Man had 12 licenses, but none were valid or his
GLENMONT – Bethlehem police observed a gray 2007 Honda Accord traveling south on Route 9W with an expired inspection at 11:35 a.m. on Wednesday, March 8 and performed a traffic stop, but that was just the beginning of the charges against a 19-year-old Troy man.
According to reports, the Honda stopped in a parking lot on Frontage Road, but the driver, later identified as Dominic Warden, exited the vehicle and began walking away. Officers gave him verbal commands to return to his vehicle, but he refused and the officers detained Warden.
The Honda was found to have a suspended registration and no insurance and a DMV check found that Warden had a suspended license. He was formally taken into custody at that point and the car was impounded because of the suspensions and insurance.
Officers conducted an inventory of the vehicle and found eight NY State and one Conn. licenses that did not belong to Warden and two NY licenses that had Warden’s information, but did not have the correct date of birth.
After and investigation and a search of his residence, Bethlehem detectives found an additional NY license and one from Penn.
At that point Warden was charged with possession of forged instruments, all felonies, aggravated unlicensed operation and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended registration, both misdemeanors, and ticketed for operating a motor vehicle without an inspection and without insurance.
He was processed, given an appearance ticket, issued traffic tickets and released. Warren is scheduled in Bethlehem Town Court on March 19.
Woman in roadway, had warrant
GLENMONT – On Wednesday, March 8 at 10:21 p.m., Bethlehem police were dispatched to the area of River and Retreat House Roads for a report of a woman acting erratically in the roadway toward motorists. As the officers were responding, dispatchers informed them that the woman was walking northbound on River Road.
According to reports, after locating and making verbal contact with the woman, she started shouting at the officers “Just take me to jail, I have warrants.”
The female identified herself as Jamie Rogers, 35, who is homeless, and a check found she had two outstanding warrants. During a search during the arrest, officers found an uncapped syringe needle on her person. It was submitted for destruction.
Watervliet confirmed its warrant and Rogers was transported to meet officers from that department.
No license, but did drink and smoke
ALBANY – Bethlehem police stopped a white 2015 Mercedes-Benz G25 near the intersection of Delaware Avenue and Golder Street on Wednesday, March 13 at 11:57 p.m. after following it and observing it all over the road on Delaware Avenue in the Town of Bethlehem.
According to reports, upon interviewing the driver, a 32-year-old Albany man, officers observed an odor of an alcoholic beverage on the man’s breath, he had bloodshot and watery eyes and an odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle. While trying to hand the officer his license, he dropped it into his lap.
The officers asked the man how recently he used marijuana and the man said 8:30 p.m. He was given and failed one of three field sobriety tests, but initially refused to take a test for the presence of breath alcohol. The man changed his mind after being taken into custody for DWI. At that point, he did test positive for breath alcohol.
At the police station, he provided a breath sample that returned a .08 percent BAC. A check showed that the man did not have a valid license.
He was charged with DWI and aggravated unlicensed operation, both misdemeanors, and ticketed for failure to keep right on a two-lane road.
The man was given a bill of particulars, issued traffic tickets and given an appearance ticket for Bethlehem Town Court on April 4.
25 suspensions on 15 dates
DELMAR – A Troy man was stopped for speeding and window tint infractions on Delaware Avenue on Monday, February 19, but ended up with an upgraded felony charge on Tuesday, March 12 because he had so many suspensions on his license.
Jaquan McCalmon, 25, was stopped by Bethlehem police and was taken into custody for the February incident. The car was picked up at the scene by a family member who owned the car.
According to reports, McCalmon had 25 suspensions on 15 dates and provided a non-driver ID at the time of the stop. He was ticketed and charged with felony aggravated unlicensed operation – more than 10 on more than 10 dates.
He was processed and arraigned by Bethlehem Town Judge Ryan Donovan and released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled back in court on April 2.
Ghost cars removed
ALBANY – On Thursday, March 14, 2024, the Albany County Sheriff’s Office in an effort to reduce crime in the City of Albany, conducted a detail in conjunction with Investigators from New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.
Albany County Sheriff Craig D. Apple, Sr., said the results of a proactive traffic-safety enforcement detail within the City of Albany focused on removing “Ghost Cars” from the city streets.
As a result of the detail, 17 unregistered and uninsured vehicles were impounded by the Albany
County Sheriff’s Office. Many of the vehicles had either switched license plates, stolen license plates, fraudulent license plates or no license plates attached to them at all.
On Wednesday, March 6 at approximately 4:55 p.m., deputies patrolling in the City of Albany in an effort to reduce crime, observed a vehicle traveling on Watervliet Avenue with fake NY temporary license plates on it. Through an investigation, it was revealed that the operator, Gregory A. Galaratti, 30, of Venezuela, illegally purchased the fake temporary license plates in New York City, and attached them on his vehicle.
Galaratti was charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, a felony. He was arraigned in Albany City Criminal Court on March 7.
