Police News

Mahopac Man Seriously Injured in Fatal Accident

A Putnam County man remains a patient at the Westchester Medical Center with injuries received when his refrigeration truck was struck head-on by a van driven by a resident of Yonkers who later died of his injuries.

Police in the Town of Greenburgh— a White Plains suburb—said the crash took place last week on Hartsdale Avenue when the truck, owned by Castle Provisions—a meat distribution company from Mahopac—and operated by Francisco DiTomaso, 65, of Mahopac, was entering the intersection with Ridge Road when a dry cleaning delivery van owned by a Bronxville company and driven by Oracio Galeno, 31, of Yonkers, plowed into the larger vehicle, pinning both drivers.

EMS providers used the Jaws of Life to extricate both men, who were then taken to the medical center with that Greenburgh Police Department Captain Joseph DeCarlo described as “serious trauma.”

Galeno died at the hospital 24 hours later.

No summons was issued by police and the investigation into the crash is continuing.

Carmel Safety Unit Reaps Benefits

Carmel Supervisor Kenneth Schmitt called it “incredible.”

For the first five weeks of the Carmel Police Department’s recently formed Traffic Safety Unit, Officers Thomas Johanson and Brian Shay, have issued 333 summons as well as making 11 arrests.

Police Chief Michael Johnson formed the unit on Oct.1 and assigned the two officers to patrol roads in the greater Carmel, Mahopac, and Mahopac Falls area at all hours of the day and night seeking out aggressive and impaired drivers while being on the look out for vehicle violations.

Supervisor Schmitt, a retired Carmel Police officer, remembered the days when he patrolled the roads throughout Putnam’s largest municipality in the 1970s and 1980s: “The incidence of drivers operating vehicles with suspended licenses and registrations was an occasional occurrence. Today it has become an epidemic. These drivers must be removed from our roads, and Officers Shay and Johanson are making this happen.”

Chief Johnson commended his two officers as well: “They are out there and are extremely proactive patrolling all over town not just in one area.”

Citations issued by the safety unit included not only aggravated unlicensed operation and operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked license, but unsafe passing, speeding, crossing double yellow lines, failing to signal, operating uninspected vehicles, overloaded trucks, and the more serious DWI and aggravated DWI offenses.

Woman ‘Blitzed’

Kent Police shook their heads in disbelief after stopping a car on Route 52 in Lake Carmel that was reportedly weaving in and out of traffic.

The time was 5pm last week when Officer Kevin Radovich observed the vehicle crossing over double yellow lines, forcing oncoming traffic to take evasive action.

Radovich stopped the car, and, according to Lt. Alex DiVernieri the officer noticed Allison Neely’s eyes bloodshot and watery and detected a strong odor of alcohol on the woman’s breath.

The 30-year-old resident of Deer Hill Court in Lake Carmel was arrested for DWI, and when her blood alcohol level measured .35 percent, or more than four times the legal threshold for intoxication, additional charges of aggravated DWI were lodged.

Due to the woman’s exorbitant level of intoxication, she was taken to Putnam Hospital Center and was admitted for evaluation.

Neely was issued an appearance ticket returnable in Kent Town Court on Thursday.

A Connecticut motorist was also arrested on charges of DWI and aggravated DWI after her vehicle was stopped last week on Route 52 at 1am for allegedly making an improper Uturn.

Lt. DiVernieri identified the woman as Patricia Adams, 49, of New Fairfield. Officer Ray Beauchesne made the arrest after conducting a series of field sobriety tests. When Adams’s blood alcohol content measured .21 percent, or more than twice the legal limit, the more serious aggravated DWI charge was lodged.

Adams was released to the custody of a family member pending a Thursday evening hearing in Kent Town Court.

Narcotics Unit Kept Busy

It’s been a busy week for members of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department’s Narcotics Enforcement Unit.

Sheriff’s Chief Investigator Gerald Schramek said the unit obtained information earlier this year that a Putnam County teen was selling prescription narcotics at various locations in the Lake Carmel-Kent area. Schramek said during the course of their probe, the undercover cops infiltrated the operation and purchased quantities of Roxicodone, a narcotic that Schramek said was used for severe pain.

