Editor’s note: An arrest or a charge is not a conviction. All persons listed are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Charges can be amended or dismissed.
Granville Police Department
Jan. 13
1:47 p.m. Police responded to a Madison Street location where an individual was being verbal with staff. An officer spoke with that person who advised the patient was expressing oxygen tank concerns (believed operating incorrectly). The complainant stated he would look into the situation and advise staff if tanks were a problem. The individual in question was advised not to abuse staff. No further action requested.
6 p.m. A person called the station to advise she saw a person with what appeared to be a handgun walking along North Street toward the bowling alley. An officer responded and checked the area, reporting the individual was gone on arrival.
Jan. 15
10:03 a.m. Officers were called to a business on Montray Place for a guest who was to check out that day but was having a medical issue and was transported to Glens Falls Hospital. The guest left all her belongings in the room, and it was rented to another individual for later that day. The business owner agreed to hold all belonging in a secure area until they could be retrieved.
1:17 p.m. An officer responded to a Quaker Street business for a 911 open line call. Clerks who were working there were unaware of any issues. Investigation by the officer also revealed no issues.
Jan. 17
6:45 p.m. An individual called to report his ex-wife could not locate their child. He felt his ex-wife’s parenting skills may be lacking when she had the child and so asked for the incident to be documented. The caller later advised that the child was located.
3:30 a.m. Police responded to a Quaker Street business for a burglar alarm activation. An officer arrived on scene to find the building secure. No key holder was available. The officer spoke with the manager when the store opened, and all was in order.
Jan. 18
4:20 p.m. An individual came the station to report his Nakto Cruiser electric bike had been stolen off his front porch on Church Street. The complainant did not have paperwork with the serial number and did not have a receipt for the purchase. The estimated value of the bike is $1,000. Further investigation to follow.
Jan. 19
8:45 a.m. Following a report of a verbal argument having taken place the previous evening, a caller reported her landlord was upset that she might have another apartment lined up for March. She reported the landlord said if she wanted to leave she could get out immediately. The officer advised the landlord of the eviction process. The complainant also raised concerns about abuse. She was then given phone numbers to call for help in finding new housing.
11:15 a.m. Police issued eight parking tickets for winter parking ban violations.
11:35 A.M. An officer returned to the station to speak with a man who complained that his sister while working at an area business gave him an obscene hand gesture. It was confirmed no order of protection was in place. The officer advised the complainant that the action did not rise to a criminal level and he could speak to the business management about her actions if he so wished.
Whitehall Police Department
Jan. 14
9:11 a.m. Police were dispatched to the Montcalm Avenue area in response to a dispute over a feline. Upon arrival, no evidence of a dispute was observed. Police contacted the person who made the report but closed the case after that person had not responded three days later.
2:15 p.m. Officers were dispatched to the area of the old Chamber of Commerce building on Broadway in response to a report of a vehicle that had been driving erratically and ended up in a ditch. No vehicle was found when police arrived and a search for a vehicle with front-end damage was unsuccessful. Police also found no evidence that a vehicle had gone into the ditch at the reported location.
Jan. 15
4 p.m. Police responded to the area of 80 Main St. in response to three 9-1-1 hang-up calls with no voice contact. A patrol of the area found nothing untoward.
6 p.m. Patrols were dispatched to North Mountain Road in response to a report of icy road conditions. Officers contacted the village Department of Public Works and were told DPW crews would be dispatched to salt the road.
8 p.m. Police were dispatched to the Red Panda restaurant on Broadway in response to a fire alarm activation. The response was canceled when dispatch received a call from a person with the appropriate passcode who called off the emergency response.
Jan. 16
3 p.m. Officers responded to a report of a water emergency on McCotter Street. Firefighters were already at the location when police arrived and reported 18 inches of water in the basement of a home. No further police involvement was required.
8 p.m. Police were dispatched to a South Williams Street apartment building in response to a complaint of a disturbance. The complainant told officers other tenants in the building were repeatedly slamming doors, causing items to fall off her walls. The tenants said they had to lift the door and slam it in order to close it. Police advised both parties to contact the landlord to rectify the situation.
