DELMAR – These are the Police briefs that appeared in October 19th edition of The Spotlight.
DWI arrest on Western Avenue
GUILDERLAND – On Friday, October 7 at about 9:52 p.m. State Police stopped a vehicle on Western Avenue in Guilderland for multiple violations of the Vehicle and Traffic Laws.
During the interview the operator was identified as a 28-year old Colonie man and Troopers observed signs of impairment. Roadside sobriety testing was conducted which indicated signs of intoxication.
He was arrested for DWI and transported to the Guilderland barracks for processing where he provided a breath sample that returned a 0.11 percent BAC.
The man was issued tickets returnable to the Guilderland Town Court on Thursday, Nov. 10 and released to a sober party.
DWI and DWAI on Thruway
SELKIRK — On Wednesday, Oct 5 at approximately 4:35 p.m., State Police responded to the Thruway southbound, in the town of Bethlehem, for a report of an erratic operator. Troopers located the vehicle on the right shoulder in the area of mile marker 137. The driver appeared to be unconscious and not breathing.
Troopers gained entry to the vehicle through an opened rear window and removed the unresponsive driver to the ground to perform CPR. Shortly after administering two doses of Narcan, the driver regained consciousness and refused further medical treatment.
The driver, Carmine F. Rotolo, 42, of Cairo was found to be intoxicated and impaired by drugs. Rotolo was taken into custody, transported, and processed where he provided a breath sample that returned a .11 percent BAC. Rotolo was charged with Driving While Intoxicated and Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs; both Misdemeanors. Bethlehem EMS also responded to the scene.
He was released to a sober third party with appearance tickets returnable to Bethlehem Town Court on Tuesday, Nov 1.
Multiple forgeries and Felony DWI
GLENMONT — On Friday, Oct 7 at approximately 6:37 p.m., State Police stopped a vehicle on the Thruway in the town of Bethlehem for multiple vehicle and traffic violations.
The driver of the vehicle, Calvin N. Gaine, 28, of Brooklyn, was found to be intoxicated. While Troopers were conducting a vehicle inventory, multiple forgery devices consisting of ID photos and various government identifications belonging to another male were located inside the vehicle.
Gaine was taken into custody, transported and processed where he provided a breath sample that returned a 0.09 percent BAC.
Additionally, Gaine has a prior DWI conviction within the last 10 years and, as a result, was charged with driving while intoxicated and driving while intoxicated with a BAC of 0.08 or greater (Prior Conviction); both felonies.
He was also charged with criminal possession of a forgery device with Intent-Use; a Class D Felony.
Gaine was arraigned at Bethlehem Town Court and sent to the Albany County Jail. He is scheduled to appear on Tuesday, Nov 1.
Driving with mile marker in windshield and DWAI
GLENMONT — On Oct 9, 2022, at approximately 5:26 a.m., State Police received a report of an erratic vehicle which struck a guide rail while traveling north on I-87 in the town of Bethlehem.
Troopers located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop for multiple violations.
While interviewing the driver, Ngozichukwu J. Agwu, 24, of Bronx, NY, Troopers observed significant damage to the vehicle, as well as the mile marker 97.5 delineator lodged in the center of the windshield.
Agwu was found to be impaired by alcohol and/or drugs and was taken into custody. He was transported and processed at SP Albany where his blood alcohol content was determined to be 0.04%.
Albany County Sheriff’s Office Medic responded to SP Albany where Agwu gave a voluntary blood sample.
He was charged with Driving While Ability Impaired Combined Influence of Drugs or Alcohol, Operating a Motor Vehicle Impaired by Drugs, and Reckless Driving; all Unclassified Misdemeanors.
Agwu was released to a sober third party with appearance returnable to the Town of Bethlehem Court on Nov 15, 2022, at 5:00 p.m.
Traffic stop nets man on warrants
DELMAR — A traffic stop on Friday, Oct. 7 at approximately 1:53 a.m. resulted in the arrest of a passenger in the car for an outstanding warrant.
