Putnam County Sheriff Donald B. Smith reports the arrest of a 30-year-old Bronx resident on criminal charges stemming from his alleged involvement in initiating threatening telephone calls to employees at Green Chimneys School.
On April 25, 2014, the Sheriff’s Office responded to the school after staff members complained that they were repeatedly receiving harassing telephone calls from a former resident of the school. According to school officials, the Bronx man called about money that he felt was owed to him by the school. In the course of the conversation, he reportedly threatened to kill a receptionist.
At about 9:30AM on April 29, 2014, he allegedly called a male employee at the
school and again threatened staff members saying that he was coming to the school to shoot and kill people in and around the school campus. Patrol deputies and criminal investigators responded to investigate this incident.
At 11:30AM, he showed up at Green Chimneys School. He was stopped by awaiting sheriff’s deputies and arrested without incident. He was
charged with Aggravated Harassment in the Second Degree and Menacing in the Second Degree, both misdemeanors.
A criminal history check revealed that he has an extensive arrest record having been previously arrested more than 30 times on a variety of charges including assault, menacing and criminal contempt.
He was arraigned before Southeast Town Justice Richard Vercollone, acting on behalf of the Patterson Town Justice Court and sent to the Putnam County Correctional Facility on lieu of $1,500 cash bail or $3,000 bond. He was released from jail after posting bail.
Additionally, Justice Vercollone issued an Order of Protection on behalf of school officials directing him to keep away from the campus and refrain from having any further contact with school employees.
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