Jan. 17
12 p.m. Village police assisted state environmental conservation police investigating a report of illegal dumping in the parking lot on Main Street. EnCon police were able to identify the dumper through video of the lot and said they would handle the case themselves.
Jan. 19
12:55 p.m. Police were dispatched to a fire alarm at the Red Panda restaurant on Broadway. Upon arrival, officers confirmed the alarm had been triggered by burning food and there was no need for the fire department.
New York State Police
Jan. 16
9:23 p.m. Alexandra A. Diekel, 31, of Dresden was arrested for operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08%, and DWI, both first offenses and class U misdemeanors. She was issued an appearance ticket.
Jan. 17
2:23 p.m. Arabella M. Estoesta, 26, of Teaneck, New Jersey, was charged in Fort Ann with introducing contraband into prison in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor. She was issued an appearance ticket.
Jan. 21
10:15 a.m. Billy Jo Clear, 47, of Hudson Falls was arrested in Queensbury on three counts of petit larceny, a class A misdemeanor. They were issued an appearance ticket.
11:05 p.m. Evan E. Delmer, 40, of Virginia Beach, Virginia was arrested in Easton for operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% and DWI, both first offenses and class U misdemeanors. He was released to a third party.
Jan 22
12:23 a.m. David W. Linendoll, 63, of Salem was arrested in Easton for operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% and DWI, both first offenses and class U misdemeanors. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Vermont State Police
Jan. 18
1 a.m. Vermont State Police stopped a vehicle in Rutland City for an observed violation. Troopers identified the operator as Jonathan Jordan, 22, of Rutland City, who displayed several indicators of impairment. Jordan was ultimately taken into custody for suspicion of driving under the influence and transported to Rutland for processing. Jordan was issued a citation to appear in Rutland Superior Court, Criminal Division, at a later date.
Jan. 19
1:40 p.m. In the course of conducting speed enforcement on U.S. Route 7 near the Shaftsbury pull-off in the town of Shaftsbury, Vermont State Police attempted to initiate a traffic stop after observing a vehicle traveling 97 mph in a posted 55-mph zone. Dejioun Harden, 26, of Rutland was issued a Vermont civil violation complaint for speeding with a waiver penalty of $627 and was released with a citation to answer to the charge of excessive speed, attempting to elude and criminal DLS at a later date.
Jan. 20
12:15 p.m. Vermont State Police were notified of a single-vehicle rollover crash near 2358 Vermont Route 100 in Pittsfield. Through investigation it was determined that Bradford Cram, 28, of Whiting was traveling south on Route 100 in a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. Cram went off the right side of the roadway and then overcorrected his steering, causing his car to exit the left side of the roadway where it rolled onto its roof. A Vermont civil violation complaint is pending.
Jan. 21
7:27 a.m. Vermont State Police were notified of a family fight on East Road in Poultney. Through investigation it was determined that Andrew Drost, 33, of Poultney had caused pain and/or bodily injury to a family/household member. Drost was placed into custody and transported to Rutland for processing. A judicial official was contacted, and Drost was ordered held without bail at Marble Valley Regional Correctional Facility and issued conditions of release to include appearing at Rutland Superior Court, Criminal Division, at a later date.
9:53 p.m. Vermont State Police responded to a single-vehicle crash on U.S. Route 4 in the Town of Mendon near Stony Meadows Lane. Through investigation it was determined Todd Smith, 56, of Rutland was traveling west on Route 4 in a 2014 Toyota Tundra. Smith told police his vehicle slipped and left the roadway, striking a guardrail. During the interaction with police officers, Smith displayed several indicators of impairment, was screened for driving under the influence and ultimately was taken into custody for suspicion of DUI and transported to Rutland for processing. He was released with a citation to appear in Rutland Superior Court at a later date. His car was totaled.
