WCDO Radio News

21-year-old Rebel Whitman of Binghamton man faces several charges, after allegedly trying to flee law enforcement. The Broome County Sheriff's Office attempted to stop a vehicle on Colesville Road near Route 11 in the Town of Kirkwood early this morning, Whitman allegedly failed to comply & continued to Sanitaria Springs, into Chenango County through back roads & then onto State Route 206 in the Town of Greene, where he sideswiped a State Police vehicle before traveling into a ditch. Whitman & a passenger were taken into custody, Whitman was charged with Forgery, Unlawful Fleeing a Police Officer, Reckless Driving, Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle, plus numerous other Violations. Whitman was arraigned in the Town of Kirkwood Court and taken to the Broome County Jail. Whitman's unidentified passenger was released.

The State Office of General Services announced that there will be surplus vehicle, highway equipment, and miscellaneous property auctions in Broome County on Wednesday, November 9. Information on specific items and terms of sale is available at ogs.ny.gov, by email to state.surplus@ogs.ny.gov, or by calling (518) 457-6335. The auctions will be at 9:30 AM at the Department of Transportation at 241 Colesville Road, Binghamton & at 1:30 PM at SUNY Binghamton at Vestal Parkway East, Vestal

Oneonta Police arrested 32-year-old Michael Young of New York City for allegedly bringing 149 bags of heroin into Oneonta by bus. Young was arrested Sunday at the Oneonta Trailways bus station on Market Street after police received information about a delivery of drugs into the City. Young was charged with the Criminal possession of a controlled substance & Unlawful possession of marijuana.

1 person was killed in a 3-vehicle accident this morning at the I-81 State Route 17 interchange area in the city of Binghamton, according Binghamton Mayor Rich David. The crash involved at least 2-tractor trailer truck, it happened near Exit 3 Broad Avenue just before 9:00 this morning. Binghamton City Police announced that they are investigating and State DOT officials report that the section of road will be closed for a lengthy period of time while the investigators try to determine the cause of the accident. The northbound lanes of I- 81 reopened late this morning; the southbound lanes are closed between Exit 2 and Exit 4. Detours have been set up to accommodate traffic.

State Police arrested 42-year-old Jason Brundige of Norwich, for 2nd degree assault, petty larceny & aggravated harassment. Troopers responded to a report of a physical dispute on August 9th at a home on White Stone Road in the Town of Norwich. Brundige is accused of causing serious injuries to the victim& stealing $300 from the victim’s belongings. Brundige left the scene & sent several threatening phone and text messages to the victim. Brundige was located in the Town of Amsterdam; he was arraigned in the Town of Norwich court and was remanded to the Chenango County jail with no bail set pending court action in the Town of Norwich court on Thursday.

State Police arrested 32-year-old Rodney Clark of Vestal for criminal contempt & 2 counts of endangering the welfare of a child, after troopers responded to a request to check the welfare of 3 children in the Town of Conklin. Clark was babysitting his three young children at his ex-wife’s trailer; he is accused of being impaired by drugs and alcohol, which also violated a court order of protection that had been placed against him. Clark was arraigned & was remanded to the Broome County jail with no bail set pending future court action

The Southern Tier Chapter of the American Red Cross and Preferred Mutual will be hosting a Home Fire Preparedness canvasing event in Norwich. American Red Cross staff and Preferred Mutual volunteers will be visiting residents on Conkey Avenue, Sheldon Street, and Canasawacta Street, installing free smoke detectors for those homes in need. All residents will also receive educational materials about how to protect themselves, their families, and their homes in the event of a fire. The event will be this Saturday, from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, starting at the Norwich Fire Department at 31 East Main Street. According to the American Red Cross, home fires are responsible for approximately 7 deaths every day and over 7 billion dollars-worth of property damage every year.

The Village of Sidney Police Department executed a search warrant Tuesday at 17 Cartwright Avenue, following an investigation into the sale of illegal narcotics in the Village. During the search, Cocaine, Marijuana, and drug paraphernalia were seized. 25-year-old Emery Rivera-Estrella of Sidney was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance with intent to sell & Unlawful Possession of Marijuana. She was arraigned in the Village of Sidney court where she was remanded to the Delaware County Correctional Facility on $10,000 cash bail or $20,000 bond. More charges are pending. The Sidney Police Department was assisted by the Delaware County Sheriff's Office with K9 Ozzie & the State Police during the execution of the search warrant.

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman today announced the sentencing of Donald McManus of Apalachin, following allegations that McManus pocketed $8,200 worth of the proceeds from the sale of leftover copper used as part of the East Campus dorm construction at SUNY Binghamton. McManus was sentenced in Vestal Town Court to 3 years of probation; McManus must pay restitution to SUNY Binghamton in the amount of $8,256.59, and is prohibited from working in a construction job or in any capacity for SUNY Binghamton. McManus entered a plea of guilty on March 4th, to 4th degree Attempted Grand Larceny.

