Accused of attacking neighbor in her apartment
A Cold Spring resident faces assault charges after he allegedly attacked an elderly neighbor in the early morning hours of June 30, about six weeks after being released from prison.
Tyrell P. Jones, 42, whose address is given in court documents as 7 Rock St., was arrested Nov. 9 and arraigned in the Town of Kent because a judge was not immediately available in Cold Spring.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Department did not report the arrest at the time but said in a statement on Wednesday (Dec. 2) that it “was the culmination of a months-long investigation by members of the Criminal Investigations Division.” The Putnam district attorney, Robert Tendy, and Jones’ attorney, Stephen McCarthy, declined to comment.
Jones was charged with first-degree burglary, second-degree assault and second-degree strangulation, all felonies, as well as second-degree unlawful imprisonment, a misdemeanor, according to court documents. He was released after posting a $100,000 bail bond and is scheduled to appear in Cold Spring Justice Court on Dec. 9. He was prohibited from having contact with the alleged victim, who is 82 and now living elsewhere.
Prosecutors allege that Jones entered the woman’s apartment at about 1:30 a.m. and sat on her back “while forcibly covering her mouth with his hands, preventing her from being able to breath and causing abrasions to her mouth and facial area.”
Jones was sentenced to four years in prison for an assault similar to the current allegations. According to a 2012 news account, he was arrested in August of that year and charged with breaking into a Pleasantville home around midnight and attacking a female resident.
Jones was convicted of strangulation and assault and sentenced to four years in state prison and five years of supervised release. He has been returned to prison twice on parole violations, according to state records. Jones was released in May from the Mid-State Correctional Facility in Oneida County.
What is not entirely clear about this almost unbelievable, yet most-concerning story, is just where this incident allegedly occurred: was it in the village of Cold Spring, or elsewhere? Also, why did it take so long for an investigation and an arrest of the alleged criminal? Was this due to a lack of lighting, or of witnesses, or visibility, at the time, or due to the use of a mask (even more concerning as masks now are recommended for public health reasons), or for some other reason?
I can’t believe this guy was released! How does this happen considering his past record? There is something in the system that needs to be fixed, and fixed soon.
I hope The Current continues to report on this case as there’s many unanswered questions, including the delay in an arrest (4+ months), a delay from the arrest and public statements and his bail status (seems lenient given background and nature of the crime). An elderly women violently attacked with the alleged attacker walking around our village is troubling at best.