Wappingers Falls: Soldier’s Remains Located
The remains of a soldier from Wappingers Falls who went missing during World War II have been recovered, the Pentagon said on Jan. 21.
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said U.S. Army Air Force Staff Sgt. Eugene J. Darrigan, 26, died when his B-24D Liberator heavy bomber crashed on March 11, 1944, in what is now Papua New Guinea. He was its radio operator. The plane apparently was hit by Japanese anti-aircraft fire.
In 2013, a family member of another missing airman from the B-24D began investigating its possible location and, in 2017, the wreckage was located with sonar. Divers excavated the site in 2023. Darrigan, who will be buried on Long Island, was survived by his wife, Florence, and their 7-month-old son, Thomas.
Putnam Valley: Couple Sentenced for Prostitution Ring
A husband and wife were each sentenced to a year in prison on Jan. 17 for running a prostitution ring through massage parlors they owned in Mahopac, Yonkers and New York City.
Hong Ru “Bruce” Lin, 51, and Kena “Angela” Zhao, 46, each faced up to five years. They were ordered to forfeit $1.3 million in profits, plus $69,000 in cash found in their home on Peekskill Hollow Road. During the three years they ran the parlors before their arrests in September 2023, the couple set performance goals for their roster of women.
Wappingers Falls: Counselor Arrested on Drug Charges
After receiving tips, Dutchess County law enforcement on Jan. 14 arrested a drug rehabilitation counselor who was allegedly selling illegal narcotics.
Undercover officers said they purchased crack cocaine from Alvis J. Lewis Jr., 54, of Wappingers Falls, multiple times before his arrest during a traffic stop. They said Lewis worked the overnight shift at an in-patient treatment facility in Carmel. A search of his home and cars turned up drugs packaged for sale, police said.
Lewis was arraigned on two felony counts for possession of a controlled substance and sent to the county jail without bail.
Goshen: Republican Appoints Democratic Chairs
Kevin Hines, the newly elected Republican chair of the 21-member Orange County Legislature, this month appointed Democrats to lead two of its committees, Health and Mental Health and Human Services.
“That’s what government is supposed to be,” Michael Paduch, the Democratic minority leader, told Mid Hudson News. “It will be great for the county, and it opens up more for better communication.”
Carmel: Legislator Sued Over $40K Debt
A Putnam County legislator has been sued over an unpaid $40,000 debt.
According to The Journal News, Erin Crowley, whose district includes Carmel and Mahopac, borrowed $40,000 from a friend, Kevin Fitzell, to buy a pontoon boat. They knew each other from the Mahopac VFW. According to court documents, Crowley agreed to repay the loan within a week.
Fitzell sued four months later, seeking to recover his money, plus interest and legal fees. Crowley told The Journal News that the lawsuit is politically motivated and that Fitzell refuses to accept payments. Fitzell said he wasn’t interested in a payment plan.
Christine Simone, the former chief of staff for then-County Executive MaryEllen Odell, said this week she will challenge Crowley for her seat. Both are Republicans.
Carmel: Legislator Threatens to Sue Rival
Greg Ellner, the deputy chair of the Putnam County Legislature, has threatened to sue Patricia Sheehy for charges she made in a letter to the editor, according to Mid Hudson News. Sheehy, a former director of the Office for Senior Resources, challenged Ellner in the Republican primary in 2022.
In the letter, Sheehy accused Ellner of “granting pay raises to himself and other elected officials,” the news site said. Ellner countered that he supported a cost-of-living increase for county employees but excluded himself.
“By making and publishing these baseless claims, you have harmed our client’s personal and professional reputation and exposed him to public ridicule and contempt,” Ellner’s attorney wrote Sheehy, according to the news site. Sheehy said she may again challenge Ellner this year for the seat representing Carmel.
