Cody Shields accused of setting fire for financial reasons
ARGYLE – An Albany County indictment unsealed last week led to the arrest of a Colonie butcher shop owner on arson and larceny charges at his home on Wednesday, July 24.
On Thursday, June 8, 2023 at approximately 5 a.m., Colonie police received a call from Cody Shields, 33, who reported a structure fire at his business, the Big Body Butcher Shop located at 2008 Central Avenue.
Responding Colonie fire personnel quickly extinguished the fire after it had caused extensive damage to the business. According to police the business never reopened.
An investigation into the cause and origin of the fire commenced and determined that the fire was suspicious in nature.
Colonie Police Investigators with assistance from Town of Colonie Fire Services Investigators ultimately determined that the fire was intentionally started by Shields.
Police said the motivation appears to be financial in nature with Shields having significant outstanding debt related to the business.
Shields’ business dealings substantiated criminal charges for larceny in addition to arson.
A sealed indictment in Albany County Court resulted in an arrest warrant being issued for Mr. Shields.
Colonie police, with assistance from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, arrested Shields at his residence in Argyle.
Shields was charged with arson -third degree and two counts of grand larceny, all felonies, and three counts of petit larceny, all misdemeanors. He was processed and arraigned in Albany County Court where he was released on his own recognizance.
This is still an active and ongoing investigation. If you know something that might be relevant to this investigation, please contact the Colonie Police Investigations Division at 518-783-2754. If you wish to report a tip anonymously, you can call Capital Region Crimestoppers at 1-833-ALB-TIPS, or go to capitalregioncrimestoppers.com.
Forgery and grand larceny
COLONIE – A 29-year-old Troy man was arrested on Friday, July 5 after he was taken into custody at the Schenectady County jail on an outstanding arrest warrant for stealing from a local business in 2021.
According to reports, Brendan Coogan allegedly stole money and forged documents at 21 Interstate Avenue on July 13, 2021. He was charged with forgery and grand larceny, both felonies.
Coogan was arraigned in Colonie town court.
Bail jumping
COLONIE – Albany police turned over Jsyy Weaver, 21, of Albany for not showing up for court and jumping bail on Friday, July 5.
Weaver failed to re-appear in Colonie Town Court in February 2023 after bail was set.
He was charged with bail jumping – second degree, a felony, and processed on the bench warrant. Weaver was arraigned by Colonie Judge Norman Massry.
No license, but had DWI
COLONIE – Colonie police stopped a vehicle near Colonie Center on Friday, July 5 for traffic violations and found much more.
According to reports, at approximately 9:44 p.m. when officers pulled over a 38-year-old Latham man they observed he had slurred speech, poor motor coordination, bloodshot eyes and had an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath.
An investigation found Anthony Lewis did not have a license and it was not his first time. He was charged with felony aggravated unlicensed operation-first degree and DWI and aggravated unlicensed operation – second degree, both misdemeanors, and ticketed for refusal to take a breath test, operating without a license, illegal signal, failure to keep right, no inspection and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle.
He was released with an appearance ticket for Colonie Town Court on Monday, July 22.
DWI at park
COLONIE – A 46-year-old Colonie man was taken into custody at West Albany Park on Braintree Street on Saturday, July 6.
According to reports, at 12:27 a.m., police found the man to show signs of intoxication.
He was charged with DWI, a misdemeanor, and ticketed for drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle.
The man was released with an appearance ticket for Colonie Town Court on Monday, July 15.
DWI on Central Avenue
COLONIE – Colonie police stopped a 1997 Saab for traffic violations on Sunday, July 7 at approximately 12:27 a.m. on Central Avenue near the Niskayuna town line.
According to reports, officers interviewed the driver, a 43-year-old Schenectady man, and observed that he had slurred speech, poor motor skills, had an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath and he had urinated on himself.
The man refused to take field sobriety tests and to take a test for breath alcohol on a pre-screening device. He was taken into custody and transported to the police station.
The man was charged with DWI and ticketed for refusing a breath test, failure to stay in a single lane and parking on a highway.
He was released with an appearance ticket for Colonie Town Court on Monday, July 15.