Last week, East Fishkill Police contacted the Sheriff’s Department and advised that they were holding John Calvachio, 18, of Holmes, on unrelated charges. Calvachio, who was the suspect in the Kent drug dealing, was released to members of the Sheriff’s Department and was brought back to Carmel, where he was arrested for criminal sale and criminal possession of controlled substances—Class B felonies—carrying 25 year state prison terms if found guilty.

Calvachio was arraigned on the charges and was released to the custody of his parents pending grand jury action.

Schramek also reported the arrests last week of three young people— aged 18 to 22—on charges of criminal possession of marijuana after undercover officers observed the trio smoking the illegal contraband while riding in a car on North Main Street in Brewster.

Members of the highly trained unit also arrested an 18-year-old Danbury youth on marijuana possession charges while conducting a late night surveillance of a shopping plaza parking lot on Route 6 in Southeast.

Schramek said the youth was found to be in the possession of a dozen glassine baggies of marijuana. The youth was released to the custody of his parents pending a future court hearing in Southeast.

Four Putnam Residents Arrested by Yorktown Police

Four residents of Putnam County face court hearings in Yorktown next month following their arrests by Yorktown Police.

Cops charged Michael Spinney, 25 and his female companion, Zeynep Canoplat, 19, with criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument as well as unlawful possession of marijuana after responding to the Yorktown Green Shopping Center last week at 6pm for a report of a man needing assistance.

Lt. Ken Sorvalla said officers found the couple inside a parked car: “The man and woman were arrested since a quantity of heroin and marijuana was found inside the vehicle.”

Police said Spinney apparently injected himself with the illegal contraband and developed a “medical condition” that required his transport by ambulance to Hudson Valley Hospital Center, where he was treated in the emergency room and was later released.

Both Spinney and Canoplat were arraigned on the charges and were released without bail pending hearings Dec. 8.

Police also arrested a resident of Lake Peekskill on charges of aggravated unlicensed operation and for following too closely as a result of a two-car crash at 6:30am last week on Route 202 at the entrance to the Taconic State Parkway.

Manuel Lojano, 29, was arrested after police checked his license with the New York State DMV database and discovered his driving privileges had been suspended for several previous unanswered citations.

Lojano posted $200 bail and was released pending a Dec. 10 hearing.

Police also arrested Kristie Campbell, 32, of Carmel, on charges of larceny for allegedly shoplifting $47 worth of clothing from Sears at the Jefferson Valley Mall,

Sgt. Michael Zaicek said the woman was held by Sears’s security until officers arrived and took her into custody.

Campbell was released without bail pending a hearing Dec. 8 in Yorktown Town Court.

Dutchess County Man Charged with Selling Crack

A Dutchess County man is facing a lengthy prison term following his arrest for allegedly selling crack cocaine in the Carmel-Mahopac area.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Department announced the arrest last Friday of Dylan Babstock, 28, of East Fishkill, in connection with the distribution operation.

Sheriff Donald Smith said in July, Peekskill Police contacted sheriff’s investigators about individuals involved in trafficking narcotics in eastern Putnam County: “Acting on the information, our undercover Countywide Narcotics Enforcement Unit conducted a probe and was able to infiltrate the operation by purchasing crack cocaine from two suspected dealers on several occasions.”

The sheriff said last month Norman Smith was arrested on felony drugrelated charges but the other suspect was not located.

Last Thursday, the second man appeared in Peekskill City Court on unrelated charges and, when leaving the courtroom, Babstock was taken into custody by Sheriff’s investigators. He was retuned to Carmel and arraigned by Judge Joseph Spofford on multiple counts of criminal sale of controlled substances as well as criminal possession of controlled substances.

Babstock was remanded to jail on $2,500 bail, but according to a spokesman at the Putnam Correctional Facility, bail was posted 24 hours later and the East Fishkill man was released pending a hearing next month.

District Attorney Adam Levy said the crimes were Class B felonies carrying maximum 25-year state prison terms if found guilty.