Press Release - Connor Chargois plea

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: NOVEMBER 30, 2018

RE: PRESS RELEASE – CONNOR CHARGOIS PLEA

November 30, 2018 Connor Chargois of Saugerties, NY, pled guilty in Ulster County Court to one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the third degree.  Mr. Chargois was arrested by members of the Town of Saugerties Police Department in February of this year following information they had received that the defendant had posted comments on the internet relating to “Eric and Dylan”, the individuals responsible for the horrific Columbine School shooting.  Chargois was a student at Saugerties High School at the time.

In the ensuing investigation, police seized from Chargois 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 his house, in addition to a number of completed homemade firearms in both .22 and 9mm caliber capacities.

Mr. Chargois is scheduled for sentencing before County Court Judge Donald A. Williams February 8, 2019.

Press Release - Utility Scams

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: NOVEMBER 29, 2018

RE: PRESS RELEASE – UTILITY SCAMS FLOURISH AS HOLIDAY SEASON APPROACHES

‘Tis the season for scams, in part because the holidays are fast approaching, but also because cold weather has arrived in much of the U.S.

When the mercury drops, scammers come out of the woodwork to rip off consumers with a variety of utility scams.

The Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs warns that scammers often impersonate utility company employees, either on the phone or by showing up on your doorstep. They might tell consumers their service is about to be shut off unless they pay a surcharge, or they may try to sell a worthless device to lower heating bills. Consumers are encouraged to notify their utility company of such activity by calling the number on the monthly billing statement.

A common tactic scammers employ is to demand payment for a bill that is allegedly overdue. But the tip-off comes in the form of payment. If the caller demands a credit card or prepaid money card number over the phone, it’s a scam. If you get one of these calls simply hang up. Again, if you’re in doubt that it’s a scam call the company for verification.

Consumer Affairs can be reached at 340-3260.

Press Release - Jonathan Santiago sentence

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: NOVEMBER 28, 2018

RE: PRESS RELEASE - DISTRICT ATTORNEY D. HOLLEY CARNRIGHT ANNOUNCES:  SPRING GLEN MAN SENTENCED FOR ATTEMPTED STATUTORY RAPE  

Jonathan Santiago, 24, was sentenced on Wednesday, November 21, 2018, to the maximum sentence allowed, four years in state prison to be followed by ten years of post-release supervision on his plea to Attempted Rape in the Second Degree.  The defendant entered his plea on July 27, 2018 in Ulster County Court, admitting that between February 1, 2017 and March 1, 2017, he attempted to engage in sexual intercourse with a fourteen year old child.  Santiago will have to register under the New York State Sexual Offender Registration Act for a minimum of twenty years.  An Order of Protection was issued to remain in effect until November 21, 2036.     

The defendant was arrested on October 3, 2017, following an investigation by the Ulster County Family and Child Advocacy Center.  He was indicted by an Ulster County Grand Jury on January 11, 2018 for three counts of the crime of Rape in the Second Degree.  All three events were alleged to have occurred between February 1, 2017 and March 31, 2017 in the Town of Rosendale, with the same child.

The case was prosecuted by Special Victims Bureau Chief, Katherine R. Van Loan.  The defendant was represented by the Ulster County Public Defender’s Office.      

  

Press Release - Robocalls Hit an All Time High

FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

DATE: NOVEMBER 26, 2018

RE: PRESS RELEASE – ROBOCALLS HIT AN ALL TIME HIGH

The number of robocalls for October raised the bar to an all-time high of 5.1 billion across the United States, according to www.consumeraffairs.com. The is the first time the scourge has passed the 5 billion mark since the YouMail Robocall Index (https://robocallindex.com) was launched in 2015, and it’s nearly double the number of calls placed in January 2018.

While it may seem like a never-ending battle, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says it’s pulling out all stops to end the robocall scourge. The agency is going as far as penalizing robocall services $2.8 million if caught making robocalls to wireless phones using artificial or prerecorded voice messages without the prior express consent of the called parties. Last month, a coalition of 34 states attorneys general asked the FCC to craft new rules that would allow telephone service providers to block more illegal robocalls.

Until there’s a judgment day for robo criminals, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Division of Consumer Affairs (340-3260) advises consumers to use good judgment and not answer calls from phone numbers you don’t know and not provide personal information to any unknown caller. Complaints can be made at www.fcc.gov.

Press Release - Jovan A.Wilkins conviction

FROM:     HOLLEY CARNRIGHT

          ULSTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY

DATE:     NOVEMBER 16, 2018

SUBJECT:  PRESS RELEASE – JOVAN A. WILKINS

On November 15, 2018, a jury of seven men and five women convicted JOVAN A. WILKINS of Assault in the First Degree, a Class B violent felony.  Wilkins, age 26, a resident of  Lagrangeville, in Dutchess County, was charged by the New York State Police on December 3, 2017 with felony assault in connection with the stabbing of a man during a house party purportedly celebrating then recently elected Dutchess County legislator, Legislature Giancarlo Llaverias’ victory.

During the week-long trial jurors heard testimony from surgeon Dr. Dennis-Roger Phillip of the Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital, forensic scientists Sarah Koss and Lisa Sheridan of the New York State Police Forensic Investigation Center, and several Investigators with the New York State Police. They also heard from the victim of the assault and an eyewitness who testified that as they were leaving the party they saw an individual on the ground being beaten and stomped. The victim tried to push people off of the individual being attacked when Wilkins repeatedly stabbed him in the back and lower abdomen. Dr. Phillip explained to the jury that many of the stab wounds could have been fatal. He described one stab wound as having punctured the victim’s lung, a second having lacerated his spleen and that the wounds to the victim’s abdomen in effect disemboweled him.

 The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Kathleen E. Klein and Clifford Owens. Wilkins was represented by Assistant Public Defender Mikael Cohn.

The defense presented two seemingly inconsistent arguments to the jury. The first, was that Wilkins did not intend to cause any injury, an argument belied by the significant, life threatening injuries sustained. The second argument was that he was justified in stabbing the victim because he was defending a third party, ie his brother.

Wilkins has been remanded to the Ulster County Jail.  Sentencing is scheduled for January 18, 2018. Defendant faces a maximum sentence of 25 years in State Prison.