Press Release - Raymond Moore

ULSTER COUNTY TRIAL JURY CONVICTS POUGHKEEPSIE GANG MEMBER FOR POSSESSING LOADED HAND GUN

 

            An Ulster County trial jury last Friday convicted a bloods gang member, 30 year old Raymond Moore (aka “Face”), of 32 Bement Avenue, Poughkeepsie, for the violent felony of illegally possessing a loaded 38 caliber firearm.  He was indicted for using the gun to injure a woman at 200 Fair Street in Kingston in June of last year, but the jury hung regarding the assault charge.

            Raymond Moore has 13 prior criminal convictions in Dutchess County in the last 12 years, including four felonies, one of which involved his possession of a loaded 38 caliber hand gun during a chase with a Poughkeepsie Police Officer. The present case is his fifth felony conviction.  In fact, the above referenced incident occurred about three months after he was released from prison on the Poughkeepsie conviction for gun possession.

The trial jury of 7 men and 5 women heard testimony from last Tuesday through Thursday. Judge Donald Williams of Ulster County Court gave the jury instructions Friday morning, and the jury reached a partial verdict about 4:30 pm.  The evidence in the case included letters written by the defendant to his friends and witnesses trying to threaten and intimidate witnesses whom he referred to as “rats”.  He also offered to pay $1000 each to witnesses for them to change their testimony.   In addition, Moore tried to get a female friend to deliver a false narrative.  That witness has since been convicted of Tampering with a Witness.

In a statement made to the police at the time of his arrest, Moore denied assaulting the victim and claimed his friend Antoine Wise-Brown (aka “Dub B”) was the owner of the gun and took the gun back to Poughkeepsie after the assault.  When that allegation was investigated by the Kingston Police Department, it was learned that Wise-Brown was at a State Police Barracks being processed for DWI at the time that Moore falsely claimed he was driving the weapon to Poughkeepsie.

Although deemed not admissible at trial, the police recovered a letter Moore wrote where Moore discussed the assault on Fair Street and expressed that he got “madder and madder” because he thought that the girls wanted to take his gun and report him to police, and being as mad as he was he “mushed” the victim; “next thing you know, bang! Do I regret it? No! Just wish I got away.”

In the verdict the jury convicted the defendant of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2^nd Degree, a class C violent felony which carries up to 15 years in prison, as well as Criminal Possession of a Firearm, a class E felony; he was acquitted of Assault in the 1^st degree and the jury deadlocked regarding three other related charges.

Raymond Moore is expected to be sentenced in Ulster County Court on December 21, 2017.

The case was investigated by the Kingston Police Department with assistance from members of New York State Police in Kingston and the New York State Police Forensic Investigations Center.

This was Moore’s second trial on these charges.  The first trial, in August, ended in a hung jury.  Moore was represented in both trials by Edward Bruno of Pine Bush.  The case was prosecuted by Sr. Assistant District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji.

Press Release - Dennis Stokes

DATE: OCTOBER 23, 2017

RE: PRESS RELEASE - KINGSTON MOTEL ARSONIST PLEADS GUILTY

Dennis Stokes, 37, of DeWitt Mills Road, Hurley, entered a guilty plea to Arson in the Third Degree in Ulster County Court on Friday, October 20, 2017.

The charges arose from a fire at the Super 8 Motel on Washington Avenue in Kingston.  On January 2, 2017, police were alerted to a man with a gun in room 241.

Stokes, alone in the room, refused to allow the police to enter and threatened to “come out blazing” and kill others with him. During the incident, Stokes threatened police officers with an apparent handgun which was later determined to be a very realistic looking BB gun. The standoff lasted several hours while officers took positions of safety on the ground and on nearby buildings and attempted to negotiate with Stokes.

Shortly before 5:00 PM, Stokes sprayed lighter fluid in the room and used a lighter to ignite the fluid. The smoke and flames caused Stokes to jump from the second story window of the Super 8 onto the ground, where he was apprehended.

Along with the Kingston Police Department, members of the Kingston Fire Department, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team, and the New York State Police assisted during the incident.

“All of the police agencies involved, did an excellent job of keeping their patience and trying to control this dangerous situation as this incident took numerous turns over several hours. It is amazing that this defendant was not shot and killed based on his reckless and dangerous actions,” said Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright.

