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41°
Saturday, nov 9
Tag:
Child Abuse
News
Man From Region Admits Sex Abuse Of Child Under 11, Faces 18 Years In Prison, DA Says
A 73-year-old man has pleaded guilty to sex abuse of a child under the age of 11 for several years. Orange County resident Allan Bressler of Pine Bush made his plea in court on Thursday, Oct. 3, said Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler. At the time of the plea, the District Attorney’s Office said it would recommend Bressler be sentenced to 18 years in state prison, followed by 10 years of post-release supervision. At the time that he pleaded guilty, Bressler admitted that between March 2008 and February 2013, in the vicinity of his Pine Bush home, he engaged in two or…
Police & Fire
Man Accused Of Raping 14-Year-Old Girl In Region
A man has been charged with the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl he befriended in the region. Ulster County resident Cung L. Phutin, age 28, of the town of Ulster, was charged on Friday, Oct. 11. According to Ulster Police Chief Kyle Berardi, the department initiated an investigation regarding a 28-year-old male engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl. Berardi said as a result of an investigation, Phutin was found to have befriended the victim for several months before having sexual intercourse with her in June 2024. Phutin was located an…
News
New Details: State Failed 'Committed Mother' Stabbed To Death At NY Home, Family Says
A New York man accused of murdering the mother of his child should’ve been locked up years ago, his own relatives insist. Long Island resident Brenda Guadalupe Alfaro-Alcantara, age 29, was found with multiple stab wounds in the basement of her Hempstead home on Botsford Street at around 8:40 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Nassau County Police. Detectives arrested a suspect, 43-year-old Jose Funes-Zabala, of Roosevelt, on Monday afternoon, Oct. 7. He is charged with second-degree murder and endangering the welfare of a child. Earlier Report:&n…
News
Adult Film Actor From NY Accused Of Distributing Child Pornography
An adult film actor who resides in New York has been accused of sending and receiving hundreds of videos of child pornography, federal authorities announced. Justin Heath Smith, who uses the stage name “Austin Wolf.” sent images depicting children as young as infants, "including a ghastly video showing a young child bound, beaten, and raped," said Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. In addition to sharing child pornography via the Telegram app, the 43-year-old Smith was also charged with possessing hundreds of additional videos conta…
News
Ex-School Counselor In Capital Region Filmed Sexually Explicit Content Of Child For Years
A former middle school guidance counselor in the region confessed to repeatedly taking sexually explicit photos of a child beginning when the victim was just 9 years old. Albany County resident Kristy Koldis, age 46, of Latham, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child in Albany federal court on Monday, June 3. Koldis, a former counselor at Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School in Albany and professor at Russell Sage College in Troy, admitted that she repeatedly took sexually explicit content depicting the victim’s genitals. The abuse continued until the child was 13. Earli…
News
8-Year-Old Who Froze To Death Inside NY Garage Was Failed By Child Protective Services: Jury
A scathing grand jury report found that Child Protective Services (CPS) workers in New York had ample opportunities to save an 8-year-old boy whose years of abuse at the hands of his ex-NYPD officer father culminated in him freezing to death inside a garage. The 71-page report, made public Thursday, April 4, found that Suffolk County CPS received at least 10 reports of abuse or neglect from Thomas Valva’s teachers in the two years leading up to his January 2020 death inside the garage of his Center Moriches home. Valva died of hypothermia after he and his 10-year-old brother Anthony w…
Police & Fire
Woman Stalks Capital Region Victim For Months, Files False Child Abuse Claims, Police Say
A woman from the region is accused of stalking a person for months, stealing their identity, and wrongly accusing them of child abuse. Rensselaer County resident Nacirema Harris, age 28, of Troy, was arraigned on more than a dozen charges, including burglary and identity theft, in Albany County Court on Friday, March 8. New York State Police said troopers began investigating the case in January 2024. After determining that Harris had followed the victim in both Troy and Albany, they obtained a warrant to search her Troy residence. Further investigation determined that Harris targeted the v…
News
Registered Sex Offender Rapes Child In Capital Region, Police Say
A registered sex offender is facing fresh charges after allegedly raping a child in the region, police said. Saratoga Springs Police arrested Terrance Crawford, age 38, on Monday, Feb. 19, after they were contacted by a relative of the alleged victim. The family member told investigators they had discovered incriminating social media conversations between Crawford and the child, police said. Following an investigation, Crawford was arrested without incident and charged with rape and criminal sex act, both felonies. Authorities did not reveal the child’s age, gender, or relationship to th…
