ELIZAVILLE—Two men face federal charges in connection with child pornography.
Members of the Sheriff’s Office along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation Innocent Images National Initiative Task Force executed a federal search warrant at the home of Zachery Slater, 28, of Parker Road, October 18 at about 8 a.m., according to Columbia County Sheriff David Harrison, Jr.
The investigation began in August when information was developed by the task force indicating that Mr. Slater was downloading child pornography on his computer. As a result of the investigation, Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Fletcher obtained a search warrant from Federal Judge Randolph Treece of the Federal District Court in Albany.
While executing the search warrant, a second man, Neil Dumville, 54, also from Parker Road, was found to be in possession of child pornography. Both men were taken into custody by task force officers and taken to Albany where Mr. Slater was charged with distribution, receiving and possession of child pornography. Mr. Dumville was charged with receiving and possessing child pornography. Arraigned in Federal District Court in Albany, both men were detained by United States Marshalls pending an October 19 detention hearing.
Sheriff’s Investigator Anthony Brahm has served as a member of the FBI Task Force in Albany for more than two years. Task force investigations focus on combating the proliferation of child pornography, child sexual exploitation and associated child predator cyber activities.
Assisting Inv. Brahm and other task force members in executing the search warrant was Sheriff’s Investigator Patrick Logue and Patrol Sergeant Donald Krapf.
Stockport
The identity of the person whose decaying body was found in the Hudson River remains a mystery.
Two kayakers were out for some recreation, taking in the fall foliage, the afternoon of Sunday, October 21, when they discovered the body floating in the water.
They used a cell phone to call 911 and were connected with dispatchers in Greene County, who summoned the Greene County Sheriff’s Marine Unit to the scene. Deputies recovered the remains off a Stockport island on the Columbia County side of the river and turned the case over to Livingston State Police, Senior Investigator Donald Bailey told The Columbia Paper this week.
The body was taken to St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany where an autopsy was performed, but the results have still left police unable to make identification.
Sr. Inv. Bailey noted the body was “badly decomposed” and said he had no information about whether the person was male or female, could not describe the stature of the person, how long the person was dead or how he or she died.
Police will continue to investigate by trying to match what data they do have with missing persons cases and possible analysis of DNA taken from the remains.
Hudson
Kayshaun Brooks, 28, of Ballston Spa was charged on a Columbia County Family Court arrest warrant by Deputies Thomas Merante, Jr., and Marcus Hickey, September 26 at 2:15 p.m. Mr. Brooks was arraigned by County Judge Jonathan Nichols, sent to the county jail in lieu of $10,000 cash bail and ordered to return to court the following day.
Livingston
Richard Williams, 38, of Hudson was charged with second degree harassment by Deputy Jeffrey Hofstetter, September 28 at 8:10 p.m. Arrested following a dispute on Route 9, Mr. Williams allegedly had physical contact with a woman causing her to be pushed into a wall.
He was arraigned by Chatham Village Justice Jason Shaw, released on his own recognizance and ordered to return to Livingston Court at a later date.
He was also charged on a Hudson Police Department bench warrant by Deputies Peter Grzeskow and Bernard Roberts earlier the same day at 9:50 a.m. and was turned over to Hudson Police Officer William Wrigley for further processing.
Stuyvesant
Jason Nichols, 28, of Stuyvesant was charged with second degree harassment and fourth degree criminal mischief by State Police from Kinderhook, September 30.
Troopers went to investigate a reported dispute and subsequently took Mr. Nichols into custody. He was arraigned in Stuyvesant Court and sent to the Columbia County Jail in lieu of $1,000 cash bail or $2,000 bail bond.
Chatham
Joshua Case, 31, of Chatham was charged with second degree unlawful imprisonment by Kinderhook State Police, October 13.
Troopers were investigating a dispute. Mr. Case was arraigned in Chatham Town Court and released to reappear at a later date.
Drugs/alcohol
The following face drug- and/or alcohol-related charges:
*Brian D. Stockley, 24, of Columbiaville was charged with driving while intoxicated, operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content greater than .08%, possession of hypodermic instrument, failure to keep right and inadequate tail lamps by Deputies Joseph Bruno and Chad Shufelt, September 26 at 8:48 p.m. Deputies received a reckless driving complaint. They stopped Mr. Stockley on Route 9, Columbiaville and as a result of their investigation took him into custody. He was arraigned in Stockport Town Court by Justice Harold Horner and was sent to the county jail in lieu of $500 cash bail or $1,000 bail bond and directed to return to court at a later date.
*Dennis K. Mazal, 31, of Ghent was charged with seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and possessing a controlled substance out of its original container by Deputies Chad Shufelt and Joseph Bruno, September 29 at 7 p.m. Mr. Mazal was pulled over on Route 9H north of Fischer Road in Kinderhook and was found to allegedly be in possession of a controlled substance, hydrocodone without a prescription. He was released with appearance tickets directing him to appear in Kinderhook Town Court at a later date.
*Paul Ozust, 23, of Copake was charged with third degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and unlawful possession of marijuana by Deputies Peter Merante, Jr., and Jason Garvey, October 6 at 12:33 a.m. Mr. Ozust was pulled over on Route 23 in Craryville. He was released with tickets to answer the charges in Copake Town Court at a later date.
*Larry Stevens, Jr., 39, of Copake was charged with driving while intoxicated, aggravated driving while intoxicated, first degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, operating without interlock device, consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle, crossing road hazard markings and failure to keep right by Deputies Jason Garvey and Peter Merante, Jr., during a traffic stop on County Route 7A in Copake, October 6 at 1:43 a.m. Mr. Stevens was arraigned before Hillsdale Justice Mark Cawley, sent to the county jail in lieu of $3,500 cash bail and directed to return to court at a later date.