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Hudson Valley Funeral Home Director Sentenced For Defrauding Clients Hudson Valley Funeral Home Director Sentenced For Defrauding Clients
Hudson Valley Funeral Home Director Sentenced For Defrauding Clients A former Rockland County funeral home owner has been sentenced to two to six years in state prison for defrauding customers. Leonard Scarr, age 55, of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, the former owner of the Scarr Funeral Home in Suffern, was sentenced on Wednesday, March 2, said Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh. Scarr pleaded guilty last year to two counts of grand larceny and other crimes in connection with the theft of more than $531,000 from some 90 clients who provided him with down payments for funerals and burials for themselves or loved ones. The son of a former Suffern m…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Bookkeeper In Hudson Valley Accused Of Stealing $83K From Employer Bookkeeper In Hudson Valley Accused Of Stealing $83K From Employer
Bookkeeper In Hudson Valley Accused Of Stealing $83K From Employer A Hudson Valley bookkeeper has been charged with allegedly stealing more than $83,000 from her employer. Rockland County resident Margarita Guina, age 48, of Nanuet, was arraigned on Monday, Jan. 24 following an investigation that she used her position to steal funds from her employer, said Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh. Guina, who worked as a bookkeeper for Rockland Tree Experts/Wickes Arborists, was indicted on 31 counts by a Rockland County grand jury.  According to the District Attorney's Office, Guina was employed as the bookkeeper from&nbs…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Deputy Mayor In Hudson Valley Indicted On Dozens Of Felony Charges Deputy Mayor In Hudson Valley Indicted On Dozens Of Felony Charges
Deputy Mayor In Hudson Valley Indicted On Dozens Of Felony Charges A deputy mayor in the Hudson Valley has been indicted on a host of charges following his arrest on gun possession charges earlier this year. In Rockland, Brian Downey, age 47, the deputy mayor of the Village of Airmont is facing dozens of felony charges following a federal, county, and local law enforcement investigation into the purchase of illegal gun parts. Downey was indicted by a Rockland County Grand Jury on these charges:
 First-degree criminal possession of a weapon; Twelve counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon under penal law §265.02(2); Nineteen counts of third…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Treasurer Pleads Guilty To Stealing $37K From Hudson Valley Fire Department, DA Says Treasurer Pleads Guilty To Stealing $37K From Hudson Valley Fire Department, DA Says
Treasurer Pleads Guilty To Stealing $37K From Hudson Valley Fire Department, DA Says A Hudson Valley fire department treasurer has pleaded guilty to stealing more than $37,000 from the department's coffers Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh announced Tuesday, Dec. 14, the plea of guilty by Christopher Nau, a Spring Valley Volunteer Firefighter to grand larceny. Nau was the treasurer for the Columbian Engine Company and served as the Assistant Treasurer for the Spring Valley Fire Department, the DA's Office said. As a condition of the plea, the defendant will be required to pay back the entirety of the funds taken from Spring Valley Fire Department and Columbian En…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Man Admits To Rape Of Employee At Sub Shop In Area Man Admits To Rape Of Employee At Sub Shop In Area
Man Admits To Rape Of Employee At Sub Shop In Area A man has pleaded guilty to the rape of an employee at a Jersey Mike's Sub store. Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh announced the guilty plea on Friday, Nov. 5, by a Paterson New Jersey man which stems from a December 2019 incident. Jonathan Valencia, age 37, a manager at the Clarkstown store sexually abused the victim while an employee, said Chief of Detectives Peter Walker for the Rockland County District Attorney's Office. Valencia is expected to be sentenced in February 2022 to one-and-a-half years’ state prison. He will be required to register as a sex offender pur…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Mother Pleads Guilty In Death Of 1-Year-Old Son In Hudson Valley Mother Pleads Guilty In Death Of 1-Year-Old Son In Hudson Valley
Mother Pleads Guilty In Death Of 1-Year-Old Son In Hudson Valley A Hudson Valley woman admitted to her role in the death of her 1-year-old son. Rockland County resident Marie Dorleus, age 36, of Spring Valley, pleaded guilty to one count of criminally negligent homicide following the investigation stemming from the June 2021 investigation into the death of her son. Original story - Mother Indicted In Connection To Death Of 1-Year-Old Son In Hudson Valley Dorleus admitted that on Saturday, June 19, she left her three children unsupervised for several hours in their Rockland County home, and while they were alone, Dorleus’ 1-year-old child got stuck …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Suspect At Large After Overnight Shooting In Area Injures One Suspect At Large After Overnight Shooting In Area Injures One
