February 25, 2006 Street-fighting teens caught on videotape Police charge a dozen 'wannabe' gangsters By Kristina Wells Times Herald-Record kwells@th-record.com Video: Watch the fight that led to arrests Washingtonville - Teenage members of what cops deem "wannabe" street gangs might not be the toughs they pretend to be. Some broke down in tears when police charged them with crimes, including rioting, and sent them to Orange County Jail. Over two days, Washingtonville police rounded up more than a dozen teens and one adult in connection with a rumble earlier this week. What started as a tussle among three teenage boys outside Washingtonville High School Wednesday afternoon escalated hours later into an all-out melee involving as many as 20 teens in a residential neighborhood. The "heavy-duty violence" in residential Woodfield, a neighborhood full of families with young children, was over by the time police arrived, police Chief Stephen Pascal said. So how did the teens get caught? A 15-year-old boy videotaped the punching, kicking, hair-pulling and cursing. The video was then posted on the Internet. The video shows several kids decked out in either red or blue. One kid decked out all in red is carrying a baseball bat. He also hid a BB gun behind his back, police said. A rival wears what appears to be a dark blue or black bandanna around his neck. He's shouting obscenities and at one point waxes poetic with: "Blue stays true/You know how we do." Another kid with the blue group carries a crowbar. Police said that most of the "blue" teens are from the Mountain Lodge Park community in Blooming Grove. The tough-talking boys never come to blows. But the girls do. Two girls jump two others, punching, kicking and pulling hair. A clump of long, brown hair, yanked from the back of one girl's head, is seen discarded in the middle of the road.
By the time it was all over, 13 teens, many of whom attend Washingtonville High School, and Ronald J. Kingly, 22, of Washingtonville, were charged with rioting, a felony, and inciting to riot, a misdemeanor, among other charges. Experts say gangs identify themselves using symbols, including colors. In most cases, red signifies affiliation with the Los Angeles-based Bloods, and blue or black for the rival Crips gang, said Jared Lewis, a retired California cop and director of Know Gangs, which trains police and school officials to recognize gang activity. Washingtonville police called the two groups "wannabes," but not full-fledged gang members. Pascal said he doesn't believe the teens have the sophistication or will to be hardened criminals. Pascal said a conflict over a girl first sparked the feud. "This will show that we're not playing around," Pascal said yesterday. "We're going to take decisive action for the safety of the residents." Pascal credited the video and cooperation from school officials for how quickly officers were able to identify and arrest the brawlers.
January 26, 2006 Gang targets firehouse REPAIRing the damage By Victor Whitman Times Herald-Record vwhitman@th-record.com Monticello - The word "Blood" and other graffiti was spraypainted in red on the white siding of the new multimilliondollar village firehouse - apparently the work of one of two rival gangs. The markings were discovered yesterday morning. "Blood Town" and "Damu" were also spray-painted in red on the back of the Workers' Compensation Board building, across from the firehouse on Richardson Avenue. Police are blaming the Baby Gangstas, which claims ties to the Bloods. A rival gang, Lynched Out Soldiers, which supposedly has ties to the Crips, also painted "Los" and a picture of a stick figure hanging from a noose on the compensation board building. Previous graffiti was removed Friday at the request of the Monticello Police Department. New graffiti on the building appeared yesterday. "There has been the same graffiti at the high school," Chief Doug Solomon said. Both Lynched Out Soldiers and the Baby Gangstas formed in Monticello over the past two years.
So far the cops say the groups haven't done more than fight each other and mark up buildings with graffiti on lower Broadway. Firefighters, who haven't yet moved into the firehouse, immediately scrubbed off the graffiti. "Doesn't make me mad so much," Chief Glenn Somers said. "It is more disappointed. We are a community agency. A lot of time and hard work went into this building."
January 26, 2006 Monticello Man charged in July 16 gang assault A man sought for months for a July beating and gang assault on Broadway was found hiding in a bathroom at a Heritage Inn Monday. Naim Warner, 27, was arrested without incident and charged with first-degree felony assault. Around 3:30 a.m. July 16, Warner and two other men beat up the 34-year-old man on Broadway, striking him over the head with a bottle, cops say. The others were previously charged. Warner was arraigned and taken to the Sullivan County Jail on $7,500 bond pending an appearance in Village Court. Warner was also charged with a parole violation for a felony drug conviction.
February 13, 2006 Principal has folks talking – and that’s good High school regains order By Kristina Wells Times Herald-Record kwells@th-record.com Washingtonville – Fall back, Austin Abbott, high school freshman. Principal Michael Rossi will catch you. Trust him. Rossi put his hands out and stopped the 14-year-old from landing on his butt in an auditorium filled with classmates and parents. In turn, Abbott did the same as Rossi leaned back, trusting this teenager would catch the new high school principal. “For like half a second,” says Abbott, “I thought about (dropping him). My mom said if I would have done that, she would have killed me.” That’s how Michael Rossi took the helm at the 1,700-student Washingtonville High School in September, replacing Sam Black, who had been the principal for nearly three decades.
He took over a school building in dire need of more space and updated facilities, and, from what parents said last school year, safety and order. Last year, there were 44 fights at the high school. To date this year, only 13. “He’s made a very big difference,” says Lydia Ferrara, a hall monitor at the high school for 18 years. “It’s a safer environment,” says Diana Avila-Velez, also a hall monitor. “The right hand knows what the left hand is doing.” Perhaps it’s that whole trust thing, with a healthy dose of respect tossed in for good measure. But it’s likely something even more important. It’s something that’s been missing in years past – communication – with parents, staff, students and even the police department, whose chief criticized the district publicly in the past for not reporting incidents right away, or at all. At a recent school board meeting, a concerned parent said she heard rumors about a gangrelated melee in the high school cafeteria. The two dozen high school kids sitting behind her at the meeting seemed to scoff at the suggestion, smirking and shaking heads. Rossi laid it out like this: Yes, there had been an incident. Yes, it involved more than a couple of teenagers. No punches were thrown. Staff, students and security quashed it before it got to that point. The students at the board meeting shook their heads in agreement as Rossi spoke. Are there street gangs running rampant in the school? “It’s false,” Rossi says. “I have to say that rather bluntly.” Sure, he says, there are kids who wear questionable clothing, colored hats and shirts that might appear to be gang attire; that’s no different than a lot of high schools around here. But it doesn’t mean organized gangs are terrorizing the school. Those hats and bric-a-brac don’t last long anyway. Administrators will take them from you and you can’t get it back until your parent comes in to the school in person to retrieve it for you. It’s no joke. One teenage boy, who made eye contact with the principal earlier in the day, was wearing a ball cap. The following period, the kid came to Rossi’s office and handed it over. It was added to the more than a dozen such hats in a variety of colors and logos in the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet in Rossi’s office. There are kids who say Rossi doles out punishment quick and harsh and who claim that the number of suspensions has jumped this year. Figures weren’t available, but Rossi said that one incident in the cafeteria netted 10 suspensions alone. Listen, Rossi says, no school is perfect, just as no real-world community is perfect. But at least there’s improvement. “It feels,” says Austin Abbott, “like a safe environment.” February 06, 2006
Cops' hands full with Apt. 57 calls By Ramsey Al-Rikabi Times Herald-Record ral-rikabi@th-record.com Monticello - Village police have been busy with what they describe as gang-related incidents over the past few days at the Shaker Heights apartments. Apt. 57, to be exact. Around 2 a.m. yesterday, police responded to gunshots in the parking lot. They found a blue 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee with eight bullet holes. The car was shot with 9 mm rounds, but police found a .32-caliber handgun with a scratched-out serial number inside. Police say Adrian K. Phillip, 22, driver of the Jeep, was arrested and charged with third-degree possession of a weapon, a felony. He lives in Apt. 57. Three days earlier, around 9:30 Thursday night, police were called for a "large disturbance," at Apt. 57. In the parking lot, police say they found 17-year-old Craig Caston of Monticello with seven stab wounds in his back and neck. Up in Apt. 57, police found bricks that had been thrown through the window, overturned furniture and blood splattered throughout the apartment, supposedly Caston's. Police say they recovered a small amount of crack, heroine and marijuana from Apt. 57 and arrested a tenant, Crystal Stewart, 23, and charged her with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor, and a violation for unlawful possession of marijuana. And around 10 p.m. on Friday, police arrested Alan Charles, 18, in connection with "gang graffiti" sprayed on several buildings in the village, including the high school and the lobby of the Carriage House apartments on Jan 25. Police reviewed security camera tapes and said other arrests are expected. Charles was charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief and making graffiti, misdemeanors. Police said he lived at Shaker Heights. Apt. 57, to be exact.
