Hudson, NY
News
Former NY Public Defender Sentenced For Brutally Beating Ex-Girlfriend Former NY Public Defender Sentenced For Brutally Beating Ex-Girlfriend
Former NY Public Defender Sentenced For Brutally Beating Ex-Girlfriend A man who once defended New York residents against criminal charges is heading to prison for brutally beating his ex-girlfriend. Former Greene County assistant public defender Anthony Pastel was sentenced Friday, July 8, to seven years behind bars, the maximum sentence possible. It followed his guilty plea to felony assault charges stemming from an attack in the village of Athens in August 2020 that left his victim with multiple injuries, including a fractured skull and bleeding in her brain, according to the Greene County DA's office.  The victim spent eight days recovering at Albany…

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by Michael Mashburn
Hudson, NY
Police & Fire
Teens Steal Handgun From Woman Who Gave Them Ride To Store In Capital District, Police Say Teens Steal Handgun From Woman Who Gave Them Ride To Store In Capital District, Police Say
Teens Steal Handgun From Woman Who Gave Them Ride To Store In Capital District, Police Say After a Capital District woman gave two teenagers a ride to the store, they repaid her by stealing her handgun, according to New York State Police. Troopers in Greene County were called to Main Street in the town of Cairo on Monday, July 4, with reports of a stolen gun. The woman told troopers she had given the duo a ride to a local store, and had gone into the store to purchase some items. After dropping them off and returning home, she noticed that her .25 caliber Beretta handgun was missing from her purse, police said. Troopers determined that the teens had stolen the weapon and arrest…

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by Michael Mashburn
Hudson, NY
Police & Fire
Man, Two Women Face Drug Charges After Traffic Stop In Capital District Man, Two Women Face Drug Charges After Traffic Stop In Capital District
Man, Two Women Face Drug Charges After Traffic Stop In Capital District Three people are facing drug charges after police said a traffic stop in the Capital District led to the discovery of crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia.  Troopers in Greene County patrolling Catskill saw a 2006 Ford Fusion traveling east on Allen Street make a traffic violation at about 1:50 a.m. on Saturday, June 25, according to New York State Police. Authorities pulled the car over and saw the driver, later identified as 32-year-old Jessica Collazo, of Catskill, walking away from the Ford, police said. Collazo was ordered to return to the Ford, police reported. While she w…

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by Nicole Valinote
Clifton Park, NY
Police & Fire
Murder Suspect Accused Of Setting Fire To Capital District Business Murder Suspect Accused Of Setting Fire To Capital District Business
Murder Suspect Accused Of Setting Fire To Capital District Business A man already jailed on murder charges has been accused of setting fire to a Capital District business in 2017. Saratoga County Sheriff’s deputies began investigating after someone broke into Curtis Lumber on State Route 67 in the Town of Ballston after the business closed on Nov. 27, 2017. The suspect spent hours on the property sabotaging electrical and gas systems in several buildings, damaging computer systems, and tampering with the 911 system on a Verizon Wireless tower located on the property, according to police. He also set fire to a storage building that was filled with sub-floor…

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by Michael Mashburn
Hudson, NY
News
Woman Killed When Dump Truck Crashes Into Capital District Home, Starts Fire Woman Killed When Dump Truck Crashes Into Capital District Home, Starts Fire
Woman Killed When Dump Truck Crashes Into Capital District Home, Starts Fire A woman has died after an out-of-control dump truck slammed into a Capital District house, sparking a massive fire that destroyed two homes. Emergency crews in Greene County first got word of the crash at around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, when 911 callers reported a dump truck striking a home in Ashland, near State Route 23 and West Settlement Road. By the time police and firefighters arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flames and fire had spread to a neighboring home, according to the Greene County Sheriff’s Office. A group of workers who were in the area tried to rescue the woma…

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by Michael Mashburn
Hudson, NY
News
Capital District Man Admits To Attempt To Entice, Transfer Obscene Material To Minor Capital District Man Admits To Attempt To Entice, Transfer Obscene Material To Minor
Capital District Man Admits To Attempt To Entice, Transfer Obscene Material To Minor A Capital District man could spend decades in prison after admitting that he tried to engage in sex acts with a 14-year-old child. Greene County resident Thomas Squires, age 37, of Cairo, pleaded guilty Tuesday, June 14, to attempting to entice and transfer obscene material to a minor, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the North District. Squires admitted that in July and August 2020 he sent graphic, sexually explicit text messages to who he thought was the teen, but was actually an undercover investigator, prosecutors said. He also repeatedly asked the child for naked photos. The…