Suspect At Large After Overnight Shooting In Area Injures One An investigation is underway after a person was hospitalized following an overnight shooting in the area. It happened around 2:25 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 2 in Rockland County in the Village of Nyack in the area of the Riverspace Municipal Parking lot and Artopee Way. Orangetown Police officers patrolling in the area reported that they had heard multiple gunshots fired and responded.  Officers located one victim, a 34-year-old man who sustained two non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, Orangetown Police said. Officers on the scene requested an ambulance and then re…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Deputy Mayor In Hudson Valley Nabbed With 16 Assault Weapons, Fake FBI IDs Deputy Mayor In Hudson Valley Nabbed With 16 Assault Weapons, Fake FBI IDs
Deputy Mayor In Hudson Valley Nabbed With 16 Assault Weapons, Fake FBI IDs A local government official in the Hudson Valley is facing multiple weapons charges after police say they discovered an arsenal of guns in his home. Airmont Deputy Mayor Brian Downey, age 47, was arrested on Friday, Sept. 3, after Rockland County authorities were alerted by the Department of Homeland Security that he had purchased an illegal rifle suppressor over the internet. During a search of his home by investigators from numerous departments, agents found 16 assault weapons and 13 silencers, along with a large stash of fake federal IDs, including FBI credentials, said the Rockland Cou…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Ex-Business Owner From Area Admits To Stealing $531K From Clients Ex-Business Owner From Area Admits To Stealing $531K From Clients
Ex-Business Owner From Area Admits To Stealing $531K From Clients The former owner of a Hudson Valley funeral home has pleaded guilty to two counts of grand larceny and other crimes in connection with the theft of more than $531,000 from some 90 clients. Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh announced the plea by Leonard Scarr, who owned Scarr Funeral Home in Suffern, on Wednesday, July 28. Scarr, the son of a former Suffern mayor Leonard A. Scarr, and a third-generation funeral home owner, admitted to defrauding just two of the 90 victims and stealing more than $3,000 under a plea agreement, said the DA's Office. He was indicted following an …

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Four Charged, Two Arrest Warrants Pending In Fatal Hudson Valley Fire, DA Says Four Charged, Two Arrest Warrants Pending In Fatal Hudson Valley Fire, DA Says
Four Charged, Two Arrest Warrants Pending In Fatal Hudson Valley Fire, DA Says Four people have been arrested, including two facing manslaughter charges, and two others face arrest warrants in connection with a fatal fire at a Rockland County home for elderly residents. The arrests were announced on Tuesday, June 29 by Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Walsh during a press conference following a three-month investigation into the Tuesday, March 23, fire at Evergreen Court Home for Adults in Spring Valley. The fire, which caused the building to partially collapse, killed Spring Valley Volunteer Firefighter Jared Lloyd as he was rescuing residents and a 79-year-…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Teen Found Lying In Roadway Dead From Multiple Gunshots In Area, Police Say Teen Found Lying In Roadway Dead From Multiple Gunshots In Area, Police Say
Teen Found Lying In Roadway Dead From Multiple Gunshots In Area, Police Say An 18-year-old teen was found shot dead lying in a Hudson Valley roadway. The shooting took place around 9:50 p.m., Monday, May 31, in Rockland County. A Spring Valley Police officer was on patrol on Crispus Attucks Road and heard multiple gunshots in the area, Detective Matthew Galli said. Responding officers found a male lying in the roadway on Rose Avenue where he was pronounced dead, Galli said. The teen suffered from multiple gunshot wounds. Police from numerous agencies were called in to help due to a large crowd in the area at the time of the shooting, he added. Anyone with info…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Girl Killed In Single-Vehicle Crash Involving Drunk Driver On Route 202 In Area, Police Say Girl Killed In Single-Vehicle Crash Involving Drunk Driver On Route 202 In Area, Police Say
Girl Killed In Single-Vehicle Crash Involving Drunk Driver On Route 202 In Area, Police Say Click here for an updated story: Community Rallies To Support Family Of HS Student Killed In Crash A girl was killed in a single-vehicle crash in the area in which the driver, also a teen, was allegedly driving drunk. It happened around 2:50 a.m. Saturday, April 24 in Rockland County on Route 202 in the Village of Montebello. The vehicle struck a utility pole, causing power disruption in the area, Ramapo Police said. Responding patrol officers observed the vehicle, which had been occupied by five juveniles, flipped over on its side, according to police. Four of the occ…

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by Joe Lombardi