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Police & Fire
Special Delivery: Man Ships Meth To Albany County, Sells Fentanyl, Feds Say Special Delivery: Man Ships Meth To Albany County, Sells Fentanyl, Feds Say
Special Delivery: Man Ships Meth To Albany County, Sells Fentanyl, Feds Say A 46-year-old man is facing federal charges after allegedly shipping methamphetamine to the region from out of state and selling fentanyl. Michael Laudicina, of Santa Cruz, California, was arraigned on drug charges in Albany federal court on Thursday, Jan. 4. Prosecutors said Laudicina shipped at least 50 grams of meth to Albany, Ulster, and Warren counties on three occasions between July and November 2022. He also sold fentanyl – a powerful, synthetic opioid that’s nearly 100 times stronger than morphine – in August 2022, prosecutors said. In court Thursday, Laudicina was arraigned on ch…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
New Update: Teens From Capital Region Missing For 2 Weeks Located New Update: Teens From Capital Region Missing For 2 Weeks Located
New Update: Teens From Capital Region Missing For 2 Weeks Located Two teenagers from the region have been located weeks after going missing. Columbia County residents Aubrey Congemi, age 15, and Briana Carlton, age 17, had last been seen in the hamlet of Elizaville on Sunday, Dec. 17. At the time, New York State Police said the girls had recently moved to the area from Albany and were known to hang around the Colonie Center and Crossgates Mall shopping areas. On Tuesday, Jan. 2, police said Congemi and Carlton were located by Albany Police.  Both girls were in good health and were returned to their family. No other details were given. Original st…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Fleeing Robber Strips To Underwear After Targeting Capital Region Home, Police Say Fleeing Robber Strips To Underwear After Targeting Capital Region Home, Police Say
Fleeing Robber Strips To Underwear After Targeting Capital Region Home, Police Say A man is accused of breaking into a woman’s home in the region on Christmas Eve and robbing her. Police in Columbia County were called shortly before 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 24 about a break-in at the Hudson Terrace Apartments in the city of Hudson. The victim told investigators that a man had forced his way into her apartment before approaching her and stealing her cell phone. He then exited her home and stripped down to just his underwear while in a hallway. As officers were investigating the break-in, someone in a different unit called 911 saying a man was knocking on apartment windows wea…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
4 Children Die After Fire Rips Through Connecticut Home 4 Children Die After Fire Rips Through Connecticut Home
4 Children Die After Fire Rips Through Connecticut Home Four children all under the age of 12 died during a massive house fire overnight in northern Connecticut. Fire Update: Residents Donating To Help Somer Family That Lost 4 Children In Blaze The fire occurred in Tolland County around 10:25 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 2 at 44 Quality Ave., in the town of Somers. According to Somers Fire Marshal/Fire Chief John Roache, first-arriving firefighters had word that several people may be trapped inside. "Our initial personnel were on scene within 5 minutes and found the entire front of the house heavily involved in fire," said Roache.  Three r…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Man Sets Fire To Veterans Building In Troy, Police Say Man Sets Fire To Veterans Building In Troy, Police Say
Man Sets Fire To Veterans Building In Troy, Police Say A man is facing arson charges after allegedly setting fire to a veterans' organization building in the region. The incident happened at around 9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 1 in Troy, at the Veterans of Lansingburgh club on 1st Avenue. Troy Police said multiple people called 911 reporting a fire on the building’s exterior. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the flames with minimal damage reported to the building. Police said witnesses identified the suspect as 43-year-old Michael Christianson, of Troy. Officers found him a short time later near the scene and arrested him. Christianson wa…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
IDs Released For 5 Killed In Cross Island Parkway New Year's Crash IDs Released For 5 Killed In Cross Island Parkway New Year's Crash
IDs Released For 5 Killed In Cross Island Parkway New Year's Crash The identities have been released of five people killed during a two-vehicle crash near the Whitestone and Throgs Neck bridges in New York City on New Year's Day. 5 Killed In New Year's Day Crash On Cross Island Parkway In Queens The crash occurred around 6 a.m., Monday, Jan. 1 on the northbound  Cross Island Parkway in Queens in the area of Exit 36S, said the NYPD. A preliminary investigation determined that a blue 2018 Mazda sedan was traveling northbound on the Whitestone Expressway approaching the southbound exit ramp to the Cross Island Parkway when the 24-year-old driver struc…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Drones Will Soon Respond To Police Calls In Schenectady Drones Will Soon Respond To Police Calls In Schenectady