February 08, 2006 Feds sweep Newburgh; 10 arrested Newburgh - Agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms led a sweep through the city of Newburgh today, arresting 10 suspects in a drug and gun case. The US Attorney's Office was releasing few details until the men are arraigned in US District Court in White Plains later this afternoon. Agents and state and local police fanned out through the city around 6:30 a.m. this morning, centering their searches in the North Miller Street area. The case, according to law enforcement, stems form a two-year investigation of a local gang believed to be selling firearms and narcotics. John Doherty
December 01, 2005
Parents voice worries about gang problem
By Heather Yakin Times Herald-Record hyakin@th-record.com Monticello – A worried mom sat in the front of the Monticello High School auditorium, waiting for a gang-awareness seminar to start. She was one of about 60 parents who gathered to hear retired police Capt. Anthony Farina give a two-hour presentation. She was there, she said, because her 14-year-old son is in a gang. They call themselves BGs, the Baby Gangsters. Across the aisle, another mom says her son is in LOS – the Lynched-Out Soldiers. On a table at the front of the auditorium is a necklace of black and white beads with a rectangular pendant that reads "LOS." The school took it from her son. The women talk. They realize their boys have been fighting each other. A gang, Farina explains, is three or more people involved in activities that instill fear or intimidation. Gang signs, colors and tattoos are used to create fear. "Do we have a gang problem in our area?" he asked the crowd. They answer: "Yes." In the school's most recent Weekly Bulletin, the district highlighted the gang seminar and told parents about LOS and the BGs. "We felt that we needed to make parents aware," said George Vanderzell, Monticello High School's interim principal. "We want to keep the influence of gangs out of the school as much as we possibly can." "Kids are kids, everywhere. We just need to keep them as safe as we can," said Superintendent Eileen Casey. A 15-year-old tenth-grader at Monticello, who asked that his name not be used because he's already had run-ins with gangs, said there are about 10 kids in LOS and 15 in the BGs. "They used to all hang out, like everybody in the same gang," the teenager said. "Now they're divided." BG has been around for a year or two; the LOS is newer, he said. Last year, there were kids who claimed to be Latin Kings, too. "I really don't care for the gang stuff," the 15-year-old said. Gangs are becoming a universal phenomenon. The Liberty School District works with county probation and police officers to deal with issues that crop up. Monticello, Liberty and Fallsburg schools all ban bandannas, beads and similar things that are often associated with gangs. "I think it's a problem that's not going to go away," said Liberty Superintendent Lawrence Clarke. Farina told the parents to ask their kids if they're afraid to go to school, and why. "If you ask your kids questions, they will give you the answers," he said. "Gangs do exist," Monticello police Chief Doug Solomon said. "It hasn't really manifested itself in overt criminal action, other than some fights and some low-level drug activity." Cops have found graffiti outside local businesses. They've seen gang tattoos and marks. But you can't arrest someone for belonging to a gang. So the cops monitor the situation, through the cops on the beat, through the school resource, youth and DARE officers. "There have been some youths from the city who have propagated (the gangs) here," Solomon said. "It's the real thing – it's not the copycat stuff." Gang signs Graffiti can be a gang sign. Gang experts recommend that building owners remove graffiti as quickly as possible. Monticello police Chief Doug Solomon said his officers photograph graffiti before asking the property owners to clean it up. Different gangs often use different hand signals to communicate. Watch how groups of kids act when they approach each other. If every kid greets the same guy
first, that's a sign that he's a leader. Check your kid's room for gang literature. Some gangs have written rule books. Kids in gangs might draw gang initials or pictures. Is your kid suddenly strongly opposed to wearing certain colors? Does he or she insist on wearing another color, possibly with color-coordinated bandannas? Does your kid suddenly have money that he or she can't explain? What's a parent to do? Talk to your kid. Spend time with your kid and at the school. Get to know your kid's friends. Don't let your kid wear gang stuff. Get your kid involved in positive things: sports, music, art, etc.
April 20, 2005 School district wants to avoid gang problem
Warning signs, graffiti cause officials to step up By Paul Brooks Times Herald-Record pbrooks@th-record.com Ellenville – It starts with a trickle. Before long, it can swell in to a wave of stabbings, shootings, drugs and more. It's the thug life. Gangs. It's glamorized in music and fashion and culture. There have been reports about wannabes and real gang members in the cities of Newburgh and Kingston and Middletown, but they're also in rural Warwick. School districts from Valley Central to Monroe-Woodbury have confronted the issue. Now, it's Ellenville. There have been warning signs, bits of graffiti about the Crips gang and anarchy, school resource officer Leroy Seals said. If schools can find a way to work with parents and the community, "we can cut it off," Seals added. A month ago, the principal at Ellenville's middle school principal cracked down on students wearing headbands because he was concerned about gangs. Last week the district took its first step in cracking down. Ron "Cook" Barrett, a senior gang prevention specialist with the City of Albany, schooled the Ellenville district's high school and middle school teachers and staff on gangs. "This is a subculture," Barrett said. "The thug life is being exploited as a way to do business. We need to deglamorize it." Barrett broke down the signs of gangs' identification for teachers and staff. He has a six-page handout on the colors and symbols of gang after gang: red, black and green for Bloods; blue and black for Crips, red and white for Skinheads. A.D.R. is a phrase used by the Latin Kings gang. The Folk gang represents itself with the number 360, meaning full circle or universal. Some latch on to sports teams like the New York Jets or Chicago Bulls. Others wrap themselves in certain clothing lines, Calvin Klein or FUBU, for instance. Why? "We all have basic needs: to be recognized, loved and to belong," said Phil Mattracion, Ellenville police chief and a member of the local school board. The answer to fighting gangs is filling those needs. That takes more than just schools, Ellenville Superintendent Lisa Wiles said. It takes parents. It takes the community, all of it. Before the end of the year, school officials hope to set up meetings with parents and the community. "We have to step back a couple of steps and say we can put this together," Wiles added. "It's going to take a lot of work. It's going to take a lot of time."
Gang signs Bloods Colors: red, black, green Symbols: dog, Paw print, Piru or P, BK Numbers: 031, 000 Clothing: Chicago Bulls, FUBU, Calvin Klein Crips Colors: blue, black Symbols: CK, six-pointed star Numbers: 3, 6 Clothing: British Knights, Colorado Rockies, University of Illinois Dominicans Don't Play (DDP) Colors: red, white, blue Symbols: Dominican flag, three-point crown Numbers: 4-4-16 (DDP) Clothing: Dominican Rep. Source: Capital Region Gang Prevention
November 06, 2005 Police worry kids aren't just playing with ganglike acts
By John Sullivan Times Herald-Record jsullivan@th-record.com Chester – A spate of incidents involving groups of teens at the Whispering Hills condominium complex has village police worried that kids are crossing a line between just looking like street thugs to acting like ones. "It's sort of like a hurricane coming," said Sgt. Jim Thornton. "You can see the tropical depression in places … so that you want to start preparing for the worst." At this point, Thornton hesitates to label the groups of youths his officers are monitoring "gangs." But several unsettling signs, including the appearance of graffiti "tags," or gang names, spray-painted on walls; reports of fights between teens using baseball bats; and the recent arrest of two 15-year-olds carrying pellet guns that strongly resembled real .45-caliber Glock handguns, has his department worried. Thornton said he thinks Whispering Hills can be a prime environment for suburban gangs, since there are many kids formerly from New York City and because many of their working parents still commute to the city, making it difficult for them to supervise their kids. Police have so far identified 15 to 20 boys with connections to two groups related to the recent incidents, Thornton said. Police interviews with the boys suggest they identify themselves by gang names, as well as wear the same kind of clothing, Thornton said. One of the two groups, which goes by the acronym NFO, for "No Fair Ones" (meaning "no fair fights") is reported to have started recruiting members in the beginning of the school year, local teens said. Chester Superintendent Judy Waligory said her school district was unaware of such activity, although she said she is aware that gangs exist in the area. John Chivattoni, an inspector with the Orange County Gang Task Force, said most local teen
gangs tend to be "hybrid gangs," or teens who learn about gang behavior from imitating rap artists, older friends and other sources. Police in Port Jervis, Warwick, Monroe, Chester and other towns all have officers who regularly meet to share information about such groups, he said. "Tagging" is usually an indication that the kids are marking off territory and thus becoming more organized, he said. "We tell most police departments that (when they see the graffiti), that's the time to start cracking down, so it doesn't get any worse," Chivattoni said. Hybrid gangs usually form around schools, malls or other places kids gather. Peak recruiting times coincide with high periods of social activity, such as in the summer or the beginning of school, Chivottani said. Chester police have assigned an officer to work with parents and the community to monitor the teens, as well as undergo specialized training in gang prevention. Most Whispering Hills residents interviewed said they were unaware of teen gangs in their complex but they have noticed an increase in the number of teens on the street, sometimes late at night. "You tell them to move (out of the road), and they just give you a look," said resident Alba Gregorwich. Whispering Hills Homeowner's Association President Eugene Collins said he has received no recent reports of teen gangs, although he did not discount the possibility they might exist. The condominium complex has experienced graffiti and groups of roaming kids before, he said, but in most cases the kids don't bother residents, he said. Kyle Skala, a four-year resident of Whispering Hills, said he grew up around the types of teens village police worry about. "We'd beat up kids we didn't like, go to parties, smoke weed, that's about it," he said. Most people usually grow out of such gangs, said the 19-year-old, now planning to study at SUNY Orange to become an accountant. When Skala now sees similar groups of kids, he looks on them with amusement. "There's nothing to worry about," he said. "They're just little-a-- kids trying to act hard."
September 27, 2005 Gang graffiti could signal strife
By Dianna Cahn Times Herald-Record dcahn@th-record.com Middletown – Police fear that a series of weekend gang dust-ups, culminating Sunday in the stabbing of a Middletown teenager, are not over yet, after graffiti bearing the gang's name was splashed across windows at Middletown High School. School officials were greeted yesterday morning with graffiti that said "True Crazy Thugs" and "TCT" on high school cafeteria windows. "I am just concerned that the two groups may keep going with this," Middletown Detective Sgt. Jerry Mishk said. "Right now, I am more concerned that the group that calls themselves TCT may not end this at this point." Police are still piecing together the details of Sunday's violence, which unfolded in three locations. Mishk said it started at Modell's Sporting Goods on Route 211 in the Town of Wallkill, when a group of teens police believe are TCT members accosted a teenager not formally part of a gang. Gang members hit the teen and his mother, Mishk said. That teen then got some of his friends together, and they went to the Sandberg Court apartments in Scotchtown looking for the gang's leader, Mishk said. During a second confrontation, police believe TCT members smashed in the windows of the car of the Middletown group. Later Sunday, a group of about 12 TCT members assaulted a 17-year-old Middletown boy in
Fancher Davidge Park, kicking him and beating him with bats, apparently smashing one of his kneecaps. It was only when the youth stood up that he realized he had been stabbed, Mishk said. "The knife passed between his heart and his lung," Mishk added. Mishk said police were hoping to interview the teen today and were still investigating who was involved. Friends of the youth were able to identify the attackers only by first names and nicknames, Mishk said. The investigation was further complicated by the fact that the first two fights happened in the Town of Wallkill, while the felony assault took place in Middletown, a different police jurisdiction. Middletown High School Principal Larry Ashley said he was naturally concerned about the graffiti but believes the school is secure during the day when students are present. The weekend fights follow a big brawl that erupted off high school grounds after a football game at the school two weeks ago. Police believe TCT members were involved.
