PAT TERSON

Patterson’s long-time Highway Superintendent Charles Williams was arraigned Tuesday on a 24-count indictment on charges ranging from grand larceny to petit larceny as well as multiple counts of official misconduct for allegedly stealing property from the town for his own personal use.

During his arraignment at the Putnam County Courthouse Williams pleaded not guilty to all counts after a grand jury had indicted him 24 hours earlier.

The case was continued until March 12 when motions will be made by Williams’ attorney Gary Lipton as well as a request for bail.

Williams was sent to the Putnam Correctional Facility without bail last month after Putnam’s Chief Assistant District Attorney Christopher York alleged the disgraced town official violated a court order, threatened witnesses, and even promised to shoot District Attorney Adam Levy.

The disturbing news came to light in Patterson Town Court during Williams’s arraignment before Patterson Town Judge John King.

Williams, 46, a 20-plus-year employee of the highway department, was arrested by Brewster Stare Police.

District Attorney Adam Levy said among the accusations were that Williams used town-owned propane tanks and chain saws on his Patterson residence and an upstate home while additionally ordering Patterson highway employees to work on town time renovating his residence and repairing his private vehicles.

The district attorney said Williams was also charged with stealing more than $12,000 in gasoline from the town’s gas pumps for his personal use and using town equipment to transport townowned scrap metal to salvage yards and junk dealers and pocketing the proceeds.

During the town court proceeding, York told Judge King that Williams had violated the court’s order to stay away from highway department employees. York also alleged that Williams had threatened several witnesses in the case by threatening to “string up like a deer” anyone who cooperated with the authorities.

York also said Williams had threatened to shoot Levy “just to see the blood splatter.”

Following Tuesday’s arraignment by State Supreme Court Judge Francis Nicolai, York told the COURIER the threat about harming D.A. Levy was not included in the indictment because “the threat was not communicated to the district attorney. However, two counts of intimidating a witness are included. The felonies stem from Williams alleged threats to the two witnesses.”

Since the highway superintendent is an elected official, Patterson Town Attorney Timothy Curtiss said the town had no control over his employment status: “The town has no authority to suspend him.” Williams is Patterson’s highest paid elected official and despite being incarcerated is collecting his nearly $90,000 salary.

Curtiss said the district attorney could request Williams’ removal from office. Levy said his office “would comply with all laws as they pertain to the removal of an elected official. Should Mr. Williams be found guilty such a request will occur but we can’t remove the man on charges alone.”

Williams faces up to 15 years in a state penitentiary if found guilty.

­— Eric Gross