The Oneonta Department of public Service will continue flushing water mains on the low service in the downtown region next week. Flushing will occur between 11:00 PM & 5:30 AM from Monday August 22nd through Thursday the 25th. Water users may notice low pressure or a change in water color, more information is available at 432-2100.

The State Police Community Narcotics Enforcement Team, State Troopers and Oneonta Police Department executed a search warrant at 510 Main Street in the City of Oneonta, following an investigation into heroin sales. Troopers seized 110 bags of heroin, $343 in cash, digital drug scales, 22 marihuana plants, 5 shotguns, 4 rifles, ammunition, 3 daggers, and marijuana cultivation equipment. 29 year old Tadd Sherwood of Oneonta was arrested for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, Criminal Possession of a Weapon by a felon, Endangering the Welfare of a Child and Unlawfully Growing Cannabis. The Endangering Welfare of a Child charge is the result of a 5 year old child and 4 week old infant living in the residence where narcotics were found. Sherwood was arraigned in the Town of Milford Court and remanded to the Otsego County Jail without bail.

46-year-old Cindy Fortner of Homer is expected to plead guilty in Broome County Court this afternoon to Conspiracy, in connection with the abduction of her teenage daughters, Shaeleen & Kylea Fortner, from the Town of Binghamton. Prosecutors accused Fortner of arranging her daughters April 2015 abduction and was an accomplice along with 29-year-old Amanda Hellmann of Vestal, who already pleaded guilty to kidnapping & will serve 10 years in prison.

State Police stopped a Hyundai speeding at 83 miles per hour on State Route 17 this afternoon in the Town of Sanford. 20 year old Shymil McBee-Miles of Binghamton was driving a stolen vehicle that from Vestal. When Troopers approached the vehicle, McBee-Miles drove away, at a high rate of speed, fleeing the scene. McBee-Miles attempted to take exit 82's ramp at a high rate of speed, and crash the vehicle, which overturned & he was ejected from the vehicle and was arrested while attempting to crawl away. McBee-Miles was transported to Wilson Hospital for a knee injury. McBee-Miles was arraigned in the Town of Windsor court for criminal possession of stolen property, He was remanded to the Broome County jail with no bail set, additional charges pending.

The Sidney High School Visual Arts Department Exhibit at the Harrington Gallery on Cartwright Avenue, will be on display through tomorrow at 4:00 PM. The exhibit can be seen between 11:00 & 4:00 on Saturday

The Village of Sidney Police Department announced that on Monday, the Main Street railroad crossing will be closed to traffic for repairs. Reopening of the railroad crossing will be sometime on Tuesday. Motorists are advised to use an alternate route.

The Chenango County Sheriff’s department responded to a burglary in progress at 268 Round Pond Road in the Town of Smithville Thursday morning. A Sheriff’s Deputy and members of the Greene Police Department discovered a male suspect in the residence, at 11:15 AM, officers noticed smoke coming from the rear of the residence and called for fire department response. The suspect jumped through a window at the rear of the residence in an attempt to escape & suffered injuries. 26-year-old Adam King of Smithville was transported to Wilson Hospital in Johnson City; he was released to the custody of the Sheriff's department. The fire was caused extensive damage to the residence, & is considered to be a total loss. King was charged with 2nd degree Burglary, Arson & Criminal Mischief, and he was arraigned this morning in the Town of Smithville Court and was remanded to the Chenango County Jail on $100,000 cash bail.

The American Red Cross will hold another Blood Drive today in West Oneonta, from 1:00 to 6:00 PM at the West Oneonta Fire Department. Appointments are made by downloading the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting redcrossblood.org or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS.

Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul and Co-Chair Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez will convene another Heroin and Opioid Abuse Task Force Session in Southern Tier today. The session will be held at Binghamton University in the Innovative Technologies Complex in Vestal, at 4:40 PM.

The Vestal Police Department has identified the victim of a fatal crash early Friday morning. 56-year-old Paul Rymer of Owego was killed in a crash at about 4:00 AM on Route 17 in Vestal. Vestal Police & State Police reported that a tractor-trailer driven by 54-year-old Jacek Swiston of Vestal, attempted to make a U-turn through the median from the westbound lanes, when he pulled into the path Rymer’s pickup truck, which struck the trailer. Rymer was killed instantly. The investigation is continuing by the Broome County District Attorney’s office.

