WCDO Radio News

State Police are currently looking for a 67 year old New Jersey man who was reported missing from his hunting cabin on Streeter Hill Road in the Town of Harpersfield, Delaware County. John Bourgholtzer is a white male who is 6’ tall and weighs about 180 pounds. He has grey hair and brown eyes Mr. Bourgholtzer was last seen on December 12, 2015, at about 8:00 a.m., leaving his camp to go hunting by himself. He may be driving his 2011 Ford Focus with New Jersey license plates KDN45E. Anyone with information please call the New York State Police at (607) 561-7400.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman today announced settlement agreements with 30 online retailers from across the country that sold illegal toy guns to consumers in New York State. The toy guns in question violate a state law that prohibits the sale of imitation weapons, which are toy guns that look too much like real guns. Today’s announcement follows a related investigation of major retailers this summer that included Wal-Mart, Kmart, Amazon.com, and Sears. Those retailers paid of over $309,000 to settle the investigation and agreed to comply with applicable state laws.

State Police at Sidney arrested 38 year old Karlton Tompkins of Mount Upton for Operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs, criminal possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest and obstruction of governmental administration 2nd. This arrest occurred after a trooper responded to a report of a man sleeping at the wheel of a parked vehicle at the Valero gas station on State Route 8 in the Town of Guilford. The responding trooper saw Tompkins sleeping behind the wheel of a parked vehicle with the engine running, Tompkins was impaired by drugs, he then physically resisted and fought momentarily but was handcuffed. After Police impounded the vehicle, a small amount of methamphetamines was recovered. Tompkins was issued tickets returnable to the Town of Guilford court on December 22nd.

The Chenango County Sheriff’s Office arrested 34-year-old David Franklin of Oxford for 2 Counts of Criminal Possession of Stolen Property. Detectives arrested Franklin while investigating a Larceny from an Oneida County Business; Detectives located and recovered the stolen property in Franklin’s possession in the City of Norwich. Franklin was arrested and arraigned on a Chenango County Court Warrant and was remanded without bail, he was issued appearance tickets to appear at a later date in City of Norwich Court. Additional charges are pending in Oneida County.

A Town of Columbus resident was arrested by the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office for Grand Larceny. Detectives arrested 20-year-old Maxwell Horton; Detectives located and recovered the stolen property, which had a value of over $3,000. Horton was arraigned in the Town of Columbus Court and was remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $3,000 cash bail.

30 year old Gregory Eager if East Worcester has been charged with 2nd degree grand larceny, for allegedly stealing over $83,000 from the East Worcester fire department. Eager turned himself Monday he is accused of embezzling the money from July 2013 until recently, while serving as the 2nd Assistant Fire Chief and the secretary/treasurer. Eager was arraigned, and faces court action on January 5th.

NY State of Health announced the December 15th deadline for individuals enrolling or renewing health insurance coverage that takes effect January 1st, has been extended through December 19th. NY State of Health’s Customer Service Center answered more than 170,000 calls from New Yorkers last week with call volume averaging more than 34,000 calls per day. A new option on the Marketplace for 2016 is the Essential Plan for lower income individuals and families between 138-200% federal poverty level, which will lower premiums to $20 or less a month and provide comprehensive benefits for hundreds of thousands of lower income New Yorkers. Additional Information on the Essential Plan can be found here, info.nystateofhealth.ny.gov.

The village of Bainbridge will hold a public hearing today on their Comprehensive Plan. The hearing will begin tonight at 6:30 PM at the village offices.

Governor Cuomo stated that at approximately 7:00 pm, Unit 3 at the Indian Point nuclear facility shut down. The cause is currently unknown; the Department of Public Service is conducting the investigation into another unexpected incident at Indian Point. The company reports there was no radioactivity released to the environment. Cuomo said that “Because of the number of recent unplanned outages, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's requirements will result in increased inspections and scrutiny of the plant.

