Mostly Cloudy 37°
News
Girls Scout Leader In Westchester Accused Of Child Sex Abuse Girls Scout Leader In Westchester Accused Of Child Sex Abuse
Girls Scout Leader In Westchester Accused Of Child Sex Abuse A 43-year-old man is facing charges for his role in an alleged sexual abuse case in Mount Pleasant involving a minor. Last month, Albert Orjuela of Valhalla was arrested and charged with forcible touching, and endangering the welfare of a child following a complaint about alleged sexual contact with at least two minors. Orjuela was arrested the day after a warrant was issued for his arrest. On Facebook, Orjuela identifies himself as a Girl Scouts leader, and he has made posts referring to himself as a “Girl Scout dad.” Orjuela was in Mount Pleasant Court on Thursday, March 7 for a hearing,…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
Camp Director In Westchester Charged With Sexual Assault Camp Director In Westchester Charged With Sexual Assault
Camp Director In Westchester Charged With Sexual Assault A camp director in Westchester is facing charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a teenager. William O’Neill, a resident of Jackson, New Jersey, was arrested this week for allegedly abusing his teenage victim, who is between the ages of 13 and 16, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced.  The alleged sexual assaults happened in the summer of 2018 and continued until the teen alerted authorities on Jan. 12. O’Neill is listed as a director on Scarsdale’s Camp Hillard website. He is also a swimming coach at the Scarsdale camp, according to reports. Billhimer noted that O’N…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Woman Wanted For Endangering Welfare Of Child In Cortlandt Woman Wanted For Endangering Welfare Of Child In Cortlandt
Woman Wanted For Endangering Welfare Of Child In Cortlandt Have you seen her? New York State Police investigators in Westchester County are seeking the public’s assistance as they attempt to track down a wanted woman with an active warrant out for her arrest for endangering the welfare of a child. According to police, 35-year-old Amber Scannapieco is wanted by investigators in Cortlandt stemming from a 2017 arrest for endangering the welfare of a child. She then failed to appear in court to respond to the charges in March last year and the bench warrant was issued by the town of Cortlandt Court. Police described Scannapieco as 5-foot-2 with blonde…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
19 Accused Of Sex Trafficking At Westchester Residential Treatment Center 19 Accused Of Sex Trafficking At Westchester Residential Treatment Center
19 Accused Of Sex Trafficking At Westchester Residential Treatment Center At least nine girls at a Westchester County residential treatment facility were trafficked or recruited to engage in prostitution, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman announced. Charges have been brought against 19 men who allegedly trafficked minors and young women who were in the New York State child welfare system. Eighteen of the suspects have been arrested, one remains at large. As alleged, the men “trafficked or recruited to engage in prostitution at least 15 minor girls in the child welfare system, including at least nine minors who resided at a particular non-incarceratory residential tre…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Westchester Man Arrested For Allegedly Beating Wife In Front Of Son, Police Say Westchester Man Arrested For Allegedly Beating Wife In Front Of Son, Police Say
Westchester Man Arrested For Allegedly Beating Wife In Front Of Son, Police Say A woman was allegedly bloodied and beaten in front of her son by her husband, who was arrested by police after being flagged down by a family member in Westchester. Officers from the Scarsdale Police Department were dispatched to a Brite Avenue home at approximately 1:15 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 7, where there was a report of an assault in progress. Upon arrival at the scene, officers were directed by the family member to a vehicle that was parked and occupied in front of the residence. Police said that the family member told them that the man inside the vehicle - identified as Flushing residen…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Breaks Into Area Home, Hits Woman In Front Of Child, Police Say Man Breaks Into Area Home, Hits Woman In Front Of Child, Police Say
Man Breaks Into Area Home, Hits Woman In Front Of Child, Police Say A Stanfordville man was charged with felony burglary after breaking into a Village of Red Hook home and hitting a woman in front of a child. John J. Mitchell, 52, was arrested around 12:15 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2, after Red Hook Police officers responded to a report of a physical dispute at an area home, Red Hook Police said. Following an investigation, police determined that Mitchell had forcefully entered the residence and struck a woman while a young child was present, police said. Mitchell was taken into custody without incident and was charged with felony burglary, as well as endangerin…

