It was the fourth time the box has been vandalized since it was installed last summer and the second time so far this year . . .

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Last night at around 10 p.m., members of the Kingston Police Department responded to the Broadway Campus of the Health Alliance of the Hudson Valley (HAHV) for a subject with a gunshot wound to his leg. The victim, a 27-year-old male, had been dropped off at the emergency room by a friend. The shooting had happened elsewhere. The male was treated and later released from the hospital.

According to police, the victim would only say that the incident occurred in the area of one of the entrances to Rondout Gardens and that a green pick-up truck may have been involved. The victim would not cooperate any further, police said.

The Kingston Police Department is investigating this shooting and is asking the public’s assistance in helping identify those responsible. Anyone with information is asked to call the Kingston Police Department at 845-331-1671. Those wishing to remain anonymous can leave a message on the department’s Tipline at 845-331-4499.

The area where the shooting occurred, highlighted in red

Yesterday at around 9 a.m., members of the Kingston Police Department responded to the area of Franklin Street and Prospect Street for a reported shots fired.

According to police, an individual in a black four-door Volkswagen Passat travelling down Franklin Street (from Broadway towards Prospect Street) was seen leaning out the passenger side window shooting a firearm at a blue four-door Honda Accord that was following. The Passat was last seen turning right onto Prospect Street. (The Kingston Library sits at this intersection.) The Honda was last seen going through the stop sign at Franklin Street towards Clinton Avenue.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Kingston Police Department at 845-331-1671. Those wishing to remain anonymous can leave a message on the department’s Tipline at 845-331-4499.

On Friday, February 5, Krista Sewell of Melville, Long Island, entered a guilty plea to second-degree aggravated harassment as a hate crime, a felony, before Ulster County judge Bryan E. Rounds.

Sewell admitted to sending electronic messages and a letter to a local Ulster County family harassing and threatening their infant daughter who has the rare genetic skin condition harlequin ichthyosis.

Sewell was arrested for the crime in late 2019 following a lengthy investigation by the New York State Police and the Ulster County Sherriff’s Office into the messages.

Sewell, who had no criminal record prior to these events, was sentenced to five years’ probation along with a period of incarceration. As part of the sentence, the court ordered that Sewell have no contact with the minor, her family or any other individuals with that condition, and ordered that Sewell register her social media accounts with the Probation Department and permit the Probation Department to monitor her online activity to prevent future harassing behavior.

This case was prosecuted by assistant district attorney Timothy Lawson.

Members of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office report the arrest of a Shokan man following an incident alleging he pointed a rifle at a deputy.

Yesterday evening at about 6:30 p.m., the Sheriff’s Department received a call from a concerned friend requesting deputies check on the welfare of Clayton W. Shafer Jr., 52, of Shokan, at a location on Mountain View Avenue in Port Ewen, following some concerning content Shafer had allegedly just posted to his Facebook account.

Upon the deputy’s arrival, Shafer is alleged to have confronted the deputy in the driveway while armed with an AR-15 rifle. A brief standoff ensued, during which a round from Mr. Shafer’s rifle was discharged in a different direction from the deputy. Additional law enforcement personnel soon arrived and Shafer was taken into custody without further incident.

Neither Shafer nor any law enforcement personnel were injured during the incident.

Detectives later executed a search warrant at the incident location and recovered eighteen rifles and shotguns, including the AR-15 alleged to have been used in the incident. At this time, these firearms appear to have been legally possessed.

Shafer was charged with the felony of Menacing a Police/Peace Officer and arraigned in the Town of Esopus Court. He was released to reappear on a later date and an order of protection was issued on behalf of the deputy. Shafer was then removed by deputies to Health Alliance of the Hudson Valley, Broadway Campus, for a mental health evaluation.

This investigation remains active and additional charges will be filed.

Responding to the call were: New York State Police, Town of Ulster Police, Kingston Police, Ulster County Emergency Response Team and Mobile Life Support Support Services.

