Threats To Son Lead To Goshen Man's More Than Decade-Long Sentence: DA Threats To Son Lead To Goshen Man's More Than Decade-Long Sentence: DA
Threats To Son Lead To Goshen Man's More Than Decade-Long Sentence: DA A 47-year-old Orange County father's threatening text messages to his son set off a chain of events that has now landed him behind bars for more than a decade, prosecutors said. Justin Babik, age 47, of Goshen, was sentenced on Tuesday, Aug. 26, to 15 years in state prison and five years of post-release supervision after being convicted of illegally possessing a loaded firearm while on parole, Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced on Wednesday, Aug. 27.  The case began on May 8, 2024, when Babik got into an argument with his son around noon and followed up with threat…
From Mexico To Orange County: 7 Linked To Fatal Newburgh Shooting, Drug, Gun Pipeline, Feds Say From Mexico To Orange County: 7 Linked To Fatal Newburgh Shooting, Drug, Gun Pipeline, Feds Say
From Mexico To Orange County: 7 Linked To Fatal Newburgh Shooting, Drug, Gun Pipeline, Feds Say Federal prosecutors have unsealed a sweeping indictment charging seven men with operating a violent drug trafficking and racketeering network that they say stretched from Mexico to the Hudson Valley, NY, and left an innocent bystander dead in Orange County.  The case, prosecuted in White Plains federal court, charges the men with narcotics distribution and importation, racketeering conspiracy, murder, firearms trafficking, and related crimes tied to years of activity in Middletown, Newburgh, and beyond, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Tue…
Kilos Of Cocaine, Gun Seized In Middletown Storage Unit Of 'Major Narcotics Trafficker': DA Kilos Of Cocaine, Gun Seized In Middletown Storage Unit Of 'Major Narcotics Trafficker': DA
Kilos Of Cocaine, Gun Seized In Middletown Storage Unit Of 'Major Narcotics Trafficker': DA A 53-year-old man is facing up to 25 years to life in prison after being convicted on charges connected to the more than $200,000 in cocaine and other drug paraphernalia that were found in his Orange County storage unit, prosecutors announced.  On Tuesday, Aug. 26, a jury found Thedford Browning, 53, guilty in Orange County Court of operating as a major trafficker, criminal possession of a controlled substance, and criminal possession of a weapon, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said.  The conviction followed a year-long investigation by the City of Middletown Police …
Past Fire Chief Of Pocatello Fire District Dies Suddenly At 47: Remembered As 'Friend To Many' Past Fire Chief Of Pocatello Fire District Dies Suddenly At 47: Remembered As 'Friend To Many'
Past Fire Chief Of Pocatello Fire District Dies Suddenly At 47: Remembered As 'Friend To Many' The Orange County firefighting community is mourning the sudden loss of a past fire chief and longtime responder whose life was tragically cut short.  Joseph John Mazza Sr., 47, of Orange County, died unexpectedly on Saturday, Aug. 23, the Pocatello Fire Department announced.  Mazza was a past chief and commissioner of the Pocatello Fire District in Middletown and a member of both the Orange County HAZMAT team and the Orange County Volunteer Firefighter’s Association, according to the department. "Joe was known and loved everywhere he went," the department wrote in a tribute…
Second Teen Arrested In Connection To Shooting In Newburgh, Police Say Second Teen Arrested In Connection To Shooting In Newburgh, Police Say
Second Teen Arrested In Connection To Shooting In Newburgh, Police Say Another teenager has been charged in connection with a shooting in Orange County that happened earlier this year, police announced. On Monday, Aug. 25, Town of Newburgh Police arrested Renaldo Lee, 19, of Newburgh, on an indictment warrant tied to a March shooting on Taft Avenue, the department said on Tuesday, Aug. 26. According to police, Lee is charged with criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree attempted assault.  The arrest was the second made in the case. Newburgh resident Jianni Nicholas, 18, was previously arrested on March 25 for his alleged role in the sa…
Measles Case Confirmed In Rockland: First One In Several Years, Officials Say Measles Case Confirmed In Rockland: First One In Several Years, Officials Say
Measles Case Confirmed In Rockland: First One In Several Years, Officials Say Health officials are urging Rockland County residents to check their vaccinations after the first confirmed case of measles in the county since 2019.  The case was confirmed in a Rockland resident who had recently returned from traveling and developed symptoms after a possible exposure, County Executive Ed Day and Health Commissioner Mary Leahy said in an announcement on Monday, Aug. 25.  The person visited a healthcare facility on Wednesday, Aug. 20, and reported a rash two days later. The case was later confirmed to be measles, officials said.  The Health Department i…