May 5, 2005
Middletown
Expert to tell parents about gangs
A top gang prevention specialist will speak to parents in Middletown at 7 tonight in the Twin Towers Middle School auditorium. Ron "Cook" Barrett, who founded the Gang Prevention Program in Albany, will provide a multimedia presentation focusing on the how to recognize gang activity and how to intervene with involved youth. Barrett oversees prevention and intervention programs in Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady counties, conducting awareness seminars and speaking with kids in schools and other youth centers. The lecture is being jointly sponsored by the Middletown Police Department and the Middletown School District. At the same time, the Board of Education will be holding a public hearing on its proposed 20052006 budget in the school district office.
August 3, 2005
Middletown
Police nab suspected L.A. gang member
Middletown police arrested a man they believe has ties to Sorentos 13, a tough Mexican gang in Los Angeles, and might even be the gang's leader, Sgt. Jerry Mishk said. Jesus Cazares was arrested last week after police received a tip that he was in the country illegally. Cazares, who had the number 1 written with marker on the toe of one sneaker and the number 3 on the other sneaker, also had a forged passport and Social Security card, Mishk said. In gang language, 13 is for the letter M, the 13th letter of the alphabet, and stands for murder, Mishk said. He said Cazares was the first member of Sorentos 13 police have been able to trace on the streets of Middletown, though their graffiti, SUR13, has turned up with other gang graffiti. Cazares was charged with two misdemeanor counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and is being held in Orange County Jail for possible deportation.
March 09, 2005 BBK gang leader is given sentence of 2½ to 10 years
By Oliver Mackson
Times Herald-Record omackson@th-record.com Goshen – As the reputed king of the Benkard Barrio Kings gang, Raul Garza faced 8¤ to 25 years for conspiring to sell cocaine. He got 2½ to 10 years yesterday. The reason for the break: Garza turned informer. "He did help us," prosecutor David Hoovler told Orange County Judge Stewart Rosenwasser before the judge sentenced Garza to state prison. A cooperation agreement called for Garza to supply information to the FBI and state police that would be used against other BBK members. Seventeen of them, representing the gang's leadership, were indicted on Aug. 3, and the guilty pleas came quickly after the indictments. Prosecutors and police called the 16 guilty pleas and one conviction a clean sweep of the gang's leadership. Among them were Garza's two brothers, Reynaldo and Cornelio, also known as "The Good Brother," and Guadalupe "Bucho" Rodriguez, Garza's half-brother. Garza, 34, identified himself as the BBK's leader in a 2002 interview with City of Newburgh police, who were investigating one of at least 33 violent acts attributed to the gang between 1999 and 2004. Yesterday, his lawyer, Paul Trachte, asked the judge to impose the minimum sentence. Trachte spoke of the good that Garza did in the community through his Garza Bros. Construction Co. "I'm mindful that you were among those who came in and admitted your responsibility relatively early," Rosenwasser told Garza, who passed up his chance to speak on his own behalf before he was sentenced. The judge also observed that Garza was on a list of potential prosecution witnesses during last week's trial of Jose "Diabolico" Garcia, the only one of the 17 BBK defendants who went to trial. Garcia was convicted of drug and conspiracy charges in two trials, and faces 75 years to life when he's sentenced on April 1. "You were apparently willing to come in and testify," the judge told Garza, whose testimony turned out to be unnecessary. Garza was caught on tape by police with Garcia in June 2004. The conversation was nearly 27,000 deep into 33,000 conversations intercepted by a task force of city and state police and FBI agents. On the tape, Garcia asked Garza to "buy me a couple animals," code for cocaine. "Well, don't say no more," Garza responded.
October 15, 2005
Middletown
Second youth charged in gang assault
Police arrested a second suspect in the Sept. 23 beating and stabbing of a Middletown teenager. De'Sahwn Glean, 16, of Scotchtown, was arrested yesterday and charged with second-degree gang assault, Detective Sgt. Gerald Mishk said. The charge is a felony that includes intent to cause physical injury with at least two other people, and resulting in serious physical injury. Glean is accused of taking part in the attack on a Middletown teenager at Fancher-Davidge Park in the last of a series of confrontations between two groups of teens over the weekend of Sept. 25, Mishk said. The victim was beaten and stabbed in the chest between his lung and his heart. Police believe he is a member of a homegrown Scotchtown gang from Pine Bush High School that calls itself True Crazy Thugs. Glean is the second Scotchtown youth to be arrested and charged with the crime. Last week, police arrested Bernard Gonzalez for the same attack and charged him with gang assault as well.
Police believe the leader of the gang is still at large. Dianna Cahn
October 28, 2005
Middletown
Third teen charged in park gang assault
A month after a Middletown teen was nearly killed in a gang assault stabbing, a third Scotchtown youth was arrested and charged with the crime, police said yesterday. Middletown police went to Pine Bush High School on Tuesday, asked for student Josh Gill and placed him under arrest in the stabbing, police Lt. Paul Rickard said. The officers also patted Gill down and seized two small bags of marijuana, Rickard said. Gill, who will turn 17 on Sunday, was charged with second-degree gang assault, a felony, that includes intent to cause physical injury with at least two other people and resulting in serious physical injury. Police believe Gill was one of four Scotchtown youths who took part in the attack in FancherDavidge Park on Sept. 25 – the culmination of a series of confrontations between the Scotchtown gang and a group of Middletown teens over that weekend, police say. Like the other two arrested, Gill is believed to be a member of a homegrown gang that calls itself True Crazy Thugs. The other two are Bernard Gonzalez, 17, and De'Shawn Glean, 16; both are also Pine Bush students. Dianna Cahn Newburgh
New BBK tags shouldn't spread fear
At least two walls were spray-painted with new BBK tags over the weekend, but police say it doesn't mean the violent street gang is back in operation. BBK stands for Benkard Barrio Kings, a gang police and prosecutors have targeted lately. Seventeen alleged gang leaders were indicted last year. Sixteen plead guilty and one was convicted. Authorities called it a clean sweep of the gang's leadership. The new tags appeared between Friday night and Saturday morning on walls in the city's northeast section, according to police reports. City Detective Rolando Zapata said the graffiti was most likely sprayed by juveniles – perhaps BBK Juniors, a younger version of the BBK – on their way across town at night. Ben Montgomery
May 01, 2005 High school is scene for a gang assault
Six arrested, including 2 juveniles By Christian M. Wade Times Herald-Record cwade@th-record.com Washingtonville – Six people from Rockland County, including a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old, have been arrested and charged with a gang assault on a youth that occurred at the Washingtonville High School, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said yesterday. Village of Washingtonville police on duty yesterday refused to provide details, saying that only
the chief could speak about the arrests. But a deputy at Orange County Jail confirmed that four 17-year-olds were being held on felony assault charges stemming from a fight at the high school Friday afternoon. It was not clear yesterday how many students from the high school were involved in the fight. But a police source said the attackers came to the village from Spring Valley looking for a specific teenager who had been involved in an incident earlier in the week. Gabriel Eleda, 17, of Spring Valley, was charged with second-degree gang assault, false impersonation, third-degree criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. Joel Gurrier and Jeffrey Jeanty, both 17 and of Nyack, along with Stephan Alexis, 17, of Spring Valley, were charged with second-degree assault, a deputy said. Also arrested was a 14-year-old male, who was charged with second-degree attempted gang assault, and a 15-year-old male, charged with third-degree assault. The four older youths were sent to Orange County Jail, pending further action. The 14-year-old and the 15-year-old were apparently released to the custody of their parents. School district officials could not be reached for comment yesterday.
October 22, 2005 Cops: Young boy sold crack
12-year-old facing felony; more charges likely By Kristina Wells Times Herald-Record kwells@th-record.com Newburgh – Police nabbed a 12-year-old suspected street gang member yesterday for allegedly selling crack cocaine. At about 2:30 p.m. yesterday, cops descended on the corner of City Terrace and Van Ness Street after the boy sold crack to an undercover cop, police said. The corner is an area frequented by a group of young toughs calling themselves the Unique Soldiers. It's a twist in the drug trade, say police sources, who speculate older kids use the youngster to hock their wares because those who aren't juveniles, if convicted, would serve prison time instead of a short term in a youth detention facility. "If we're being so effective that they're using kids this age to sell drugs, we've got a problem," said a concerned city police Chief Eric Paolilli. The street gang is about 50 members strong. The members range in age from 12 to the mid20s. One gang member, 19-year-old Trent Zachary, was gunned down March 13 in a drive-by shooting while hanging out at the same spot, police said. The Unique Soldiers deal in crack, heroin and pot, officials said. Police searched a dirt parking lot near the corner and found what they deemed the group's "stash." Heroin was hidden in a potato chip bag, crack in a plastic bottle cap. Tucked inside a brown paper bag cops found a .22-caliber revolver – fully loaded and cocked – sources said. Cops charged the boy with third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, a felony. An adult convicted of the crime could receive as little as a year or as much as nine years in state prison. A juvenile, if convicted, would serve a maximum sentence of 18 months in a detention facility. Also rounded up at the scene and charged with first-degree loitering were Lawrence Melvin, 18, of Liberty Street; Marquis Freeman, 19, of Grand Street; Jovonta Williams, 19, of Johnston Street; and a 14-year-old boy. The investigation continues, and Detective Sgt. Donald Campbell said he anticipates more charges will be filed. Police have not been able to connect the gun or the stashed drugs to any of the teens, he said. The problem appears out in the open in the neighborhood around City Terrace and Van Ness Street. Hours after city and state police took the boy and three others downtown, young adults and teens loitered on the corner in front of a vacant building covered with graffiti.
Many in the group turned their heads or walked off when asked about what had happened. Neighbors, who didn't want to be identified, said the boy's age did not shock them. "They're 9 and 10 out here," said one man.