Bethlehem police stopped the vehicle near 50 Delaware avenue because the 2018 Subaru did not have a valid inspection sticker. Upon interviewing the driver, a woman from Coxsackie, the officer found she did not have a driver’s license.
The passenger in the car, Dante L. Jenkins, 44, of Troy was found to have an outstanding bench warrant from Troy and was taken into custody. He was turned over to Troy police.
The driver was given an appearance ticket and released from the scene.
Thieves succeed on third time at Tractor Supply
GLENMONT — An Albany man attempted to steal two generators from Tractor Supply twice before finally loading them into a UHaul and leaving the parking lot on Monday, Oct. 10.
Bethlehem police were called by employees at the store after John Dominy, 51, and Winsome Smith, 65 of Albany, allegedly entered the store on Monday, Oct. 3 and took two 200-watt inverter generators past the point of sale to the parking lot. Employees confronted Dominy and he left the generators in the parking lot. He returned to the store on Wednesday, Oct. 5 and employees recognized him and called the police. He was arrested for petit larceny, a misdemeanor, given an appearance ticket and released.
Five days later, Dominy and Smith returned to Tractor Supply, took two generators beyond the point of sale and loaded them into a UHaul and left the parking lot. The store employees called police and located the UHaul on Route 9W northbound and performed a traffic stop.
This time Dominy and Smith were charged with petit larceny and conspiracy, both misdemeanors.
Smith was arraigned by Bethlehem Town Justice Andrew Kirby and released to the supervision of probation, due to several open larceny cases awaiting warrant endorsements. Dominy was arraigned and sent to the Albany County Jail in lieu of $2,500 cash or $5,000 bond bail due to his previous convictions, pending charges and previous record of fleeing prosecution. Both are scheduled to return to Bethlehem Town Court on Tuesday, Nov. 1.
Arrest made in 2020 auto theft
GLENMONT — Bethlehem police arrested an Albany man on Tuesday, Oct. 11 for stealing a Honda CRV from a ARC facility on Feura Bush Road in November 2020.
A staff member of the group home witnessed a man stealing her coworkers vehicle as she arrived for work and he yelled at the woman and fled from the scene in the CRV. Police found the car parked and running on Elm Avenue an hour later, but could not locate the driver.
An investigation identified Danilo E. Medina, 36, as the suspect. According to reports, Medina is a known drug dealer and has an extensive history of larceny related offenses.
He was taken into custody, charged with grand larceny, a felony, arraigned by Bethlehem Town Judge Ryan Dovovan and sent to Albany County Jail.
Level 1 sex offender charged
SELKIRK — Albany County Sheriff’s Office was called to Marsdale Court to serve an eviction notice on August 1 to a level 1 sex offender living at that location and found the apartment empty. Bethlehem police attempted to locate Michael Hallenbeck, 44, in September, after he failed to notify the NY Sex Offender Registry of his new address. Hallenbeck was convicted of multiple felony sex crimes against a 6-year old in Columbia County in 1996.
Under law, he has to report his new address within 10 days to law enforcement.
On Tuesday, Oct 11, Bethlehem police located and notified Hallenbeck of the outstanding warrant. He turned himself in and was charged with Sex offender – failing to report a change of address or status, a felony. He was arraigned by Bethlehem Town Judge Ryan Donovan and released under supervision of probation. Hallenbeck also signed and submitted a change of address notification to a Rotterdam address.
E-bike stolen
GLENMONT — On Sunday, Sept. 17 at approximately 1 a.m. a resident of Hancock Drive reported to Bethlehem police that his Addmotor M-60 R7 E Bike was stolen out of a pickup truck parked in the driveway of the home. They found a bicycle at the scene and gasoline and a generator in the truck were not removed.
The victim notified other friends who, along with police, searched the area and one of the friends saw a man driving the ebike but lost him near Jefferson Road.
On Friday, Oct. 14, Bethlehem police were notified that the man who allegedly stole the ebike was walking on Feura Bush Road. Police took Yasier McCall, 19, of Glenmont into custody and charged him with grand larceny, a felony. He was processed, issued an appearance ticket and released.
He is scheduled to be in Bethlehem Town Court on Monday, Oct. 17.