LIVINGSTON—William B. Wrigley, 35, of Livingston, a Hudson Police officer on the force for the past 11 years died in a one-vehicle crash on County Route 19, just south of the State Route 9 intersection, January 24 at 5:13 a.m.
Columbia County 911 dispatched Sheriff’s Office patrols to the accident scene. They determined that a 1997 Honda Civic owned and operated by Mr. Wrigley was traveling south on county Route 19 when for an unknown reason it crossed off the west shoulder of road and struck a large tree, according to a press release from Columbia County Sheriff David P. Bartlett.
Officer Wrigley was off-duty at the time of the accident, driving his personal vehicle. No other vehicles were involved in the accident. Mr. Wrigley, the only occupant of the vehicle, died at the scene.
A press release from the City of Hudson Police Department said that Officer Wrigley had a distinguished career, marked by numerous citations for bravery and exemplary duty.
He was a member of the department’s Bike Patrol and Honor Guard. He was a veteran, having served in the U.S. Navy. He is survived by his mother, father and brother, all local residents. A complete obituary appears on page 24 of this issue.
“Our small department is reeling from this loss. Our officers are very close, like family. Officer Wrigley was a large man, both in stature and heart. He took particular delight in working with children during our bike rodeos, and always volunteered for the city’s numerous parades and events. He was a brave officer who put his own safety at risk numerous times for our citizens. He served well,” Hudson Police Chief L. Edward Moore said in the release.
“I would like to extend my condolences to the family, friends and law enforcement community of the City of Hudson, on the unexpected and untimely death of Hudson City Police officer William Wrigley. As we honor the life of William Wrigley we also acknowledge and honor his service representing the City of Hudson residents in the capacity of police officer protecting the lives and property of all he served. Officer Wrigley will be remembered for all he gave to community and his fellow man,” Hudson Mayor William H. Hallenbeck, Jr., said in the release.
The accident is still under investigation by Sheriff’s investigators and Columbia County Coroner James Bertram.
Northern Dutchess Paramedics, Livingston Fire Company, Deputy County Fire Coordinator Bill Hunt and City of Hudson Police assisted at the scene.
Investigating for the Sheriff’s Office are Sheriff David Bartlett, Undersheriff John Davi, Captain John DeRocha, Sr. Investigator William Foster, Investigator John Rivero, Sergeant Brian Molinski, Deputy Jason Garvey and Deputy Thomas Bagnall.
Hudson
Columbia County 911 called in State Police to assist City of Hudson Police at a city residence, where a six-year-old child called 911 to tell dispatchers that she was home alone and scared, January 25.
When they got there, troopers and police officers discovered that the youngster had been left home alone for several hours. Columbia County Child Protective Services (CPS) was contacted and responded to assist.
Several hours later, the child’s mother, identified by police as Limika Walls, 27, was found in an apparent impaired condition. She was charged with endangering the welfare of a child.
During processing, Ms. Walls allegedly became uncooperative and was additionally charged with second degree obstruction of governmental administration.
She was arraigned in Hudson Court before Judge Mark Portin and sent to the Columbia County jail in lieu of $250 bail. She was slated to return to court at a later date.
The child remains in the care of child protective services, which continues to investigate along with State Police.
Claverack
Isiah Serrano, 18, of Brooklyn and a resident of the Brookwood Secure Center, was charged with second degree promoting prison contraband, a class A misdemeanor, by State Police from Livingston, January 10 at 2:38 p.m.
Troopers were called to Brookwood for a contraband complaint. Staff advised troopers that Mr. Serrano allegedly possessed marijuana.
He was issued an appearance ticket and ordered to appear in Claverack Court at a later date.
Niverville
Niverville firefighters and the Valatie Rescue Squad were called to the scene of a structure fire at 248 Maple Lane, January 27 at 1:58 p.m.
Mutual aid was summoned from the Valatie, Kinderhook, Stuyvesant, Tri-Village, Ghent, Stockport, North Chatham, Chatham and South Schodack fire departments.