November 04, 2005 Student protests focus on school safety issues
By Dianna Cahn Times Herald-Record dcahn@th-record.com Middletown – Bearing handmade signs saying "Save Our School," Middletown High School students staged not one, but two walkouts yesterday to protest feeling unsafe there. More than 100 students marched to the Board of Education, complaining of dust kicked up by the school expansion project and drugs and weapons in the school. "I don't feel safe in my school environment," said McKeanna Myers. "I have to worry if there is a person sitting next to me with a knife or a weapon." "This is my first year here," said Alex Rodriguez. "I feel unsafe. It's worse than the Bronx." The walkouts followed Tuesday's suspension of a student accused of bragging that he had gun in his pocket and would use it, said Principal Larry Ashley. The school immediately questioned the student, but the weapon, a plastic pellet gun, wasn't there. The boy, 15, directed police to it in the knapsack of a ninth-grade girl off school premises. Police are investigating if she helped smuggle the weapon out of school, said Lt. Paul Rickard. Police also think this might have been gang-related. Rickard said charges will be brought against the boy in Family Court, and Ashley said he planned to expel the boy. Since September, the high school has been plagued by construction-related accidents and student mischief, including false fire alarms and a bomb threat. Those problems followed scheduling mayhem stemming from a new computer program. Compounded with overcrowding, students, teachers and parents are complaining that things are awry. The theme topped the agenda at the school board meeting last night. But in a sharp turnabout, school board President Vince Crescenzo, Superintendent Ken Eastwood and other board members went out of their way to listen to complaints and address the community's anger. Crescenzo said he never saw anger like that of parents at the last board meeting. The meetings will be changed, he said, so people can better express themselves. "What I want to do personally and professionally is apologize for that anger," Crescenzo told a packed room. "I want to apologize for the perception that we don't care. ... We want you to know we are listening to your concerns." As students stood up one by one, telling the board that weapons and construction issues were creating fear, board members spoke of the need to make the school safer. Eastwood said he is taking the concerns seriously. There's a new school resource officer; police and district officials are working closely on gang-related issues; and the community is cooperating with information, he said. "It's an issue, absolutely it's an issue," Eastwood said. "We are trying to find solutions to it." Ashley, too, addressed the students and planned to send a letter to parents about the pellet gun and walkouts. And staff will be trained on gang awareness. "We know there are youngsters who are involved in gang activities," said Ashley. "I take them seriously. ... I don't want kids coming here with the perception their school is unsafe. I want them to look at it as the culmination of their teenage years, with warmth and with a feeling that they got a quality education."
September 23, 2005 Monticello H.S. violence
Knives used in 2 assaults; 12 arrested
By Heather Yakin and Victor Whitman Times Herald-Record vwhitman@th-record.com hyakin@th-record.com Monticello – A dozen students have been arrested in the past week after a series of assaults – two involving knives – in the Monticello High School. One victim required medical attention and, police said, two of the teenagers charged had razor knives during the assaults. Assistant Superintendent Patrick Michel said he's conducting disciplinary hearings this week. Everybody arrested or caught carrying a knife could be expelled. "Students have been searched," he said. "The students have all been informed that we are aggressively pursuing any leads concerning weapons." Cops say the violence of the past week is unusual for the school and its 1,200 students. On Wednesday, the school had two more fights involving four kids. Yesterday morning, a student who was attacked with a knife last week was caught carrying a blade. He was suspended. "We just had a bad week," said Monticello police Officer Jason Corley, the school's resource officer. "We haven't had students going around slashing each other (before this). We got rid of nine or 10 kids this week. They were the ringleaders." On Sept. 16, Andre Fogo, 17, was struck above the eye with the butt end of a folding knife. He was treated at Crystal Run Heathcare in Rock Hill for a swollen eye. Fogo said the assault happened outside the school, near the gym entrance, after his soccer practice. He said he was taking soccer balls inside when he was attacked by a group of students who had been watching a volleyball game in the gym. Fogo said they were friends of a kid he'd argued with earlier. Yesterday, Fogo was suspended from school for five days when school authorities searched him and found a knife blade in his pocket. He now faces a long-term suspension. His mother, Maureen Ferguson, said he was just scared. Some of the kids had showed up outside their apartment complex Sept. 16, looking for him. "They suspend him from school because he was trying to protect himself," Ferguson said yesterday. "They were still running around. He was afraid for his life." About 7:30 a.m. Monday, police say, a group of teenagers jumped students Chris Conklin and Jason Babcock in the school cafeteria. Babcock was slashed across his back with a razor knife, but he was lucky. The blade left a 7 inch-slash mark on the back of his outer red shirt and two puncture holes in a black inner shirt, but didn't cut him. "Thank God, he had two shirts on," his mother, Lois, said. "How do you walk into school with a knife? Babcock said that just before they were jumped, Conklin had words with one of the students. Babcock went to help his friend, and got punched in the jaw. He said he chased the kid who threw the punch and they both fell down. Then a crowd of kids lunged at him, and he jumped over a lunch table to get away. Yesterday, police arrested seven students in connection with the attack on Babcock and Conklin. Charged with second-degree gang assault and attempted second-degree gang assault, felonies, were: Dominick O'Bannon, 17; Quanne Mizell, 16; Rashaud Murray, 19; and Desiree Davis, 17. Two 15-year-old boys and a 14-year-old boy were charged with second-degree gang assault. Davis and one of the 15-year-olds also face misdemeanor weapon charges. Police say they each had a razor knife. Police said that a 15-year-old was involved in both the assault on Babcock and Conklin and the assault on Fogo. The school suspended Babcock from his regular classes for five days for fighting, but allowed him to attend his nursing classes at BOCES. "What am I supposed to do if I get punched in the face, fall to the ground and get stabbed? he said. "I always thought you had the right to protect yourself."
January 19, 2005 Victim died trying to help friend, cops say
By Heather Yakin Times Herald-Record hyakin@th-record.com Monticello – Martin Acosta was just trying to help a friend when he died at the age of 23 from a stab wound to the heart. Yesterday, a jury was chosen in Sullivan County Court for one of four suspects in Acosta's death. Robert Maloy III, 21, of Napanoch, faces charges of second-degree murder, attempted seconddegree murder, first-degree gang assault, first-degree assault and other felony charges. His trial begins today. The same charges are pending against Maloy's co-defendants, Michael Krom, 21, of Napanoch; and Christopher Quick, 20, and Luis A. Martinez, 23, both of Ellenville. Their trials will come later. None are expected to testify. Officials believe the trouble started on June 12, when Maloy showed up at a former girlfriend's home in Ellenville to find Michael Williams, 18, of Woodridge, and another man visiting her. The other man shoved Maloy during the ensuing altercation. About 7:40 p.m., four masked men armed with a gun, knives and golf clubs approached Williams as he sat in his car outside the Woodridge Housing Authority, talking to Mitchell Pomales, 19. One man placed a gun to Williams' head and pulled the trigger. The gun jammed. The attacker then pulled a knife and cut Williams' throat. In the melee that followed, Badillio "Martin" Acosta and another man, Jose Martinez, 18, of South Fallsburg tried to defend Williams and Pomales. When it was all over, Pomales had a depressed skull fracture. Jose Martinez had a lacerated liver and lung, and needed emergency surgery. Williams' neck and ear were cut. And Martin Acosta was dead.
March 16, 2005 City prepares to fight 'the circle of death'
By Ben Montgomery Times Herald-Record bmontgomery@th-record.com Newburgh – In a place that seems to constantly toe the edge of revival, two homicides, two shootings and a fatal police chase in eight days are a cold reminder to folks here of the gap between the city's dreams and its reality. Just as Broadway facades are painted with the promise of new life and world-class developers line up to pitch plans for a chunk of riverside real estate, glass saints rise on sidewalks in honor of the city's latest victims: Jose Morales, "Papi," a 68-year-old Honduran immigrant, father of 13, gunned down March 5 in a William Street bodega; and Trent Zachary, "Triggaman," a tough 19-year-old whose brother is in jail for manslaughter, killed in a drive-by shooting Sunday evening. "It seems like we're beleaguered with bad luck," said Harvey Burger, a county legislator who owns a liquor store on Liberty Street. "Every time it seems like all these good things are gonna happen, something like this comes up." Crime is nothing new here in a city where 20 out of every 1,000 people fell victim to violence in
2002. But the bodega killing shattered seven murder-free months. And that was just the start of it. "It's like Iraq out here," said a man standing near a sidewalk memorial for Zachary the other day. The surge isn't just anecdotal. "Unfortunately, we are experiencing a spike in violence right now," said police Chief Eric Paolilli, who ordered an increase in manpower on the evening shifts to combat violence. That jolt has folks coming out of the woodwork to fight, from the Orange County executive to the Nation of Islam to former street-gang leaders. "If we don't get involved, those of us who were in the game, there's gonna be some death," said Mike Burks, a former leader of the street gang Nationwide. Not just the city residents are affected by Newburgh's crime. A drive-by shooting involving city men last week was in the Town of Newburgh, near the Newburgh Mall. And several times in the past two weeks, New Windsor police have left the town in order to provide back-up for city cops, said New Windsor Supervisor George Meyers. That's why City Manager Jean-Ann McGrane is calling an emergency meeting of elected officials this week to beg for "additional help" and "consistent support" from the state police and the sheriff's office. Makes sense to Assemblyman Tom Kirwan, who has been trying for years to get the state police barracks moved from Stewart Airport to the city. "When you go duck hunting, you go to where the ducks are," Kirwan said yesterday. Meanwhile, as two more families prepare for funerals, folks from City Terrace to City Hall are trying to figure out how to stop the fury. Those who live on streets like Lander and Chambers and Johnston say there's a disconnect between city leaders and the people. "They have no idea what's going on out here," said Keith Ford, 55, a Vietnam veteran. "They investing in blue-chip stocks, and the black man is slowly dying off." "When they get the money, it ain't reaching this level," said Timothy Hayes-El, 42, a poet and activist who has called a peace rally with the Nation of Islam on City Terrace at 5 p.m. tomorrow. "They ain't broke the circle of death." "If we could just figure out some way to sit down with these dignitaries, we could solve some of these problems," said Elder Earl McDoe, an assistant pastor at the House of Joy on Liberty Street and the grandfather of 16-year-old Dionte Jones, whose car ran off the road and burst into flames as he was being chased by police on Sunday. City leaders, some of them, sense that disconnect. Paolilli has set up a forum on Friday for all city shop owners to address concerns about their safety. And McGrane organized a youth summit for Saturday to talk to kids about what they need, like parks and jobs and opportunity, with the idea that violent crime is not just a police issue. Smart, says George Frazier, who runs Hoops Express and taught Zachary basketball when he was younger. "One organization can't do this alone. It's gotta be everybody, together." January 14, 2005
Shoot-out at West Point
By Sandy Tomcho Times Herald-Record stomcho@th-record.com West Point – It must be one lucky day for West Point wiseguys Joey Compare, aka The Godfather of Orange County, and Michael "Ratso" Rizzo. It seems that the crime leaders were preparing for an upcoming holiday party at The Thayer Hotel at West Point when a hitman, disguised as Al Pacino, entered the men's room and shot at them point blank. Fortunately, the gunman tripped over the urinal and the mobsters escaped without a scratch, both stating to police: "Yo – accidents happen!" Informed sources believe that for some time there has been a mob war brewing over who will
control the lucrative West Point turf. Police sources confirm that Joey Compare is attempting to go legit with his recent takeover of The Thayer Hotel. This has caused a considerable dissent among the members of his syndicate. And the Rizzo crime family has had its own internal conflicts due to a rash of recent attacks by other crime families, including Russian, Jamaican, Jewish, Colombian and Asian crime syndicates, as well as a ruthless murderous gang of Jehovah's Witnesses. Informed sources also reveal the existence of a new and more powerful crime cartel that is attempting to organize all syndicates on a national level. State Police have stated they are assigning their top man to investigate the attacks, but the FBI is dumbfounded.