Stokes will be sentenced on December 20, 2017, in Ulster County Court. He was represented by Ulster County Public Defender Majer Gold.  The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Gerard Van Loan.

Press Release - Danny Griffin Sentence

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: OCTOBER 18, 2017

RE: PRESS RELEASE -  DANNY GRIFFIN SENTENCE

Danny Griffin, 32, of 230 Creek Side Drive, Shandaken, NY, received a sentence of 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison yesterday in Ulster County Court upon his conviction of Vehicular Manslaughter in the Second Degree.

The case stemmed from a collision on State Route 28 in the Town of Olive near Dancing Rock Road on August 25, 2015, at 7:30 AM. Griffin, operating a 2001 Toyota Sienna, veered into the eastbound lane of traffic and collided with 64 year old Delores Falkowski, of Woodland Valley, operating a Subaru. Falkowski died as a result of her injuries. Falkowski was on her way to work in Kingston at the time of the crash.

An exhaustive investigation revealed that Griffin had purchased heroin mixed with Fentanyl in Newburgh in the early morning hours of August 25, 2015. A witness in southern Ulster County revealed that Griffin had injected himself with the drugs in her presence prior to Griffin driving north to Shandaken. 

A search warrant for Griffin’s hospital blood was obtained by the New York State Police and subsequently tested by two separate labs.

The toxicologist hired by the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office confirmed that the amount of Fentanyl in Griffin’s blood would have impaired his ability to operate a car. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, is over fifty times more potent than morphine.

This was a frustrating investigation which highlights a recurring issue we have. NYS privacy laws make it very difficult for the prosecutor to access a defendant’s medical records.

In fact, even under these circumstances, ie, a head-on collision at 7:30 AM, contraband found in the car, and the presence of Fentanyl in the driver’s blood, our application for accessing Griffin’s medical records was turned down.

Sr. Assistant District Attorney Gerard VanLoan displayed strong initiative and perseverance in developing the evidence necessary to bring this case to justice.

Press Release Kashawn Taffawe Watson Sentence

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: OCTOBER 18, 2017

RE: PRESS RELEASE - Kashawn Taffawe Watson sentenced in Kingston home invasion case

     On October 10, 2017 Kashawn Taffawe Watson, age 24, of 110 Third Avenue, Kingston, was sentenced to 15 years in state prison on three separate class C violent felonies in Ulster County Court. Watson was convicted after a jury trial on June 9, 2017, of one count of Attempted Robbery in the First Degree and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree.

     Watson and a second individual, wearing black ski masks and carrying a loaded gun and an electric stun gun, entered a home on Albany Avenue on June 7, 2016, at about 4:45 AM demanding money. There were several adult residents present. Watson and the second individual threatened the residents at gun point and then, using nylon zip-ties, tied them up and assaulted them.

     During a struggle with one of the residents a shot was fired. The spent round, which was found in the floor of the residence, was matched through ballistics testing to a handgun found in an abandoned car on Downs Street, about two blocks from the home invasion. Also found in the car were two black ski masks, one of which contained Watson’s DNA.

     Shortly after the trial, Watson entered a guilty plea to a case unrelated to the home invasion, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree as a result of a drug sale which took place in July of 2017 in the City of Kingston. Watson received a concurrent sentence of three years plus two years of post-release supervision on the drug conviction.

  

     Watson moved to Ulster County from Poughkeepsie in 2005.  He attended Kingston High School until his Junior year. He has been residentially placed through Family Court, and has been placed on adult probation as a youthful offender. The above referenced convictions represent his first adult criminal convictions. He also faces federal gun and drug sale charges after his arrest in October of 2016 by federal authorities following the sweep known as “Blood Clot”.

The cases were investigated by Kingston Police Department SIU and prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Gerard Van Loan. The defendant was represented by Edward Bruno of Pine Bush, New York.

Press Release - David Vega-Soto Plea

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: OCTOBER 16, 2017

RE: PRESS RELEASE - DISTRICT ATTORNEY D. HOLLEY CARNRIGHT ANNOUNCES:  KINGSTON MAN ADMITS SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILD  

David Vega-Soto, 38, formerly of 82 Henry Street in the City of Kingston pled guilty in Ulster County Court Thursday, October 12, 2017, to the Class “D” violent felony offense of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree.   In doing so, Vega-Soto admitted that on June 25, 2017, he subjected another person to sexual contact who was less than eleven years old.

