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Orangetown Police say they responded to 121 Route 303 in the Hamlet of Orangeburg on the report of a suspicious person and vehicle.
Further investigation revealed that a town employee observed the suspect, identified as 51-year-old Joseph Ottomanelli of River Vale, New Jersey, climbing a fence and entering the closed grounds of the Organic Recycling Center, police say.
Officers searched the property and allegedly located Ottomanelli with three bags of grass seed in his possession, which police say he had stolen from the building.
Police say Ottomanelli was also found to be intoxicated during the incident. A check of his license indicated that his driving privileges had been suspended in the state of New York for failure to pay driver’s responsibility assessment.
Ottomanelli was arrested and transported to Orangetown Police Headquarters, where he was processed and charged with the following:
- Third-degree burglary, a felony
- Driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor (first offense)
- Third-degree criminal trespassing, a misdemeanor
- Third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, a misdemeanor
Ottomanelli is being held pending arraignment at the Orangetown Justice Court.
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