Press Release - Brian Densmore

                                                                                                                

DATE: December 18, 2012

RE:  PRESS RELEASE – PEOPLE V BRIAN DENSMORE

 

Brian Densmore of Hillcrest Avenue in Kingston was sentenced in Ulster County Court today on his conviction to four counts of Rape in the Second Degree.  In all, County Court Judge Donald Williams sentenced Densmore to 17 years in state prison followed by 15 years post-release supervision.

Densmore was arrested in April for crimes which had taken place from the summer of 2011 through the spring of 2012.  Each of Densmore’s four victims were under the age of 15 years and each had been students at the same middle school in Kingston.  Densmore is 26.

The defendant had been sentenced to state prison for Criminal Mischief and was on parole at the time he committed these offenses.  Prior to that he had been convicted of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property and been placed on probation.

“Our investigation revealed that the defendant “friended” his victims on the internet.  He was aware that his victims were in middle school and he was well aware that they were under legal age to engage in sexual activity.  We viewed Densmore as a sexual predator and I am thankful that he will not be in a position to harm children for a long time”.

Press Release - People v Christopher Rion plea

FROM:   HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

        ULSTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY

DATE:   DECEMBER 7, 2012

SUBJECT: PRESS RELEASE – PEOPLE V. CHRISTOPHER RION

On December 7th, 2012, in Ulster County Court, Christopher Rion pled guilty to Burglary in the 2nd degree, a Class C Felony.

The guilty plea arose from an incident that dates back to September 21st, 2011, when the defendant burglarized a residence in Connelly. A man returned home to find his bedroom window broken and property missing. The man’s elderly mother, who was sleeping in a nearby room, luckily, was unharmed. The investigation was headed by Detective Debra Robertson with the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department.

Detective Robertson broke the case when blood was recovered from the broken window which was tested for DNA and matched the defendant.

Assistant District Attorney Mikael Cohn handled the case for the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, with Russell Schindler of the Public Defender’s office representing the defendant.

Due to the defendant’s prior conviction of Burglary in 2008 and the fact the residence was occupied at the time of the burglary, the defendant is to be sentenced to 9 years in state prison on April 16th, 2013. 

Ulster County District Attorney:ulstercountyny.gov/da

Press Release - People v Cedric Thomas

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: DECEMBER 6, 2012

RE:  PRESS RELEASE – PEOPLE V CEDRIC THOMAS

On Wednesday, December 5, 2012, an Ulster County Jury found 46-year- old Cedric Thomas of Poughkeepsie guilty of 3 counts of grand larceny and three counts of possession of a stolen credit or debit cards and not guilty of possession of a stolen vehicle. Police said Thomas and an accomplice stole a pocketbook containing credit cards and $219.00 in cash from a vehicle at a gas station in Highland. When police tried to stop Thomas, he took police on a car chase through Highland and Marlborough.  When Thomas was apprehended, he was found with $219.00 in his pocket. Both the theft of the purse and the police chase were captured on video. Police say the vehicle Thomas was driving had been stolen from a home in Dutchess County. Thomas has an extensive criminal history in New York and Virginia.  The case was prosecuted by ADA Cindy Chavkin.  Thomas was represented by attorney Natasha Turner.

Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced by the Hon. Thomas Breslin on January 22, 2013.

Press Release - What to do if your wallet is lost/stolen

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: DECEMBER 4, 2012

RE: PRESS RELEASE – PEOPLE V PATRICK LONG

Press Release

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR WALLET IS LOST OR STOLEN

While you’re struggling at the mall with bags of presents, identity thieves see an opportunity to steal your wallet and debit or credit card numbers.

According to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs, there are 5 steps consumers should take, the first of which should be done NOW before anything happens: 1) Make copies of all your credit cards, ID cards and licenses – everything in your wallet (both sides); if the card is stolen, 2) Call the companies that issued your credit cards. This should be done at once and you should follow up with a letter; 3) Call the three national credit-reporting agencies and ask them to attach a fraud alert to all your credit cards; 4) If your social security card is missing, call the Social Security Administration (fraud line). Also, be sure to call the Department of Motor Vehicles, as well as any other organizations from which you lost cards; 5) Call the police if you were a victim of theft. You may be required to show a police report to support your claim that a crime was committed.

Another thing you might want to do is copy a $5.00 or $10.00 bill or write down the serial number.  If the thief throws away your wallet but is caught with that bill we have him.

For additional information, contact the Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs at 340-3260.

Press Release - Gary Watkins

FROM:  HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE:  DECEMBER 3, 2012

RE:  PRESS RELEASE – PEOPLE V. GARY WATKINS a/k/a “BWAR”

On December 3, 2012, Gary Watkins a/k/a BWar of Kingston was sentenced by Ulster County Court Judge Donald A. Williams to 15 years in state prison plus 3 years of post-release supervision after having been found guilty by an Ulster County jury of five counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree and five counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, all class B felonies.

Watkins was arrested as part of Operation Clean Sweep and charged with selling crack cocaine on five separate occasions to an undercover police officer.  Watkins’ arrest stems from a cooperative investigation involving the New York State Police, City of Kingston Police Department and the URGENT Task Force.  He has two prior felony convictions and is a self-admitted member of the Bloods street gang. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Michael Kavanagh and the defendant was represented by Dennis McClure.