By DIANE VALDEN
HILLSDALE—Last respects were paid October 22 to Landon DeLease, a 17-year-old Taconic Hills High School junior killed in a car crash near 289 Hunt Road, October 17 at 5:47 p.m.
Landon was the driver of a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt headed northbound on Hunt Road when it struck a tree after it crossed over into the southbound lane and went off the road. A passenger in the vehicle, Richard Jennings, III, 17, also of Hillsdale and a Taconic Hills student, was ejected from the vehicle along with Landon.
Several members of the public stopped to provide aid and contacted Columbia County 911. Landon was pronounced dead at the scene and Richard was airlifted the to Albany Medical Center by Albany Med Flight. He was treated for non-life-threatening injuries sustained in the crash. Columbia County Sheriff’s Office investigators believe that speed is a contributing factor in the crash. There were no apparent signs of drug or alcohol involvement, according to a press release. The posted speed limit on Hunt Road is 40 miles per hour. The investigation into the crash is still open.
The State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit, uniform NYSP Troopers, Columbia County Coroner Michael Blasl, the Hillsdale Fire Department and the Community Rescue Squad assisted Sheriff’s Office investigators at the scene.
“A country boy through and through,” Landon studied auto mechanics at Queststar and was passionate about trucks, hunting and farming. A gofundme page has been established by the Taconic Hills senior class in Landon’s memory at www.gofundme.com/f/landon-delease. A complete obituary for Landon appears on page 18 of the October 26 print issue.
The Taconic Hills School District posted the following statement on its website October 17:
“We learned this evening that two of our students were involved in a car accident after school. We are saddened to report that one student passed away and the other has been airlifted to the hospital. Taconic Hills CSD will mobilize its Crisis Response Team tomorrow [October 18] to initiate our crisis plan to support our students and staff at school throughout the week. We encourage families to send their children to school so we can support them through this difficult time. We will provide further information tomorrow.”
Austerlitz
Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers Steven Jackson and Seamus Peterson investigated an illegal camping complaint in Beebe Hill State Forest, October 6. Rangers discovered a tent just off trail with rubbish strewn nearby. The tent was unoccupied, but a propane space heater was still lit, suggesting continued use.
The following day, October 7, Rangers Jackson and Aubrey Russo returned to check on the site and discovered an individual walking to the camp. The individual claimed to be living out of the tent for more than a month. Rangers issued three appearance tickets for camping within 150 feet of a trail, failure to maintain a neat and sanitary campsite, and camping for four nights or more without a permit. The subject was advised to clean up the campsite and move off the premises.
Ghent/Austerlitz
Forest rangers joined the search for a missing vulnerable adult in a wooded area. Photo contributed
Wilderness Search: DEC Forest Ranger John Gullen overheard Columbia County radio traffic about a missing vulnerable adult in a wooded area off the Taconic State Parkway, northbound near Rigor Hill Road, Austerlitz, October 15 at 4:44 p.m.
State Police responded with a bloodhound and a drone. Ranger Gullen joined Rangers Anastasia Allwine, Russell Martin and Cameron Sweeney in the search for the 78-year-old from Ghent. Ranger Allwine heard a faint call for help. Rangers pinpointed the location and found the subject at 9:50 p.m. Austerlitz Fire assisted with a UTV for the evacuation. The subject, who was exhausted and had minor scrapes and bruises, was turned over to Greenport Rescue for transport to the hospital for further evaluation. Resources were clear at 11:30 p.m.
If a person needs a forest ranger, whether it’s for a search and rescue, to report a wildfire, or to report illegal activity on state lands and easements, they should call 833-NYS-RANGERS. If a person needs urgent assistance, they should call 911. To contact a Forest Ranger for information about a specific location, the DEC website has phone numbers for every ranger listed by region: http://on.ny.gov/NYSForestRangerRoster
To contact Diane Valden email dvalden@columbiapaper.com
Hunt sentenced to serve time, pay back money
HUDSON—The former president and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce was sentenced in Columbia County Court, October 16, according to a press release from District Attorney Paul Czajka.
Jeffrey Hunt, 54, of South Carolina, pleaded guilty July 13, to third degree grand larceny, a class D felony, before Judge Jonathan D. Nichols. Judge Nichols sentenced Mr. Hunt to 1 2/3 to 5 years to be served in New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, October 16.
Investigators with the State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation arrested Mr. Hunt, September 16, 2021 for stealing $46,868.95 from the Chamber of Commerce’s credit and debit accounts between November 11, 2016 to November 10, 2020.
As a condition of his sentence, the court ordered Mr. Hunt to pay back all the stolen funds. To date, he has paid $12,000.
Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Ryan Carty is prosecuting the case.
“Mr. Hunt violated the public’s trust by stealing community funds to cover his personal expenses and now has been held accountable for his crimes. I thank the New York State Police investigators who diligently worked on this case to bring it to a successful resolution,” Mr. Carty said in the release.
A person is guilty of grand larceny in New York State when he or she knowingly and intentionally steals property in excess of $3,000.
The Public Defender represents Mr. Hunt.
Drivers reminded to stop for school buses
GHENT—During National School Bus Safety Week, October 16 to 20, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) remind motorists to stop and wait whenever they encounter a stopped school bus with its red lights flashing and “stop” sign extended. Drivers who pass a stopped school bus illegally can face tickets, fines and other penalties. Motorists should also be alert to students walking or bicycling to school and always follow the posted speed limits.
Motorists must always stop for school buses when the red lights are flashing, even when they are on the opposite sides of divided highways, on multiple lane roadways, in parking lots or on school grounds. Fines for unlawfully passing a stopped school bus range from a minimum of $250 for a first violation to a maximum of $1,000 for three violations in three years, while jail time ranges from up to 30 days for a first violation to up to 180 days for a second and third violation in three years.
In addition to any court-imposed penalty, being convicted for illegally passing a stopped school bus will result in five points on a driver license. Three convictions in three years will result in a minimum six-month revocation of the motorist’s driver license.
The New York Association for Pupil Transportation (NYAPT) estimates that 50,000 motorists illegally pass stopped school buses statewide each school day. NYAPT and GTSC address this problem by supporting “Operation Safe Stop.” During this one-day enforcement effort, police officers patrol selected bus routes that have a history of illegal-passing complaints, ticketing drivers who pass stopped buses.
DMV and GTSC also encourage parents to discuss school bus safety with their children, including teaching them to always look both ways when crossing the street and to look to the right when they step off a bus. Parents who meet their children at the bus stop after school should wait on the side where the child will be dropped off, not across the street.
