Kent: Drug Dealer Gets Nine Years
A Kent resident was sentenced to nine years in state prison on Tuesday (May 14) after being convicted of supplying the heroin and fentanyl that killed a Southeast man.
William E. Mancusi III, 47, was convicted of possessing and selling heroin, fentanyl and Xylazine (“tranq”). Investigators tied Mancusi to a combination of drugs used in a fatal overdose in November 2021. During an undercover sting, Mancusi was recorded boasting about the power of his supply and urging a buyer to be careful.
A state judge rejected Mancusi’s request to be sent to a drug treatment facility, according to the Putnam County district attorney. He has previous convictions for driving while impaired by drugs and vehicular manslaughter after he struck and killed a bicyclist in 2008.
Poughkeepsie: Serino Directs Funds to Shelter
Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino announced on May 9 that Dutchess County will use a $13 million state grant to retrofit a property in Poughkeepsie into a homeless shelter.
The facility, at 26 Oakley St., will allow the county to close temporary structures at the former county jail that have served as emergency housing since 2020. The transition will be led by Howard Charton, who was hired in December as county shelter director.
The 100-bed facility is expected to open by fall 2026, Serino said. Every individual will go through an intake process before admission and must be willing to engage in a process to identify their needs, such as mental health and substance use treatment, job training and education and other services available on-site.
At the same time, she said, Dutchess plans to open overnight warming centers around the county that can accommodate 15 to 40 people.
Newburgh-Beacon: Metro-North to Lower Ferry Fare
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority on May 10 announced a pilot program to extend the reach of Metro-North into Orange and Rockland counties and lower the fare on the Newburgh-Beacon ferry and bus for at least the next five months.
As of May 25, monthly tickets, when purchased with rail passes, will drop from $14.50 to $1 for the Newburgh-Beacon ferry and from $10 to $1 for the bus. Metro-North will also begin operating the Haverstraw-Ossining ferry on weekends and the monthly fare for the Hudson Link bus to Tarrytown or White Plains will fall from $60 to $30.
