Press Release

DATE: DECEMBER 30, 2015

RE: PRESS RELEASE – GRAND JURY CONCLUDES INVESTIGATION INTO PLATTEKILL HOMICIDE

     An Ulster County Grand Jury determined that insufficient evidence existed to file criminal charges in connection with a shooting death in the Town of Plattekill on June 27, 2015.

     The incident occurred on Crescent Avenue in a private residence at approximately 7:15 PM on June 27, 2015. Police were alerted by multiple 911 calls of several persons being stabbed within the residence. Upon arrival, police officers from the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, and the Town of Plattekill discovered Rodshan Pittman, age 25, deceased due to a shotgun wound to the chest.

     Also within the residence were three individuals who had been stabbed multiple times each. Each of the victims required hospitalization.  One female stabbing victim remained hospitalized for over two weeks with significant, potentially fatal, stomach wounds.

     The police investigation revealed that Mr. Pittman, who knew each of the stabbing victims, “went berserk” and, unprovoked, attacked his three friends with a steak knife. One of the victims had her infant child present. While the male victim struggled with Mr. Pittman the females fled to a neighboring apartment with the infant. Pittman, brandishing the knife, tried to gain access to the neighbor’s apartment and was shot at close range with a legally possessed shotgun.

     The autopsy revealed that Mr. Pittman had ingested Phencyclidine (PCB) and synthetic marijuana (XLR-11) prior to his death.  A small quantity of synthetic marijuana was found on his person when the police arrived.

     Under New York law, a person may use deadly physical force upon another individual when and to the extent that he reasonably believes it to be necessary to defend himself or someone else from what he reasonably believes to be the use of deadly physical force by such individual.

     Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright stated “it appeared that the shooting was legally justified and no one was charged at the time of the incident but I felt the appropriate path would be to present all of the facts to an independent investigative body such as a grand jury to determine whether criminal charges should be charged regarding the shooting.”

 

Press Release - Matthew Kranenburg Appeal

PRESS RELEASE

FROM:     HOLLEY CARNRIGHT, DISTRICT ATTORNEY

DATE:     DECEMBER 28, 2015

Last week, the Appellate Division, Third Department affirmed the June 14, 2011 conviction of Matthew Kranenburg upon his plea of guilty convicting him of the crime of grand larceny in the third degree by misappropriation of trust funds, two counts, a class D felony. 

Between February, 2005 and December, 2008, the defendant perpetrated multiple frauds and larcenies while working as a private contractor.  In all, the defendant defrauded his victims out of more than $280,000. 

The defendant, a prior felony offender, was sentenced by County Court Judge Donald A. Williams to consecutive indeterminate terms of imprisonment with a minimum of two years and a maximum of four years in State prison. 

On appeal, the defendant argued that his sentencing was excessive, however, the Appellate Division rejected that argument.

The defendant is represented by Aaron A. Louridas, Esq. of Delmar, New York.  Assistant District Attorney Joan Gudesblatt Lamb, Esq. handled the appeal for the District Attorney’s Office.

Press Release - Tiffany Bub

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: DECEMBER 22, 2015

RE: PRESS RELEASE – TIFFANY BUB

Tiffany Bub, age 38, last known address Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty today in Ulster County Court to Burglary in the Third Degree. The case stems from a July 3^rd, 2015 incident where, at about 10:30 pm, defendant, an opiate addict, walked behind the Village Apothecary in Saugerties, and broke a window to gain entrance. Defendant crawled through the window and stole several prescription bottles of narcotics. Defendant crawled out and ran away while swallowing at least a dozen pills. Concerned citizens followed her and alerted police. Saugerties Police apprehended defendant a short distance away. Defendant became incoherent due to the consumption of the narcotics and was taken to the hospital.

Defendant has paid over $3000.00 restitution to the Saugerties Village Apothecary.  She has no prior criminal history.

Press Release - Lawrence Wright Appeal

PRESS RELEASE

FROM:     HOLLEY CARNRIGHT, DISTRICT ATTORNEY

DATE:     DECEMBER 17, 2015

The Appellate Division, Third Department has today unanimously affirmed the August 7, 2013 conviction of Lawrence Wright following a jury trial, of the crimes of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. 

Wright’s conviction of these class C violent and class D felony offenses stems from his participation in a shooting which occurred on January 13, 2013 in the Rondout Garden Apartments in Kingston, New York.  Following a verbal altercation with another individual in that apartment complex the individual threw a stick at defendant’s Jaguar which damaged the side view mirror. The defendant retaliated by firing a pistol out of the driver’s side window. 

Defendant, a second felony offender, was subsequently sentenced by County Court Judge Donald A. Williams to an aggregate prison term of 10 years to be followed by five years of postrelease supervision. 

On appeal, defendant argued that his convictions were against the weight of the evidence and that the Court’s instruction to the jury with respect to the charge of criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree was incorrect as a matter of law.  The Appellate Division, Third Department, however, rejected each of defendant’s contentions. 

On appeal, the defendant is represented by Theodore J. Stein, Esq. of Woodstock, New York.  Assistant District Attorney Joan Gudesblatt Lamb, Esq. handled the appeal for the District Attorney’s Office.

Press Release - Lottie Michael Sentence

FROM:   HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

        ULSTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY

DATE:   DECEMBER 14, 2015

SUBJECT: PRESS RELEASE – LOTTIE MICHAEL

On September 25, 2015, Lottie Michael, age 39, of Kingston, NY, was found guilty by an Ulster County jury of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree, and Assault in the Third Degree, both misdemeanors. Michael was arrested by members of the Ellenville Police Department back on January 18, 2014.

The evidence at trial established that the defendant, while at a residence in the village of Ellenville, picked up a metal cigarette rolling machine and struck the victim in the head with it, causing a concussion and a deep facial laceration. The victim was previously in a relationship with the defendant’s then boyfriend.

Michael was initially indicted by an Ulster County Grand Jury for the felony of Assault in the Second Degree. However, the presiding judge, the Honorable Richard Mott, reduced the felony assault to misdemeanor assault halfway through trial, due to the police department’s failure to preserve the cigarette rolling machine as evidence.

In opposing the judge’s ruling Assistant District Attorney Paul Derohannesian argued that “the People have no burden to present physical evidence at trial, noting that it is common that evidence is photographed and the photographs are presented as evidence at trial, which was the case here. He argued further that it was the province of the jury to determine the sufficiency of the proof and that the court overstepped it’s authority in this instance”. The judge, however, disagreed.

In sentencing the defendant to 15 days in the Ulster County Jail and 3 years probation Judge Mott stated that she was lucky she was not convicted of Assault in the second degree. 

The defendant was represented by attorney Ed Bruno.  

Press Release - James Stenson Sentence

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: DECEMBER 11, 2015

RE: PRESS RELEASE – JAMES STENSON SENTENCE

James Stenson, 28, of Kingston, New York, was sentenced on December 11, 2015 in Ulster County Court to 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison on his convictions to Disseminating Indecent Material to Minors in the first degree and 1 1/3 to 4 years on his conviction to Disseminating Indecent Material to Minors in the second degree, said sentences to run consecutively. 

Stenson was arrested on November 24, 2014 by NYSP. Defendant communicated with two underage victims, ages 14 and 15, via text message. The defendant admitted sending texts to both girls asking for naked pictures and sending naked pictures of himself to both victims. In addition he admitting sending texts containing references to sexual acts he wanted the victims to engage in.