SHARE

by Kathy Reakes
News
Teacher Charged With Setting Up Meeting With Teen Girl Appears In Court Teacher Charged With Setting Up Meeting With Teen Girl Appears In Court
Teacher Charged With Setting Up Meeting With Teen Girl Appears In Court The 44-year-old Hudson Valley math teacher who is charged with allegedly traveling to New York City with the intent of meeting up with a teenage girl was back in court this week. Middletown High School educator Jonathan Castell had his case adjourned at Thursday afternoon’s hearing, and he is due back in court on Sept. 6, when he will face a misdemeanor charge of attempting to endanger the welfare of a child. Castell was busted communicating with what he thought was a 15-year-old girl through social media and texting platforms, police said. In reality, he had been in contact with a network …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
How To Help Migrant Children Being Housed In Westchester How To Help Migrant Children Being Housed In Westchester
How To Help Migrant Children Being Housed In Westchester More than $10,000 was raised in less than two days to benefit a Westchester facility that is housing several children who were separated from their families from their parents at the Mexican border. Even as they attempt to reunite displaced migrant children with their families, Children’s Village in Dobbs Ferry, which “works in partnership with families to help society’s most vulnerable children so that they become educationally proficient, economically productive, and socially responsible members of their communities” has raised $11,116 through a GoFundMe fundraising campaign, easily toppin…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Woman Attacks Elderly Victim In Yorktown In Front Of Children, Police Say Woman Attacks Elderly Victim In Yorktown In Front Of Children, Police Say
Woman Attacks Elderly Victim In Yorktown In Front Of Children, Police Say A Westchester woman is facing multiple charges after allegedly attacking an elderly woman in front of children during a domestic dispute at a Yorktown home, police said. An officer from the Yorktown Police Department responded to police headquarters shortly before noon on Saturday, with a walk-in complaint of a domestic incident that had occurred approximately an hour earlier in Yorktown Heights. According to police, following an investigation and speaking with an alleged female victim that Pelham resident Joyce Smith, 37, allegedly attempted to cause physical injury to the victim by attac…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
Hudson Valley Man Charged With Sexual Abuse Of Child Hudson Valley Man Charged With Sexual Abuse Of Child
Hudson Valley Man Charged With Sexual Abuse Of Child A joint law enforcement investigation led to the arrest of a Hudson Valley man who allegedly sexually abused a child, state police announced on Friday. The Troop F Child Abuse Unit in Sullivan County announced the arrest of Middletown resident Edward Dunn, 45, following a joint investigation with Sullivan County Child Protective Services, which determined that Dunn allegedly had sexual contact with a child under the age of 11. Following the investigation, Dunn was arrested and charged with a felony count of first-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. Fol…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Worker At Area Children's Facility Threw Teen To The Ground, Police Say Worker At Area Children's Facility Threw Teen To The Ground, Police Say
Worker At Area Children's Facility Threw Teen To The Ground, Police Say A 24-year-old employee at an area facility for children allegedly used physical force with a minor, throwing the child to the ground, according to state police. Troopers were dispatched to Astor Home for Children and Families on Mill Street in Rhinebeck on Tuesday, May 8, where there was a report of Poughkeepsie resident Samara Nesheiwat, an employee at the facility, allegedly using force on a child by throwing a child under the age of 13 to the ground, investigators said. Following the investigation into the alleged incident, Nesheiwat was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor count of e…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
More Charges Expected In Westchester Domestic Incident That Left Child Dead More Charges Expected In Westchester Domestic Incident That Left Child Dead
More Charges Expected In Westchester Domestic Incident That Left Child Dead As fingerpointing and accusations fly over the tragic death of little Gabriella Maria Boyd in Mamaroneck a week ago to the day, the woman behind all of the furor was charged with two counts of attempted murder in her hospital bed and the Westchester County district attorney says further charges could be coming. The charges were in relation to injuries sustained by responding police officers when 28-year-old Cynthia Arce stabbed them during the incident on Saturday, April 28. Charges have yet to be filed in connection to the death of 2 1/2 year-old Gabriella. Details of the nature of the inj…

SHARE

by Kathy Reakes