Chenango County Sheriff’s Office arrested 2 men in connection with multiple burglaries in Chenango County, the Southern Tier and Northern Pennsylvania. The Sheriff’s Office arrested 28 year old Nicholas Neer of Port Crane and 27 year old William Polhamus from the Town of Greene, for allegedly committing 2 burglaries in the Town of Greene & 1 in the Town of Oxford. Several pieces of stolen merchandise were recovered during the investigation. Both men were arraigned in the Town of North Norwich Court and remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $25,000 cash bail. The investigation is continuing and additional arrests will be made. The State Police and Broome County Sheriff’s Office assisted with the investigation.

State Senator Jim Seward will be at the Oneonta Municipal Airport in Oneonta this afternoon, with local officials with the Oneonta Airport Commission and the Oneonta Job Corps to unveil improvements at the airport. Senator Seward will also announce additional funding to support future upgrades.

Governor Cuomo outlined the latest efforts of his Task Force to Combat Worker Exploitation. From the start of 2015 to today, the State has recovered and returned $28.9 million to more than 24,000 workers who were victims of wage theft. The Task Force has officially launched more than 450 investigations, finding more than 2,700 violations, including theft of wages, failure to protect workers with mandatory Workers’ Compensation coverage and retaliation against workers who complain about violations of the law. The cases affect more than 2,000 workers in New York State.

Governor Cuomo today announced the growth of agricultural sales in New York outpaced the national average, with cash receipts up 36% across the state and only 32% nationally. In 2014, farmers in New York State also set a new record for sales with $6.36 billion in cash receipts, representing a nearly $1.7 billion increase in gross income from sales of crops, livestock, and other products.

Governor Cuomo today announced that New York State Police arrested 769 individuals for DWI during the 20-day Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over national crackdown on impaired driving. State Police and local law enforcement agencies reported that of the 769 DWI arrests during the enforcement period, more than 219 occurred during Labor Day weekend alone. During the same period last year, 663 people were arrested for DWI. During the “Drive Sober” campaign, Troopers also issued 47,359 tickets, 18,660 for speeding, 1,613 for distracted driving, 2,522 for child restraint and seatbelt violations, and 556 for failing to “move over.” Troopers investigated a total of 2,973 crashes during the period, 857 people were injured, and 25 people were killed.

State agencies spent more than $337 million on overtime in the first six months of 2015, a jump of $21 million over the same period in 2014, State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli announced today. State employees worked more than 8.2 million overtime hours, up 5 percent over the same period in 2014. If overtime continues to rise at this pace, total costs for 2015 would exceed $700 million, an all-time record. The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and the Division of State Police overtime costs for June and July 2015 jumped by more than $22 million over last year. But the mid-year totals reflect only a small portion of overtime costs incurred in the statewide search for the two escapees from the Clinton Correctional Facility.

In less than a month, New York’s affirmative consent law requiring uniform steps to combat sexual assault on college campuses takes effect. State officials have announced details of how they plan to implement the law, including a dozen State Police investigators assigned to a new victims’ unit to help investigate campus rape cases. Under Governor Cuomo’s “Enough is Enough” law, the rules at state institutions are extended to private schools. They include adopting student codes requiring affirmative consent before sex, and spelling out students’ rights to report sexual assault, dating or domestic violence and stalking to police.

Governor Cuomo announced that New Yorkers have scheduled more than 700,000 reservations to visit state-operated Department of Motor Vehicles offices since introducing the service on its website in 2013. Customers who make reservations online ahead of office visits, reserving a day and time convenient for them, are able to avoid wait times, which have decreased dramatically since the launch of DMV’s Customer Service Initiative in 2012.

State Police arrested 37-year-old Brett White of Binghamton for the felony of criminal contempt of court and the misdemeanor of endangering the welfare of a child. The arrest occurred after troopers responded to a Broome County 911 report of a dispute in the Town of Binghamton. An investigation determined that during a physical dispute White grabbed and threw his wife and his 7-year-old child to the floor, which violated a prior valid order of protection. White was arraigned in the Town of Windsor Court and released after he paid a $2,000.00 cash bail.

