Notable news from the Hudson Valley
East Fishkill: Man Charged with Attempted Murder
An Oneonta man was arrested on Sept. 1 and charged with four felonies, including attempted murder. He was detained after crashing a stolen car in the southbound lanes of the Taconic State Parkway near the Route 301 exit in Putnam County.
Police said East Fishkill officers responded at 12:15 p.m. to a report of a burglary in progress at a residence on Hortontown Road. When confronted inside the home, the suspect ran and stole an unmarked police car. Officers said he drove directly at them, and one officer fired a single shot.
After the crash, Joseph Gourd, 41, of Oneonta, was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, burglary, reckless endangerment, grand larceny and possession of stolen property. He was arraigned in the Town of East Fishkill court and sent to the Dutchess County Jail.
Sloatsburg: Spa Buys Historic Estate
A company that runs exclusive wellness retreats in California, Colorado and Italy has purchased a 2,000-acre estate in western Rockland County for $11 million, according to The Poughkeepsie Journal.
Known as Table Rock, the estate was built for a grandson of Alexander Hamilton and his wife, a daughter of banker J.P. Morgan. After renovations to the 40,000-square-foot house, The Ranch Hudson Valley is scheduled to open in March.
The mansion is the former home of The Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, a Byzantine Catholic order. As a resort, the property will have 25 guest rooms; the 2,000-square-foot ballroom will become a gym.
Pricing has not been set, but a seven-day stay in The Ranch in Malibu is $7,600 per person.
Wappingers Falls: Police Arrest Men After Chase
Wappingers Falls police arrested three men on Aug. 29 who allegedly attempted to steal electrical equipment from Home Depot before leading officers on a chase that ended in Putnam County.
The Home Depot at 1570 Route 9 alerted police at 2:45 p.m. of a larceny in progress: Three men had filled garbage bags with electrical equipment valued at about $1,800. Police said one suspect assaulted a store employee as they fled.
The suspects left the scene in a gray Chevy sedan with Florida plates, leading police on a chase through the Town of Poughkeepsie (where it had a minor collision with a motorcycle) and the Town of LaGrange before taking the Taconic State Parkway south to Interstate 84 in Putnam County. There, the sedan struck a second vehicle and was disabled.
Police arrested three Brooklyn men identified as Trent A. Dance, 20, William M. Harvin Jr., 24, and Mekhi R. Murphy, 25. Each was charged with robbery and grand larceny. In addition, Murphy was charged with criminal conspiracy. Police determined the vehicle had been rented from Hertz with a fake identity.
Dance and Murphy were sent to the Dutchess County Jail with a $50,000 and $25,000 bail, respectively. Harvin was released until his next court date. Police said Dance has numerous arrest warrants; Murphy was issued 60 traffic tickets.
Police believe the men also stole electrical equipment valued at $5,500 to $8,800 from the same Home Depot on Aug. 21. Police in Port Chester and Ulster are also investigating similar larcenies. A Wappingers Falls detective identified the men as members of a Brooklyn street gang known as the Rich Bosses.
Ulster County: Public Defender Settles Suit
Ulster County has paid $125,000 — $75,000 came from the county and $50,000 from insurance — to settle a defamation lawsuit by a former public defender against Pat Ryan, the former county executive who is now in Congress.
Andrew Kossover alleged that Ryan made “false and derogatory statements” to the press in a February 2020 press release announcing Kossover had resigned after he allegedly “repeatedly and inexplicably failed” to submit paperwork that caused the county to miss out on nearly $2.5 million in state aid.
In the release, Ryan called that failure “a fundamental failure of leadership within and oversight” of the Public Defender’s Office.
The Daily Freeman reported that Kossover had asked for $700,000. The county comptroller concluded that the responsibility for the failure belonged with former County Executive Mike Hein.
