DELMAR – These are the Police briefs that appeared in November 23rd edition of The Spotlight.
GUILDERLAND — On Tuesday, Nov. 1, State Police arrested Da-Mir Willis, 26, of Albany in the Town of Guilderland on a warrant issued by the Albany City Court on October 31, 2019, when Willis failed to appear for the court on August 23, 2019.
He was transported to State Police barracks in Guilderland for processing on the additional charge of bail jumping, a felony. Willis was turned over to the Warren County Correctional Facility to await arraignment on an additional warrant out of Queensbury Town Court.
Probation for ex-town employee
DELMAR — A local man convicted of stealing over $94,000 worth of copper and brass material from the Bethlehem Water Department was sentenced to five years probation and restitution on Thursday, Nov. 16 by Judge Roger D. Mcdonough in Albany County Court after a plea deal.
The plea also included $94,309.37 in restitution from Matthew Stipe, 33, of Delmar. $5,000 of the amount is due to the town and the remainder is to the insurance company that reimbursed the town for the loss. At the end of probation, any amounts left unpaid will be converted to a confession of judgment, according to the Albany County District Attorney’s office.
On Jan. 11 Bethlehem police arrested Stipe, a Bethlehem Water Department employee, for allegedly stealing what was estimated, at that time, to be worth $63,481.19 of copper and brass from the town. Further inventory by the town uncovered that he took much more than originally thought.
He was charged with grand larceny, a felony, was arraigned and released at that time.
On Nov. 15, 2021, Water Department staff reported the materials missing from a storage building at 308 Kenwood Ave. to police after staff took inventory of the metals and found a substantial deficit.
According to police, the thefts took place over a long period of time.
Felony DWI, weapons arrest
GLENMONT – On Monday, Nov. 14 at approximately 6:30 p.m., State Police stopped a vehicle on the Thruway in Bethlehem for multiple vehicle and traffic violations.
The driver of the vehicle, Joseph Harrington, 56, of Amsterdam, was found to be intoxicated and had a suspended license.
During a vehicle inventory, Troopers discovered an American Tactical Inc .223 rifle which had an illegal pistol grip, muzzle break, and expandable butt stock, and a Weatherby bolt action .7mm Remington Magnum rifle. Upon further investigation it was determined that Harrington had previously been convicted of a felony which prohibited him from possessing the firearms.
Harrington was transported and processed at SP Albany, where he refused to submit to a breath test to determine the alcohol content in his system. Additionally, Harrington has a prior DWI conviction within the last 10 years and was subsequently charged with felony driving while intoxicated and felony aggravated unlicensed operation, as well as felony criminal possession of an assault weapon and criminal possession of a weapon 4th degree (convicted felon); a misdemeanor.
Harrington was arraigned in Bethlehem Town Court and sent to Albany County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash or $7,500 bond with a preliminary hearing set for Thursday, Nov. 17.
Arrest on warrant for 2020 larceny
DELMAR – A Newburgh man was arrested on Tuesday, Nov. 15 on a warrant for a 2020 larceny at Walmart in Glenmont.
Officers transported Butchie Middleton, 36, from the Orange County Jail to Bethlehem so he could be arraigned by Bethlehem Town Judge Ryan Donovan. Bethlehem police then transported Middleton back to Orange County Jail.
Sleeping drunk at intersection
SLINGERLANDS – Bethlehem police responded to the intersection of Blessing Road and Route 85 on Saturday, Nov. 12 at approximately 4:20 a.m. to find a Chevy Cruz parked in the intersection with the motor running.
The reporting person told officers that they could not get the driver of the vehicle to respond to them.
It took officers several attempts to wake the driver, a 27-year-old Albany man, before he responded. The officers observed a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage from the man’s breath. The man refused EMS, but thought he was in Guilderland.
He was administered field sobriety tests, tested positive for breath alcohol on a pre-screening device and was taken into custody. At the police station he provided a breath sample that returned a .10 percent BAC. The man was charged with DWI, was given a bill of particulars and traffic violations and released.
He will return to Bethlehem Town Court on Tuesday, Dec. 6.
DWI on Delaware Avenue
DELMAR – On Saturday, Nov. 12 at approximately 12:02 a.m. Bethlehem police on Delaware Avenue observed a gray Honda Accord pass through the intersection Elsmere Avenue in the turning lane and into the oncoming traffic lane, then proceed to run through a solid red traffic light at the four corners without slowing down or braking.
When officers conducted a traffic stop, the officer observed that all of the brake lights were functioning when the vehicle stopped.
Upon interviewing the driver, a 30-year-old Greenville man, the officers observed a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from his breath and the man had bloodshot and glassy eyes. The man was given and he failed field sobriety tests and tested positive for breath alcohol on a pre-screening device. He was taken into custody and brought to the police station where he provided a breath sample that returned a .11 percent BAC.
The man was charged with DWI, given a bill of particulars, issued multiple traffic tickets and released. He is scheduled back in court on Tuesday, Dec. 6.
Accident on Rupert Road leads to DWI
SELKIRK – Bethlehem police responded to the area 134 Rupert Road for a motor vehicle accident reported by OnStar. The officers made contact with the driver, a 24-year-old woman from West Coxsackie, and she said she swerved to avoid a deer, left the road and hit a utility pole.
She refused EMS treatment, but officers observed an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from her breath. The woman was given field sobriety tests and tested positive for breath alcohol on a pre-screening device. After being taken into custody for DWI the officers conducted an inventory of the vehicle and found four open containers of Bahama Mama and Sex on the Beach alcoholic beverages and four unopened of the same.
At the police station the woman provided a breath sample that returned a .08 percent BAC.
She was given a bill of particulars and issued traffic tickets to return to Bethlehem Town Court on Tuesday, Dec. 6.