Guns, MDMA, Cocaine Found In Car Stopped On I-684 In Southeast: Duo Arrested, Police Say Guns, MDMA, Cocaine Found In Car Stopped On I-684 In Southeast: Duo Arrested, Police Say
Guns, MDMA, Cocaine Found In Car Stopped On I-684 In Southeast: Duo Arrested, Police Say A Bronx woman and a Pennsylvania man are behind bars after a traffic stop on Interstate 684 in the Hudson Valley, NY turned into a major drug and gun bust, authorities announced. The arrests happened on Friday, Aug. 22, when State Police said a BOLO (Be on the Lookout) was issued for a vehicle connected to a fraud investigation out of Port Jervis in Orange County, New York State Police said on Monday, Aug. 25. Not long after, troopers spotted the car allegedly violating state vehicle and traffic laws while traveling on I-684 in the Putnam County town of Southeast. With help from the Putnam …
Mosquitoes Test Positive For West Nile Virus In Goshen Mosquitoes Test Positive For West Nile Virus In Goshen
Mosquitoes Test Positive For West Nile Virus In Goshen Health officials in Orange County have detected more mosquito pools carrying West Nile Virus in the county.  The discovery of the virus-carrying bugs in Goshen, announced Friday, Aug. 22, by County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus and the Orange County Department of Health, follows the county’s first positive pool of the season earlier this summer in Greenwood Lake, as Daily Voice previously reported.  The positive pools were found through the county’s ongoing mosquito surveillance program, which monitors for viruses throughout the season. Officials said mosquitoes can breed in any st…
Man Points Gun At Driver After Miles-Long Road Rage Incident In Wawayanda: Sheriff Man Points Gun At Driver After Miles-Long Road Rage Incident In Wawayanda: Sheriff
Man Points Gun At Driver After Miles-Long Road Rage Incident In Wawayanda: Sheriff A 49-year-old man is facing charges after allegedly pointing a handgun at another driver as part of a mile-long road rage incident in Orange County, authorities announced. The incident happened in Wawayanda on Thursday morning, Aug. 21, around 10:15 a.m., when deputies and New York State Police responded to reports of a road rage altercation on Route 17M, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said on Friday, Aug. 22.  Investigators determined that the confrontation spanned several miles before escalating when the suspect, identified as 49-year-old Marckensy Louissaint of Highland Mills, a…
Residents Report 'Strong Sewage Odors' In Parks, Public Areas In Monroe Residents Report 'Strong Sewage Odors' In Parks, Public Areas In Monroe
Residents Report 'Strong Sewage Odors' In Parks, Public Areas In Monroe A New York State Senator is calling on state officials to intervene after receiving a flood of complaints from residents in an Orange County village and town about "strong sewage odors" disrupting daily life in public spaces. In a statement on Friday, Aug. 22, New York State Sen. James Skoufis, who represents the state's 42nd District, said the smells have been reported throughout the Town and Village of Monroe, including at Airplane Park, where families have recently gathered since the playground’s opening.  The reports prompted Skoufis to send a letter to New…
'Chilling': Man Who Slammed Woman's Head Into Signpost In Port Jervis Attack Gets Jail Time 'Chilling': Man Who Slammed Woman's Head Into Signpost In Port Jervis Attack Gets Jail Time
'Chilling': Man Who Slammed Woman's Head Into Signpost In Port Jervis Attack Gets Jail Time A man has learned his fate following his violent attack on a woman in Orange County that was so severe that it left her with hearing loss, prosecutors said.  On Wednesday, Aug. 20, 44-year-old Francisco Ceballos-Rosario of Port Jervis was sentenced in Orange County Court to 13 years in state prison followed by five years of post-release supervision, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday, Aug. 21.  The sentencing follows Ceballos-Rosario’s guilty plea to second-degree kidnapping in connection with the December 2024 attack. As detailed by prosecutors, t…
Drunk Man Caught With 4 Young Kids In Car On Route 9 In Wappinger: Police Drunk Man Caught With 4 Young Kids In Car On Route 9 In Wappinger: Police
Drunk Man Caught With 4 Young Kids In Car On Route 9 In Wappinger: Police An Orange County man is facing felony charges after police said he was caught driving drunk in Dutchess County with four young children, including an eight-month-old, in the car.  The incident happened in Wappinger on Saturday, Aug. 16, around 8:45 p.m., when a trooper stopped a Honda traveling southbound on Route 9 for multiple traffic violations, New York State Police said on Thursday, Aug. 21. The driver, identified as 37-year-old Douglas Omar Melara of Newburgh, showed signs of intoxication, police said. Four children ages 5, 3, 2, and 8 months were also in the vehicle at the time.…