March 08, 2005 Newburgh storekeepers live in fear
By John Doherty Times Herald-Record jdoherty@th-record.com Newburgh – When Salah Alharabi heard about the killing of Jose Morales Saturday, it chilled him. Just three weeks ago, Alharabi, 39, had a gun stuck in his face at the corner shop where he works. Days later, detectives arrested a suspect in that hold-up. Now, five blocks away from Alharabi's workplace, Morales, 68, a fellow store clerk, was shot to death in what police suspect may have been another robbery. No one has been arrested for Morales' killing. "It's scary," said Alharabi yesterday at the William Street Three Star Deli Grocery. "You think one day it's going to be you." Morales' shooting was the latest and most dramatic act of violence in Newburgh this winter. Morales was shot at 4 p.m. Saturday in a grocery right on the corner of busy Broadway. Alharabi was held up Feb. 23, after midnight, at a store on the city's fringes. Across the street from Three Star, a boarded-up building sports 4-foot-high spray-painted letters: "BBK", after the neighborhood's fearsome Benkard Barrio Kings street gang. But in Newburgh, where city officials have made quality-of-life issues a priority, risk is measured block by block. "Right now, this block is nice, the streets are clean, look," said Humberto Robles, a clerk at Garcia's Supermarket yesterday. Garcia's sits on William Street – halfway between the Three Star Deli and the Latin Grocery, where Morales was killed. "But it's very important for the police to always be buzzing around," he said. Store robberies are coming after a winter where cab drivers felt targeted. "For whatever reason, we tend to have a spike in these kinds of robberies from around the holidays into the spring," said Lt. Butch Amthor of the city police. After a rash of armed stickups of taxis, police began stopping cabs to check on drivers. In the past two months, robberies of gas stations and convenience stores have been reported throughout the city. The shooting of Morales on Newburgh's most-heavily trafficked street was proof for store owners and workers that location is no guarantee of safety. "The last eight months here, it has been very, very good," said Mohammed Ali, manager of the I&M Deli on South Street. "Right now, it's cleaned up pretty good. The police stop a lot. It's very good." Even so, on Sunday, a clerk caught a man walking out of the I & M with two 40-ounce beers. When the clerk demanded payment, the man pulled a knife, waved it around, and said: "I'll do whatever I want to do. I'll kill you."
April 12, 2005
Monticello
Two arrests made in assault by six people on 16-year-old Police are seeking more suspects in an attack that happened Friday afternoon on Broadway. Monticello police said a 16-year-old Monticello boy was at the Mobil Mart on Broadway about 2:45 p.m. Friday when he was jumped by six people in the parking lot. Police said one of the assailants used a pool ball in a sock to hit the boy in the face, and others punched him. The 16-year-old was taken to Catskill Regional Medical Center in Harris, where he was treated for two teeth that were knocked out during the melee. Police have made two arrests, charging Marlon Anderson, 16, and James Drayton, 16, both of Monticello, with second-degree gang assault, a felony. The charge refers to an assault committed by more than two assailants. Drayton was also charged with misdemeanor weapon possession. Police say he had the sock and pool ball. Anderson and Drayton were arraigned and sent to Sullivan County Jail without bail, pending appearances in Village Court. The investigation is continuing, and more arrests are expected. Anyone with information is asked to call Monticello police at 794-4422. Calls will be kept confidential. Newburgh
Family fears gangsters might have taken son
Three weeks after Andrew Naclerio disappeared from the city, his family fears he might be the victim of payback from local gangsters. Naclerio, 29, was last seen the morning of April 11 leaving his Washington Street apartment, heading to a drug counseling meeting. Police say he was seen getting into a black SUV driven by a black or Hispanic man. Family members said this week that Naclerio, also known as Andrew Weygant, might be being blamed by local gang members for the theft of some drugs. Naclerio's uncle, William Rudd, said the family thinks it's possible Naclerio is still in Newburgh or in New York City. They're asking anyone with information to contact Detective John Zagarella at 561 3131. Naclerio is about 5 feet 10 inches tall, white with several tattoos: an Italian flag on his left shoulder, a Chinese man on his left forearm, "mom" tattooed on his right shoulder and "Poppy" on the right side of his back. Naclerio has a history of drug abuse and arrests and might have been involved with members of the local Latin Kings, his family said. John Doherty
July 22, 2005 Newburgh teen pleads guilty in March drive-by slaying
By Oliver Mackson Times Herald-Record omackson@th-record.com Goshen – A month before his 18th birthday, a Newburgh teen admitted yesterday that he killed another teenager during the city's most violent month so far this year. Cleveland Ferrell pleaded guilty in Orange County Court to second-degree manslaughter, telling Judge Jeffrey G. Berry that he fired a single shot in Trent Zachary's direction during a joyride through the city's East End on March 13. Under questioning from prosecutor David Hoovler, Ferrell said he intended to scare the 19-
year-old Zachary, not kill him. There have been three homicides in Newburgh this year, all during March. On the day of the killing, Ferrell was one of five people riding around Newburgh in a van, looking to settle what authorities characterized as a dispute between local gangs. In May, Ferrell's lawyer, Paul Brite of Newburgh, obtained statements from two inmates at Orange County Jail who claimed they heard that someone else in the van fired the shot. Yesterday, after the start of a pretrial hearing, Brite and Hoovler worked out a plea bargain: Ferrell pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He was originally charged with second-degree murder. The deal eliminated the need for a trial and averted potential problems with witnesses who may be reluctant to identify the gunman in open court. Ferrell faces five to 15 years in prison when he's sentenced Aug. 29. In May, he began serving three to 15 for selling cocaine. The manslaughter and drug sales sentences will be served consecutively, meaning that Ferrell will eligible for parole after eight years.
July 23, 2005 Track star injured in street shooting
By John Doherty Times Herald-Record jdoherty@th-record.com Newburgh – Four people, including former NFA track star Elzie Coleman, were wounded in three shootings in Newburgh Thursday and early yesterday morning. Police say the incidents do not appear to be related. Coleman, 19, told police he was walking down Dubois Street with a friend around 1:30 a.m. yesterday. The two were headed to nearby Lander Street, where Coleman lives, after leaving Kennedy Fried Chicken on Broadway. Coleman told police he heard at least seven gunshots and saw a group of at least 12 young men running down Dubois Street. Coleman was struck by a bullet in his lower right leg. Coleman managed to get to St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital, which is nearby on Dubois Street. He remained at St. Luke's yesterday, and his injury was not considered life-threatening. He is a former USA Today High School All-American track star and competed last month in the NCAA National Track finals in Sacramento, Calif. He is enrolled at Mississippi State University. Police were not sure whether Coleman, arrested in two gang-related brawls at Newburgh Free Academy last year, was an accidental victim or was targeted. No arrests have been made. Coleman was the fourth city shooting victim in a 24-hour stretch. The first shooting occurred around 4 a.m. Thursday outside the Sports Cup bar on South Robinson Avenue. Sub Santiago, 25, told police he got in the middle of two groups of Hispanic men who were arguing outside the bar. Someone began firing a gun, Santiago told police, and he was struck in the chest. Santiago, of Millerton, then got into his car and drove more than 40 minutes to Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Conn., which is near Millerton. City police only learned of the shooting after hospital officials called Connecticut State Police. St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital is only blocks from where Santiago was shot. Nineteen hours later, police were called to 166 Washington St. There they found Jaqwana Smith, 27, shot once, and a 15-year-old juvenile shot twice. They were taken to St. Luke's. Detectives believe the double shooting began after an argument between the 15-year-old and two other males.
