Tag:

Criminal Justice System

Bucks
News
Video Evidence Exonerates 16-Year-Old For Deadly SEPTA Shooting, DA Says Video Evidence Exonerates 16-Year-Old For Deadly SEPTA Shooting, DA Says
Video Evidence Exonerates 16-Year-Old For Deadly SEPTA Shooting, DA Says A Philadelphia teen who was previously charged in the murder of Tyshaun Welles has been cleared of any wrongdoing, the District Attorney's Office says.  Zaire Wilson, 16, was arrested shortly after Welles was shot at the 15th Street SEPTA Station in Center City on Jan. 11, police have said.  Eighteen-year-old Quadir Humphrey was also taken into custody for the shooting in a separate arrest, authorities said at the time.  Now, the District Attorney's Office says SEPTA surveillance video shows Wilson "was clearly not involved in the shooting and murder of Welles." The vid…

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by Mac Bullock
Yonkers
Police & Fire
Man Sucker-Punches Officer, Breaks His Nose In Yonkers: Police Man Sucker-Punches Officer, Breaks His Nose In Yonkers: Police
Man Sucker-Punches Officer, Breaks His Nose In Yonkers: Police Officials in a Westchester County city are calling for bail reform following the quick release of a man who was arrested for sucker punching an officer in his face and breaking his nose, police said. Johnny McCray, age 39, was arrested on Wednesday night, Sept. 6 on assault charges after punching an officer in the face, according to Yonkers Police.  On the night of the incident, police responded to Yonkers Avenue in the area of Cypress Street on reports of a man lying down on the sidewalk. There, arriving officers found a man identified as McCray, who they confirmed was still breathing.  …

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by Ben Crnic
Hudson
Police & Fire
Jersey City Man Wrongly Serving 30 Years For Mugging Victim's Murder Cleared After 16 Years Jersey City Man Wrongly Serving 30 Years For Mugging Victim's Murder Cleared After 16 Years
Jersey City Man Wrongly Serving 30 Years For Mugging Victim's Murder Cleared After 16 Years A Jersey City man serving a 30-year prison sentence for killing an elderly mugging victim in 2003 was released after state authorities re-examined the circumstances of his conviction. Dion Miller, 54, was released on Thursday, July 27, after 16 years behind bars thanks to a re-investigation that he requested from one of the nation’s first statewide conviction review units. Jurors in Jersey City had convicted Miller in 2007 of felony murder, robbery and weapons offenses in the death of 74-year-old Romeo Cavero outside a Van Nostrand Avenue senior citizens’ building in January 2003. Cavero w…

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by Jerry DeMarco
White Plains
News
Westchester Fatal Shootings: Review Into Deaths Of DJ Henry, Kenneth Chamberlain Concludes Westchester Fatal Shootings: Review Into Deaths Of DJ Henry, Kenneth Chamberlain Concludes
Westchester Fatal Shootings: Review Into Deaths Of DJ Henry, Kenneth Chamberlain Concludes A review of two fatal police-involved shootings in Westchester, including the death of former Pace University football player Danroy "DJ" Henry Jr., has concluded with no new evidence found to convene juries for either incident, officials said.  The independent reviews of the two incidents, which included the shooting deaths of DJ Henry and Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr. in 2010 and 2011, respectively, were announced to be concluded by Westchester District Attorney Miriam Rocah on Wednesday, July 26.  According to Rocah's office, the reviews both found no new evidence to resubmit n…

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by Ben Crnic
Mount Vernon
News
Criminal Investigation Into Mount Vernon PD Ends With No Charges: DA Criminal Investigation Into Mount Vernon PD Ends With No Charges: DA
Criminal Investigation Into Mount Vernon PD Ends With No Charges: DA This story has been corrected. Officials are seeking to reverse drug-related charges and convictions of 27 people after the Westchester District Attorney's Office found a number of inconsistencies and errors involved in their prosecution that were also related to a criminal investigation into a police department in the county.  A total of 27 individuals were either charged or convicted for allegedly selling drugs to a Westchester County Police/Department of Public Safety undercover officer during a 2017 narcotics operation conducted by the Mount Vernon Police Department, acco…

