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Police & Fire
Man Scammed $80K From Hudson Valley Woman He Met On Dating App, DA Says Man Scammed $80K From Hudson Valley Woman He Met On Dating App, DA Says
Man Scammed $80K From Hudson Valley Woman He Met On Dating App, DA Says A Hudson Valley man has been charged with grand larceny for allegedly bilking at least $80,000 from a woman he met on the dating app Bumble. Michael Benedetto, age 21, who is currently without a residence, was charged on Wednesday, July 19 in the town of New Windsor Justice Court with grand larceny for having defrauded a woman he had been dating, said Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler. It is alleged that Benedetto had defrauded the victim by telling her a series of lies that induced her to give him money under false pretenses, Hoovler said. An investigation found…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Update: Hudson Valley Teen Stabbed To Death ID'd Update: Hudson Valley Teen Stabbed To Death ID'd
Update: Hudson Valley Teen Stabbed To Death ID'd Police have identified a teen who died from a stab wound during an incident in the Hudson Valley that left two others seriously injured.  Orange County resident Destin Rabess, age 18, of Montgomery was killed around 2:30 a.m., Wednesday, July 12 in Port Jervis. Port Jervis Police learned of the death and injured when they responded to Bon Secours Community Hospital located at 160 East Main St., Port Jervis, for a report of three patients in the emergency department with stab wounds, said Lt. Christopher Sargente with the Port Jervis Police.  Police initiated a…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Street Melee Leaves 1 Dead, 2 Injured In Hudson Valley Street Melee Leaves 1 Dead, 2 Injured In Hudson Valley
Street Melee Leaves 1 Dead, 2 Injured In Hudson Valley One person is dead and two others are reportedly injured following a street melee in a Hudson Valley city. The incident took place in Orange County during the early morning hours on Wednesday, July 12 in Port Jervis, said the Port Jervis City Police Department. Little information was released about the incident which reportedly involved a group of teens and young adults in the area of Jersey Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue. Port Jervis Police said they are actively investigating the stabbing death of a person who has not been identified pending notification of family members. The departmen…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Fentanyl Bust: 900 Bags Of Drug Seized During Search Of Hudson Valley Home Fentanyl Bust: 900 Bags Of Drug Seized During Search Of Hudson Valley Home
Fentanyl Bust: 900 Bags Of Drug Seized During Search Of Hudson Valley Home Some 900 bags of fentanyl were seized during a warrant search of a Hudson Valley home following a four-month investigation.  The incident took place in Orange County in the town of Middletown on Wednesday, June 7, said Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler and Orange County Sheriff Paul Arteta. As alleged in charging documents filed and comments made in court, on Wednesday, police officers executed a search warrant at a home in Middletown.  During the search, police recovered approximately 900 bags of fentanyl worth $13,500, various amounts of oxycodone, al…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Drug Bust: 4 Charged With Trafficking Cocaine, Meth In Hudson Valley Drug Bust: 4 Charged With Trafficking Cocaine, Meth In Hudson Valley
Drug Bust: 4 Charged With Trafficking Cocaine, Meth In Hudson Valley Three men and one woman from the Hudson Valley face numerous charges related to the sale and possession of cocaine and methamphetamine after their residences were searched. The four defendants were charged with trafficking the narcotics in the Orange County town of Warwick and the village of Greenwood Lake, as well as surrounding areas, Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced on Friday, May 26.  The arrests stemmed from a five-month investigation during which undercover investigators would purchase large quantities of narcotics from individuals in Warwick and Gr…