Vestal Police responded to a fatal accident on State Route 17 eastbound between exits 66 & 67 at about 4:00 AM this morning, involving a Tractor-trailer truck. Traffic was detoured to Route 434 or route 17C eastbound, as the highway was closed for clean up & accident reconstruction. More details are expected to be released shortly.

The Delaware County Board of Elections announced that Friday June 3rd is the last day to register for the June 28th Federal Primary Election. Primaries will be held for democrats & Republicans in the 19th Congressional District race. Also, the Town of Tompkins poll site has changed, all Tompkins voters will vote at the Tompkins Town Hall at 148 Bridge Street in Trout Creek. Registration forms and applications for absentee ballots may be found online at co.delaware.ny.us/departments, by calling 832-5321 or at the County office in Delhi.

The Broome County Sheriff’s Department reported that 42 year old Scott Gross of Windsor was killed when a tractor trailer hit his disabled Jeep on Route 17 in Windsor, early Thursday morning. Gross suffered traumatic injuries and died at the scene, after his vehicle was hit from behind by a tractor trailer driven by 42 year old Anthony Baker of Solvay, at about 1:30 AM Thursday, both vehicles went over an embankment. Baker was taken to Wilson Hospital for head injuries, he was released, and no tickets were issued.

State Police and local law enforcement statewide will be increasing patrols to combat drunk and impaired driving this Memorial Day weekend. Memorial Day is one of the busiest travel holidays of the year and police will be out in force to remove impaired and reckless drivers from our highways. The initiative starts today and runs until Monday. Drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints and increased patrols by State Police and local law enforcement agencies during this holiday weekend.

Oneonta Police Department served a search warrant late Wednesday afternoon on two apartments at 2 Cliff Street, they discovered 2.5 pounds of marijuana, 185 Xanax pills, 120 packages of marijuana edibles & over $9400 cash. Police arrested 25 year-old Cody Schlafer and 33 year-old Bryan VanDuesen for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, Criminal Possession of Marijuana, & 4th degree conspiracy. Both face court action shortly, the investigation is continuing.

State Police arrested 31-year-old James Cooke of Bainbridge for DWI & Several traffic violations, following the investigation of an accident in Bainbridge last night. Cooke registered a BAC of .16, twice the legal limit, following the 2-vehicle accident on State Route 206 in the Town of Bainbridge. Cooke failed to stop in time and drove into a vehicle that was stopped in traffic ahead of him. The driver of the other vehicle had neck pain and was transported to Tri-Town Regional Hospital in Sidney. Cooke was issued tickets returnable to the Town of Bainbridge Court on May 19th.

State Police were attempting to locate a 14 year old suspect who was wanted for a menacing with a weapon in Windsor in April, while trying to locate the juvenile, Troopers allege that 29 year old Jessie Bolster & 74 Year old Faith Lynch, harbored the suspect at their home on Fox Farm Road in the Town of Windsor. The 14 year old suspect was later located and arrested, & was transported to a juvenile facility, Bolster and Lynch were arrested for hindering prosecution, Bolster was arraigned in the Town of Windsor court and was remanded to the Broome county jail on bail. Lynch was issued a ticket returnable to the Town of Windsor court on May 18th.

Police have identified the body of the woman found in the Chenango River as 37-year-old Brenda Halpin, who had been missing since April 8 from her Chenango Bridge home. The identification was announced Thursday after fingerprint comparison and analysis was performed, according to the Broome County Sheriff's Office. An autopsy was conducted Wednesday, and the cause of her death was ruled as freshwater drowning. Halpin's body was found just before 2 p.m. Tuesday by a man walking along the riverbank in Port Dickinson, in the 600 block of Chenango Street.

29-Year-old Amanda Hellman of Vestal pleaded guilty Thursday afternoon in Broome County Court to 2nd degree kidnapping. Hellmann faces Sentencing on July 11th, Hellmann kidnapped 14 year old Shaeleen Fortner & 16 year old Kylea Fortner, they were located in March, 47 year old Cindy Fortner who is the girl’s biological mother, was also charged in connection to their kidnapping, she is being held in the Broome County Jail pending court action.

Deposit Police have arrested 20-year-old Jonathan Hafele of Deposit, after an investigation into a burglary complaint in the Village where several firearms were stolen. Hafele was charged with 9 counts of 4th degree Grand Larceny & 1count of Offering a false instrument for filing; he was arraigned in the Village of Deposit Court and remanded to the Delaware County Correctional Facility on $10,000 bail pending further action of the Court.

State Police arrested 36-year-old Cristal Cartelli & 38 year old Curtis Webb of Sidney on a variety of charges including drug possession. The arrests occurred after Cartelli failed to stop at a stop sign on State Route 206 in Bainbridge, Troopers recovered heroin & marijuana during a search & they found that Cartelli was wanted on a warrant in Vestal & Webb was wanted on a warrant in Sidney. Cartelli & Webb were arraigned & were both remanded to the Chenango County jail on bail, pending court action on April 26th.

