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Police & Fire
Two Students Charged For Threatening Shooting At High School In Westchester Two Students Charged For Threatening Shooting At High School In Westchester
Two Students Charged For Threatening Shooting At High School In Westchester Two students have been arrested for allegedly making threats to carry out a school shooting in Westchester. The incident came to light around 3:45 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 13, when the Yonkers Police Department received several reports of school shooting threats circulating on social media against students at Lincoln High School, located on Kneeland Avenue, said Yonkers Police Spokesman Det. Lt. Dean Politopoulos. According to Politopoulos, the threats consisted of a number of texts to carry out a school shooting with an intended number of victims on Friday, Oct. 25, during a&…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Area High School Student's Racially Charged Social Media Post Draws Condemnation Area High School Student's Racially Charged Social Media Post Draws Condemnation
Area High School Student's Racially Charged Social Media Post Draws Condemnation A racially charged post on Snapchat by an area high school student that went viral has put the author in hot water with law enforcement. The incident began when the unidentified student at Minisink Valley High School allegedly took a photo of a female African-American classmate and then referred to her using the "N'" word in the post, and adding that she should be lynched, said News 12.  The girl's brother told News 12 the boy didn't have his sister's consent to take the photo or share it on Snapchat. He posted a video on social media to hold the student accountable. Minisink Valley S…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Brewster Schools Placed On Lockout After Suspended Student Makes Threat Brewster Schools Placed On Lockout After Suspended Student Makes Threat
Brewster Schools Placed On Lockout After Suspended Student Makes Threat Brewster schools are on lockout Wednesday after a suspended high school student made a threat via his Snapchat account that was serious enough for many to call the school's tip line to alert officials. The unnamed student made the Snapchat threat Tuesday evening and by 10 p.m. the school had received enough notices to notify the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, Superintendent Valerie Henning-Piedmonte said in a letter to parents. "We received several messages sent through Anonymous Alerts that a student who was suspended, posted threats directed at the high school using h…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Teen Faces Felony Charge For Making Terror Threat Against Hudson Valley School Teen Faces Felony Charge For Making Terror Threat Against Hudson Valley School
Teen Faces Felony Charge For Making Terror Threat Against Hudson Valley School A teenager facing a felony charge of making a terroristic threat after he allegedly made “credible threats” against his school on social media was back in court this week. Brendan Vaughan, 18, a student at Washingtonville High School in Orange County, made a post on Snapchat in June, stating that he needed a gun and questioning “what would happen if someone shot up the school tomorrow.” The threats led to a search of his home and subsequent arrest. “Investigators discovered evidence in the home, and obtained a statement from the suspect, supporting information that he was in the planning st…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Westchester Officials Increase Security Following School Shooting Threats Westchester Officials Increase Security Following School Shooting Threats
Westchester Officials Increase Security Following School Shooting Threats There will be increased security this week at New Rochelle schools following a series of alleged threats at the high school, including one on social media over the weekend. New Rochelle Schools Superintendent Brian Osborne issued an alert to parents on Monday afternoon, outlining the recent threats and announcing the changes that will be made to security after consulting with the local police department. On May 23, a New Rochelle custodian alerted district security of a graffiti threat that stated “we are gonna shoot up the school on June 5, 18” on the wall of a bathroom at the high school,…

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by Zak Failla
Schools
Social Media Threat Leads To Increased Security At New Rochelle Schools Social Media Threat Leads To Increased Security At New Rochelle Schools
Social Media Threat Leads To Increased Security At New Rochelle Schools A social media post threatening a potential school shooting in New Rochelle led to an increased police presence at area schools. An investigation was launched on Sunday night by school and police officials, when an alleged post was made threatening a school shooting months after a 16-year-old was fatally stabbed during an incident on North Avenue. According to school officials, the threat wasn’t deemed credible, but as a precaution, the New Rochelle Police Department still increased their presence outside of the high school, Isaac E. Young Middle School and Albert Leonard Middle School. “T…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Two Hudson Valley Teens Charged With Making Terror Threats Two Hudson Valley Teens Charged With Making Terror Threats
Two Hudson Valley Teens Charged With Making Terror Threats Two 15-year-old teens were charged with making terroristic threats and falsely reporting an incident after posting threats against schools in Port Jervis. The Port Jervis police said following an investigation there was no credible threat of violence regarding posts made by the two teens on Wednesday. According to police,  the department received numerous reports from the public and other emergency service agencies reporting a threatening post on the social media site “Snapchat” indicating a threat of violence will occur at a school.  Officers and detectives immediately conducted an invest…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Ex-Fire Chief From Northern Westchester Charged With Lewd Acts With Minor Ex-Fire Chief From Northern Westchester Charged With Lewd Acts With Minor
Ex-Fire Chief From Northern Westchester Charged With Lewd Acts With Minor This story has been updated. A former fire chief in Northern Westchester is facing charges accusing him of lewd behavior with a minor and disseminating indecent material, according to the New York State Police. John M. Novohradsky, 53, of Queensbury, who volunteers with the Queensbury Central Fire Co., was arrested Thursday by state police on numerous charges following an investigation, state police said. A former Buchanan Fire chief, Novohradsky used Snapchat to send a naked picture of himself to the victim last month, then on a separate occasion, fondled the victim's genitals, said Troope…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Ex-Area Coach Sentenced After Convincing Young Boy To Perform Oral Sex Ex-Area Coach Sentenced After Convincing Young Boy To Perform Oral Sex
Ex-Area Coach Sentenced After Convincing Young Boy To Perform Oral Sex A 20-year-old volunteer wrestling coach in the Hudson Valley accused of using SnapChat and Instagram to convince a young boy to perform oral sex on him has been sentenced to 13 years in prison. Marcus Stroud, of Nyack, was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel for receiving files containing sexually explicit images of a minor after pleading guilty in June, said Geoffrey S. Berman, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.   “Marcus Stroud’s crime is the nightmare of every parent," said Berman. "Stroud used social media platforms to prey upon and expl…

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by Kathy Reakes