Assault and weapon charges
COLONIE – On Sunday, July 7, Colonie police responded to the Best Value Inn on Central Avenue for a domestic incident and arrested a Colonie man.
According to reports, police arrived at 7:17 a.m. at the hotel and found that Lonnie McCann, 56, was involved in an incident there.
He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, a felony, and menacing with a weapon and assault with intent to cause physical injury, both misdemeanors.
He was arraigned by Colonie Town Judge Norman Massry.
Grand larceny
LATHAM – A 70-year-old Troy Woman was arrested for allegedly stealing from the Home Depot on Troy Schenectady Road on Sunday, July 7.
According to reports, police responded to the store at 3:16 p.m. and took Debra Mehnert into custody and charged her with grand larceny, a felony.
At the police station she was given an appearance ticket for Colonie Town Court on Wednesday, July 24 and released.
Warrant
COLONIE – A homeless man was brought over from the Schenectady County jail on Monday, July 8 because he was wanted for not showing up for Colonie Town Court in March.
Alexander Norwood, 31, was processed and arraigned on the warrant.
2 brought on Warrants
COLONIE – Staff from the Albany County jail brought Khymeir Yarbrough, 24, of Albany and Eric Golden, 43, of Latham, to Colonie Town Court for failing to appear on Monday, July 8.
Yarbrough did not show up for court in August 2022 and Golden did not show up in April.
Golden was also charged with trespass for an incident at Target on Central Avenue.
Both were arraigned by Colonie Town Judge David Green.
Aggravated DWI
LATHAM – Colonie police responded to the parking lot of Stewarts on Troy Schenectady Road on Monday, July 8 at approximately 3:41 p.m. for a man who fell in the parking lot.
According to reports, police found a 59-year-old Schenectady man sitting in the driver’s seat of his black Honda Accord and observed him to have slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, poor motor coordination and had an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath. The man allegedly had three open containers of alcohol in his vehicle and a laceration on the top of his head and left arm.
The officers attempted to have the man perform field sobriety tests, but discontinued that due to safety concerns and did not want the man to fall.
He refused EMS treatment and was taken into custody.
The man was charged with aggravated DWI, a misdemeanor, and ticketed for parking in a handicap spot and drinking alcohol on a highway.
He was processed and released with an appearance ticket for Colonie Town Court on Monday, July 22.
Fake name, real charges and warrant
GLENMONT – On Monday, July 8 at approximately 7:25 p.m. Bethlehem police responded to the CVS on Route 9W for a report of a larceny in progress. When officers arrived they found the suspect in the case in the parking lot of Price Chopper. He was also wanted in Colonie.
The suspect gave a name of Kerry Crumble and a date of birth, but could not give other information. A check of that name did return outstanding warrants, but it was later determined that his real name was Kevin Johnson, 56, of Albany, after a wallet was found while inventorying his backpack. The merchandise from CVS was also recovered and a glass smoking device with residue in it.
Johnson was wanted on an outstanding arrest warrant from Colonie police.
Johnson was charged with petit larceny and criminal impersonation with intent, both misdemeanors, and processed on the warrant. He was turned over to Colonie police on the outstanding warrant.
He was arraigned in Colonie Town Court.
Grand larceny
TROY – Troy police arrested Nathan Gwynn, 34, of Troy on Tuesday, July 9 on an outstanding warrant from Colonie.
According to reports, Colonie detectives took Gwynn into custody at approximately 6 p.m. on an outstanding warrant for an incident in which he took items from Lenscrafters on Central Avenue on May 1. He allegedly had items from that incident on his person at the time of arrest.
Gwynn was charged with grand larceny, a felony, and arraigned in Colonie Town Court.
Larceny and felony warrant
COLONIE – Colonie police responded to the Marshalls on Central Avenue for a report of a larceny on Tuesday, July 9 at approximately 6:24 p.m. and found an Albany man was wanted.
According to reports, Elijah Johnson, 43, was charged with petit larceny, a misdemeanor, and processed on the felony warrant. Per Colonie Town Court Judge David Green, Johnson was released with an appearance ticket on the new charge and was transported to meet officers from Niskayuna for the warrant.