News
ICYMI: Restaurant Owner From Capital Region Tries Prostituting Minors At His Business
The owner of a restaurant in the region is accused of trying to force underage minors into prostitution. Capital Region resident David Bacucci, age 42, was arrested on multiple charges Wednesday, Nov. 1, for allegedly promoting prostitution at his Orange County business, Davey’s Barista, located in the village of Goshen on Church Street. Earlier report: Know Him? Man Charged With Running Prostitution Ring Of Children in Goshen Bacucci, a resident of the hamlet of Purling in Greene County, was taken into custody following a joint investigation by New York State Police, the Village of…
Police & Fire
Man Accused Of Running Prostitution Ring Of Children At Hudson Valley Eatery
A man has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child by attempting to promote prostitution out of a coffee shop in the Hudson Valley. Greene County resident David J. Bacucci, age 42, of the hamlet of Purling, was charged on Wednesday, Nov. 1 by the New York State Police along with the Village of Goshen Police Department and the Orange County Child Abuse Unit. According to Trooper Steven Nevel of the New York State Police, an investigation revealed that Bacucci was involved in endangering the welfare of children by attempting to promote their prostitution out of Davey’s Baris…
News
Admitted Child Sex Abuser From Capital Region Gets Nearly Decade In Prison
A man from the region who confessed to sexually abusing two children will spend nearly a decade behind bars. Rensselaer County resident Johan Felipe Giraldo was sentenced to nine years in prison Thursday, Oct. 26, stemming from an incident involving two children in the Town of Schaghticoke. He pleaded guilty to attempted rape and forcible touching in Rensselaer County court following his arrest in August 2022. Following Thursday’s sentencing, Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly recognized the victim for coming forward and sharing their “painful story.” “I also want to th…
News
Capital Region Man Sexually Abused Child For Years, Jury Finds
A 29-year-old man from the region is facing decades in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing a young child for years. Douglas Eckler, of Cohoes, was found guilty of sex crimes by a jury in Albany County Supreme Court on Wednesday, Oct. 18. According to prosecutors, Eckler repeatedly sexually abused the victim for several years, between the spring of 2020 and February 2023. The abuse started when the victim was under the age of 13. In court Wednesday, jurors convicted him on one count of predatory sexual assault against a child, a felony. Eckler faces up to 25 years to l…
News
'Heinous Crime': Man Who Raped 10-Year-Old At Capital Region Home Gets Decades In Prison
A 70-year-old man from the region could spend the rest of his life behind bars for raping a young child. Albany County resident Eric Edwards, of Watervliet, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in Albany County Court on Thursday, Aug. 17. It followed his jury conviction for first-degree rape in June 2023. According to prosecutors, Edwards raped a 10-year-old child at a home on 4th Avenue in Watervliet in February 2020. The child was known to him. “While no prison time will restore the innocence stolen from this child, the maximum was the only sentence appropriate for this heinous crime,” s…
News
Man Lures Teen Into Car, Attempts To Sexually Abuse Victim At Capital Region Store, Police Say
A 48-year-old man’s attempt at sexually abusing an underage teen outside a convenience store in the region has landed him behind bars, police said. Saratoga County resident Joseph Kohler, of Clifton Park, is facing multiple charges stemming from the alleged encounter, which occurred Saturday, Aug. 12, in the Town of Halfmoon. According to sheriff’s deputies, Kohler tried luring the 16-year-old victim into a car outside the Stewart’s Shops near Route 146 and Old Plant Road. Investigators said his goal was to commit a sexual offense. He later lied about the events in a written stateme…
News
'Courageous' 14-Year-Old Sex Abuse Victim Helps Put Capital Region Rapist In Prison
A 29-year-old man from the region is facing years behind bars after admitting that he sexually abused a minor. Albany County resident William Maguire, of Voorheesville, pleaded guilty to multiple sex crimes in Saratoga County Court on Friday, July 7. Maguire admitted that he forcibly sexually assaulted the 14-year-old victim while they were sleeping at a home in the town of Providence in January 2023. Afterward, he told the victim not to say anything. “The victim courageously reported the assault shortly after it happened and responded to Albany Medical Center where a medical examination w…
News
'No More Bruises': NY Foster Mom Abused 4-Year-Old Before Boy's Beating Death, Jury Finds
