Troy woman charged in latest round of larcenies in Bethlehem, Colonie last week.
DELMAR – Albany County Sheriff’s deputies brought a serial larcenist who has a history of other crimes to Bethlehem on Wednesday, Aug. 16 for three outstanding warrants for allegedly stealing from Lowes on Route 9W in Glenmont.
Casey Francis, 40, of Troy, was arraigned by Bethlehem Town Judge Andrew Kirby and released on her own recognizance this time and sent back to the Albany County jail.
According to reports, Francis was identified in July by Lowes loss-prevention employees as someone known to steal from other Lowes stores in the area. She was implicated in thefts at the Glenmont store on July 21, 25 and 26 and charged with three counts of petit larceny.
But this is not the first time this year Francis was in custody this year. She was arrested in Colonie for allegedly stealing from Macy’s in Colonie Center and also had an outstanding warrant at that time for not showing up for Colonie Town Court on charges from October.
Francis was arrested by Bethlehem police on felony and misdemeanor charges in October for allegedly trying to cash a fake check at Price Chopper.
Francis was arrested again on Thursday, Aug. 10 in Colonie on two active warrants, one for not showing up for court again and a slew of new charges including bail jumping.
She was charged with two counts of burglary, both felonies, and five counts of petit larceny and bail jumping, all misdemeanors. She was arraigned by Colonie Judge David Green at that time.
According to reports, some of the new charges were related to thefts at Price Chopper and Hannaford.
It is unclear from the reports why she was released from Colonie when Francis had outstanding felony and bail jumping charges. Judges can set bail in this situation.
She is due back in court again on September 19 in Bethlehem.
Man arrested with gun after chase in Glenmont
GLENMONT – Bethlehem police arrested a 19-year-old Albany man who ran after a motor-vehicle pursuit. He was in possession of a loaded handgun.
On Monday, August 7, at approximately 5:50 p.m., officers attempted to stop a motor vehicle traveling eastbound on Corning Hill Road. The vehicle failed to stop for police and a pursuit continued into the city of Albany, ending on South Pearl Street. Two of the occupants ran from the vehicle while it was stopped in traffic in the area of 700 South Pearl Street.
One of the occupants was apprehended by Bethlehem police officers a short distance from the vehicle.
The suspect, Da-Ivion N. Hale, was found to be in possession of a loaded 9 mm handgun.
He was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, both felonies, and unlawful possession of an ammo feed, a misdemeanor.
He was arraigned in Bethlehem Town Court and remanded to Albany County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond.
This incident is still under investigation.
Missing Delmar woman found dead in Thompson Lake identified
KNOX – On Tuesday, August 8, at approximately 4:59 p.m., Albany County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the area, 106 Nature Center Way in the Town of Knox, to check an unoccupied vehicle that had been parked in the area since Sunday evening.
After checking the area, deputies located 71-year-old Gail E Charlson of Delmar who was unresponsive in Thompson Lake close to the shore line.
The cause of death was drowning, according to police.
Forcible touching, unlawful imprisonment, alcohol to minor
DELMAR – A 43-year-old Delmar man was arrested on four misdemeanors after an investigation into an incident that took place in Delmar on Friday, August 4.
Bethlehem police detectives arrested the man on Thursday, August 10, and charged him with giving/selling alcohol to a person under 21, acting in a manner to injure a child under 17, forcible touching – touch sexual/intimate parts, and unlawful imprisonment, all misdemeanors.
The man was arraigned by Bethlehem Town Judge Ryan Donovan and sent to the Albany County jail in lieu of $5,000 cash or $7,500 bond bail. The Judge also issued an order of protection for the victim. The man is scheduled to be back in court on September 5.
Police said that this was a single incident and victim, and there is no additional danger to the public.
Aggravated DWI on Delaware Avenue
DELMAR – Bethlehem police observed a red 2018 Kia Optima traveling above the posted speed limit on Delaware Avenue on Sunday, August 13 at 12:50 a.m. and performed a traffic stop.
According to reports, radar confirmed the vehicle was traveling at 54 mph in a 40 mph zone and the rear windows of the vehicle were darkly tinted.
Upon speaking with the driver, a 25-year-old Albany woman, officers observed her to have an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from her breath.
She was given and failed field sobriety tests and tested positive for breath alcohol on a pre-screening device. According to reports, the woman said she had two tequilas while bowling earlier.
She was taken into custody and transported to the police station where she provided a breath sample that returned a .18 percent BAC. The woman was charged with aggravated DWI and issued tickets.
