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Leaders Of Gang Involved In Violent Shootings, Robberies In Hudson Valley Get Decades In Jail Leaders Of Gang Involved In Violent Shootings, Robberies In Hudson Valley Get Decades In Jail
Leaders Of Gang Involved In Violent Shootings, Robberies In Hudson Valley Get Decades In Jail Two high-ranking leaders of a violent gang involved in multiple violent incidents throughout Westchester will spend decades in prison, officials announced.  Bronx resident Dwight Reid, age 52, and Brooklyn resident Christopher Erskine, age 41, were both sentenced to 35 years in prison for their leadership of the Untouchable Gorilla Stone Nation Bloods Gang, a violent street and prison organization that has operated in Westchester County, other parts of New York State, and across the country, the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Tuesday, …

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by Ben Crnic
News
Officer Violently Attacked By Inmate At Hudson Valley Prison Officer Violently Attacked By Inmate At Hudson Valley Prison
Officer Violently Attacked By Inmate At Hudson Valley Prison An officer suffered serious injuries after an inmate attacked him in a stairwell at a maximum-security prison in Northern Westchester, officials said. The assault occurred on Monday, Nov. 18, just after 10:30 a.m., as inmates were returning to their cells from morning recreation, according to the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA). The incident began when an inmate was seen yelling in the stairwell between two cell blocks. The officer ordered the inmate to return to his cell, but he refused. When the officer approached and repeated the order,…

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by Ben Crnic
News
New Judge To Succeed Disgraced Predecessor Forced To Resign In Westchester New Judge To Succeed Disgraced Predecessor Forced To Resign In Westchester
New Judge To Succeed Disgraced Predecessor Forced To Resign In Westchester A municipality in Northern Westchester has announced its next city judge following the resignation of her predecessor, who was forced to resign after being charged with making sexual innuendos and inappropriate remarks to staff and attorneys on multiple occasions.  In an announcement on Wednesday, Nov. 20, the Peekskill Common Council revealed the selection of Sophia Trott as the next City Court Judge.  Trott will replace Reginald J. Johnson, who resigned from his position on Monday, Sept. 30 following formal charges filed against him by the New York State Comm…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Dealer Selling Near Entrance To Hudson Valley Schools Busted By Drug Task Force: Police Dealer Selling Near Entrance To Hudson Valley Schools Busted By Drug Task Force: Police
Dealer Selling Near Entrance To Hudson Valley Schools Busted By Drug Task Force: Police An alleged drug dealer was busted at his home steps away from two schools selling fentanyl and crystal meth in the region. Dutchess County resident William Frenza, age 59, of Pawling, was charged on Wednesday, Nov. 6, during a warrant search of his home by the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office Drug Task Force. According to Det. Sgt. Adam Harris of the Task Force agents had been working on an investigation into the sale of methamphetamine, also known as “crystal meth,” fentanyl, and other dangerous drugs in the town of Pawling for a significant amount of time.  Harri…

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by Kathy Reakes
Politics
Molinaro Says He Is 100 Percent Behind Plan To Deport Criminal Illegal Immigrants Molinaro Says He Is 100 Percent Behind Plan To Deport Criminal Illegal Immigrants
Molinaro Says He Is 100 Percent Behind Plan To Deport Criminal Illegal Immigrants Republican incumbent Rep. Marc Molinar (R-District 19) says he is 100 percent behind former President Donald Trump's plan to deport criminal illegal immigrants. "It doesn’t have to be complicated: if you have a criminal record and you’re here illegally, you should be deported and banned from re-entering the country," Molinaro said in an opinion piece in the Cortland Standard. He added: "These people have no place in America, and yet, Homeland Security estimates there are tens of thousands of thieves, rapists and murderers living among us." Molinaro's District 19 includes Broome, Chenango, …

