WCDO Radio News

The Broome County Sheriff’s Office concluded the death investigation in the Town of Conklin that has been ruled a murder-suicide stemming from an ongoing family dispute. On Friday, August 22nd, 65 year old Michael Shuta of Conklin was found deceased in Montrose, Pennsylvania, Shuta’s death was ruled a suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Police in Pennsylvania and New York believe that Shuta shot his nephew, 41 year old Matthew Slavetskas of Conklin, who was found dead by Officers at his Brady Hill Road residence. Detectives reported that both pistols used in the murder and the suicide were registered to Shuta.

21 year old Joseph Vanblarcom of Middletown was sentenced in Delaware County Court last week to 1 year in prison for Grand Larceny. Vanblarcom admitted that he and 2 other individuals entered City of New York property and stole a DEP owned woodchipper. VanBlarcom was placed on interim probation after his conviction, but he violated his probation when he was arrested for DWI in Ulster County, which increased his sentence to jail time.

On Friday, a jury convicted Lawrence Faucett of Ulster,
Pennsylvania for criminally negligent homicide in the death of State DOT worker
Dennis Howe in March of 2019.  Howe was
killed when his parked advance warning vehicle was struck on the shoulder of
State Route 17 by Faucett, who was driving a tractor-trailer & did not
comply with New York's Move Over law.

The Tioga County District
Attorney’s Office has indicted 37 year old Lawrence Faucett of Ulster
Pennsylvania, for failing to move over & crashing into a New York State DOT
vehicle, which led to the death of DOT employee Dennis Howe.  Faucett pleaded not guilty to criminally negligent
homicide for the March 13th crash.

The Delaware county emergency services department announced that Delaware County sent 5 crews to Ulster County this morning. Bloomville, Delhi (2 crews), Sidney and Walton. They all arrived safely at their staging area, had a morning briefing meeting and were sent to the woods shortly after 8am. They are now out working the fire lines.

Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies arrested a Pennsylvania man on an arrest warrant issued by the Town of Tompkins Court earlier this year based on a complaint from an area business. Deputies arrested and charged 58-year-old Rowland Harris of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania for Issuing a Bad Check, & 4th degree Grand Larceny. Harris is accused of stealing property, valued in excess of $1000, for building materials, which he obtained from that business. He has been additionally charged with being a Fugitive from Justice. Harris was arraigned and posted a $10,000 bail bond in the Columbia County, Pennsylvania; he surrendered to Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies as ordered by the Columbia County Magistrate Court.

State Troopers arrested 52-year-old Robert Slack of Susquehanna, Pennsylvania for Driving While Intoxicated, following a motor vehicle accident on State Route 205 in Oneonta. Slack refused to submit to a blood test. He was issued a ticket returnable to the Town of Oneonta Court on October 7th.

Delaware County Sheriff's Deputies seized a quantity of drugs and arrested 35-year-old Francis Smith of Kingston today, after investigating illegally parked vehicles in Arkville. Smith was charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon, which violated the terms of his probation in Ulster County. Smith is accused of possessing a switchblade knife, & he may also face drug possession charges upon completion of a laboratory analysis of the seized drugs. Smith was arraigned in the Town of Middletown Court and remanded to the Delaware County Jail on $1000 cash bail.

State Police at Sidney arrested 41-Year-old Fredrick Terrell of Ulster, Pennsylvania for Driving While Intoxicated with a BAC result of .14%. The arrest resulted from a traffic stop on Interstate 88 in Afton; Terrell was issued tickets returnable to the Town of Afton Court on March 11th.