State Police at Sidney arrested 35 year old Melissa Bateman of Unadilla for the felony aggravated DWI with a child less than 16 years old, plus criminal possession of a controlled substance and other traffic violations. The arrest occurred after troopers responded to a 1-car accident on State Route 7 in the Town of Unadilla, Bateman is accused of driving while impaired by drugs when she drove off the roadway and struck a guide rail, one of her passengers was a 14-year-old girl. Bateman was found to unlawfully possess 7 prescription pills. Bateman was issued tickets returnable to the Town of Unadilla court on April 11th.

Governor Cuomo announced New York State is providing 235 police departments and sheriffs’ offices with state-of-the-art radar units, investing more than $343,000 to replace old or obsolete devices. This is the first time in nearly 2 decades that the state has provided this funding, which will allow agencies to more effectively target reckless drivers. The need for new technology was identified by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services Highway Safety Technology Unit, which annually performs preventative maintenance and repairs on about 5,500 radar devices, many were too costly to repair, others lacked an ‘instant on’ feature and some were too large for newer-model police cruisers.

State Police arrested 46-year-old Christopher Purdy of Oneonta for DWI and other traffic tickets. State Police observed Purdy speeding at 80 miles per hour on I-88, Purdy refused to submit to a breath test to determine his blood alcohol content. He was arraigned in the Town of Oneonta court and was released after posting $400 bail. Purdy’s next court date in the Town of Milford is on April 5th.

Governor Cuomo announced that he is deploying the Department of Financial Services' Mobile Command Center to help eligible New Yorkers prepare and file their taxes for free. The unit will be making stops at locations throughout Upstate New York from April 4 through April 9, between the hours of 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.: Locally, the event will be held on Wednesday, April 6th in Oneonta at the Foothills Performing Arts Center.

The Delaware County Sheriff’s Department announced that there will be a fundraiser this Sunday in Walton, to support their K9 Unit, which has been an integral part of the County’s crackdown on Drug dealers in the County. The fundraiser will be held on Sunday at Danny’s Restaurant at 14 Gardiner Place in Walton from 12:00 noon until 7:00 PM, donations can be made by check to Delaware County Sheriff Tom Mills, with “K9 Drug Fund” in the memo box. More information about the fundraiser can be directed to Danny’s restaurant at 865-8496.

The City of Oneonta Department of Public Service will be installing a new storm water collection system on Tilley Avenue & Walters street and they will be replacing an existing system on James Street, starting on march 15th. Work will take place between 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM weekdays through April 30th, with paving scheduled for this summer. More information is available at 432-2100.

State Police reported that KyLea Fortner and her sister Shaeleen Fitch-Fortner, who were reported as teen runaways in April of 2015, were found at 327 Torrance Avenue in Vestal. Both girls were turned over to the Broome County Family Services. State Police received and investigated numerous leads, information was developed which indicated that they were present at the Vestal address. State Police arrested 29 year old Amanda Hellman of Vestal, for 2nd degree Kidnapping. Hellman is a family acquaintance of the victims, she was arraigned in Town of Vestal Court & was remanded to the Broome County Jail without bail. Anyone with information can call 775-1241, The investigation is continuing.

State Police and local law enforcement will initiate special St. Patrick’s Day traffic enforcement efforts as celebrations begin this weekend. The effort will begin Saturday, and run through Thursday, drivers can expect a number of sobriety checkpoints, additional DWI patrols, and underage drinking details during the campaign. State Police will also be ticketing distracted drivers who use handheld electronic devices. During the 2015 St. Patrick's Day weekend enforcement effort, Troopers made 264 arrests for DWI and issued more than 14,000 tickets.

After a month long investigation, members of the State Police, Vestal Police Department and the United State Drug Enforcement Administration executed a search warrant on 23 year old Kevin Hill of Binghamton, Police seized cocaine, marihuana, packaging material, a digital scale, weapons and $4,840.00 cash. State Police charged Hill with 2 counts of Criminal Use Drug Paraphernalia, 2 counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon & 1 count each for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance & Unlawful Possession of Marihuana. Hill was arraigned in Binghamton City Court and was remanded to the Broome County jail without bail.

Governor Cuomo announced a new free mobile app to help the state's 900,000 veterans and their family members connect with valuable services and programs. The State Veterans App provides users with easily accessible material about federal and state Veterans’ benefits, programs, and services, including: essential materials regarding healthcare, housing, employment, education and filing claims for financial Veterans' benefits with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The state will provide up-to-the-minute updates about state and federal programs that directly impact the lives of Veterans and their family members.