The Red Cross was called to the scene to assist occupants of the house. National Grid was called to cut the power. The Columbia County Fire and EMS coordinators offices were on the scene along with the Sheriff’s Office and State Police. Units were still on scene as of 3:20 p.m.
Drugs/alcohol
The following face drug- and/or alcohol-related charges:
*Corey D. Wright, 20, of Hudson was charged with operating a motor vehicle impaired by drugs, a misdemeanor, and fifth degree criminal possession of marijuana, a class B misdemeanor, by State Police from Livingston, January 3 at 11:30 p.m. Troopers pulled Mr. Wright over on State Route 9, Greenport after seeing him traveling in reverse. They found him to be impaired by drugs and to have more than 29 grams of marijuana.
He was issued tickets ordering him to appear in Greenport Court January 27.
*Robert J. Knott, 54, of Hudson was charged with fifth degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a class D felony, by State Police from New Lebanon, January 4 at 1:15 a.m. Troopers pulled Mr. Knott over for speeding in Chatham and found him to be in possession of crack cocaine. He was arraigned in Chatham Village Court and sent to the Columbia County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail. He is scheduled to reappear in Chatham Court at a later date.
*Willie Z. Jacobs, 19, of New Ashford, MA, was charged with seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana by State Police from New Lebanon, January 5 at 3:09 a.m. Troopers stopped a vehicle in which Mr. Jacobs was a passenger on State Route 295, Canaan for failure to keep right. During an investigation, Mr. Jacobs was discovered to be in possession of concentrated marijuana and green leafy marijuana. He was arraigned in New Lebanon Court and sent to the Columbia County Jail in lieu of $1,000 cash bail or secured bond. He was scheduled to reappear in court at a later date.
*David S. Corlew, Jr., 43, of Stephentown was charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, by State Police from New Lebanon, January 5 at 9:40 p.m. Troopers pulled Mr. Corlew over on Cemetery Road, New Lebanon after seeing him travelling at a high rate of speed. He was subsequently found to be intoxicated and was issued traffic tickets ordering him to appear in New Lebanon Court January 16.
*Thomas S. Brandley, 52, of Stuyvesant was charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, and third degree criminal tampering, a class B misdemeanor, by State Police from Kinderhook, January 6 at 3:35 p.m. Troopers pulled Mr. Brandley over in Kinderhook after seeing him driving while using a mobile phone. They subsequently found him to be intoxicated. He provided a breath sample which yielded a .17% blood alcohol content, was arraigned in Kinderhook Town Court and sent to the Columbia County Jail in lieu of $500 cash bail.
*Andrew J. Martins, 19, of Westport, CT, was charged with operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs, a misdemeanor, and unlawful possession of marijuana, a violation, by State Police from Livingston, January 8 at 6:37 p.m. Troopers pulled Mr. Martins over for speeding on the Taconic State Parkway in Claverack and found him to be impaired. He was issued tickets directing him to appear in Claverack Court, January 21.
*Steven Bumblis, 25, of Niverville was charged with driving while intoxicated by State Police from Kinderhook, January 12 at 12:01 a.m. Troopers stopped Mr. Bumblis for failing to stop at a stop sign. While interviewing Mr. Bumblis, troopers found that he was operating a motor vehicle in an intoxicated condition. He provided a breath sample with a 0.16% blood alcohol content. He was issued tickets returnable in Chatham Town Court February 12.
*Marc J. Kusewich, 22, of Hudson was charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, and traffic violations by State Police from Livingston, January 12 at 1:50 a.m. Troopers stopped Mr. Kusewich on Warren Street, Hudson for unsafe backing and failing to signal, subsequently detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage and found that Mr. Kusewich unable to perform field sobriety tests. He refused to take a breath test. He was issued tickets ordering him to appear in Hudson Court at a later date.