The wife of a New York man convicted of murdering their 4-year-old foster son not only knew the boy was being abused in the months before his death, but played an active role in it, a jury found. Schenectady County resident Latrisha Greene, age 27, of Rotterdam, was found guilty on multiple charges of perjury and endangering the welfare of a child in Schenectady County Court on Friday, June 23. It came months after her husband, 29-year-old Dequan Greene, was sentenced to the maximum of 25 years to life in prison for second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter in the death of the…
News
Child Sex Abuse: Man From Region Engaged In Sexual Conduct With Victim Under Age 11, Police Say
A 25-year-old man from the region is facing sex crimes charges after allegedly sexually abusing a young child. Greene County resident Kenneth Ball, of East Durham, was arrested Friday, June 9, following a joint investigation by New York State Police and Greene County Child Protective Services. According to investigators, Ball was found to have engaged in sexual conduct with a child under the age of 11. He is facing the following charges: First-degree criminal sex act First-degree sex abuse Endangering the welfare of a child He was scheduled to be arraigned in Greene County Court on Monda…
Police & Fire
Police Officer In Hudson Valley Accused Of Sexual Assault Against Child, Rape
A 23-year-old police officer who was employed at two different agencies in New York has been been charged with sexual assault against a child, rape and two other offenses. New York State Police Latham Bureau of Criminal Investigation arrested Orange County resident John Kyle B. Dizon, age 23, of Cornwall, on Friday, June 9, and charged him with the following: Predatory sexual assault against a child, Criminal sexual act in the first degree, Rape in the first degree, Sexual abuse in the first degree. On Thursday, June 1, state police received information that an adult man had se…
News
'Evil' Stepmom Gets 25 Years For Freezing Death Of NY 8-Year-Old
More than three years after an 8-year-old boy froze to death inside the garage of his New York home, a second adult is heading to prison for his murder. Long Island resident Angela Pollina, age 45, of Center Moriches, received the maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, April 11. It followed her jury conviction for second-degree murder and other charges for her role in the death of Thomas Valva, her stepson. Earlier Report: Center Moriches Father's Ex-GF Convicted For Murder Of Boy Forced To Stay In Freezing Garage Valva died of …
News
‘Victim Of Me Too Movement’ Who Raped 11-Year-Old Girl In Region Gets Prison Time
A 33-year-old man from the region will spend decades behind bars for raping an 11-year-old girl. William Lindley, of Schenectady, was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Monday, March 13, in Schenectady County Court. It followed his conviction on multiple violent felonies, including first-degree criminal sex act, in January 2023. Prosecutors said Lindley fondled and subjected the victim to anal and oral sexual contact while the girl’s mother was at work. The assaults happened in Schenectady on a single day in June 2020. Schenectady Police began investigating in August 2021 when the child r…
News
NY Father's Ex-Girlfriend Convicted For Murder Of 8-Year-Old Forced To Stay In Freezing Garage
The former girlfriend of the father of an 8-year-old boy who died after being forced to live in the garage of a New York home amid freezing temperatures has been convicted of murder after a jury trial. On Friday afternoon, March 10, a jury found Long Island resident Angela Pollina, age 45, of Center Moriches, guilty of second-degree murder and other related charges, for her role in the death of Thomas Valva, who died of hypothermia in 2020 after Thomas and his 10-year-old brother Anthony were forced to sleep in an unheated car garage in below-freezing temperatures. For months…
News
Registered Sex Offender From Capital Region Rapes Child Under Age 13, Police Say
A registered sex offender from the region is accused of sexually assaulting a child. Saratoga County resident James Forgett, age 52, of Malta, was arrested Friday, March 3, following an investigation by State Police. Troopers were initially contacted in August 2022 with a report that an adult had physical and sexual contact with a child. Investigators determined that Forgett had sexual intercourse with a child beginning in 2017, when the victim was under the age of 13, police said. According to troopers, he was previously arrested for disseminating indecent material to a minor in 2019. …
News
Capital Region Man Sexually Abused Child, Sent Victim 'Indecent Material,' Police Say
A 22-year-old man from the region is facing charges after he allegedly sexually abused a child, authorities said. Columbia County resident Steven Kipp, of the town of Copake, was arrested Wednesday, Feb. 22 following an investigation by State Police. Troopers received a tip about possible sex crimes against a child in the town of Copake in January 2023. Investigators determined that Kipp sent “indecent material” and sexually abused a child under the age of 15, police said. Kipp faces the following charges: Disseminating Indecent Material to Minors - 1st degree (felony) Disseminating Ind…
News
Capital Region Man Sexually Abused Child For Years, Police Say
