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. 20
12:01 p.m. Police were called to Bulkley Avenue to investigate a report of a stolen bicycle, described as an older blue girl’s model not in good shape. Tracks could be observed in the snow but ended at the pavement. The officer checked the area; the only person observed on a bicycle was aboard an electric model.
Jan. 21
10:06 a.m. Police responded to a fire alarm activation on Quaker Street and were advised upon arrival by the resident it was an accidental activation cause by the use of an aerosol spray can. Dispatch was advised it could cancel the responding fire department apparatus.
Jan. 22
5:20 p.m. Police spoke with the animal control officer about a complaint she received from a woman who stated two dogs were acting aggressively toward her at a Granville dog park. The complainant stated she did not know who owned the dogs but thinks they resided near Morris Street. The complainant was advised if she did know who the owners are or where they resided it would hard to write a citation.
Jan. 23
10:36 a.m. Police responded to a check the welfare call for a woman who resides on Berkowitz Drive. The caller had informed officers the resident had fallen and suffered a head injury. Officer entered the residence and found the victim lying on the living room floor with a facial wound. EMS was summoned and the woman was transported to Glens Falls Hospital.
Jan. 24
8:35 a.m. Police received a complaint about a suspicious vehicle parked along Pacific Street. While checking the vehicle’s registration, the officer was advised by New York State Police that the owner was a person of interest. The individual was contacted by police who were advised he was working at that location, and if he returned to work in the village, he would contact the department to make them aware of his presence. Dispatcher also was given pertinent information.
7:51 p.m. Police were dispatched to a West Main Street location for a report of a woman screaming. Upon arrival, the officer contacted two residents who advised everything was fine. The officer stayed in the area on foot patrol but did not hear or observe any yelling or screaming. Complaint was cleared without further incident.
Jan. 25
7:58 a.m. A Madison Street resident requested documentation that he was informed by his neighbor the upstairs tenant was threatening to “get him” for lodging a complaint with the animal control officer. Complainant stated he would contact the police if there was anything else to report.
8:30 a.m. Police returned to the Madison Street site where they were shown a picture of a dog in what the complainant described as a feces-covered cage. The animal control officer was contacted and was informed of the condition that was depicted in the picture. The ACO advised she was aware of the situation but what was described did not rise to the level of animal cruelty. The owner of the dogs said they sometimes soil their crates overnight and that he cleans them when he awakes. Dogs were observed by police who spoke with ACO. The accused indicated the complainant at times enters his residence unannounced and he has later found items missing. He did not directly accuse the complainant of taking them. The ACO will monitor the situation.
1:08 p.m. Police were called about a dog bite incident on North Street concerning a child who had been bitten on Jan. 11. Child Protective Services were called at that time and found an abuse report to be unfounded. The bite was described as very minor. Complainant wanted to know if animal was registered and vaccinated. Was advised to contact the animal control officer. Also advised that if complainant wanted law enforcement involved they needed to call the day of the incident, not two weeks later.
Whitehall Police Department
Jan. 21
8:15 a.m. Police received a report of a child who had intentionally broken a television in a West Street residence. Upon arrival, officers observed the broken TV and that the child was calm. The person reporting the incident said she was working on a temporary out-of-home placement for the child, which she expected to be secured soon. Police sent a referral form to the Washington County Youth Bureau.
3:05 p.m. Officers responded to a fire alarm activation at a multiple-family residence on North Williams Street. They confirmed the alarm had been triggered by burnt food and no further action was required.
5:06 p.m. Police received a report of a vehicle being operated erratically on Broadway that had pulled into a parking lot on the street. Responding officers spoke to the driver of the vehicle, who told them she was tired and going to take a quick nap before proceeding. No evidence of intoxication was found, so police simply notified an employee of the store that the driver would be sleeping in the store’s parking lot to avoid a subsequent report of a suspicious person.
Jan. 22
12:45 a.m. Officers were dispatched to Williams Street in response to a 911 hang-up call. An attempt to call the number back produced no response and officers on scene could not determine the source of the call. A check of the number found no one associated with it.
Jan. 23
5:30 a.m. Police were dispatched to the scene of a reported crash on State Route 22. Upon arrival, they observed a vehicle partially on the roadway and partially in a ditch. The driver said he did not want an accident report but would like to have the vehicle winched out by a tow company.
Jan. 24
10:30 a.m. Police were dispatched to First Avenue in response to a report of a low-hanging utility wire. The wire appeared to be a telephone line and Verizon was contacted. However, because the phone company could not give an estimated time of arrival, police set out traffic cones to divert drivers around the wire.
3:40 p.m. A Mountain Street resident told police that a man who had a history of harassing her at work had shown up at her current place of employment. The man left after the caller said she did not want to speak to him, but when she went to leave, she discovered a note from the man inside her car stating she could call him anytime and giving her his telephone number. The woman said she did not want any police action taken at this time but wanted the incident documented.
New York State Police
Jan. 23
7:40 p.m. David N. Bratianu, 40, of Hampton was arrested for grand larceny in the fourth degree, a class E felony, specifically property valued at greater than $1,000 in connection with an incident reported on Dec. 3. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Jan. 24
10:47 a.m. Joseph M. Fusco, 59, of Fort Ann was arrested in Fort Edward for grand larceny in the fourth degree of property valued at more than $1,000, a class E felony, in connection with an incident that was reported on July 1. His arrestee status was not known.
9:56 p.m. Peter E. Soules, 42, of Moreau and Rachel L. Ramsey, 34, of Hudson Falls were arrested in Moreau for three and two counts, respectively, of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a class A misdemeanor. Both were issued appearance tickets.
Jan. 27
3:55 a.m. Juan R. Rivera, 31, of Whitehall was arrested in Kingsbury for operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% and DWI, both first offenses. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Jan. 28
11:37 p.m. Amanda L. Jameson, 36, of Hudson Falls was charged in Fort Edward with two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a class A misdemeanor, and DWI, first offense, a class U misdemeanor. She was issued an appearance ticket.
Two-car accident result of attending to maple syrup equipment
The Rutland County Sheriff’s Office reported that on Jan. 22 at 3:17 p.m. it responded to Route 30 north in the Town of Poultney for a two-car motor vehicle accident.
The investigating deputy said the driver of the first vehicle left his car parked in the northbound lane while attending to maple syrup equipment. This vehicle was subsequently struck by another car, which resulted in heavy damage and the driver of the second vehicle being transported to the Rutland Regional Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
The report does not indicate any charges were filed.
Whitehall man sentenced to five years for burglary
A Whitehall man is headed back to jail after being convicted of several burglaries in Granville over the past summer.
Daniel Valastro, 32, and an unidentified 18-year-old were apprehended in the village on July 24 after police had responded to a burglary report. It was determined they were responsible for two other home break-ins and were spotted in the area by law enforcement shortly after the crimes occurred.
Valastro was sentenced by the Washington County Court to five-years in jail. He was on parole at the time of his arrest for a 2019 incident in Saratoga County where he was convicted of aggravated criminal contempt and sentenced at that time to two to four-years in prison.