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by Ben Crnic
Baltimore
News
Officer Who Threatened To Choke, Kill Teen During Struggle In Baltimore Convicted Of Assault Officer Who Threatened To Choke, Kill Teen During Struggle In Baltimore Convicted Of Assault
Officer Who Threatened To Choke, Kill Teen During Struggle In Baltimore Convicted Of Assault A Baltimore Police Department officer who threatened to choke and kill a minor during an altercation could spend up to a decade behind bars with some of the criminals he helped lock up. On Wednesday, March 29, former BPD officer Maxwell Dundore was convicted by a Baltimore City judge of second-degree assault and misconduct in office following a 2020 incident involving then 17-year-old Bobby Adams. Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said that while on duty, in uniform on April 27, 2020, Dundore was working for the department when he was called to the 2800 block of Mayfield Avenue wit…

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by Zak Failla
Arlington
News
Serial Rapist Gets Life In Prison For Targeted Ground-Level Apartment Sexual Assaults In DC Serial Rapist Gets Life In Prison For Targeted Ground-Level Apartment Sexual Assaults In DC
Serial Rapist Gets Life In Prison For Targeted Ground-Level Apartment Sexual Assaults In DC A serial rapist was hit with two life sentenced for home invasion sexual assaults committed in Washington, DC three years apart, federal authorities announced. DC resident Ronald P. Berton, 48, will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being sentenced to life without the possible release, plus 27 years for a June 2010 home invasion and sexual assault. Additionally, a judge gave him a second life sentence without the possibility of release for an October 2007 home invasion and sexual assault of a second woman. Berton’s downfall came during an investigation into the 2010 sexual assa…

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by Zak Failla
Capital District
News
Inmate Beat, Choked Corrections Officer Unconscious At Rensselaer County Jail, Police Say Inmate Beat, Choked Corrections Officer Unconscious At Rensselaer County Jail, Police Say
Inmate Beat, Choked Corrections Officer Unconscious At Rensselaer County Jail, Police Say A jail inmate in the region is facing attempted murder charges stemming from a brutal, unprovoked attack on a corrections officer, authorities said. The incident happened Wednesday evening, Jan. 4, at the Rensselaer County jail in Troy, according to the sheriff’s office. Investigators said Matthew Fluty, of Troy, “maliciously” attacked the unsuspecting officer after taking his two-way radio to prevent him from calling for help. The officer was overpowered, beaten, and choked to the point of unconsciousness. Fluty then reportedly left the officer lying helpless on the jail’s upper-level flo…

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by Michael Mashburn
Capital District
News
Don't Say 'Inmate': NY Law Changes Term For Those Housed In State Prisons Don't Say 'Inmate': NY Law Changes Term For Those Housed In State Prisons
Don't Say 'Inmate': NY Law Changes Term For Those Housed In State Prisons Convicted criminals who spend time in New York prisons will no longer be officially referred to as “inmates.” Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a new law Monday, Aug. 8, that replaces the word “inmate” in state law with “incarcerated individual.” The governor’s office said the language change is meant to reduce stigma against people involved in the criminal justice system and eliminate barriers to opportunities that they face. “Individuals impacted by the criminal justice system have long noted that terms such as felon, inmate, prisoner, and convict dehumanize individuals and perpetuate the idea th…

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by Michael Mashburn
Bucks
Police & Fire
Convicted PA Murderer Who Was Supposed To Get Death Sentence Ran Drug Ring In Jail: DA Convicted PA Murderer Who Was Supposed To Get Death Sentence Ran Drug Ring In Jail: DA
Convicted PA Murderer Who Was Supposed To Get Death Sentence Ran Drug Ring In Jail: DA A convicted murderer in Pennsylvania who was supposed to get the death sentence was sentenced to nearly 10 to 40 years in state prison for running a drug ring inside a Bucks County jail, authorities announced Friday, April 22. Alfonso Sanchez, 40, was in the county correctional facility awaiting a retrial in a 2007 double homicide when he conspired with at least 10 others to smuggle suboxone from May 2020 to December 2020, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office said. An investigation by BCCF investigators and the Bucks County Detectives Drug Strike Force discovered that Sanchez was buy…