On Tuesday, Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies arrested a Lakewood, Pennsylvania man on a felony assault charge following a domestic incident in the Town of Walton. 44 year old Joshua Loucks was charged with 2nd degree Assault and leaving the scene of a personal injury motor vehicle accident, for allegedly using a motor vehicle to cause physical injury to a 42 year old female by intentionally striking her with it, on State Highway 206 in the Town of Walton and then leaving the scene of the incident. The victim was transported to Delaware Valley Hospital where she was treated and released. Loucks surrendered to Deputies in Hancock and was arraigned in the Town of Delhi Court where he was released upon posting $1000 cash bail pending further court action.

State Police arrested 37-year-old Richard Bell of Bainbridge for assault, criminal trespass & harassment after a Delaware County 911 report of a dispute at a home on Blueberry Road in the Town of Masonville. Troopers determined that during a verbal dispute outside the victim’s home, Bell followed the man as he fled inside and allegedly struck him causing an injury. Bell was arraigned at Town of Tompkins Court, he was released without bail, & he will appear in Town of Masonville Court on September 15th.

The New York State Department of Health reminds parents that the fall season is prime time for head lice as children head back to school. Infestations are especially common in school, where children spend time in close quarters. When kids share objects like headgear, hats and hairbrushes, the lice can spread easily. An estimated 6 to 12 million children are infected each year. Information on what to do if your children have head lice is available at health.ny.gov/diseases.

The Binghamton Mets secured their playoff spot with the Divisional Round Best of 5 series beginning tonight at NYSEG Stadium at 6:35 pm; game 2 will be Thursday night at 6:35 pm with Post game Fireworks scheduled. If the B-Mets advance, the Championship Round Best of 5 series would begin on Tuesday, September 15th at 6:35 pm and continue on Wednesday, September 16th at 6:35 pm at NYSEG Stadium. More information is available at BMETS.com

A 4th Cal Harris Murder trial has been scheduled to begin March 2nd 2016 in Schoharie County court. Harris was convicted wife in Tioga County Court for the murder of his estranged wife Michelle on or around September 11th 2001. A trial in Schoharie county court earlier this year ended with the jury unable to come to verdict. Prosecutors have until October 5th to file motions regarding a bid by the defense for dismissal.

Delaware County Deputies stopped 22-year-old Mark Frederick Tuesday night; Deputies stopped him for driving 107 miles per hour on State Highway 17 in the Town of Hancock. Frederick was ticketed for speeding, reckless driving, failure to comply, consumption of alcohol in a vehicle and a number of other violations. Frederick was arraigned in the Town of Hancock Court and remanded to the Delaware County Correctional Facility in lieu of $1500 cash bail pending further court action.

The "Glow with the Flow" benefit walk/run will be held at General Clinton Park in Bainbridge on the evening of September 26th, to benefit Ken Long, a Binghamton area man suffering from cancer & facing huge expenses. Heather Bucalos is a Bainbridge native & is in remission from cancer herself, she is putting on this event:

(Heather Bucalos 8-26-15)

Bucalos said that she would also have a display set up at "Bainbridge Days" on September 5th as part of the fundraising efforts, more details are available on the Glow with the Flow Facebook page.

Delaware County Sheriff Deputies arrested 26-year-old Dustin Sundal of Unadilla on 1 count of Reckless Driving. It is alleged that Sundal drove his motorcycle in a reckless manner, which resulted in a personal injury motorcycle accident, he will return to Town of Tompkins court at a later date.

Governor Cuomo issued a warning to college students returning for the fall semester that purchasing fake IDs is not only illegal, but also increases the chances of becoming a victim of identify fraud. Investigators from the State DMV have found dozens of examples of underage license holders becoming victims of identity theft after purchasing fraudulent identification online from overseas companies. According to the Federal Trade Commission, 18% of identity theft victims were ages 20 to 29; about 6% were 19 years old or younger, these age groups are less likely to regularly track bank account and credit card activity, pay for identity theft monitoring services, and use discretion when sharing information on social media. Nearly 16,000 identity theft complaints were logged last year in New York State.