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by Ben Crnic
News
2 Buses Of Asylum Seekers Arrive At Hudson Valley Hotel Despite Promises By NYC Mayor 2 Buses Of Asylum Seekers Arrive At Hudson Valley Hotel Despite Promises By NYC Mayor
2 Buses Of Asylum Seekers Arrive At Hudson Valley Hotel Despite Promises By NYC Mayor Two buses of asylum seekers arrived at a Hudson Valley hotel despite assurances from New York City Mayor Eric Adams that he would not send them. The estimated 60 migrants arrived in Orange County at the Crossroads Hotel in Newburgh at 10:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. on Thursday, May 11. The arrival sparks a new fire in the ongoing battle between Orange and Rockland counties with Mayor Adams in connection with the arrival of migrants to the Hudson Valley for four months. "Last night, both the state and city assured the Town of Newburgh and Orange County that no buses with asylum seekers would be…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Active Shooter Threat At Hudson Valley HS Unfounded, Lockdown Lifted, Police Say Active Shooter Threat At Hudson Valley HS Unfounded, Lockdown Lifted, Police Say
Active Shooter Threat At Hudson Valley HS Unfounded, Lockdown Lifted, Police Say A lockdown has just been lifted at a Hudson Valley high school following a threat of an active shooter. The incident took place in Orange County on Wednesday, April 26 at Pine Bush High School at 156 Route 302 in Pine Bush. According to district school officials, the school went into lockdown earlier Wednesday after a report of an active shooter on the campus. When the incident occurred, the Crawford Police Department, state police, and the Orange County Sheriff's Office responded to the school. "They (police) are going through the building to clear it, room by room, accounting for all st…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Triple-Fatal Fire: Victims Found Inside Hudson Valley Home After Blaze Breaks Out Triple-Fatal Fire: Victims Found Inside Hudson Valley Home After Blaze Breaks Out
Triple-Fatal Fire: Victims Found Inside Hudson Valley Home After Blaze Breaks Out Updated story - Triple-Fatal Fire IDs: Victims Were All Members Of Young Family In Hudson Valley Three people were found dead inside a Hudson Valley home following a blaze that destroyed the residence. The fire took place in Orange County around 12:55 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 23 at 44 Highland Ave., in the village of Monroe. According to Monore Police Chief Darwin Guzman, members of the Monroe Police Department, along with members from the district responded to a reported house fire. When they arrived on the scene they found a fully engulfed house fire, Guzman said. Neighbors informed of…

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Man Stabbed During Fight At Hudson Valley Gas Station, Police Say Man Stabbed During Fight At Hudson Valley Gas Station, Police Say
Man Stabbed During Fight At Hudson Valley Gas Station, Police Say A 47-year-old man was stabbed during an altercation with another man at a Hudson Valley gas station. The incident took place in Orange County around 8 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 14 at the Mobil gas station on Route 52 in the hamlet of Pine Bush. Town of Crawford Police said the Pine Bush man was at the gas station with another person when he suffered stab wounds. The "unknown" person left the area in a vehicle and the victim walked to a residence near Borden Avenue, police said. The victim was transported to Garnet Hospital by Pine Bush Ambulance with non-life-threatening…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Huge Brawl After Hudson Valley HS Basketball Game Triggers Large Police Response Huge Brawl After Hudson Valley HS Basketball Game Triggers Large Police Response
Huge Brawl After Hudson Valley HS Basketball Game Triggers Large Police Response A huge brawl involving fans following a high school basketball game in the Hudson Valley triggered a large police response. The incident took place in Orange County at Valley Central High School in the town of Montgomery around 8:10 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 31. As the game between Valley Central High School and Newburgh Free Academy ended, the fights started in the gym, said Montgomery Police Chief John Hank. School resource officers immediately requested additional backup as Orange County 911 was overwhelmed with calls reporting the fights and some reported that someone had a weapon, the chief…

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by Kathy Reakes
Obituaries
'Most Difficult News': Police Department In Northern Westchester Mourns Death Of Officer 'Most Difficult News': Police Department In Northern Westchester Mourns Death Of Officer
'Most Difficult News': Police Department In Northern Westchester Mourns Death Of Officer A police department in Northern Westchester is mourning the sudden loss of one of its own.  Gregory Jones, an officer with the Peekskill Police Department, died on Thursday, Nov. 24 at the age of 48, according to his obituary.  A native of Orange County, Jones was born and raised in Middletown and earned his bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill before beginning his law enforcement career with the Orange County Sheriff's Office, his obituary said.  Jones later transferred to the Peekskill Police Department, where he stayed for…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Hudson Valley Fire Department Lieutenant Admits To Being Major Drug Trafficker Hudson Valley Fire Department Lieutenant Admits To Being Major Drug Trafficker
Hudson Valley Fire Department Lieutenant Admits To Being Major Drug Trafficker A former Hudson Valley fire lieutenant has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to operating as a major drug trafficker. Orange County resident Paul Smith, age 52, of Deerpark, was sentenced to 10 to 25 years on Wednesday, Nov. 16, said Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler. Smith, a paid lieutenant with the city of Middletown Fire Department at the time of his arrest, was also sentenced to five years post-release supervision, the DA's Office said. The former firefighter was nabbed during an undercover investigation dubbed “Operation Bread, White, and Blues," in February …

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by Kathy Reakes