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by Nicole Acosta
Ulster Sullivan
News
Capitol Rioter From NY Accidentally Admits To More Felonies While Representing Himself In Court Capitol Rioter From NY Accidentally Admits To More Felonies While Representing Himself In Court
Capitol Rioter From NY Accidentally Admits To More Felonies While Representing Himself In Court A rioter from New York who participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol got himself in hotter water after representing himself in court and will now face fresh charges. Brandon Fellows, a 27-year-old former high school wrestling standout who attended Hudson Valley Community College, accidentally admitted to two more felonies. Original story - Ex-NY HS Wrestling Standout Who Smoked Pot In Senator's Office Says He Has No Regrets For Riot According to reports, Fellows admitted that he prepared for an evidentiary hearing, not a bond hearing as he appeared before the court “pr…

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by Zak Failla
Mount Pleasant
Police & Fire
Details Emerge On Drive-By Shooting With Multiple Injuries In Westchester Details Emerge On Drive-By Shooting With Multiple Injuries In Westchester
Details Emerge On Drive-By Shooting With Multiple Injuries In Westchester Four people were injured, one critically, in a drive-by shooting in Westchester that police said could potentially be gang-related. Shots rang out at approximately 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, June 11 at the intersection of Elm Street and Oak Street in Yonkers, a police spokesperson said, after a passenger in a passing vehicle stuck his head out of a window and opened fire in an incident caught on video. Original story - Multiple Gunshot Victims Reported By Police In Yonkers Yonkers Police Commissioner John Mueller said the incident appears to be related to gang activity and was not a random ac…

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by Zak Failla
Essex NJ
News
Feds: Ex-Con Shot Two Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Feds: Ex-Con Shot Two Victims Five Days Apart In Newark
Feds: Ex-Con Shot Two Victims Five Days Apart In Newark Surveillance video shows one of two shootings that federal authorities say were committed by a Newark ex-con who was caught with a loaded gun and 626 heroin folds. The victims were shot five days apart last August by Antoine Hawkins, a 31-year-old repeat offender with an extensive criminal record, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig said. Police nabbed Hawkins a month later and found him carrying a 9mm Springfield Armory XDM pistol loaded with 19 rounds, the U.S. attorney said. A warranted search of his home turned up the heroin, as well as three 9mm magazines, she said. Hawkins, who ha…

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by Jerry DeMarco
North Rockland
News
32-Year-Old Man Convicted Of Committing Violent Rape In Area 32-Year-Old Man Convicted Of Committing Violent Rape In Area
32-Year-Old Man Convicted Of Committing Violent Rape In Area A local man has been found guilty of committing a violent rape in 2019. Ulster County resident Andrew Sturgill, age 32, of the Village of Ellenville, was convicted on Tuesday, April 13, of unlawfully entering the victims’ home and having sexual intercourse with her while she was incapacitated, said Ulster County District Attorney David Clegg. It was the first jury trial conducted in the Ulster County Court since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The case arose from an incident that occurred on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019, in the Village of Ellenville.  Village of Ellenville police a…

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by Kathy Reakes
Gloucester
Police & Fire
Gloucester Ex-Convict Charged With Sexually Assaulting More Minors Gloucester Ex-Convict Charged With Sexually Assaulting More Minors
Gloucester Ex-Convict Charged With Sexually Assaulting More Minors A convicted sex offender who was sentenced last year to five years probation has been newly charged with sexually assaulting minors in two South Jersey counties,  authorities said. Scott Bicking, 54, of Paulsboro was charged Monday with sexual assault and endangering the welfare of child, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office. Bicking was being held in the Cumberland County Correctional Facility in Bridgeton after his Jan. 25 arrest by the Cumberland County Prosecutor’s Office. He was charged with the latest offenses out of Gloucester County while in jail and will…