Delaware County sheriff’s Deputies investigated an accident on May 9th on county route 21 in the town of Walton, they have arrested 51 year old William Davis of Franklin for Driving While Intoxicated, Failure to Keep Right and Refusal to take Breath Test. Davis was arraigned in Town of Hamden Court and remanded to Delaware County Jail on $500 bail and is to appear in Town of Walton Court at a later date.

The New York State Department of Labor today released preliminary local area unemployment rates for April. The state’s unemployment rate was 5.7%, the private sector job count increased by 126,000 over the last year, to 7,736,400. Locally, Broome County had 6% unemployment, Chenango County had 5.7%, Delaware County was at 6% and Otsego County had 5.2% unemployment.

State Police arrested 24-year-old Monty Ramey of Binghamton for Public Lewdness. The arrest occurred after a Trooper responded to a complaint of a man exposing himself in a lewd manner in a boat in the Town of Windsor. Ramey was issued a ticket returnable to the Town of Windsor Court in June.

Delaware County deputies arrest 34-year-old Joseph Galletta of Walton for Criminal Obstruction of Blood circulation or Breathing. Galleta is accused of impeded the blood circulation and breathing of another subject during a domestic incident in the Town of Tompkins, he was arraigned in the Town of Walton court and remanded to the Delaware County Correctional facility on $500 cash bail, pending court action in the Town of Tompkins court on June 4th.

Lawmakers are expecting some changes to the way business is conducted in the State Assembly & State Senate, with the election of new Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, & Senate Leader John Flanagan. Area Assemblyman Cliff Crouch comments:

(Crouch 5-27-15)

Crouch said that a flurry of activity is expected for the last 4 weeks of the session.

State Police arrested 43-year-old Matthew Smith of Deposit for Criminal Possession of a Firearm. This arrest occurred after a Trooper was conducting an unrelated investigation at a residence on Main Street in the Town of Deposit, t was determined that Smith illegally possessed a loaded semi-automatic handgun he was arraigned at the Town of Deposit Court and released to reappear on June 5th.

The 53rd General Clinton Canoe Regatta featured 4 days of canoe racing, over the Memorial Day weekend, over 1000 paddlers from North America, competed including yesterday’s 70-mile endurance races, from Cooperstown to Bainbridge. Andy Triebold from Michigan & Steve Lajoie from Quebec won the pr race for the 7th time together, Lajoie explained what it’s like paddling with all the amateur teams on the river:

(Steve Lajoie)

In the new 4-person division, the local Otego Oneonta team, of Bob Wisse, Cathy Grimes, Jeff Shultis & Larry Harrison, finished 3rd, just 3 minutes behind the 2nd place team. Harrison talked about their race:

(Larry Harrison 2015)

The 53rd regatta also featured rides, games, entertainment, music & fireworks throughout the weekend.
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6 more people were inducted into the General Clinton Canoe Regatta Hall of fame this year, including paddlers Jan Whitaker, Calvin Hassel, Mike Packard, & Rodney Robinson & original Clinton organizers Dick Sloane & Don Loudon. Local Paddler Mike Packard of Otego commented after the ceremony:

(Mike Packard 5-26-15)

Paddler Rodney Robinson of Otego also commented after the ceremony:

(Rodney Robinson 5-26-15)

Special commendations were also given by the regatta Hall Of Fame Committee to the Benson Family for their decades of volunteering, John & Shirley Girton for handling race entries & results, and to WCDO for broadcasting the Regatta for 30 years.

State Police responded to a Delaware County 911 report of a fatal ATV accident off of Apex Road in the Town of Tompkins. Troopers observed 36 year old Keith Stratton of Bellmore, New York deceased in a shallow creek by an overturned ATV. Troopers reported thar he had been at a family party at a home on Apex Road when he decided to take a ride on an ATV, without a helmet. Troopers beleive that he failed to make a right turn and overturned in a nearby creek & was killed on impact. Alcohol was a factor in the accident, he was pronoucned deceased at the scene.

