COPAKE—The victim of a Halloween party shooting early Sunday morning, October 27 remains listed in stable condition at Albany Medical Center as of Wednesday, October 30 and a Philmont man is in custody on an attempted murder charge.

State Police from Livingston were called to the shooting at 23 Waldorf Ridge Road, October 27 at 12:30 a.m. At the residence, troopers and Columbia County Sheriff’s deputies encountered a large group of young people and a male subject, Cody Curtis, 22, of Copake with numerous gunshot wounds.

A preliminary investigation revealed on the night of October 26, the homeowner hosted a Halloween party for several friends. Throughout the night, the party grew to more than 60 guests as it was advertised on social media, police said.

During the party, an argument between attendees broke out and the victim was shot six times with a handgun. Mr. Curtis suffered gunshot wounds to his head, torso, left ear, right shoulder, right chest, right side and right lower abdomen.

He was treated at the scene by the Community Rescue Squad and was taken to Albany Med by Life Net helicopter from a landing zone in Copake Memorial Park. He subsequently underwent surgery.

The investigation led police to the suspect’s residence, where a search warrant was executed and he was taken into custody on Sunday night.

Jesus Figueroa, 26, of Philmont was charged with second degree attempted murder, a class A felony, and second degree criminal possession of a weapon, a class C felony.

Mr. Curtis and Mr. Figueroa did not know each other prior to the party, officials said.

Mr. Figueroa was charged and arraigned in Claverack Court and sent to the Columbia County Jail without bail, awaiting further proceedings.

State Police were assisted by Hudson Police, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbia County DA’s office, Community Rescue and the Copake Fire Department.

The investigation remains active and State Police ask anyone with any information about the Halloween party or the shooting to contact them at 518-851-2972.

Chatham

State Police investigated a fatal accident involving a tractor trailer and passenger car on I-90 (Berkshire Spur) October 26 at 12:12 a.m.

State Police, along with East Chatham firefighters and Chatham Rescue were dispatched to an accident which occurred on I-90 eastbound at mile marker 16.2. An investigation at the scene revealed that Michael E. Jones, 54, of Portland, MA, was driving a 2019 Volvo tandem tractor trailer, eastbound in the left lane when he encountered a wrong-way driver and was unable to avoid the vehicle.

A 2006 Volvo S60, operated by George E. Tiggle, 45, of Schenectady was traveling westbound in the eastbound lane when the two vehicles collided.

The tandem tractor trailer continued east, struck the guard rail, and spun 180 degrees, causing the second trailer of the combination vehicle to overturn, blocking all eastbound lanes. Mr. Jones was not injured in the accident.

The passenger-vehicle Volvo drove off the north shoulder into the median where Mr. Tiggle was pronounced dead by a Columbia County coroner.

The eastbound lanes of the Berkshire Spur remained closed for more than three hours while about 100 gallons of diesel fuel were cleaned up and the vehicles recovered.

State Police from Albany were assisted at the scene by Troop K Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Troop K Collision Reconstruction Unit and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit, New York State Thruway maintenance and Traffic Safety, as well as New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for spill response. The accident remains under investigation. Firefighters were back in service at 4:27 a.m.

Austerlitz

State Police from the Kinderhook and Livingston barracks charged Joseph A. Medina, 63, of Austerlitz for promoting a sexual performance by a child, a class D felony.

The morning of October 17, a search warrant was executed at a residence on Route 22 in Austerlitz by the State Police. Investigation with the assistance of the Troop K Computer Crimes Unit found Mr. Medina had allegedly uploaded child pornography to the internet.

He was arraigned in Livingston Court and sent to the Columbia County Jail without bail. He is scheduled to appear again in Austerlitz Court at a later date. This investigation remains ongoing.

Drugs/alcohol

The following face drug- and/or alcohol-related charges:

*Trina Sadofsky, 45, of Hudson was charged with DWI, a class U misdemeanor, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, following too closely and operating a vehicle with restrictions, all traffic infractions, by Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Brian Molinski and Deputy Steven Rose, September 11 at 5:05 p.m. Columbia County 911 dispatched deputies to a property-damage accident on State Route 66 in Greenport. Reportedly, one of the vehicles left the scene. Deputies located the vehicle in question and its operator, Ms. Sadofsky. Field sobriety tests were administered, which she failed. She was arraigned in Greenport Court and sent to the Columbia County Jail in lieu of $1,000 bail/$2,000 bond with a return court appearance at a later date.

*David W. Morse, 30, of Brooklyn was charged with DWI by State Police from Livingston, September 15. He was traveling on State Route 9G in Greenport, when he was stopped for a violation of the vehicle and traffic law. An investigation revealed he was under the influence of alcohol. He was subsequently arrested.

*Ashley N. Benson, 31, of Chatham was charged with DWI by State Police from Kinderhook, September 22. She was traveling on State Route 203 in the Town of Kinderhook, when she was stopped for a violation of the vehicle and traffic law. An investigation revealed she was under the influence of alcohol. She was subsequently arrested.

*Nicholas A. Yezzi, 31, of Kinderhook was charged with DWI by State Police from Kinderhook, October 6. He was traveling on County Route 28A in the Town of Kinderhook when he was stopped for a violation of the vehicle and traffic law. An investigation revealed he was under the influence of alcohol. He was subsequently arrested.

*Gino P. Costa, 26, of Claverack was charged with DWI by State Police from Livingston, October 14. He was traveling on Millbrook Road in Claverack, when he was stopped for a violation of the vehicle and traffic law. An investigation revealed he was under the influence of alcohol. He was subsequently arrested.

*Justin B. Clairmont, 28, of Pittsfield, MA, was charged with DWI by State Police from New Lebanon, October 19. He was traveling on State Route 20 in New Lebanon, when he was stopped for a violation of the vehicle and traffic law. An investigation revealed he was under the influence of alcohol. He was subsequently arrested.

*Robert L. Newberry, 24, of Greenport was charged with DWI by State Police from Kinderhook, October 20. He was traveling on State Route 9H in Town of Kinderhook, when he was stopped for a violation of the vehicle and traffic law. An investigation revealed he was under the influence of alcohol. He was subsequently arrested.

To contact Diane Valden email

HUDSON—The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) revoked the hunting licenses of Hunter Ordway and Jeremy Schermerhorn, September 17.

Mr. Ordway and Mr. Schermerhorn were convicted in 2018 of numerous violations of the Environmental Conservation Law, including what is commonly referred to as “deer jacking.” They were fined $12,000 and $3,000, respectively, the highest fines ever in state history for deer poaching, says a press release from District Attorney Paul Czajka.

According to a February 2018 story in The Columbia Paper, Mr. Ordway, then 19, of Chatham was charged with four misdemeanors for taking too many deer, two misdemeanors for taking deer with the use of an artificial light (commonly called deer jacking) and 11 violations that included failure to report a harvest, possessing the license of another, tagging violations and shooting after sunset. Read more…