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by Jon Craig
Atlantic
Police & Fire
Atlantic County Shooter Gets 40 Years In State Prison For Killing 1, Wounding 3 Atlantic County Shooter Gets 40 Years In State Prison For Killing 1, Wounding 3
Atlantic County Shooter Gets 40 Years In State Prison For Killing 1, Wounding 3 A 29-year-old man from South Jersey was sentenced to 40 years in state prison for a shooting at an Atlantic County apartment complex that left one man dead and three hurt, authorities said. Matthew Gonzalez of Mays Landing was convicted by a jury in March on multiple charges, including aggravated manslaughter, aggravated assault, weapons offenses, attempted bribery and witness tampering, according to Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner. Gonzalez must serve 21 years and three months in prison before being eligible for parole, Tyner said. The Sept. 24, 2017. fatal shooting stemmed…

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by Jon Craig
Suffolk NY
Politics
Cuomo Places Blame For NY Down-Ballot Democratic Losses On De Blasio Cuomo Places Blame For NY Down-Ballot Democratic Losses On De Blasio
Cuomo Places Blame For NY Down-Ballot Democratic Losses On De Blasio The war of words between Democratic rivals Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Gov. Bill de Blasio has escalated following some disappointing results for Democrats in this week’s elections. Cuomo blamed de Blasio for the state’s down-ballot difficulties in New York, arguing that the mayor’s job performance served as ammunition for the other side of the aisle in races on Long Island and upstate New York that went to Republicans. “The Democrats: there’ll be havoc like in New York City,” Cuomo said in an interview on WAMC Radio in Albany. “They ran de Blasio’s picture all over the state. They’…

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by Zak Failla
Rye
Politics
Westchester DA Tony Scarpino Concedes To Primary Challenger Mimi Rocah Westchester DA Tony Scarpino Concedes To Primary Challenger Mimi Rocah
Westchester DA Tony Scarpino Concedes To Primary Challenger Mimi Rocah Westchester County will have a new District Attorney come November. Incumbent District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr. conceded the Democratic Primary to former federal prosecutor and MSNBC analyst Mimi Rocah on Thursday, July 16. Scarpino’s concession comes more than three weeks after the primary on Tuesday, June 23, which was slowed by thousands of mail-in ballots that had to be counted due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. “I am tremendously honored to be able to declare victory today in the Democratic Primary for Westchester District Attorney after three weeks with more than…

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by Zak Failla
White Plains
Politics
Results So Far Point To Victory In Westchester DA Race, Rocah Campaign Says Results So Far Point To Victory In Westchester DA Race, Rocah Campaign Says
Results So Far Point To Victory In Westchester DA Race, Rocah Campaign Says Ballots are still being counted, but the Westchester County District Attorney’s race could already be decided, according to challenger Mimi Rocah. Rocha’s camp is declaring victory, saying that her winning margin on Election Day “leaves little hope for incumbent (District Attorney) Tony Scarpino" in what was expected to be a tight race. “With tens of thousands of paper ballots yet to be counted and a week for additional ballots to arrive, the results are not expected to be finalized for several weeks,” she wrote in an email. "However, the strength of her winning margin on Election Day …

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by Zak Failla
Warren Hunterdon
News
Meet Warren County's Next Acting Prosecutor, Former Superior Court Judge James Pfeiffer Meet Warren County's Next Acting Prosecutor, Former Superior Court Judge James Pfeiffer
Meet Warren County's Next Acting Prosecutor, Former Superior Court Judge James Pfeiffer Warren County law enforcement will soon have a new acting prosecutor: Former Superior Court Judge James Pfeiffer. The Lehigh Valley attorney will assume the role Nov. 1. Current Warren County Prosecutor Richard Burke, in the role since 2012, will take a position within the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability under New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. “Jim Pfeiffer has deep roots in Warren County, where he grew up and where he has had a very distinguished legal career," Grewal said.  "His three decades in private practice have included extensive work as both a crimi…