November 17, 2005
Middletown
Student charged with terroristic threat
A Middletown High School student direct-connected a fellow student Tuesday night, warning her, "Don't come to school tomorrow if you want to live, because everybody is going to regret making fun of me." The recipient wasn't sure who the sender was but thought it was someone named Devon. A parent contacted a school official, who contacted police, said Lt. Paul Rickard. Devon Middleton, 17, was arrested at the start of school yesterday morning on suspicion he sent the message, Rickard said. Middleton was charged with making a terroristic threat, a felony, and third-degree falsely reporting an incident, a misdemeanor. Last month, police found pictures of Middleton and other family members posing "like a gang" on a Web site and calling themselves the royal family, said Detective Sgt. Jerry Mishk. Another photograph showed a gun on a bathroom sink, Mishk said. Middleton told police his direct-connect message was supposed to be a joke, Mishk said. He said he believes the youth didn't realize the consequences of his actions. Dianna Cahn
November 17, 2004 Authorities move in on street gang with arrests, deportations
By Ben Montgomery Times Herald, Record bmontgomery@th-record.com Newburgh – In a secret 18-month operation, authorities have deported 23 Mexican nationals with ties to the Benkard Barrio Kings, and 27 others associated with the notorious street gang are in custody pending deportation proceedings. City police said that the 50 BBK members and their associates who have been picked off in Orange County's biggest deportation operation represent about a quarter of the dangerous gang's total membership. And while the police department and other anti-gang agencies continue to investigate, prosecute and deport members of the BBK, investigators are collecting evidence against other suspected gang members in Newburgh. "This is the largest gang investigation in Orange County, ever," said Orange County Assistant District Attorney David Hoovler. "And the BBK gang investigation is the first. We're actively working on other aspects of the Bloods, Crips, ñeta and the Latin Kings." Hoovler said the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency has been working with the city police to start the deportation process on illegal aliens who are arrested. When a suspected gang member is arrested on criminal charges, he explained, police determine through Social Security numbers and fingerprinting the suspect's citizenship status – whether they're here illegally, with a visa or work visa. After someone arrested and convicted serves a prison term, the foreign national is deported, Hoovler said. Has the deportation push had an effect on the neighborhood south of Broadway, where BBK tags – graffiti used to mark a gang's turf – still cover brick walls and boarded windows? "Absolutely," said Newburgh police Detective Rolando Zapata. "People call me up all the time to say it's better." That doesn't mean the problem is solved. "It's not as crazy, but they're still pretty active," said a man who lives near a BBK hangout on Hasbrouck Street. Newburgh's deputy police chief, Michael Ferrara, said it will be a few months before crime statistics show the effect of the deportations. "Eventually it will," he said. "You're removing a criminal element right off the streets." Assemblyman Tom Kirwan, R-C-Newburgh, lives a few blocks away from the BBK's turf. He's
noticed a difference in the southeast section of this city of 28,000: fewer thugs on corners, less gang graffiti, and fewer shootouts like the one in 2002, when five members of the BBK were shot by a rival gangster. That gunfight made Kirwan, a former state police officer, so mad that he asked the feds to help local cops send convicted foreign nationals "back from whence they came." "I'm not interested in going after the people in pursuit of the American dream," Kirwan said last week. "I want the ones trying to make this city into a nightmare." But won't the illegal criminals who are deported just come back to Newburgh? Kirwan used a profanity to indicate that those people "are gonna go back to wherever they came from and spread the word. Newburgh is not gonna be the sanctuary it has been." Following the massive BBK deportation effort, police are turning up the pressure on rival gangs. Already, across the city's southeastern side, BBK tags are being sprayed over by gangs like La Eme and Locos 13 – a serious slight by gang standards. "That's one of our concerns – that La Eme is gonna be stronger," Zapata said. "But we've just gotta stay on top of them." On a drive through the city yesterday, Zapata pointed out several tags attributed to gangs new to Newburgh, like LDP, which means Latins Don't Play, and Nacimos Cabrones, which roughly translates to "born bastards." But the police department, which has for years been understaffed in a city plagued by gang violence, seems ready to advance against the gangs that are strangling neighborhoods. "There's always somebody willing to step up to the plate," said Ferrara, the deputy chief. "But the police department is sitting here with a very big bat. … I just hope the bad guys have the stomach for it." BBK probe in Newburgh was multiagency effort Q: What is the BBK? A: The Benkard Barrio Kings is a Newburgh street gang that takes its name from Benkard Avenue, in the city's Washington Heights section. Its "BBK" graffiti tag began appearing on walls in Newburgh about 10 years ago. By late 2002, the gang had taken control of a street corner in the city and turned it into an open-air cocaine market. The gang was also being blamed for dozens of violent acts, including at least one homicide of a non-BBK member. Q: What did law enforcement do to rein in the BBK? A: The most significant step was taken in September 2002 when then-Newburgh police Chief William Bloom asked for help from other law enforcement agencies. The New York State Police, the FBI, city police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which now has control of immigration enforcement, agreed to form a task force dedicated to bringing down the BBK's leadership. Q: How did the task force go about taking down the BBK leadership? A: The task force got court permission to put wiretaps on BBK cell phones and intercepted more than 25,000 conversations about drug sales, according to court papers. They also sent undercover agents onto the streets in Newburgh and the surrounding area to buy cocaine from BBK members. On Aug. 3, 17 reputed BBK members and low-level drug couriers were indicted by an Orange County grand jury. Q. Where do the court cases stand now? A. Yesterday in Orange County Court, 23-year-old Henry Perez of Newburgh became the 13th of the 17 indicted BBK members to plead guilty to a felony. He admitted to conspiring with other gang members to sell cocaine in and around Newburgh between January and June of this year. Perez faces three to nine years in state prison when he's sentenced Dec. 14. The gang's reputed leader, Raul Garza, is still maintaining his innocence. He's being held in New York City's Rikers Island prison to separate him from BBK members who have implicated him. Garza's lawyer, Paul Trachte, says that Garza makes his money by running Garza Bros.
Construction. Oliver Mackson The Gangs of Newburgh Natives Newburgh Bad Boys Nationwide Wallys Nasty Boys Poison Posse United Kings Cuevas Boys Ave Boys Ave World Unique Soldiers La Eme Benkard Barrio Kings Dark Side Pretty Girl Dynasty Locos 13 Latins Don't Play Nacimos Cabrones Latin Kings ñeta Bloods Crips
June 03, 2004 M-W schools vow to keep gangs at bay
By Kristina Wells Times Herald-Record kwells@th-record.com Central Valley – It's no longer just an urban thing. Valley Central's got them; Warwick does, too. And now officials say gangs may be moving into the Monroe-Woodbury community. An Orange County Gang Task Force member walked through the halls at Monroe-Woodbury High School a few weeks ago. The idea was to look for signs of gang activity by observing the clothes students wore and the way they acted. Officials said they didn't identify any gang members among the students – more like "wannabes" sporting the latest fashions that could be interpreted as gangsta attire. But gangs don't have to be in schools wearing bandannas and flashing hand signs. They're still trolling the streets, wreaking havoc in the community, said Orange County District Attorney Frank Phillips. Law enforcement has identified at least one Hispanic gang in the Monroe-Woodbury area. A neo-Nazi skinhead gang may also be forming in the area. These groups aren't all that organized, Phillips said. But last year Monroe police charged two local 15-year-old boys with scrawling swastikas and other Nazi graffiti in a village park. "Anybody who says it can't happen here has their head in the sand," Phillips said. "It's like saying we don't have a drug problem in this state."
The presence of gangs used to be strictly an urban school problem, but no longer. According to a 1998 U.S. Department of Justice study that surveyed 10,000 students, 45 percent of students who attended classes in communities with roughly the population of the towns of Monroe and Woodbury or the Town of Warwick reported a "gang presence" in their schools. That statistic doesn't surprise Art Lange, health and safety coordinator for Orange-Ulster BOCES. "There's not a place that's immune any more," he said. "I don't care about the economic climate, either. A lonely kid … is lonely and they're going to go where they get some acceptance." That's what may have happened in Montgomery, where police and Valley Central school officials in April revealed that a group called True Crazy Thugs (TCT) had recruited between 12 and 20 members from the middle and high schools. A year ago, gang task force officials identified a gang called Kings Estates Assassins in Warwick. Its membership strength isn't clear and it may be less active now, Phillips said. "We know that there is the beginnings of gang activity in the general region," said MonroeWoodbury Superintendent Terrence Olivo, pointing to "very low-level" signs, mainly in student fashion. "It becomes so complicated so quickly," he said. "We are doing everything we can." Monroe-Woodbury High School Principal Hasna Muhammad said administrators at the secondary schools have been working with police and the task force for several years to educate themselves and faculty and staff members about gangs. The recent walk-through was a pre-emptive move designed to keep schools safe. "At this point, [the problem] is more community-based," Muhammad said. "However, a school is a microcosm of the community." Monroe-Woodbury never included an anti-gang provision in its dress code, such as banning color bandannas. The policy will be updated in the 2004-2005 school year to ban clothes that "include gang symbols, signs, gestures and codes," she said. Muhammad also said she plans to visit other schools, including Newburgh Free Academy, to learn anti-gang strategies. Now many districts not only employ security guards and hall monitors, but also uniformed cops – called a school resource officers – to quell gang-like behavior. "When and if they do form in my building," Muhammad said, "I'll be ready for them."