Governor Cuomo today announced that law enforcement agencies in 17 counties participating in the state’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination initiative would receive $13.3 million to target gun violence and save lives. The initiative requires the use of proven strategies to reduce shootings and firearm-related homicides in communities served by 20 police departments in those counties. Locally, The Binghamton Police Department and Broome County District Attorney’s Office and Sheriff’s Office will share $393,944.

State Police arrested 27 year old Jonathan Robinson of Oneonta for Resisting Arrest, 2 counts of Criminal Mischief & 3 counts of Harassment. The arrest resulted from a complaint of someone damaging a vehicle and making threats at a residence on County Highway 11 in the Town of Laurens. Robinson is accused of damaging 2 vehicles, threatening people from outside & physically resisting arrest. Robinson was arraigned in the Town of Laurens Court and remanded to the Otsego County Jail on $200 cash bail pending future court action.

The Village of Sidney announced that tonight's board meeting has been cancelled, the meeting has been rescheduled for june 1st at 7:00 PM in the board room at the Sidney Civic Center.

The City of Oneonta will be sweeping all 3 levels of the municipal parking garage, tonight at 10:00 PM through tomorrow morning at 11:00 AM. The garage will be closed on all levels during that time; lots at Dietz Street, Wall Street and the Westcott lot will all be open. The Clarion Hotel lot will be open for public use during that time; it can be accessed from south main street or Market Street. More information is available at 432-6465.

Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies identified the person and vehicle sought in a Sands Creek Road, Town of Tompkins burglary investigation. 32-year-old Justin Biedekapp of Hancock, confessed to the crime to authorities after surveillance photos & information were released to the media. Biedekapp was charged with 2nd degree Criminal Trespass & was issued an appearance ticket returnable in the Town of Tompkins Court at a later date.

Governor Cuomo presented the second part of his "2015 Opportunity Agenda" Thursday at a presentation in Rochester, to discuss the $1.5 billion Upstate New York Economic Revitalization Competition to restore economic opportunity to the Upstate regions.

(Cuomo 1-16-15)

The proposed competition uses the Buffalo Billion’s proven model, Projects exhibiting region-wide impact will be made a priority and should focus on strengthening critical infrastructure, revitalizing communities, bolstering workforce development, growing tourism, and improving quality of life. 7 regions are eligible to compete for 1 of 3 $500 million upstate revitalization funds.

Governor Cuomo recently asked the Gaming Casino Location Siting Board to consider awarding the 4th casino license to the Southern Tier Region, after awarding only 3 licenses out of 4 last month. Area State Senator John Bonacic stated that the Sullivan County choice in his district is outstanding, and should be fast-tracked to get open quickly, before considering Tioga downs:

(Bonacic 1-16-15)

Bonacic said that the casino in Sullivan County is projected to being over 20 million dollars a year in extra revenue to the Sullivan & Orange County areas due to the expected increased tourism to the area because of the new casino.

Nigel Saunders was found guilty of 2 counts of 2nd degree murder, 1st degree burglary 1st degree robbery and 2nd degree assault in Broome County court this morning. Saunders was on trial for the murder of 23-year-old Jordan Dordell & his fiancé in Binghamton, after only 3 hours of deliberation. Saunders will be sentenced on March 27th.

The state Department of Health inappropriately paid more than 29,000 pharmacy claims worth nearly $1 million over a 27-month period for thousands of Medicaid recipients whose benefits were already covered by other plans, according to an audit released today by State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. A second audit released today found another $61,711 in overpayments to providers because of incorrect Medicare coinsurance, copayment or deductible amounts. DiNapoli recommended that the DOH Review and recover improper overpayments; instruct providers to bill Medicare Part C claims in accordance with existing requirements, & assess all claims that auditors did not examine in detail and determine if overpayments were made that warrant recovery.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown announced today that an Arizona Diamondbacks logo will appear on the cap of the Hall of Fame plaque for 2015 Hall of Fame electee Randy Johnson. The cap selections for Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz will be announced on January 22nd Craig Biggio played his entire career with the Houston Astros. This year’s Hall of Fame Class will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 26th in Cooperstown.