A 57-year-old man from the region is accused of sexually abusing a child over a period of years, authorities said. Greene County resident David Rollins, of Coxsackie, was arrested Sunday, Dec. 25, following a joint investigation by the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and State Police. The department was initially contacted Thursday, Dec. 22, with a report of an alleged sexual assault of a child, sheriff’s officials said. A subsequent investigation determined that Rollins had sexually abused the child for several years, beginning when the child was under the age of 11, according to police. …
News
'No More Bruises': NY Woman Took Part In Foster Boy’s Abuse Before His Murder, DA Says
The wife of a New York foster dad convicted of murdering their 4-year-old foster son not only knew the boy was being abused in the months before his death, but actively took part in it, prosecutors said. Schenectady County resident Latrisha Greene, age 27, of Rotterdam, was arraigned on multiple charges of perjury and endangering the welfare of a child in Schenectady County Court on Monday, Dec. 19. Earlier Report: 'Absolute Sociopath': Rotterdam Foster Dad Sentenced In Beating Death Of 4-Year-Old It came weeks after her husband, 29-year-old Dequan Greene, was sentenced to the maximum…
News
Ex
-nypd
Cop Sentenced For Murder Of 8-Year-Old Son
This story has been updated. Michael Valva, a former New York City Police Department officer, was sentenced for murdering his 8-year-old son on Long Island. Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney announced on Thursday, Dec. 8, that 45-year-old Michael Valva was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the death of his son, Thomas Valva. Thomas died in January of 2020 from hypothermia after his father forced him to sleep in a freezing garage, prosecutors said. Thomas' brother, Anthony, was also forced to spend the night in the garage with no heat, no bathroom …
News
'Absolute Sociopath': NY Foster Dad Sentenced In Beating Death Of 4-Year-Old
A New York foster dad will spend decades in prison for brutally beating his 4-year-old foster son to death. Schenectady County resident Dequan Greene, age 29, of Rotterdam, was sentenced to the maximum of 25 years to life in prison in Schenectady County Court on Tuesday, Dec. 6. It followed his September 2022 jury conviction of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter stemming from the death of Charlie Garay in December 2020. Investigators determined that Charlie and his 5-year-old brother were abused for months after being placed in the care of Greene and his wife, Latrisha, by…
News
Instagram Post Led To NY Man's Sentence For Sexually Abusing 2 Young Girls
A New York man’s trip to prison for sexually abusing two young girls all started with a post on Instagram, prosecutors said. Long Island resident Manuel Cedillo, age 43, of Levittown, was sentenced to an aggregate term of 30 years behind bars in Suffolk County Court on Friday, Dec. 2. It followed his September 2022 jury conviction of two counts of course of sexual conduct against a child, both violent felonies. According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Cedillo, who was known to the victims’ family, sexually abused two young sisters on separate occasions between 2011 and …
News
19-Year-Old Kidnapped 2 Young Girls From Capital Region Home, Sexually Abused 1, Police Say
A 19-year-old man is behind bars months after allegedly kidnapping two young girls from their Capital Region home and sexually abusing one, New York State Police said. The man, identified by WNYT as Yusef Illeez, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, was arrested Tuesday, Nov. 8, following a joint investigation that included State Police, Schenectady County Child Protective Services, and the FBI. According to police, Illeez kidnapped the girls - who were 9 and 11 - from their Schenectady home in January 2022 after meeting one girl online. He allegedly took them to a hotel, but brought the 9-year-old…
News
Ex
-nypd
Cop Convicted In Death Of 8-Year-Old Son Forced To Stay In Freezing Garage
A jury on Long Island convicted a former NYPD officer in the death of his 8-year-old son who was forced to stay in a freezing garage. Michael Valva, age 43, told authorities that the boy, Thomas Valva, had fallen in the driveway of his home in Center Moriches when he was found dead in the basement at around 9:40 a.m. Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. On Friday, Nov. 4, following a six-week trial in Riverhead, the jury found Michael Valva guilty of second-degree murder and four counts of child endangerment. Thomas Valva died from hypothermia after his father forced him to sleep in a freezing gara…
Police & Fire
Seen Him? Police, FBI Looking To Locate Man Wanted For Rape Of Minor In Hudson Valley
The New York State Police and the FBI are asking the public for help locating a man who allegedly raped a minor in the Hudson Valley. Jesus Torres, age 31, of Goshen, is wanted on an extraditable warrant for raping a female child in Orange County, said Trooper Steven Nevel. The Southern District of New York has also issued a warrant for Torres for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, Nevel said. Nevel said charges were filed against him on Tuesday, Oct. 18, but Torres has eluded capture. Torres is described as being 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds. He was last known to be in the are…
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