Charged with stalking and harassment

Eugene Vitello

Putnam County sheriff’s deputies arrested a Bronx man after he allegedly made threats against the sheriff, a Cold Spring judge and a Cold Spring police officer.

Eugene A. Vitello, 46, was charged with multiple counts of aggravated harassment and stalking.

Police say that Putnam County Sheriff Robert Langley Jr. in November received an unsigned letter in which the writer made threats against him and his family members. A few weeks later, the Sheriff’s Office was contacted by the Cold Spring Police Department (CSPD), which said letters containing threats of violence had been received by Justice Court Judge Thomas Costello and Officer Edward Boulanger.

Working together, the two agencies determined that Vitello had been arrested by Boulanger in 2013 for stalking and harassing a Cold Spring business owner. Langley, a retired sheriff’s deputy at the time, was a witness in that matter, which was heard by Costello.

Investigator Paul Piazza Jr. and CSPD Officer-in-Charge Larry Burke traveled to Bronx to interviewed Vitello, who was taken into custody and brought to Putnam County. He was arraigned in Town of Kent Justice Court, on behalf of the Cold Spring Court and released. He is scheduled to return to the Village of Cold Spring Court on Feb. 13.

Behind The Story

Type: News

News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Articles attributed to "staff" are written by the editor or a senior editor. This is typically because they are brief items based on a single source, such as a press release, or there are multiple contributors, such as a collection of photos.