Two men charged for home burglary in Ghent

By DIANE VALDEN

HUDSON—The man who shot himself in the leg, got into his car, drove away and crashed into a Coarc van a block away on July 20, turned himself in and was arrested on multiple gun charges by the Hudson City Police, August 7.

Stephen Pabon, 31, of Hudson was charged with: second degree criminal possession of a weapon, a class C felony; third degree criminal possession of a weapon (previous conviction), a class D felony; fourth degree criminal possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of a certain ammunition feeding device, both class A misdemeanors.

Back on July 20 at 1:06 p.m., City Police received a call from Columbia County 911 reporting a man shot himself in the leg and then got into an automobile accident involving a Coarc van.

Patrols immediately responded to the area of First and Warren streets. There Officer Randy Strattman found a man, who was shot in the right upper leg and bleeding badly. The man was subsequently identified as Mr. Pabon.

An off-duty doctor was on scene and assisted the officer with first aide. The officer administered a tourniquet around the subject’s leg to stop the bleeding until Greenport Rescue was able to safety respond. Mr. Pabon was airlifted to Albany Medical Center for emergency medical attention and at the time was listed in stable condition.

Prior to police arrival on the accident scene, witnesses say they saw the man exit his car after allegedly crashing into the Coarc van three different times. Once out of the vehicle, the man allegedly dumped a loaded handgun down the sewer drain. Detective Nicholas Pierro was able to climb in the sewer and recover the 9mm loaded handgun.

Police determined from the evidence collected and speaking to witnesses, that Mr. Pabon allegedly shot himself in the leg on Front Street, then got into his vehicle and caused a car accident just a block away. No other injuries to any other subjects were reported.

In an update to their original press release, Hudson Police report that Mr. Pabon turned himself in to State Police in Latham on unrelated charges. He was arraigned and released on criminal charges in Latham, then turned over to Hudson Police on their active arrest warrant for the above listed felony charges. Mr. Pabon, who police say is a three-time convicted felon, was arraigned in Hudson City Court before Judge Cheryl Roberts. He was sent to the Columbia County Jail with no bail to reappear at a later date.

State Police, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Greenport Rescue, Hudson Fire Department assisted HPD on this investigation.

New Lebanon

Another arrest has been made in connection with the incident in which an alleged teenage drunk driver with nine passengers, including two in the trunk, was stopped in New Lebanon for going over 100 mph July 23.

Daquan R. Williams, 24, of Albany was charged with endangering the welfare of a child by State Police from Troop G of SP Schodack, August 9.

An investigation was conducted following the juvenile driver’s arrest on four counts of aggravated driving while intoxicated Leandra’s Law, a class E felony.

The investigation determined the 16-year-old driver along with the other minors in the vehicle, were traveling from a party that occurred in Nassau. Further investigation determined Mr. Williams allegedly advertised the party via social media resulting in the sizable underage attendance, police said.

Mr. Williams was issued an appearance ticket returnable in Nassau Town Court August 30 and released.

Initially, while patrolling State Route 20 in the Town of New Lebanon, July 23, State Police from the New Lebanon barracks observed a 2019 Honda Civic traveling over 100 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone. Investigation during the traffic stop determined that the driver was under the influence of an alcoholic beverage. The vehicle also contained nine juvenile passengers, four of whom were under the age of 16.

The driver was issued the appropriate tickets returnable in New Lebanon Court and all juveniles were turned over to their responsible guardians.

Valatie

Volunteers from the Hudson Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross provided emergency aid to 13 people in two households, after a structure fire in apartments above the Valatie Bar and Grill, 3011 Main Street, August 9 at 3:30 p.m.

Columbia County 911 summoned Valatie firefighters and the Valatie Rescue Squad to the scene.

According to a Valatie Fire Department Facebook post, “First arriving units had smoke showing and an active fire in the apartment above the Bar and Grill. A rapid response from all the departments made quick work of the fire and prevented the spread of it into the apartment above. While damage was substantiated to all floors, it pales in comparison to the potential severity of damage if the fire spread.”

The fire department post said, “This incident underscores the critical importance of our ongoing training, preparedness, and pre-planned mutual aid.

“Thank you to everyone who assisted with this call from the great dispatchers at 911 to everyone on scene. Without all of you this could have been a much different post.”

Kinderhook, Niverville, Chatham and Claverack firefighters responded to provide mutual aid. Columbia County Fire Coordinators assisted on scene and the Red Cross was called in. The Red Cross provided financial assistance which can be used for necessities such as shelter, food, and clothing to four adults and nine children, ranging in age from 1 to 11. Volunteers also offered emotional support, comfort kits containing personal care items, and stuffed animals for the children.

Firefighters were back in service at 5:59 p.m.

Claverack

A subject escaped from Claverack Town Court after being placed in the custody of Sheriff’s deputies, August 15 at about 5 p.m., according to a press release from Columbia County Sheriff Donald Krapf.

A search of the area was conducted by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, State Police, State Forest Rangers, City of Hudson Police and the Village of Philmont Police. The subject was located a short time later in the Town of Claverack and taken into custody without incident.

At this time there is no threat to the public, the release said. Sheriff Krapf expects to have a more detailed press release as the investigation permits.

To contact Diane Valden email dvalden@columbiapaper.com

Investigators check for fake IDs at summer concerts

ALBANY—The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is in the midst of a summer-long crackdown on the use of fake IDs to purchase alcohol at concert venues statewide. Operation Prevent is led by DMV investigators to prevent underage drinking or worse—drinking and driving. They will work closely with investigators from the State Liquor Authority, State Police, State Parks Police, and local law enforcement at venues across the state throughout the summer concert season.

The underage drinking enforcement details will continue through September 17. In total, 28 underage drinking enforcement details are scheduled at concert venues across the state during that time.

“Our investigators are well-trained to spot fake IDs, and we have added security measures that make our licenses and non-driver IDs increasingly difficult to counterfeit. You may think we’re trying to spoil your fun, but it is not fun to end up in a hospital, a jail or a morgue from a night spent drinking when you’re underage,” DMV Commissioner and Chair of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee Mark J.F. Schroeder said in a press release.

Acquiring a fake ID can also increase a person’s vulnerability to identity theft. And beyond the risk to traffic safety, underage drinking can pose serious risks to a young person’s health and development.

Operation Prevent enforcement sweeps will be conducted at summer concert venues across the state. Customers under the age of 21 found to be using fake or another individual’s IDs to buy alcohol can be ticketed and their licenses can be suspended or revoked for a minimum of 90 days or up to one year.

Last year, more than 550 people received tickets during the seasonal crackdown on the use of fake identification to purchase alcohol. A total of 580 fake documents were seized. There were 505 tickets issued for attempting to use fake IDs, and another 46 tickets for violations of the Alcohol Beverage and Control Law.

Operation Prevent is supported by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. The committee coordinates traffic safety activities in New York, and it awards federal highway safety grant funds to local, state, and not-for-profit agencies for projects to improve highway safety and reduce deaths and serious injuries due to crashes.

New Yorkers struggling with addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the state’s toll-free, 24-hour, 7-day-a-week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369).