The defendant was arrested on June 30, 2017 following an investigation by the Ulster County Family and Child Advocacy Center. 

The case was prosecuted by Special Victims Bureau Chief, Katherine R. Van Loan.  The defendant was represented by Lexter Antonio, Esq.  and Maria Pichardo, Esq. of Rego Park, New York.  Sentencing is scheduled for December 12, 2017.   

Press Release - Ruben Rodriguez Appeal

PRESS RELEASE

FROM:     HOLLEY CARNRIGHT, DISTRICT ATTORNEY

DATE:     OCTOBER 5, 2017

The Appellate Division, Third Department has today unanimously affirmed the July 30, 2015 conviction of Ruben Rodriguez upon his plea of guilty of the crime of burglary in the first degree, a class B violent felony.

Defendant’s conviction stems from a break in which he perpetrated on September 22, 2014 in an apartment in Clintondale, New York.  When the homeowner received an alert on his iPhone that there was movement inside his residence, he returned to his apartment immediately.  When he knocked on the door, he was confronted by the defendant and another intruder.  As the two men fled from the scene towards the getaway car, defendant fired a gun which struck a vehicle owned by the victim’s next door neighbor.

Defendant pled guilty to burglary in the first degree, the top count of the indictment, and waived his right to appeal.  In accordance with the terms of the plea agreement, County Court Judge Donald A. Williams sentenced defendant, a second felony offender, to 16 years in State prison followed by five years of postrelease supervision.

On appeal, the defendant challenged the factual sufficiency of his plea allocution, but the Court found that it was unpreserved for review, and found that the defendant admitted during the plea colloquy that he unlawfully entered a building and possessed a loaded gun at the time.  

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 - Daniel K. Poole Sentence

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: OCTOBER 4, 2017

RE:  PRESS RELEASE –

    DISTRICT ATTORNEY D. HOLLEY CARNRIGHT ANNOUNCES:

    OUT OF STATE PREDATOR SENTENCED FOR SEX WITH MINOR

Daniel K. Poole, 49, of 135 Remington Avenue in Port Deposit, Maryland, was sentenced Wednesday, October 4, 2017, in Ulster County Court to 11 years in state prison to be followed by 10 years of post-release supervision, the maximum sentence permitted by law.  He will be required to register under the New York State Sexual Offender Registration Act for the remainder of his life.  An Order of Protection in favor of the victim and her parents will remain in effect until 2046.

Poole pled guilty on July 25, 2017 to Criminal Sexual Act in the Second Degree, a Class “D” violent felony and Rape in the Third Degree, a Class “E” felony.  He admitted that on June 14, 2016, he engaged in oral sexual conduct with a child who was less then fifteen years old and that in October of 2016, he engaged in sexual intercourse with a child less than seventeen years old. 

An investigation conducted by the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office led to Poole’s arrest on January 25, 2017.  That investigation commenced when members of the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office were engaged in training exercises in the Town of Esopus and observed a young female walking in a somewhat remote area and shortly thereafter observed a vehicle with Maryland license plates circling the area at a slow rate of speed.  The defendant who was dressed in full camouflage, claimed to be lost on way to hunt for snow geese in Albany but his account of how he ended up in that location was riddled with inconsistencies and physical impossibilities.  Officers observed an already dead goose in the vehicle and contacted the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to investigate as the defendant did not have a New York State hunting permit.  It was eventually determined that the defendant had traveled from Maryland to meet a minor he met online and brought the goose as a decoy to show his wife when he returned home.

Further investigation revealed that the defendant met the victim on a website in January of 2016, when she was fourteen years old.  The relationship continued for almost a year with continuous online communication.  The communications became sexual including the exchange of inappropriate photographs.  The defendant first came to Ulster County in June of 2016 when he met the victim near the remote location where he was found by the police.   The defendant met the victim in New York and engaged in sexual acts on two additional occasions after she turned fifteen. 

District Attorney Holley Carnright stated that is critical that parents are aware that predators of this nature really do exist and are engaging children online.  Carnright also lauded the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office for the quick thinking of the officers at the training site who are not specifically trained nor regularly handle sex crimes against children.      

The case was prosecuted by Bureau Chief of the Special Victims Unit, Katherine R. Van Loan of the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office.  The defendant was represented by Michael Pollock, Esq. of Red Hook.