HUDSON—Hudson City Police Department charged William H. Williams, 63, of High Falls with three counts of fourth degree grand larceny, a class E felony, and one count of petit larceny, a class A misdemeanor, March 14 at 8:51 a.m.
March 7 at 12:10 p.m. Hudson Police received a complaint from a victim reporting that his wallet containing cash, credit cards and other personal belongings was stolen while he was inside the Stewart’s Shop at Green Street and Fairview Avenue. The victim said he may have inadvertently left his wallet on the store counter.
Police say Mr. Williams allegedly used one of the stolen credit cards at the Walmart Center in Kingston to make fraudulent purchases amounting to more than $1,000.
HPD uniform officers were assisted by the HPD Detective Unit, and together were able to locate the Williams vehicle in Greenport, where he was arrested without incident.
Mr. Williams was arraigned in Hudson City Court by Judge John Connor and was sent to the Columbia County jail without bail and his case was made returnable to the Hudson City Court at a later date.
“I would like to acknowledge the effort put into this investigation by Detective Nicolas Pierro. He pieced together a lot of information leading up to the arrest of this suspect,” Hudson Police Chief L. Edward Moore said in a press release.
Hillsdale
An 18-year-old female was charged with fourth degree criminal possession of a weapon, with intent to use by Livingston State Police, March 9 at 3:19 pm. The arrest came in connection with a domestic dispute.
Canaan
Katharine A. Morgan, 31, of Canaan, was charged with DWI, first offense and aggravated DWI by New Lebanon State Police following a collision with a utility pole, March 10.
Columbia County 911 dispatched Canaan and Red Rock firefighters and Chatham Rescue at 8:55 p.m. for a car vs. pole accident near 603 Frisbee Street in Canaan. Command reported a vehicle off the road and broken pole. The operator of the vehicle refused medical attention.
Consolidated Communications was requested to the scene. State Police investigated.
Firefighters were back in service at 9:37 pm.
Austerlitz
William Cooper, 31, of Austerlitz was charged with operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of .08%, first offense. and driving while intoxicated, first offense, by New Lebanon State Police following a traffic stop in Austerlitz, March 10 at 9:18 p.m.
Claverack
Darick Sanchez, 19, of Hudson was charged with seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance; fifth degree criminal possession of controlled substance (cocaine) and first degree operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs by Livingston State Police, March 5 at 6:52 p.m.
The driver was stopped on State Route 23 near Old Barrington Road. He was released to a third party.
Stuyvesant
Alan J. Corbett, 36, of Kinderhook was charged with second degree criminal trespass; criminal mischief with intent to damage property; second degree criminal contempt (disobeying a court order) and acting in manner injurious to a child under 17 by New Lebanon State Police, March 6 at 12:20 a.m. The arrest was connected with a domestic dispute. Mr. Corbett was released on his own recognizance.
To contact Diane Valden email dvalden@columbiapaper.com
State warns of drowsy driving risk with time change
ALBANY—The New York State Partnership Against Drowsy Driving (NYPDD) recently warned motorists of the dangers of drowsy driving as Daylight Saving Time began Sunday, March 13 at 2 a.m. The partnership is promoting a “Stay Awake! Stay Alive!” message before and after the time change as a reminder that drivers should be vigilant.
According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), 24 hours without sleep has similar effects on driving ability as having a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.10%. GHSA also estimates that drowsy driving is a contributing factor in 328,000 crashes nationwide annually, and more than half of them involve drivers 25-years-old and younger.
In New York, drowsy driving was listed as a contributing factor on 4,854 police crash reports statewide last year according to preliminary data from the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research (ITSMR). Of those, 11 crashes resulted in at least one fatality and 1,745 crashes resulted in injuries.
College students are among the most at risk for drowsy driving. Building on the state’s ongoing efforts to educate young New Yorkers about the dangers of drowsy driving, the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee and the New York State Department of Health will team up with several community colleges to hold “Stay Awake! Stay Alive!” events in the spring. Each year the Partnership focuses their outreach efforts on colleges with younger drivers and where statewide crash data reflects a higher incidence of crashes in which the driver fell asleep or drowsiness or fatigue were reported as a contributing factors. These events will include sleep experts from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook, and Jennifer Pearce, a victim advocate who lost her sister in a 2008 drowsy driving-related crash.
The NYPDD and NY Students Against Destructive Decisions (NY SADD) are again sponsoring a “Stay Awake! Stay Alive!” Public Service Announcement (PSA) Challenge for students at three colleges and the nine other SUNY schools that previously participated in “Stay Awake! Stay Alive!” events. Participants will create a 25-second video to raise awareness about drowsy driving, vying for cash awards of $2,500, $1,500, or $1,000, respectively, for first-, second- and third-place. Additional details and a link to view previous winning PSAs can be found at trafficsafety.ny.gov/drowsy-driving.