The Chenango County Sheriff's Department arrested 19-year-old Maxwell Horton of Sherburne for unlawful possession of marihuana. Deputies arrested Horton following a traffic stop for vehicle and traffic violations and during the investigation of the traffic stop deputies found Horton to be in possession of marihuana. Horton was released on an appearance ticket for Village of Sherburne court on a later date.

The State DEC extended the public comment period on the draft permit for the proposed Constitution Pipeline and an upgrade to the Iroquois Wright Compressor station in Schoharie County by an additional 28 days.  Public comments will now be accepted until Friday, February 27.  Written comments should be submitted to: DEC – Division of Environmental Permits, 625 Broadway, 4th Floor, Albany, NY  12233. Copies of the documents can be viewed online at constitutionpipeline.com,  Printed copies are available at the Libraries in Afton, Bainbridge, Franklin, Sidney & Deposit.

State Police from Deposit arrested 22-year-old Brookleyn Foster of Endicott, for Driving While Intoxicated with a BAC of .15%, along with other vehicle & traffic violations. The arrest resulted after Troopers responded to the report of a vehicle parked in the center median against the guide rail facing the wrong way on State Route 17 in Hancock. Foster was issued tickets returnable to the Village of Hancock Court on February 4th.

On January 7th Delaware County Deputies arrested Lee McDonald of Walton, for 2 counts of Issuing a Bad Check to a Deposit business, McDonald arrested on Saturday again & charged him with Issuing a Bad Check after receiving a bad check complaint from a Town of Kortright business. McDonald was issued an appearance in the Town of Kortright Court on February 17 to answer that charge.

The Delaware County Sheriff's Office is investigating a residential burglary that occurred on Sands Creek Road in the Town of Tompkins on December 5th. Guns and ammunition were taken from the residence and were recovered outside the home by the homeowner upon discovering the crime. Deputies are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the vehicle and person in these photos from one of the home’s surveillance camera. The vehicle appears to be a small, light color sport utility vehicle. Anyone with information is asked to contact  the Delaware County Sheriff's Office, (607) 746-2336, Extension 381. All calls will be returned and kept confidential.

The Unadilla Chamber of Commerce will host the Four Chamber Mixer meeting on Monday, January 26 6:00 pm, with the meeting at 7:00 PM at Green’s Long River Inn, on Route 357, Unadilla. RSVP's to each Chamber Secretary by January 21 are requested.

The Disabled American Veterans chapter #200 of Oneonta will be hosting a discussion on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder tonight. The discussion will begin at 7:00 PM at the Oneonta Veterans Club at 279 Chestnut Street; more information is available at 437-2028.

The Otsego county health department is offering the Zostavax vaccine for shingles, for an administrative fee of $25 for those who meet certain requirement, shingles is a painful skin rash, often accompanied by blisters, fever, headaches, chills & upset stomach, it can sometimes lead to hearing loss, blindness, pneumonia brain inflammation or even death. More information about shingles or the county vaccination program is available at 547-4230.

2 committees of the Oneonta Common Council will be meeting today at City Hall. The Facilities-Operations-Community Operations Improvement committee will meet at 5:00 pm, The Finance & Administration Committee will meet at 6:00 PM, and both meeting will be held at the Common Council Chamber on the 2nd floor of City Hall.

Audits of special education providers across New York State have uncovered mismanagement that cost taxpayers nearly $42 million in the last decade, including $20 million in 2014 alone, according to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli. 11 audits identified more than $6.7 million in public funds that special education providers misspent or misused, including cases of possible fraud that have been referred to law enforcement for investigation. About 81,000 preschool students with disabilities receive services in New York annually at a cost of more than $1.4 billion to the state and localities.