*Michael Fix, 42, of Hillsdale was charged with felony driving while intoxicated, aggravated driving while intoxicated, (a juvenile passenger was in the vehicle) and first degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle State Police, January 13 at 10:30 p.m. Troopers initiated a traffic stop on the Fix vehicle for an equipment violation on State Route 22 in Hillsdale. Mr. Fix was found to be intoxicated by alcohol. He refused to submit to a breath test. Mr. Fix was arraigned in Hillsdale Court and released to reappear February 19.
To contact Diane Valden email dvalden@columbiapaper.com.
Court cases:
The following court cases were recently dealt with in Columbia County Court. Information about the cases was provided by the office of Columbia County District Attorney Paul Czajka.
*Geofrey Leggieri was sentenced to five years probation, a $1,000 fine and to attend treatment court by County Judge Jonathan D. Nichols, November 25. Disposition: Convicted by guilty plea of driving while intoxicated (having a blood alcohol content greater than .08%) and driving while intoxicated (refusal to submit to a breath test.) Mr. Leggieri was represented by attorney Michael Bruno. He was arrested by State Police May 15.
*Martinique Baptista was convicted by guilty plea of second degree assault before Judge Nichols, November 26. She was represented by the public defender and was arrested by Sheriff’s deputies, June 10. Her sentencing was set for February 10 at 10:15 a.m.
*Danielle Martin was convicted of fourth degree grand larceny by guilty plea before Judge Nichols, November 26.
She was represented by the public defender and arrested August 14 by Sheriff’s deputies. Her sentencing is set for February 24 at 9:30 a.m.
*Jesse Geno appeared before County Judge Richard M. Koweek, November 26, for a pre-trial hearing on a charge of third degree robbery. He was represented by the public defender and was arrested by State Police March 29. His trial was set for January 13 at 9 a.m.
*Robert Hamm was convicted by guilty plea on two counts each of driving while intoxicated (having a blood alcohol content greater than .08%) and driving while intoxicated (refusal to submit to a breath test) before Judge Koweek, November 26. He was represented by the public defender and arrested by State Police June 1. His sentencing is set for February 26 at 9:45 a.m.
*Michael Schneider was sentenced to two to six years in prison by Judge Koweek, November 27. Mr. Schneider was convicted by guilty plea September 18 to third degree burglary. He was represented by the public defender and arrested by Sheriff’s deputies June 4.
*Cherie Bruno was convicted by guilty plea to two counts of driving while intoxicated before Judge Nichols, January 3. Her sentencing was set for February 28 at 9 a.m. She was represented by attorney Michael Howard and arrested by State Police, May 31.
*Franklin Amie entered a plea of guilty and was convicted, as charged, of fourth degree criminal possession of stolen property before Judge Koweek, January 15. State Police investigated this matter and arrested Mr. Amie, who is represented by the public defender.
*Delroy Williams entered a guilty plea and was convicted, as charged, of second degree attempted robbery before Judge Koweek, January 15. The Sherriff’s Office investigated this matter and arrested Mr. Williams, who is represented by the public defender.
*Jeremy Cobbins was sentenced to 11 years in state prison and five years of post-release supervision upon his conviction of first degree burglary and first degree robbery by Judge Koweek, January 15. State Police and the Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and arrested Mr. Cobbins, who was represented by attorney Max Zacker.
*Miguel Alcarez was sentenced to 12 years in state prison and 5 years of post-release supervision by Judge Koweek January 15. He was convicted of first degree burglary and first degree robbery. State Police and the Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and arrested Mr. Alcarez. He was represented by the public defender.
*Bobby Smith was sentenced to 12 years in state prison and 3 years of post-release supervision by Judge Koweek, January 15. Mr. Smith was convicted of second degree burglary and third degree robbery. State Police and the Sheriff’s Office investigated the case and arrested Mr. Smith. He was represented by attorney John Hillman.
*Kimel Robinson was arraigned before Judge Koweek on an indictment for third degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, January 14. Mr. Robinson is represented by attorney Shane Zoni and his trial is scheduled for September 8. –Diane Valden