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Capitol Riot: Former Brewster MTA Laborer Convicted Of Participating In Jan. 6 Breach, Capitol Riot: Former Brewster MTA Laborer Convicted Of Participating In Jan. 6 Breach,
Capitol Riot: Former Brewster MTA Laborer Convicted Of Participating In Jan. 6 Breach, A 35-year-old member of the Proud Boys from Westchester has been convicted of felony charges in connection to his participation in the deadly riot at the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, federal officials announced. White Plains resident William Pepe, formerly of the Dutchess County city of Beacon, was found guilty of charges related to his conduct during the Jan. 6 breach following a bench trial before US District Judge Timothy Kelly, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced on Wednesday, Oct. 23.  According to federal officials, on the morning of Jan. 6, 2…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Shooting Outside Home Of Former NY Gubernatorial Candidate Zeldin Nets Gunman 12 Years Shooting Outside Home Of Former NY Gubernatorial Candidate Zeldin Nets Gunman 12 Years
Shooting Outside Home Of Former NY Gubernatorial Candidate Zeldin Nets Gunman 12 Years The gunman in a broad daylight shooting that injured two teenagers outside the New York home of former Rep. Lee Zeldin will spend more than a decade behind bars. Long Island resident Noah Green, age 20, of Shirley, was sentenced to 12 years in prison plus five years of post-release supervision after pleading guilty to attempted murder and related charges. Prosecutors said Green was riding in a stolen SUV with another individual when they spotted three rival gang members walking along Saint George Drive West in Shirley at around 2:20 p.m. on Oct. 9, 2022. Earlier Report: Gunman Admit…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
New Details: State Failed 'Committed Mother' Stabbed To Death At NY Home, Family Says New Details: State Failed 'Committed Mother' Stabbed To Death At NY Home, Family Says
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…

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by Michael Mashburn & Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Drug Task Force Nabs 3 Hudson Valley Dealers In Warrant Takedown: Police Drug Task Force Nabs 3 Hudson Valley Dealers In Warrant Takedown: Police
Drug Task Force Nabs 3 Hudson Valley Dealers In Warrant Takedown: Police Three alleged Hudson Valley cocaine and fentanyl dealers were busted during a warrant takedown following an investigation sparked by residents' complaints. The incident occurred in Dutchess County on Thursday, Oct. 3, in the 400 and 500 blocks of Main Street in Poughkeepsie, said the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office Drug Task Force. According to Det. Sgt. Adam Harris of the task force, the investigation began after numerous community members reported this activity to the unit.  "Complaints included narcotic and dangerous drug sales taking place at all hou…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Accused Murderer Ranted About Pronouns, Trump Before Ex-Wife, Her BF Were Slain In NY Home Accused Murderer Ranted About Pronouns, Trump Before Ex-Wife, Her BF Were Slain In NY Home
Accused Murderer Ranted About Pronouns, Trump Before Ex-Wife, Her BF Were Slain In NY Home New details are offering insight into the mind of an accused murderer just hours before he allegedly gunned down his ex-wife and her boyfriend inside their New York home. The Long Island killings happened in St. James, at a residence on Brasswood Road, at around 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28. Suffolk County Police said Daniel Coppola, age 50, put his 15-year-old daughter into his car before going inside and shooting his ex-wife, 50-year-old Kelly Coppola, and her boyfriend, 53-year-old Kenneth Pohlman. Earlier Report: Man Kills Ex-Wife, Her BF At St. James Home, Police Say Both vic…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Adult Film Actor From NY Accused Of Distributing Child Pornography Adult Film Actor From NY Accused Of Distributing Child Pornography
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…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
'More Playtime': Rex Heuermann Used 'Planning Document' To Guide Gilgo Beach Murders, DA Says 'More Playtime': Rex Heuermann Used 'Planning Document' To Guide Gilgo Beach Murders, DA Says
'More Playtime': Rex Heuermann Used 'Planning Document' To Guide Gilgo Beach Murders, DA Says New details are shedding light on the lengths that accused Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann went to in hopes of getting away with his alleged murder spree. The 60-year-old Long Island resident, of Massapequa Park, was arraigned on two more charges of second-degree murder in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, June 6, in the killings of Jessica Taylor and Sandra Costilla. Heuermann was previously charged with the murders of four Gilgo Beach victims: Melissa Barthelemy, Megan Waterman, Amber Lynn Costello, and Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Earlier Report: Gilgo Beach Murders: Suspect …

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by Michael Mashburn