She was given a bill of particulars and released on an appearance for Bethlehem Town Court on September 5.
Aggravated DWI, felony unlicensed operation
GLENMONT – On Saturday, August 12 at 5:19 a.m., Bethlehem police responded to Corning Hill Road for a report of an argument. When officers arrived, they found a vehicle parked in the middle of the westbound lane and three people walking around the 2018 Chevrolet.
Two males would not provide any information about the incident and officers interviewed Simone Allison, 37, of Watervliet, who was later determined to be the driver of the car.
Officers observed her to have bloodshot, droopy and watery eyes, slurred speech, impaired motor coordination and an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from her breath.
Allison was given, and failed, field sobriety tests, tested positive for breath alcohol on a pre-screening device and taken into custody.
At the police station, she provided a breath sample that returned a .18 percent BAC. An investigation also showed that Allison did not have a valid license with more than three suspensions on three dates.
She was charged with felony aggravated unlicensed operation – alcohol or drugs and aggravated DWI and aggravated unlicensed operation, all misdemeanors and issued other traffic tickets.
Allison was given a bill of particulars and released on an appearance for Bethlehem Town Court on September 5.
DWAI-drugs on Route 85 and drugs
SLINGERLANDS – A 56-year-old Albany man was taken into custody on New Scotland Avenue on Monday, Aug. 14 at approximately 10:59 p.m. after witnesses saw him driving erratically and onto a lawn on Maple Avenue.
According to reports, police were called to the area for reports of a black 2012 Chrysler 300 that had stopped in the middle of New Scotland Road then proceeded to drive over a lawn and park sideways in a driveway on Maple Avenue.
Officers observed the suspect stumbling up the steps of a residence on Maple Avenue and requested him to exit the house.
The man was unsteady on his feet, had slow and slurred speech, and had difficulty maintaining his balance.
He was given and failed field sobriety tests and tested negative for breath alcohol on a pre-screening device. He was taken into custody and at the police station was evaluated by a drug recognition expert and submitted to a blood draw.
A search of the man yielded a hypodermic syringe, two glass pipes and a bag of crack cocaine in his left front pocket, two syringes in his front right pocket and another in his back pocket. He also did not have a valid license.
He was charged with DWAI-Drugs, aggravated unlicensed operation and criminal possession of a controlled substance, all misdemeanors, and ticketed for multiple traffic violations.
The man was given a bill of particulars and released on an appearance ticket for Bethlehem Town Court on September 5.
Warrants
BALLSTON SPA – Bethlehem police responded to the Saratoga County jail twice on Tuesday, Aug. 15 to pick up people on open warrants and were in custody for other offenses.
The first was a 29-year-old Albany man for not showing up in court in December after an incident on November 9 where Matthew Merrill, of Albany, was arrested in the Walmart parking lot in Glenmont for having fake plates on a moped he was driving after police were called for a larceny in progress at the store.
Merrill was arraigned by Bethlehem Town Judge Andrew Kirby and transported him back to the Saratoga County jail. He is scheduled back in court on September 19.
Bethlehem police again traveled up the Northway the same day to retrieve a 20-year-old Albany woman on an open arrest warrant for grand larceny, a felony, and conspiracy, a misdemeanor.
Jon Neasia Welcome was one of three people arrested for stealing $2,411.96 worth of merchandise from Lowes on Route 9W in Glenmont on April 3. They were identified by facial recognition on surveillance cameras. The three were involved in other thefts in the capital region and were linked to the Glenmont larceny.
Welcome was arraigned by Bethlehem Town Judge Andrew Kirby and sent back to the Saratoga County jail. She is scheduled back in court on September 19.
Four times at Lowes
DELMAR – A Troy man turned himself in to Bethlehem police on Tuesday, Aug. 15 on active arrest warrants for allegedly returning merchandise he took from the store shelves on four occasions.
According to reports, Felipe Rosado Rodriguez, 51, allegedly put building materials from Lowes on Route 9W in Glenmont, in his cart at the store, then proceeded to the customer service counter and returned the merchandise that he didn’t pay for, and received store credit. He allegedly did this on May 26, 30 and 31 and June 8. The total amount stolen was just under $3,000.
Rosado Rodriquez was charged with one count of grand larceny, a felony, and three counts of petit larceny, a misdemeanor. He was arraigned by Bethlehem Judge Andrew Kirby and released on his own recognizance. Grand larceny 4 is not bail eligible.
He is scheduled back in court on September 19.