As always, any person charged with an offense or offenses are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

On February 17, New York State Police from the Poughkeepsie barracks in conjunction with the Dutchess County Child Advocacy Center arrested Matthew R. McClay, 23, of Pleasant Valley, on the following charges:

• Sex Abuse Forcible Compulsion in the 1^st degree
• Reckless Endangerment in the 1^st degree
• Sex Abuse in the 2^nd degree
• Two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child
• Unlawful Dealing with a Child in the 1^st degree

Following an investigation by the State Police and the Dutchess County Child Advocacy Center, a warrant was granted by the Dutchess County Court for the search of a residence on Route 44 in the town of Pleasant Valley. Evidence was discovered leading to the arrest of Matthew McClay for using a firearm and alcoholic beverages to facilitate the forcible sexual abuse of a victim under the age of fourteen.

McClay was arraigned in Pleasant Valley Court and remanded to the Dutchess County Jail in lieu of $20,000 cash bail, $40,000 bond, or $80,000 partially secure bond.

On Saturday, January 23 at 3:31 p.m.., Saugerties Police responded to the area of 33 Sparling Road in the for a report of a hit and run motor vehicle crash.

Upon arrival, officers interviewed the victim who said that a white SVU struck his vehicle while attempting to pass it. The victim said both stopped their vehicles and the driver of the SUV and a second person confronted the victim. The driver of the SUV reportedly grabbed the victim in an aggressive and threatening manner while yelling. When the victim stated he was calling the police, the two men reportedly got back into the SUV and fled.

Yesterday afternoon, Saugerties Police arrested and charged Keith J. Tambasco, 35, of Ravena, after an investigation concluded he was the driver of the SUV. Tambasco was charged with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash and second-degree harassment.

Tambasco was processed and then released on a police appearance ticket returnable to the town of Saugerties Justice Court on March 3.

A 25-year-old New Paltz man and 19-year-old New Jersey woman were arrested for possession of heroin after running out of gas on State Route 6 in Woodbury.

Driver Tristan Scragg, 25, of New Paltz, told the state police sergeant that noticed his disabled 2003 Mercedes Benz C-230 on the shoulder that he ran out of gas. While speaking with both the operator and passenger of the vehicle, Alba Figueiras, 19, from Kenilworth, NJ, another trooper arrived to assist.

Investigation revealed that the vehicle Scragg was driving had an expired registration. Police later determined that both Scragg and Figueiras were in possession of heroin and hypodermic needles. Police said Scragg attempted to destroy items in his shoes that were later determined to be heroin.

Scragg and Figueira were both charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor. Scragg was additionally charged with felony tampering with physical evidence.

Both issued appearance tickets returnable to the Town of Woodbury Court on March 24.

On Sunday, March 7, at approximately 5 p.m., a state trooper from the Ellenville barracks observed a 2017 Chevrolet Malibu traveling east on State Route 52 “in violation of several vehicle and traffic laws,” according to a release. When the trooper attempted to stop the vehicle, it fled, reaching speeds of 120 miles per hour.

The trooper discontinued the pursuit for safety reasons.

The trooper continued to patrol the area when he observed the same vehicle had crashed into a guide rail. Ulster County Sheriffs were already on the scene. The operator of the vehicle was identified as Michael L. Wright, 32, of the town of Wallkill. A search of the vehicle yielded 313 grams (11oz) of marijuana. Further investigation revealed that Wright was driving on a suspended license. He was charged with:

• Criminal Possession of Marijuana 3rd degree
• Fleeing an Officer in a Motor Vehicle 3rd degree
• Aggravated Unlicensed Operation 2nd degree
• Reckless Endangerment 2nd degree, Reckless Driving

Wright was also issued 14 traffic tickets.

Wright was given an appearance ticket returnable to the Town of Wawarsing Court on March 12, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. Troopers learned that Wright was in violation of his parole, and he was remanded to Ulster County Jail where he was remanded without bail.