Press Release - 3 days to cancel a contract?

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: AUGUST 27, 2012

RE:  Press Release

     DO I HAVE 3 DAYS TO CANCEL A CONTRACT?

According to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs, there is no general “cooling-off” law in New York. Only certain types of transactions can be canceled within a 3 day period. These include: door to door sales, health club membership sales, campground membership sales and home improvement repair contracts over $500.00. You do not have three days to cancel an automobile sales contract (unless there is a failure to secure financing terms). Consumer Affairs can be reached at 340-3260.

Press Release - Jarrin Rankin Sentence

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: AUGUST 24, 2012

RE:  PEOPLE V JARRIN RANKIN SENTENCE

Jarrin Rankin a/k/a Phat Boy, age 22, formerly of Kingston, New York, was sentenced today to 15 years in state prison on his conviction after trial of criminal possession of a weapon, second degree.  His conviction stems from a shooting incident which took place in November of 2009 on Henry Street in the City of Kingston.  At that time, an individual named Curtis Williams a/k/a Black, a member of the Crips Gang, allegedly fired a sawed off shotgun at Rankin, a member of the Bloods Gang while Rankin fired a handgun, hitting Williams in the face.  The incident took place in broad daylight with a number of individuals nearby.  One of those individuals who witnessed the shooting was CJ King. 

Following his arrest, believing that King had testified against him on the gun charge, Rankin conspired with other members of the Bloods Gang to murder King.  Each of the other gang members indicted on the Conspiracy to Commit Murder charge have been convicted, including Rankin, who is currently serving a 12 ½ to 25 years sentence on that conviction. 

Rankin was sentenced by Ulster County Court Judge Donald A. Williams who presided over each of the defendants’ trials, the conspiracy case and, subsequently, the gun case.  The sentencing handed down today was ordered by Judge Williams to run consecutively to the 12 ½ to 25 year sentence Rankin is currently serving.

At the sentencing, District Attorney Holley Carnright described Rankin’s presentence report as an expose’ of failure.  Since 2006, when Rankin was 18 years old, he has been free from incarceration for only 4 months.  He has never been employed and, although only 22 years old and having served most of his adult life behind bars, he has already been convicted of 3 violent felonies.

Press Release - People v Karlyle Wheeler

FROM:  HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE:  AUGUST 4, 2012

RE:  PRESS RELEASE – PEOPLE V. KARLYLE WHEELER

On August 3, 2012, after a trial in Ulster County Court, a jury of seven women and five men returned a verdict finding Karlyle Wheeler of Kingston guilty of two counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, all class B felonies. 

Wheeler was arrested as part of Operation Clean Sweep and charged with selling crack cocaine on two separate occasions to an undercover police officer.  Wheeler’s arrest stems from a cooperative investigation involving the New York State Police, City of Kingston Police Department,  the URGENT Task Force, and the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office. 

Wheeler was represented by Assistant Public Defender Maryanne Connelly.  During the trial, Wheeler testified on his own behalf and alleged that it was his brother, Kyle Wheeler, who had sold the crack cocaine.  However, both sales were captured on video and a picture of Kyle Wheeler was admitted into evidence to dispel the defense.  Kyle Wheeler did not testify in support of the defendant’s claim.  In addition, two of the prosecution witnesses,  Kingston Detectives VanAllen and Negron, witnessed the transactions and testified that they knew Karlyle Wheeler from extensive prior dealings with him. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Michael Kavanagh who cross examined the defendant  about his prior criminal history which includes a conviction for Assault in the First Degree where he pleaded guilty to shooting another man at point blank range in the stomach in a dispute over drugs. In response to ADA Kavanagh’s questions the defendant denied that prior assault explaining that he only pled guilty because NewYork State did not have a self defense law at the time.

Wheeler is  an admitted member of the street gang Crips and a Kingston gang called Blackout.

Wheeler is scheduled to be sentenced by the Hon. Donald A. Williams on October 3, 2012, and because of  prior felony convictions, is facing up to 24 years in state prison.

Press Release - People v Rashan L. Mitchell

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: AUGUST 3, 2012

RE: PRESS RELEASE – PEOPLE V RASHAN L. MITCHELL

Rashan Mitchell, age 24 of Poughkeepsie, New York, was sentenced in Ulster County Court to fifteen years in State Prison on his conviction to Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the second degree.  Mitchell was found guilty by an Ulster County jury on May 18, 2012.

The case stems from an incident on August 16, 2011, on Prospect Street in the City of Kingston when officers of the Kingston Police Department observed what appeared to be a street narcotics transaction.  As officers approached they observe a small black object in Mitchell’s hand near the back of his waistband.  Mitchell fled but was apprehended a short distance away. The officers recovered a loaded, black, .38 caliber revolver under Mitchell where they tackled him.

Following his indictment the weapon was forwarded to the New York Police laboratory for DNA analysis.  The defendant’s DNA was recovered from the weapon.  At trial the DNA expert testified that the odds of someone other than the defendant’s DNA matching what was found on the weapon was one in three hundred billion.

Mitchell was represented by Assistant Public Defender Russell Schindler. The case was prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney John Tobin.

Press Release - People v William M. Knox III

TO: MEDIA

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: AUGUST 3, 2012

RE:  PRESS RELEASE – PEOPLE V WILLIAM M. KNOX III

William M. Knox III, age 18, of Kingston, New York was sentenced in Ulster County Court on his convictions to Stalking in the first degree, Sexual Misconduct and Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the third degree.  The defendant was sentenced by County Court Judge Donald A. Williams to eight years State Prison on the drug sale charge and four years State Prison on the stalking case.  Knox is now registered as a sex offender as a result of his conviction to sexual misconduct.

Between October 2011 and February 2012 Knox engaged in a course of domestic violence against his victim which culminated in the Stalking, first degree charge. During that time he punched and kicked the victim in her stomach and legs, strangled her, poured hair spray on her, and threatened to burn her.  During one episode as he berated the victim he urinated on her.  In another domestic violence episode he actually threw ashes of their deceased child on her.

Throughout the course of this ordeal the victim was too afraid to cooperate with the police and repeatedly refused to testify against her assailant.

The prosecution was made possible by an extensive joint investigation conducted by the Ulster County Family Violence Unit, Kingston Police Department and the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.

Knox’s drug conviction was a result of his having sold crack cocaine on two occasions. That case was part of the Clean Sweep investigation.  This sentencing is another example of the value of the Clean Sweep investigation, to remove people like Knox from the general public.