THROUGH THE WOODS: The Woodpileby Columbia Paper / October 7, 2022Related Posts
Ghent man charged with child sex abuse
By DIANE VALDEN
GHENT—State Police from the Livingston barracks in conjunction with the Columbia County Child Advocacy Center arrested Robert G. Schaefer, 52, of Ghent for first degree sexual abuse, a class D felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor, September 18.
Investigation determined Mr. Schaefer allegedly sexually abused a child victim under the age of 11 years old.
He was arraigned in Village of Kinderhook Court and sent to the Columbia County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond.
This investigation remains ongoing.
To contact Diane Valden email dvalden@columbiapaper.com
Columbia County 911 dispatched Canaan and Red Rock firefighters and Chatham Rescue, September 19 at 4:55 p.m. for a reported rollover accident. The incident occurred at the intersection of Route 22 and Queechy Lake Drive in Canaan. Red Rock Firefighters were not needed at the scene and were returned to service by Canaan Command. A LifeNet helicopter was placed on standby but was not needed. There was no transport by Chatham Rescue. State Police investigated. Canaan firefighters were back in service at 5:40 p.m. Photo by RE Lindmark
Defendants admit to strangling elderly man
HUDSON—Two people were convicted by plea in Columbia County Court, September 12. They admitted strangling an elderly man to steal his money, according to a press release from the Columbia County District Attorney’s Office.
Under a plea deal, Cassandra Fischer, 31, and Ryan Woods, 30, both of Livingston, pleaded guilty to second degree attempted murder, a class B violent felony for the victim’s homicide. Columbia County Court will sentence the defendants October 4.
An investigation by the State Police revealed that the murder was part of a plot to defraud the decedent. After strangling and beating the victim, Ms. Fischer and Mr. Woods traveled to New Jersey to spend the weekend at a resort. When they returned three days later, they reported the decedent’s death. Ms. Fischer had defrauded the victim out of thousands of dollars, the release said.
“This was a particularly brutal case in which the defendants took advantage of the elderly victim for money and ultimately took his life. We are grateful to the investigators of the New York State Police who worked tirelessly for more than two months to track the money involved, and solve this case. While this result will not bring back the victim, we hope that it brings closure to his family,” Deputy Chief District Attorney Ryan Carty said in the release. He prosecuted the case.
Adam Staier represented Mr. Woods and Andrew Safranko represented Ms. Fischer.
In other court-related news:
*A Columbia County jury convicted a Hudson man of sexually assaulting two women. Feisal Nzaro, 31, was convicted by a 12-person jury on all counts Thursday, September 7 after a three-day trial. The jurors found Mr. Nzaro guilty of first degree sexual abuse, a class D felony; second degree criminal contempt, a class A misdemeanor; first degree attempted sexual abuse, a class E felony; and forcible touching, a class A misdemeanor.
The defendant sexually assaulted two women—the first in August, the other in October—2021.
“The defendant used deceptive means to lull his victims into a false sense of security before assaulting one survivor and attempting to assault another survivor,” said Assistant District Attorney Carty, who prosecuted the case. “I thank the survivors for their bravery, the good Samaritan who helped, and the members of the jury for their diligent service.”
The Hudson City Police Department investigated the incidents. Mr. Carty commended the hard work of the Hudson Police members and their swift work and diligence to bring this case to justice.
The jury reached a verdict in about 30 minutes. Judge Maegan Galligan, of the 3rd Judicial District, Sullivan County, will sentence Mr. Nzaro October 23.
Mr. Nzaro also has pending charges in Hudson City Court. On March 24, he allegedly followed a woman into a single-person bathroom at a Hudson business and shut the door behind him, barring her escape. He was arrested by Hudson Police, charged with unlawful imprisonment, criminal possession of a controlled substance and harassment.
Mr. Nzaro is represented by Dennis McEvoy, Esq.
