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Purple Gun Bandit: NY Man Pleads Guilty In Gas Station Robbery
A New York man caught on camera using a purple handgun to rob a gas station has pleaded guilty, authorities said Thursday, April 9.
Nicholas Dodge, 31, held up a Sunoco gas station in Brunswick on Dec. 1, 2025, according to the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s office.
Dodge threatened an employee with the weapon, demanded and obtained money from the clerk, then fled on foot, police said. He was located shortly afterward and arrested in a traffic stop.
After pleading guilty to first-degree robbery, Dodge was sentenced to 10 years in prison and five years of probation, prosecutors said.
Footlong Fright: Pipe-Wielding Robber Admits To NY Subway Stickup, Authorities Say
An Albany man has admitted to storming a Subway restaurant with a metal pipe, threatening workers, and stealing cash during a daytime robbery, authorities said Wednesday, April 8.
Justin Johnson, 39, pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery for the January incident, the Albany County District Attorney’s office said.
Johnson burst into a Subway on New Scotland Ave. around 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 11 while holding a metal pipe, investigators said. He raised the pipe above his head, threatened two employees, and demanded money, according to police.
He made off with $300 before leaving the store but wa…
Firefighter Who Slammed Ex To Floor, Hit Her In NY Gets Probation, DA Says
A Westchester firefighter convicted of assaulting his then-girlfriend in a violent domestic attack has been sentenced, prosecutors announced.
Joseph Apostoli, 46, of the Fairview Fire Department in Greenburgh, received three years of probation with domestic violence conditions on Monday, Sept. 15, according to the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
The DA’s Office had sought a period of “shock probation,” which would have included jail time, but Judge James McCarty denied the request.
Following a non-jury trial in June, McCarty convicted Apostoli of two counts of third-de…
No Prison For Rensselaer Teacher Who Confessed To Having Child Pornography
A former New York teacher dodged prison after confessing to possessing child pornography.
Justin Covell, 32, of Cropseyville, was sentenced to 10 years of probation in Rensselaer County Court on Tuesday, Sept. 9, after pleading guilty to possessing a sexual performance by a child, a felony.
It was not immediately clear if any of the victims depicted in the illicit material were students.
Covell, a former social studies teacher at Berlin Middle-High School, must also register as a sex offender.
A 2011 graduate of the district, Covell previously worked as a student teacher, substitute, and…
Marijuana Birthday Cake Found With NY Dad, Infant Daughter, Teen Son In Car On PA Road: DA
A marijuana-laced birthday cake with a man’s name on it — and two children in the car — has landed a New York father on probation in Pennsylvania, officials said.
Rylan Matthew Manuel LaForest, 22, of Lockwood, New York, was sentenced to 24 months of probation for Corruption of Minors, Bradford County District Attorney Richard Wilson announced on Sunday, July 6.
The charges followed a November 2024 investigation by Athens Township Police Officer Thomas J. VanFleet Jr., who found LaForest parked with his 21-month-old daughter and a 14-year-old boy.
Inside the vehicle, police discovered mari…
Ex-Trooper Admits Shooting Himself, Blaming 'Dark-Skinned Man' Triggering Multi-State Manhunt
A now-former New York State Police trooper admitted he shot himself and then fabricated a story about being ambushed on a Long Island highway, triggering a massive, multi-state manhunt.
Thomas Mascia, 27, of West Hempstead, pleaded guilty to making a false report and tampering with evidence in Nassau County Court on Wednesday, May 21, stemming from an incident on the Southern State Parkway.
Mascia admitted he staged the scene on Oct. 30, 2024, by shooting himself in the leg with a .22 caliber rifle, scattering shell casings on the roadway, and then calling in a false emergency claiming he …
Father-Daughter Duo Who Stole $230K From Elderly Victim In Hudson Valley Dodges Prison
A father and daughter who scammed a 92-year-old woman out of more than $230,000 in Ulster County won’t spend a day in prison.
Frank Whittaker, 56, of Kingston, and his daughter, Christine Ellsworth, 39, of Accord, were sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution in Ulster County Court on Tuesday, March 4.
The daddy-daughter duo gained the victim’s trust by helping with yard work and household tasks, according to the New York Attorney General’s office. Over time, Whittaker convinced the woman to grant him Power of Attorney over her finances.
But instead of managing her money resp…
dFormer Corrections Officer From Region Sentenced For Tampering With Records, Harassment
A former Rockland County corrections officer has been sentenced to probation after admitting to falsifying records and exposing himself to a female inmate while on duty, prosecutors announced.
John Kezek, 39, of Knoxville, Tennessee, formerly of Florida, New York, was sentenced following his guilty plea to tampering with public records and official misconduct, said Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Walsh.
The sentencing occurred on Thursday, Dec. 19.
As part of his guilty plea, Kezek admitted to falsifying records at the Rockland County Correctional Facility and exposing himself to …
DMV Nabs Trio Running Unlicensed Used Car Dealership In Region
Following a two-year investigation, three men were nabbed running an alleged unlicensed used car dealership in the region.
In Dutchess County, the trio -- Raed Nesheiwat, age 57; Lakeia Parker, age 41, and Marceise Livesay, age 26 -- were arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 13, in Poughkeepsie.
According to Water McClure of the state Division of Motor Vehicles, the investigation found that the three sold more than 150 vehicles out of a building and parking lot at 20-22 Pershing Ave., in Poughkeepsie, without a legitimate dealer license.
The Dutchess County Grand Jury has charged the men, who are a…
Rental Home Owners Dodge Jail After NY Fire That Killed 2 Sisters
A husband and wife will avoid jail after admitting fault in a fire at their New York vacation rental that killed two sisters.
On Long Island, Peter Miller, age 56, and Pamela Miller, age 55, were each sentenced to community service in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, Nov. 7, in the deaths of Lindsay and Jillian Wiener, CBS New York reports.
The 19-year-old Lindsay and 21-year-old Jillian, both of Potomac, Maryland, were vacationing with their brother and parents at the Millers’ Noyac home when the blaze broke out on the morning of Aug. 3, 2022.
Earlier Report: Sisters On Vacation K…
Woman From Region Gets 6 Months In Jail For Double-Fatal Hit-Run Crash
A woman has been sentenced to six months in jail for the double-fatal, hit-and-run crash in the region.
Orange County resident Angela Fischl, age 25, of Newburgh, pleaded guilty to two counts of leaving the scene of an incident resulting in death on Tuesday, Oct. 15,
Following her plea, she was sentenced to five years probation and six months in the Ulster County Jail. Her driver’s license was also revoked, said Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji.
The plea and sentence are in connection to the Friday, March 1, hit-and-run resulting in the deaths of Ulster County residents…
Assisted Suicide Case In Region: Arizona Resident Convicted Of Manslaughter
An out-of-state man has been convicted of manslaughter in connection with the assisted suicide death of a woman in a Hudson Valley hotel room.
Stephen Miller, age 85, of Tucson, Arizona, was sentenced to five years of probation on Tuesday, Sept. 3, in Ulster County Court in Kingston.
The conviction is in connection with the Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023, death of a woman found unresponsive by the cleaning staff at the Super 8 Motel in Kingston, said Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji.
According to Nneji, the Kingston Police Department, Fire Department, and other emergency person…
