On February 21, 2018, incidental to a complaint received from
the Saugerties High School, the Saugerties Police initiated an investigation
into several social media postings. The content of the postings “I envy Eric and Dylan. It must’ve been so
f…ing fun. They had the right f….ing idea. I’m so full of rage anymore. Nothing
f….ing matters anymore” in another post
“I feel as though I’m not the type of person you’d want to call your friend,
but I firmly believe that you do want to call me your enemy. Just remember:
when the shit hits the fan, there won’t be any time for mercy”
On February 21, 2018, Saugerties Police Detectives with
assistance from the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office, and the New York
State Police Intelligence Center in Albany worked to verify the origin of the
postings. As a result, police were able to establish that the posting came from
18-year-old Connor Chargois, a senior at the Saugerties High School. At that
time detectives with the assistance of the New York State Police BCI conducted
interviews with Connor Chargois and his father 58 year- old Bruce Chargois. Connor
Chargois admitted at the time of the initial interview that he was the author
of the postings, but denied possessing any firearms. Bruce Chargois also denied
that he owned any firearms, and stated that his son Connor did not own or
possess any firearms, and stated that there were no firearms of any kind in his
house. Those statements were not
consistent with other information police had discovered in our investigation.
On Tuesday February 27, 2018, during an interview conducted by
detectives with Bruce Chargois, police learned from Bruce Chargois, that in
fact there had been firearms in his home, and that Bruce Chargois had removed the
firearms from his residence immediately after being interviewed by police. Subsequently, police accompanied Bruce
Chargois to his place of business, Greco Brothers Amusement Co., located at 3
Glasco Turnpike, where Bruce Chargois showed detectives that he had hidden five
firearms, including a fully automatic 9mm Uzi and an AR15 Assault Rifle.
As a result of the seizure of the firearms, Saugerties Police with
assistance from members of the New York State Police CNET, the Ulster County
District Attorney’s Office and agents from ATF conducted a search warrant at
the residence of Connor and Bruce Chargois, located at 5 Sawyerkill Terrace in the Village of Saugerties. As the result of the execution of the search
warrant a quantity of ammunition of varying calibers, homemade knives, machine
fabricated gun parts, a prototype of a firearm that Connor Chargois admitted he
had been manufacturing in the basement of the house, in addition to a number of
completed homemade firearms in both .22 and 9mm caliber capacities.
As a result of the investigation Saugerties Police have
charged 58-year-old Bruce Chargois with the Felony of Criminal Possession of a
Weapon in the 3rd Degree, 2 counts, and the Misdemeanor of
Obstructing Governmental Administration, resulting from the removal of the
illegal firearms from his home and then hiding them in his place of
business.
18-year-old Connor Chargois has been charged with the Felony
of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 3rd Degree. Additional charges are possible, pending
completion of the police investigation, as additional search warrants were
being executed at the time of the press release.
Both Bruce and Connor Chargois were arraigned in the Village
of Saugerties Court. Bruce Chargois was released on his own recognizance, while
his son Connor was remanded to the Ulster County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash
bail. He has since posted that bail, and is no longer in custody. An order of
protection was issued preventing Connor Chargois from coming on school district
property.
“This investigation is an example of how community members,
school district administrators and law enforcement authorities can effectively
work together when everyday people become involved. Had it not been for the
initial reporting of this event by the individuals whom had seen the original
post, who knows what the end result could have been. As the police chief of our
community, I thank the individual who had the courage to come forth with this
information and took an active stance in reporting the postings, rather than taking
a passive posture.” Town of Saugerties
Police Chief Joseph Sinagra.
Superintendent of Saugerties Central School District, Seth
Turner, stated, “In this situation, the mantra ‘If you see something – say
something’ worked. An anonymous tip was
shared with a teacher, who brought it to the attention of the school
administration, who brought it to the School Resource Officer. On behalf of the
Saugerties Central School District, I am thankful for the unyielding diligence
of the administrative team, the Saugerties Police Department, the Ulster County
District Attorney’s Office, and the related agencies. It is my sincere belief
that the community is safer as a result of the collaborative efforts of the
school and police.”
“Yesterday was a day for the good guys. As I read, heartbroken, of the senseless,
tragic, mass shooting slaughters that happen around our country I struggle with
a host of emotions and frustrations.
Always present is my belief that these events do not happen in a vacuum. I believe that there must be signs, people,
particularly parents, have to have some idea that something is terribly wrong
long before the actual tragedy. I am so
thankful to live in a community where the people who received Chargois’ posts reported
it to the police.
I have said many times before and I repeat today, that Ulster
County is served by a group of outstanding, highly qualified, caring, law
enforcement personnel. Our goal is to
keep all of our citizens safe. The
Chargois investigation stands as an exemplar of how, if we work together, we
can live in a safer world” Stated Ulster County District Attorney Holley
Carnright.