Jan. 22
8:24 p.m. Vermont State Police were dispatched on a report of a disorderly man at the Cortina Inn at 476 Holiday Drive in Rutland Town. Upon arrival, troopers contacted Justin Gordon, 39, of Rutland Town. While attempting to take Gordon into custody he assaulted troopers so was taken into custody and transported to Rutland for processing. Gordon was cited to appear in Rutland Superior Court, Criminal Division, to answer to the charge of disorderly conduct and assaulting a law enforcement officer.
Clemons man faces additional charges
A Clemons man charged Jan. 6 with two felonies after failing to abide by a stay-away order of protection is facing two additional charges after telling police he had committed the same offense the day before the incident that led to the initial charges.
Nigel A. Reeks, 38, of LeClaire Road, was charged that same day with first-degree criminal contempt and an aggravated family offense, both felonies, after he admitted to violating the order the day prior to the incident that led to the original charges. Reeks was in custody when he made the admission in a written statement, police said.
The initial charges stemmed from an argument with the protected party in the middle of Skene Street.
Upon being arraigned on the initial charges, Reeks was taken into custody on the newer charges and ordered held in the Washington County Jail pending further court action.
State Police arrest two following burglary in Whitehall
On Friday, Jan. 20, New York State Police of Granville arrested April L. Campeau, 44, and Joseph R. Fortin, 36, both of Whitehall, New York, each for burglary in the third degree, seven counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, four counts of criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree, three counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree and two counts of criminally using drug paraphernalia in the second degree.
On Jan. 20, at about 9:45 a.m. troopers responded to a business on County Route 9 in Whitehall, reporting a burglary that had just occurred. Campeau and Fortin were located walking on State Route 4 in possession of property stolen from the business.
The investigation determined Campeau and Fortin were responsible for the burglary. In addition, the suspects were in possession of other stolen property and drugs. The stolen property located during the arrest resolved three incidents of theft that had occurred in Vermont.
Both suspects were transported to State Police barracks in Granville for processing. Both were brought to the Washington County Correctional Facility to await arraignment.
Fortin later was remanded to the facility without bail, and Campeau was released on her own recognizance following arraignment.
Five arrested for welfare fraud, grand larceny
The arrest of the five women from Washington County followed a joint investigation by the County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Social Services where it was determined the subjects arrested had filed for and received benefits to which they were not entitled.
30-year-old Anita Stewart of Cambridge is accused of welfare fraud in the third degree and offering a false instrument. 46-year-old Melissa Smith of Whitehall, 23-year-old Elizabeth Millington of Fort Edward, 29-year-old Miriha Edwards and 37-year-old Tiffany Ball, both of Fort Ann, were all charged with grand larceny in the third degree.
Following their arraignment all five women were released on their own recognizance and ordered to appear to Fort Edward Town Court at a later date.
Woman pleads ‘pregnant’ even though she wasn’t
By EJ Conzola II
A Whitehall woman wanted for failing to appear in court was able to avoid being taken into custody after telling police she was pregnant and about to give birth.
She was not.
Police said Lauren M. Brunza, 25, of Maple Street, had been picked up by Glens Falls police Jan. 14 after that agency received notification she was wanted in Whitehall. Officers were sent to Glens Falls to transport Brunza back to Whitehall for processing, but as she was being placed in the patrol car, she “began to scream at the top of her lungs proclaiming that she was nine months pregnant and was currently having what she believed to be contractions,” the police incident report said.
Seconds later, Brunza claimed she was bleeding and thought she was having a miscarriage, the report said. Glens Falls police called for emergency medical assistance, and Brunza was transported to the hospital.
Because of the apparent medical emergency, Whitehall police issued Brunza an appearance ticket for Whitehall Town Court returnable at 9 a.m. on Jan. 25. The ticket canceled the warrant for Brunza’s arrest.
However, after the ticket was issued, police were informed that the 5-foot, 4-inch, 200-pound Brunza was not pregnant, the report said.
Brunza said she would honor the appearance ticket and appear in court on the date specified. She also told police she was unaware she had been due in court on the date she missed, saying she thought only her boyfriend was required to appear.
The original charge against Brunza was unavailable.