August 08, 2004 Newburgh gang's activities detailed
By Oliver Mackson Times Herald-Record omackson@th-record.com Newburgh – The Benkard Barrio Kings terrorized Newburgh for a decade, but sealed court papers also show they had a reach far beyond the city. The gang known as the BBK ran drugs to customers from Middletown to Kingston and across the Hudson River to Poughkeepsie, according to court records that are part of the case. The gang's suspected drug lieutenants drove to Chicago, Miami, Houston and San Antonio, Texas, to pick up three to five kilogams of the drug at a time, with about $30,000 worth of profit in each kilo. They'd take measures like concealing their shipments of the drug in a feces-filled camper toilet to throw off drug-sniffing dogs. And they were resourceful: A BBK member managed to get his hands on a semiautomatic handgun that was reported stolen from an FBI agent in New York City, along with his ammo, badge and building-access card. The court papers, obtained Friday by the Times Herald-Record, were filed by a special antigang task force to show a judge why the task force needed him to authorize several months of wiretaps this year. The taps were on phones used by reputed BBK members. The papers paint a picture of an
organization that was more interested in cash than turf. "Even if the money is dirty, it takes the hunger away," Reynaldo "Saberro" Garza was heard to say during a phone conversation that was monitored by a team of state police, FBI agents and Newburgh city police. "The mission is to get the money." Garza, his brother, Raul, and 15 other suspected BBK members and associates were indicted on drug and conspiracy charges last week. Raul Garza is reputed to be the leader of the gang. Unlike many of the others, Raul Garza was indicted only on conspiracy charges. The court papers, which contain "progress reports" on wiretapped conversations, show that Abel "DMX" Rivera and Jose "Diabolico" Garcia had the bulk of the dealings with people who said things like "I need a 50" – thought to be code words for picking up cocaine for street sales. A kilo of cocaine was an "animal." In one conversation a caller from Miami told Garcia that "all you need is cash, and the animals are ready." Raul Garza's conversations show how single-minded the BBK was about business. In one conversation about a man identified only as "Oscar," Raul Garza tells a BBK associate, "I heard you had a problem with Oscar, which means if you had a problem with Oscar, I have a problem with Oscar. If I have to, I'll give him a beating, because business is business." The wiretaps show that the BBK was dealing in marijuana as well as cocaine. And in a conversation recorded May 18, one of the Garza brothers and an unknown caller discussed the movement of stolen microwave ovens, washing machines, washers and dryers. The main point of sale for the BBK's street dealers was the corner of West Parmenter and Mill streets in Newburgh's East End, according to one of three indictments unsealed last week. The gang takes its name from one of its early hangouts, Benkard Avenue. Unlike the Jamaican gangs and local crews that shot it out for control of street corners in the late 1980s, the BBK wasn't interested in expanding its physical turf, law-enforcement authorities said last week. But the gang does have a well-founded reputation for violence. Newburgh city police have attributed 10 homicides to the BBK's violent encounters with other gangs. Court papers also attribute 33 acts of violence to the BBK from 1999 to 2001 – shootings, stabbings and beatings with baseball bats. Many of those acts happened between members of rival gangs. But in February 2001, a man named Jose Enriquez, who had no known gang allegiances, was stabbed to death in a pool hall by BBK members. The violence has taken place just as the city is struggling to reinvent itself, attracting new money and new blood from outside Newburgh to renovate old housing stock and open restaurants on a waterfront that's become the envy of other old industrial cities on the Hudson River. Several of the BBK suspects are due in Orange County Court for pretrial conferences on Thursday. One of those suspects is Raul Garza, the accused BBK kingpin who's being held in lieu of $2.5 million bail. His lawyer, Paul Trachte, said Friday that he'll ask a judge to lower the bail. Trachte was hired on Thursday, replacing Chester lawyer Ben Ostrer. Trachte said Garza, 34, is a green-card holder who came to the United States from Mexico about 20 years ago and built his own family construction business from the ground up last year, after working for a construction company in New Jersey for several years. "Raul is the type of person who, both through employing people and being in the community, was always willing to help people," Trachte said Friday. "So I'm sure he has friends or acquaintances who are rumored to be in a gang called the BBK. But I never heard of the leader of a criminal gang who works construction for 10 hours a day, five to six days a week, for 10 years in a row."
April 17, 2004 Are your kids sending you signals?
Police warn parents: Know the signs of gang activity By Alice Kenny Times Herald-Record
akenny@th-record.com Montgomery – Something was wrong, and the mother knew it. Pam's 15-year-old daughter was getting into fights. She was hanging out with new kids whom she refused to bring home. She used to fuss over her looks, but last Christmas, she asked only for oversized Fruit of the Loom white and black T-shirts. Then, last month, Pam got a call from Valley Central High School. Slowly the clues started fitting together. Pam's pretty, blonde daughter was dating a gang member. Pam asked that her last name be omitted to protect her daughter. True Crazy Thugs, or TCT, as the gang members call themselves, are roaming the halls of Valley Central high and middle schools, according to Montgomery police. So far, they have recruited between 12 and 20 male students, police said. Hanging with them is a sister gang, the TCBs. Parents, police officers and school administrators spoke about gangs at a PTA Councilsponsored meeting at the Valley Central Middle School Thursday night. But for more than an hour, the officers and administrators avoided offering any specifics about the gangs in Valley Central as parents fidgeted, whispered and complained. "We have gangs," Valley Central Superintendent Richard M. Hooley said, "but the problem is profiling. For us to tell you what these groups look like and telling you their names doesn't help you very much." Town of Montgomery Police Officer Jon Van Tassel and State Trooper Mike Wzientek, who ran the forum, also tried to avoid naming gangs. Instead, the officers, who patrol Valley Central's middle and high schools every day, spent more than an hour describing gang activity from across the nation. They flicked on slides of raped girls, bloodied bodies and gang paraphernalia. They played violent music videos by Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr. Dre. The audience grew restless. "Tell us what the signs are here in Valley Central so we know what to look for," shouted a mother in the audience. At first, the officers refused. "If you name the group, it feeds them and elevates their status," Van Tassel said. "These guys go to jail and come out heroes." Pam, who was standing in the back of the audience, interrupted. "My daughter's hanging out with TCT," she said. "They wear black and white. I had no idea they existed in this school. You're hiding it instead of informing them." Finally, the officers acknowledged that TCT was the main gang in Montgomery. But they resisted narrowing the problem down to one gang. "Every day, a new gang shows up," Van Tassel said. He'd seen students flick their fingers in the "B" sign of the Bloods. He'd seen students wearing blue bandannas, a sign of the Crips, and gold and black beads, a sign of the Latin Kings. "I see a mixture of all that stuff," he continued. "It could just be a fashion statement. But people are moving in from all different areas. We live smack in the middle of Newburgh and Middletown, places with major gang affiliations. You'd have to be stupid not to realize some of our kids will be drawn into that lifestyle." Instead, Van Tassel told the parents to look for changes in their children. "Be aware of who your kids are hanging out with, what they are watching on TV and doing on the computer," he said. "Notice if there is a change in their appearance, a drop in grades, if they are not getting along with others. " But even with the most vigilant parents, kids still get in trouble. "I know where my daughter is 24-7," Pam said. "She's not allowed to get dropped off at the mall. She's not one of those kids with a lot of freedom. Yet this happened to me."
August 03, 2004 Newburgh gang members indicted today
By Oliver Mackson Times Herald-Record omackson@th-record.com
(Updated 11:57 p.m.)
Goshen - Eighteen members of Newburgh’s notorious Benkard Barrio Kings street gang were indicted this morning on charges that they were running the single biggest drug sale operation in the Newburgh area between February 2001 and July 2004. Those indicted included five men accused of being ring leaders of the gang, which has become widely feared throughout the streets of Newburgh over the last decade. The investigation by the Orange County District Attorney’s office, State Police, City of Newburgh Police, and local authorities included the use of wire tap on the phones of suspected gang members, according to court papers. Orange County Court Judge Stewart Rosenwasser set bail ranging from $250,000 to $1 million dollars in cash and said that if one suspected gang leader, Jose Diabolico Garcia posted bail he would grant prosecutor David Hoovler’s request for a hearing to determine the source of Garcia’s bail money.
October 04, 2004 Stint in jail breaks down members of BBK gang
By Oliver Mackson Times Herald-Record omackson@th-record.com It took nearly two years of doing surveillance, listening to wiretaps and buying cocaine undercover before police landed a body blow to Newburgh's most notorious street gang, the Benkard Barrio Kings. It's taken less than two months in jail for some BBK members and their associates to turn on their reputed leader. That man, Raul Garza, is spending his days at New York City's Rikers Island prison, separated from his accused and confessed associates. Some of them have had their lives threatened, according to court records. Five of 17 accused BBK members and associates have pleaded guilty to various charges in Orange County Court since indictments were handed up on Aug. 3. Garza maintains that he's no drug lord. He says, through his lawyer, that he's got nothing to do with a retail drug business that extends as far west as Port Jervis and across the Hudson River to Poughkeepsie, according to transcripts of wiretapped conversations among admitted and accused BBK members. Garza says he makes an honest living as president of Garza Bros. Construction on West Parmenter Street in Newburgh. Garza's brother, Reynaldo, pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy to distribute cocaine, a felony. He was facing up to 25 years in state prison. In exchange for his plea, he faces 4½ to nine years when he's sentenced on Oct. 22. "People say lots of things in desperate situations," said Raul Garza's lawyer, Paul Trachte of Newburgh. As part of the deal, Reynaldo Garza had to implicate his brother, Raul, and another brother, Cornelio "The Good Brother" Garza, as players in the BBK. The gang is accused of virtually annexing an entire city block in Newburgh's East End, turning it into an open-air drug market. The gang takes its name from Benkard Avenue in Newburgh. Police attribute 33 acts of violence to the gang, including homicides, between 1999 and 2004. The Garzas' half-brother, Guadalupe "Bucho" Rodriguez, 33, of Newburgh, also pleaded guilty
to conspiracy last month. Cesar "Tondo" Garcia, described by prosecutors as one of Raul Garza's top BBK lieutenants, pleaded guilty last month to felony drug possession. Nilda "The Old Lady" Ortiz, 46, pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy and possession. Her house on Larter Avenue in Newburgh was described by police as a hive of BBK activity. Barbara Morreale of Newburgh pleaded guilty last month to felony attempted drug possession, admitting she took cocaine for resale on the street. Three other reputed BBK members are due to appear today in Orange County Court: Selvin Mejia Perez, Jose "Diabolico" Garcia and Karen Hill Bueso. Bueso has been described in court papers as the BBK's accountant, with the ability to decipher the gang's ledgers.