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by Michael Mashburn
Hudson, NY
Police & Fire
Capital District Man Busted Two Days In A Row On Weapons Charges Capital District Man Busted Two Days In A Row On Weapons Charges
Capital District Man Busted Two Days In A Row On Weapons Charges Police nabbed a Capital District man two days in a row for allegedly threatening people while wielding weapons. Greene County resident Garrett Dunbar Jr., age 31, of Catskill, first caught the attention of troopers at around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 4, according to New York State Police. That’s when officers got a report of a man threatening several people with a knife at The Inn at Leeds restaurant on Main Street in Leeds, police said. Dunbar fled the scene before police arrived, but troopers later found him walking along Main Street and determined he was the man they were looking for, po…

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by Michael Mashburn
Kingston, NY
Obituaries
20-Year-Old Hudson Valley Man Killed In Crash Remembered As Ex-Boy Scout Who Loved Outdoors 20-Year-Old Hudson Valley Man Killed In Crash Remembered As Ex-Boy Scout Who Loved Outdoors
20-Year-Old Hudson Valley Man Killed In Crash Remembered As Ex-Boy Scout Who Loved Outdoors A 20-year-old man who died in a two-vehicle crash is being remembered for his love of the outdoors and spending time with family. Ulster County resident Michael Bigler Jr., of Saugerties, died on Friday, June 3, in a crash on Route 9W in the Greene County town of Catskill, police said.  Earlier report - 20-Year-Old Killed In Route 9W Crash In Catskill Police reported that Bigler was the driver of 2003 Nissan Sentra that was traveling south when, for unknown reasons, the car crossed into the northbound lane and struck a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado. Bigler was pronounced dead at the …

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by Nicole Valinote
Hudson, NY
Business
Mom From Region Seeking Cancer Treatment Needs Help Keeping Family Farm Afloat Mom From Region Seeking Cancer Treatment Needs Help Keeping Family Farm Afloat
Mom From Region Seeking Cancer Treatment Needs Help Keeping Family Farm Afloat As a mother with a young daughter and co-owner of Johnk Family Farm in upstate New York, located in Greene County in the town of Greenville, Becky Johnk is used to balancing a lot of things in her life. What she did not expect was to be juggling another life major component: cancer. After going through “countless misdiagnoses and daily physical challenges,” Johnk was diagnosed with Chordoma in 2021, according to a GoFundMe organized in her honor. Chordoma is a rare form of cancer that originates in the bones of the skull base and spine, according to the Chordoma Foundation. The …

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by David Cifarelli
Hudson, NY
Police & Fire
20-Year-Old From Region Killed In Route 9W Crash 20-Year-Old From Region Killed In Route 9W Crash
20-Year-Old From Region Killed In Route 9W Crash A 20-year-old man was killed in a head-on crash on Route 9W in the region. Police in the Capital District responded to a two-vehicle crash in Greene County at about 4 p.m. on Friday, June 3 in the town of Catskill, according to New York State Police. Investigators found that a 2003 Nissan Sentra was southbound when, for unknown reasons, the car crossed into the northbound lane and struck a 2015 Chevrolet Silverado, police said.  State Police said the driver of the Nissan, identified as Michael Bigler Jr., of Saugerties, was declared dead at the scene. The driver of the Chevrolet, a 7…

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by Nicole Valinote
Hudson, NY
News
Hiker Dies After Fall In Capital District Hiker Dies After Fall In Capital District
Hiker Dies After Fall In Capital District A Hudson Valley woman has died after she reportedly fell while hiking in the Catskill Forest Preserve. Forest Rangers were first alerted of trouble at around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, May 22, with reports of a fallen hiker in Greene County, near Platte Clove Road in the Town of Hunter, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The woman, identified as a resident of Hopewell Junction in Dutchess County, was pronounced dead at the scene. Rangers conducted a technical rope to retrieve her body, DEC officials said. Her body was turned over to the Greene County Coroner, who wil…

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by Michael Mashburn
Albany, NY
Police & Fire
Teen Apprehended On I-87 In Stolen Vehicle After Fleeing From Troopers, State Police Say Teen Apprehended On I-87 In Stolen Vehicle After Fleeing From Troopers, State Police Say
Teen Apprehended On I-87 In Stolen Vehicle After Fleeing From Troopers, State Police Say A teenager was arrested in the region after attempting to flee from police in a stolen vehicle during a chase that started in Albany County and ended in Greene County. In Albany County, state police troopers on patrol shortly before 10 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18 received a report of a stolen vehicle that was traveling south on I-87 in the town of Coeymans. Troopers were able to locate the vehicle, a New York State Police spokesperson said, and when they attempted to pull over the driver, the teen failed to comply, prompting a pursuit. According to police, troopers chased the vehicle on I-87…

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by Zak Failla