Drones Will Soon Respond To Police Calls In Schenectady Instead of a live officer, some police calls in New York will soon be answered by a drone. On Tuesday, Dec. 26 the Schenectady City Council authorized the city’s police department to enter a six-year contract with Seattle-based BRINC Drones for its “First Responder” drone program. As part of the nearly $700,000 contract, the agency will receive a fleet of BRINC’s LEMUR 2 drones, which allow for live-streaming and two-way communications. The devices are also equipped with a thermal sensor and a glass breaker. A Schenectady Police spokesperson told WRGB the drones will initially be used fo…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Pittstown 20-Year-Old Busted With 'Ghost' Gun During Traffic Stop, Police Say Pittstown 20-Year-Old Busted With 'Ghost' Gun During Traffic Stop, Police Say
Pittstown 20-Year-Old Busted With 'Ghost' Gun During Traffic Stop, Police Say A routine traffic stop in the region ended with a 20-year-old in handcuffs on weapons charges. The Saratoga County incident happened just before 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 23, in Halfmoon on Tower Way. State Police said 20-year-old Shawn Koenig, of Pittsfield in Rensselaer County, was initially stopped for a vehicle and traffic law violation. The trooper ordered him out of the car for a standardized field sobriety test, but Koenig reportedly refused to cooperate. He had to be forcibly removed from the vehicle and continued resisting until he was placed in handcuffs, police said. A search …

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Victim Critical After Being Hit By Drunk Driver In Region: Police Victim Critical After Being Hit By Drunk Driver In Region: Police
Victim Critical After Being Hit By Drunk Driver In Region: Police A Westchester man faces felony charges after crashing into a man while he was walking in a crosswalk on a New York roadway, leaving them critically injured, police announced. White Plains resident Joseph Jensen, age 54, was arrested on Thursday, Dec. 28 in connection with an incident in the Ulster County village of Ellenville, Ellenville Police said. According to the department, the crash happened at the intersection of Center Street (Route 52) and Route 209 (South Main Street), when the victim was hit by Jensen's vehicle while he was walking in the crosswalk.  The victim, a 54-year-o…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Tragedy Averted: Couple Pulled From Burning RV On Capital Region Highway Tragedy Averted: Couple Pulled From Burning RV On Capital Region Highway
Tragedy Averted: Couple Pulled From Burning RV On Capital Region Highway An elderly couple are lucky to be alive after finding themselves trapped in a burning RV on the side of the Thruway. The Greene County incident happened shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 28, on I-87 in the town of Catskill. State Police said a motorhome was towing a Jeep when it experienced a mechanical failure that ignited a fire. When troopers arrived, they found the RV on the right shoulder fully engulfed in flames. The vehicle was parked up against the guardrail, blocking the door and preventing the two elderly occupants and their pets from escaping, police said. “Without any reg…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
15-Year-Old Busted With Gun, Cocaine In Albany, Police Say 15-Year-Old Busted With Gun, Cocaine In Albany, Police Say
15-Year-Old Busted With Gun, Cocaine In Albany, Police Say A 15-year-old boy is facing charges after he was allegedly caught with a loaded gun and cocaine in the region.  Albany Police were called at around 9:15 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 28, for a person with a weapon near Central and Lexington avenues. When officers arrived, they confronted a teen matching the suspect’s description, but he took off running. He made it roughly three blocks away before he was arrested near Orange Street and Route 9. The teen was found with a loaded 9mm handgun and a quantity of crack cocaine, police said. He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon and cri…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Oh, Brother: Capital Region Duo Nabbed For Stealing Plow, Police Say Oh, Brother: Capital Region Duo Nabbed For Stealing Plow, Police Say
Oh, Brother: Capital Region Duo Nabbed For Stealing Plow, Police Say Two brothers are facing charges after allegedly stealing farming equipment from a property in the region. Saratoga County residents Nicholas and Lee Scoville, both of Stillwater, were arrested Friday, Dec. 22, on multiple charges. New York State Police said a Stillwater resident contacted the agency on Sunday, Dec. 10 saying a plow had been stolen from their property. Troopers determined that Nicholas Scoville stole the plow and then stored it at his brother’s Stillwater property, police said. During their arrest, Lee Scoville reportedly became combative and injured a trooper. Police d…

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by Michael Mashburn