August 10, 2004 Keep 'cavalry' in Newburgh
After BBK busts, gang task force has plenty of other targets available. A 16-year-old who spends a lot of time playing basketball on outdoor courts in the City of Newburgh spoke the words that surely expressed the hopes of thousands of other residents of the Queen City. "A whole lot of people might stop selling drugs now," he said. "A lot of people are going to be scared by this." "This" refers to the arrests last week of 17 members and associates of the notorious BBK street gang that has terrorized the city for a decade. Police say the gang, whose membership may reach 200, has been involved in a major cocaine-running conspiracy and has been involved in 10 homicides and a lot of other violent activity. Significantly, those arrested include the self-proclaimed leader and several others identified by law enforcement officials as high-ranking members of the gang. Since gangs are notorious for following the leader, the arrest of the alleged top dogs could well scare off others in BBK, as the basketball player suggested. And it could make other city street gangs less brazen in their behavior. That was the clear message soon-to-be retiring Newburgh Police Chief William Bloom had for the gangs. In announcing the arrests and indictments, Bloom acknowledged the array of law enforcement agents around him and proclaimed, "The cavalry has arrived and, frankly, they're not leaving." Let's hope not. The bust of the BBK – Benkard Barrio Kings – was the culmination of a nearly two-yearinvestigation by city, county, state and federal law enforcement officials. There's no other way such a serious blow could have been dealt against the city's drug culture and street violence. Newburgh simply doesn't have the resources to mount this kind of strike on its own. Nor does the county. It required sophisticated surveillance equipment and a lot more people than city police could devote to it. That's what Bloom told the FBI and state police in the fall of 2002 when he went to them for help. To their credit, they agreed to set up a task force with the sole purpose of breaking the BBK drug ring. The Orange County district attorney's office and federal immigration officials also got involved in the operation. Their patience, persistence and cooperation seem to have paid off, but there's still plenty more to do in Newburgh. BBK is still on the streets, as are several other gangs who are apparently more interested in turf wars than the cash-oriented BBKs. That leads to street violence. And that contributes to the anxiety a lot of people have about living in Newburgh or investing in its future. That investment has thus far been evident mostly along the Hudson River and in pockets of renovated housing downtown. Connecting those efforts, along Broadway and other streets leading to the waterfront, will require that same patience, persistence and cooperation among elected officials and the business community. But law enforcement agencies can help move the process along with this kind of multilevel
operation. Keep the cavalry in town. It not only makes the gangs and assorted street thugs wary, but also tells the people of Newburgh that their problems are being taken seriously. That's something they've needed to hear for a long time.
August 04, 2004 Residents rejoice amid hope they can take back the streets
By Michael Randall Times Herald-Record mrandall@th-record.com Newburgh – There was rejoicing on the city's streets and in the halls of government yesterday over news of major drug charges against leaders of the Benkard Barrio Kings gang. Word of the indictment came just hours before city residents took part last night in the annual National Night Out Against Crime. Mike Gerena, 49, and his neighbor, Sam Hardy, 44, both live just doors from 208 Renwick St., where police said BBK gang members refined cocaine and kept drug money and guns. As fathers of young children, they were surprised but glad to hear about the arrests. "This was shocking," Gerena said. "Nobody suspected nothing." Up the road from a major drug-dealing corner at Mill and West Parmenter streets, a group of teens said they just try to steer clear of gangs and drug peddlers. "A whole lot of people might stop selling drugs now," Andre McGriff, 16, said. "A lot of people are going to be getting scared by this." "I spend all day on the basketball court," said Shawn Neil, 16, pointing to nearby Recreation Park. "[Gangs are] everywhere, but they don't play ball. We stay together – around nine of us – and they don't bother us." Meanwhile, at the Night Out events, the news of the indictment was encouraging both for local residents and out-of-towners like Carlos Valdez, whose Woodstock-based band, Mambo Kikongo, was performing outside the Newburgh Free Library. "I hope they got all the right people and things settle down here," Valdez said. Newburgh Mayor Nick Valentine called the busts "just one more step in cleaning up the gang activity in Newburgh, and I offer my support to police and other law enforcement who have been working to rid the city of this problem." "This is wonderful," said Councilwoman Regina Angelo. "We're moving ahead. This is a wonderful thing for us." Added Councilwoman Elsa Figueroa App: "People are going to be relieved because for too long [gangs have] taken the streets. People for too long haven't known how to take the streets back and I think they'll feel safer. People will say it's about time. People are gong to breathe easier." Peter Gonzalez, co-chairman of the Black and Hispanic Coalition, said the arrests will keep gangs from influencing young people, and, "It will prevent new members from joining." Added Dave Johnson, the group's other co-chairman: "One of the major problems we've had has been gang wars, and to crack down on the major characters has to be a major help for the city." The Rev. William Scafidi, pastor of St. Mary's Church, said, "If the effects of law enforcement arresting members of the BBK are going to be long-term positive effects for this city where drug trafficking will be minimalized, it's a very positive thing. Many people would be grateful for this." City Manager Jean-Anne McGrane said the effect will be long-lasting. "This will have tangible results that people can see in the streets," she said. Staff writers Andres Cala and Alice Kenny contributed to this report.
Middletown street fight turns into high school chaos
By Dianna Cahn September 13, 2006 Middletown - An assault on city streets spiraled into a melee at Middletown High School yesterday morning, with one student fighting off two officers while cursing the principal, police said. Three teens were arrested. The fight started after two teens chased a 17-year-old and stole his cell phone outside the YMCA on Highland Avenue on Monday night, Sgt. Gerald Mishk said. Yesterday at the school, the victim’s younger brother got into a fight with one of the teens he believed attacked his brother, Mishk said. A large fight ensued, drawing in school security and the school resource officer to break it up. But Leslie Nielson, 16, whose brother was attacked, ran into a full classroom, shouting “Black Power!” and hurling obscenities at Nyland, Randy Keys, who heads school security, and the school’s new principal, Alan Gonzalez, whom he called a “bald-headed” expletive, police said. Nielson fought off Keys and Nyland for several minutes. Keys was hurt in the arm. Nielson was charged with felony assault, as well as resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, misdemeanors. Police took Desmond Agosto, 17, into custody and charged him with the second-degree assault in Monday’s attack. Later in the day, police arrested John McGuigan, 17, at Summitfield Apartments, during another reported fight and charged him with assault in Monday’s attack. Gonzalez said the row stemmed from teen fights at Summitfield and Tall Oaks, two apartment complexes on Monhagen Avenue that have been struggling with teen violence over the summer. May 01, 2005 High school is scene for a gang assault
Six arrested, including 2 juveniles By Christian M. Wade Times Herald-Record cwade@th-record.com Washingtonville – Six people from Rockland County, including a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old, have been arrested and charged with a gang assault on a youth that occurred at the Washingtonville High School, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said yesterday. Village of Washingtonville police on duty yesterday refused to provide details, saying that only the chief could speak about the arrests. But a deputy at Orange County Jail confirmed that four
17-year-olds were being held on felony assault charges stemming from a fight at the high school Friday afternoon. It was not clear yesterday how many students from the high school were involved in the fight. But a police source said the attackers came to the village from Spring Valley looking for a specific teenager who had been involved in an incident earlier in the week. Gabriel Eleda, 17, of Spring Valley, was charged with second-degree gang assault, false impersonation, third-degree criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. Joel Gurrier and Jeffrey Jeanty, both 17 and of Nyack, along with Stephan Alexis, 17, of Spring Valley, were charged with second-degree assault, a deputy said. Also arrested was a 14-year-old male, who was charged with second-degree attempted gang assault, and a 15-year-old male, charged with third-degree assault. The four older youths were sent to Orange County Jail, pending further action. The 14-year-old and the 15-year-old were apparently released to the custody of their parents. School district officials could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Inclusion Information Network for sharing ideas, information and experiences, relating to inclusion education for students with disabilities. Meets one Mon. evening per month at BOCES, Gibson Road, Goshen. Call 294-7411, ext. 253.
May 03, 2005 Assault at school avoidable, police say
By John Sullivan Times Herald-Record jsullivan@th-record.com An assault on two Washingtonville High School students Friday might have been avoided, local police say, if school officials had called them the day before about a reported threat. Police said the fight, sparked by a spat between an ex-girlfriend and boyfriend, started at the high school at 2:17 p.m. Four 17-year-old Rockland County friends of a Washingtonville middle school student walked into the school, found her 16-year-old ex-boyfriend, and began to punch and kick him in the face, even as he lay on the ground. A 17-year-old Washingtonville friend of the victim got involved and suffered chest and head injuries. Police, who were patrolling the area at the time, spotted the fight as it spilled into the high school parking lot. Officers rounded up eight teens, four from Rockland and four from Washingtonville. Police arrested the four Rockland teens and a 14-year-old female Washingtonville student who had brought them to the school. The teens were charged with various counts of assault and related charges. Police also arrested the 15-year-old girlfriend of the 16-year-old victim for kicking a police officer, Pascal said. All four Washingtonville students have been suspended. Pascal said the teen couple told school officials Thursday that the former girlfriend had allegedly threatened to bring her friends to the school. The teens also told their parents, who informed police about the threat that evening. Pascal said police were unable to take action that evening, and detectives failed to receive the report on a busy Friday morning. However, his detectives would have responded had school officials, who were aware of the threat, reported it. District officials did not warn police, he said.
Harvey Hilburgh, the interim school superintendent, said he knew about the threat but that it is up to administrators of each individual school building to report incidents to police. He said his district has been working with police about reporting violent incidents but have not yet worked out a policy. "It seems to be that there is a disconnect between the building administrators and the police, and that's something I'd like to solve immediately," he said.
Boy Brings Gun to School
(04.01.05- AP) — Suffolk County police arrested a 12 year-old boy after he allegedly brought a loaded gun to school. Police say the boy took the 22-caliber handgun from his grandparents' gun locker yesterday and brought it to Bellport Middle School. Police say the boy threatened another student by waving the gun at him twice during the day. It was found in his backpack at about 2 p.m., after someone tipped off school authorities. The boy is being held at the Nassau County Juvenile Detention Center and will appear in Suffolk County Family Court this morning.