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by Cecilia Levine
DV Plus - Westchester
Politics
Westchester Congressman Not As Well-Known At Home As On House Floor Westchester Congressman Not As Well-Known At Home As On House Floor
Westchester Congressman Not As Well-Known At Home As On House Floor U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel has been drawing plenty of primetime national attention while holding congressional hearings and giving speeches about foreign policy and impeachment on the floor of the House of Representatives. Yet all of that anti-President Trump publicity has not translated into higher public opinion numbers back home in Westchester and the Bronx, according to a new poll from Data for Progress. Engel has been a member of Congress for more than three decades, yet half of all poll respondents could not name Engel’s ideology. And six of every 10 registered Democrats said they aren’t s…

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by Jon Craig
White Plains
News
10 High School Students Graduate While In Westchester County Custody 10 High School Students Graduate While In Westchester County Custody
10 High School Students Graduate While In Westchester County Custody County custody didn’t hold back the 10 students who received their high school diplomas at a commencement ceremony at Westchester County Department of Correction on Friday, July 12. The ceremony was held at the jail’s Albert Memorial Chapel and attended by family, mentors and other invited guests. Each of the students donned their bright blue caps and gowns while ‘Pomp and Circumstance’ played. Evangelist Vicki Mills and Sprain Brook Academy principal Dr. Michelle Darby started the ceremony with an invocation and opening remarks. Darby, holding back tears, made note of the close bonds forme…

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by Valerie Musson
White Plains
Police & Fire
New York State Police Will No Longer Release Most Mugshots New York State Police Will No Longer Release Most Mugshots
New York State Police Will No Longer Release Most Mugshots New Yorkers will soon have a more difficult time getting a look at the faces of alleged crimes. Due to a new state measure as part of the latest budget approval process pushed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York State Police announced on Wednesday that troopers and investigators will no longer release mugshots, nor will they be provided through the state Freedom of Information Law. New York State Police trooper James O’Callaghan, a spokesman for the department in western New York, issued a statement on Wednesday, April 10 confirming the change.  “Effective immediately, NYSP will NOT includ…

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by Zak Failla
Fairfield
News
Man Sentenced For Sexually Abusing Minor In Fairfield County Man Sentenced For Sexually Abusing Minor In Fairfield County
Man Sentenced For Sexually Abusing Minor In Fairfield County A Fairfield County man will spend time behind bars after pleading guilty to having sexual contact with his girlfriend’s daughter when she was 12. Adam Besaw, of Shelton, pleaded guilty this week under the Alford doctrine to second-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor for his role in an incident with the girl, which reportedly lasted until she was 14. An Alford plea is a guilty plea in criminal court, where the defendant doesn’t fully agree with the charges being levied against him. Besaw, who was 38 years old at the time of the initial encounter in 2017, reportedly had sex w…

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by Zak Failla
North Orange
Police & Fire
Complaints From Residents Lead To 13 Arrests For 'Open-Air' Drug Dealing Complaints From Residents Lead To 13 Arrests For 'Open-Air' Drug Dealing
Complaints From Residents Lead To 13 Arrests For 'Open-Air' Drug Dealing After receiving numerous complaints from City of Newburgh residents regarding "open-air " drug dealing, more than 10 people were arrested during a special operation by local law enforcement. In response to the complaints, members of the City of Newburgh Police Department and Orange County District Attorney’s Office Task Force conducted a narcotics operation on Thursday to address the growing problem, officials said. The operation concentrated on the area of Carson Avenue and William Street, which is a block of South Junior High School. The following were charged with misdemeanor …

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by Kathy Reakes
Southwest Dutchess
Police & Fire
28 Graduate Dutchess County’s Crisis Intervention Team Training 28 Graduate Dutchess County’s Crisis Intervention Team Training
28 Graduate Dutchess County’s Crisis Intervention Team Training A group of law enforcement officers has successfully completed Dutchess County’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training. The training is hosted by the Dutchess County Government, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH), the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department, and PEOPLe, Inc. as part of the Dutchess County Police Academy. The 28 graduates were recognized in a ceremony Friday, Nov. 30 at the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department on Tucker Drive.  Since the program’s 2015 inception, more than 300 law enforcem…

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by Valerie Musson