He is scheduled back in Colonie on August 19.
Drugs after SureStay call
COLONIE – Colonie police responded to a call for service from the SureStay Hotel on Wolf Road on Wednesday, July 10 and eventually found a Cropseyville man in possession of drugs trying to hitch a ride home at 2:38 a.m. He was also a related party in a chase that took place earlier in the night.
According to police, William Stata, 30, and his girlfriend, Geneva Gundrum, 34, led police on two chases through the town, one at 8:30 p.m. the night before and also on Wolf Road at 12:28 a.m.
Stata, left the SureStay and was trying to hitchhike on the exit 4 onramp to the Northway when police located him. He was taken into custody and allegedly had a quantity of cocaine and Psilocybin mushrooms on his person.
He was charged with criminal possession of cocaine, a felony, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor, and ticketed for soliciting rides on a roadway and soliciting or selling on a highway.
Stata was sent to the Albany County jail as a pre-arraignment detainee. We wrote about Gundrum last week. She faces 29 charges and tickets related to the chases.
Grand larceny and falsifying business records
LATHAM – An investigation of an employee at a business in Latham Farms led to the arrest of a Schenectady woman on Thursday, July 11.
According to reports, Aubree Dunston, 37, was under investigation by her employer and police were called with the results.
Police investigated further, arrested Dunston and charged her with grand larceny, a felony, and falsifying business records, both felonies.
She was processed and released with an appearance ticket for Wednesday, July 24.
Warrant
COLONIE – A 58-year-old woman was brought from the Albany County jail on Wednesday, July 10 for an outstanding warrant in the town.
Lavonia Collier, who is homeless, is accused of not showing up for Colonie Town Court in January. She was arraigned by Colonie Judge David Green.
Grand larceny
COLONIE – A man who listed his occupation as “thief” to police was back in court on Wednesday, July 10 after being arrested for an outstanding warrant by Colonie police the week before.
Colonie police responded to the Burlington Coat Factory on Central Avenue on Sunday, June 30 at approximately 10:10 p.m. and found James Sinkler, 62 was wanted for an outstanding felony warrant from another jurisdiction. He was processed on the warrant and sent to the Albany County jail for the warrant.
He was out of jail again on July 10 and detained at Nordstrom on Central Avenue for an alleged larceny there. In that case, he was charged with grand larceny, a felony. On the arrest report Sinkler reported his occupation.
In the most recent case he was arraigned by Colonie Town Judge David Green.
Forgery and identity theft
LOUDONVILLE – A Troy woman turned herself in on Wednesday, July 10 after an ongoing investigation into a larceny of a person check allegedly stolen and cashed from a Loudonville nursing home. The incident allegedly took place on April 29.
Tia Letman, 24, was charged with forgery and identity theft, both felonies, and petit larceny, a misdemeanor in the incident.
She was arraigned by Colonie Judge David Green.
Disobeying two mandates
LATHAM – An Albany man in court on Wednesday, July 10 after he was taken into custody for allegedly violating a mandate on June 26, was found to have an open arrest warrant for similar felony charges.
According to reports, Daeshawn Drislane, 25, was charged by police with disobeying a mandate, a misdemeanor, and was in court when it was found he had an active arrest warrant for an incident on May 30 in Latham.
Drislane was charged with criminal contempt – first degree, a felony, and aggravated harassment, a misdemeanor, in that case.
He was arraigned by Colonie Judge David Green in both cases.
DWI on motorcycle
COLONIE – Colonie police responded to a single vehicle motorcycle crash on Central Avenue at 2:13 a.m. on Thursday, July 11.
According to reports, upon arrival, officers found the operator of the motorcycle laying on the ground still wearing his helmet. They observed the 27-year-old Schenectady man to have slurred speech and had an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath.
The man refused all sobriety tests and also a test for breath alcohol on a pre-screening device.
He was transported to Albany Medical Center Hospital for injuries sustained in the crash.
The man was charged with DWI, a misdemeanor, and ticketed for failing to stay in a single lane, refusing a breath test and not having a proper license. He was issued an appearance ticket at the hospital for Monday, July 29 in Colonie Town Court.
