Cold Spring man charged with criminal nuisance
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Department said on Friday (May 19) that it had arrested a Cold Spring man following an investigation into what a deputy thought could be gunshots near the Haldane campus.
The popping sounds just after noon on Monday startled elementary students and staff on the playground and prompted administrators to put the campus on lockdown for about 90 minutes. It turned out to be firecrackers.
In addition to the Sheriff’s Department, officers from the New York State Police, Cold Spring, Kent and Metro-North police departments came to the school.
After police arrived to investigate, a resident said they had seen smoke at a nearby residence, the sheriff said in a news release. Police said they located what appeared to be freshly exploded fireworks in the yard at 34 Mountain Ave.
The sheriff said that because the occupants of the home were uncooperative, his office consulted with the district attorney and obtained a search warrant that was executed at about 7 p.m.
Following the search, Alexander Welsh, 28, was arrested and charged with felony criminal possession of cannabis in the second degree, misdemeanor criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree and misdemeanor criminal nuisance. He was issued an appearance ticket for the Town of Philipstown Court to answer the charges, the sheriff said.
Thank you to the Sheriff’s Department and the police departments of Cold Spring, New York State, Kent and Metro-North for your hard work in keeping the kids safe.
It is the sheriffs of this nation who are keeping us a nation.