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The first of these incidents happened on Saturday, July 29 around 8:40 a.m., when Putnam County sheriff's deputies responded to the Carmel Cinema at 156 Route 52, where a commercial burglary alarm had been set off.
According to the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, arriving deputies found that the front door was no longer locked and that there was a large amount of broken glass from the interior doors.
Deputies then saw a man inside claiming to be a police officer who was yelling and throwing papers. After quickly taking him into custody, authorities searched the rest of the building and found more damage to the front snack counter, emergency lights that had been pulled down, and damaged theater doors.
The suspect, North Salem resident Brian Venuti, was charged with the following for the break-in:
- Second-degree criminal mischief;
- Third-degree burglary;
- First-degree criminal impersonation.
Venuti was then taken to Putnam Hospital Center to be evaluated before being released once again to deputies. He was processed at Putnam County Correctional Facility and arraigned in the Town of Kent Court before being released on his own recognizance.
A day later, on Sunday, July 30 just before 7 a.m., deputies were sent to the area of 15 Independent Way to help first responders with an unconscious man in the roadway. When they arrived, they saw the man, who turned out to be Venuti, lying in the road while Brewster EMS members tried helping him.
At that time, Venuti then stood up and started yelling that he needed to go to a hospital for an appointment, authorities said.
As a result of his actions, deputies once again tried to take him into custody for an evaluation. This time though, Venuti allegedly resisted arrest and engaged in a struggle with authorities, injuring two deputies in the process.
After deputies managed to get him into custody, Venuti was taken to Putnam Hospital before later being charged with:
- Resisting arrest;
- Second-degree obstructing governmental administration;
- Second-degree assault, a felony.
Venuti was again arraigned, this time in the Town of Southeast Court, and remanded to the Putnam County Correctional Facility on $1,000 cash bail or $2,000 bond.
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