(Oswego County, NY –Aug. 2011) Those who enjoy exploring natural habitats will want to check out the new Deer Creek Marsh Wildlife Management Area (WMA) brochure now online at www.seagrant.sunysb.edu/glhabitat/PDFS/DeerCreekMarsh2011.pdf.

New York Sea Grant produced the new publication in collaboration with The Ontario Dune Coalition, an alliance of private property owners’ associations, non-profit organizations, local government, and state and federal agencies. Entergy’s Environmental Stewardship Program provided funding.

Deer Creek Marsh WMA covers nearly 1,200 acres of state-owned land and provides opportunities for beach and trail hiking, fishing, paddling, trapping, birdwatching, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hunting and relaxing in nature.

The resource brochure written by New York Sea Grant Coastal Community Development Specialist Mary Penney highlights the habitats of the area that is part of the 17-mile Eastern Lake Ontario Dunes and Wetlands Area.

Penney writes of the cobble stones left on the beach by ancient glacier activity and encourages visitors to watch for wood ducks and to fish for northern pike, yellow perch and largemouth bass. She also cautions that at one point in time the fragile dunes were mined for their sand and damaged by vehicle and foot traffic.

Deer Creek Marsh WMA Land Manager Bonnie Parton with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation says, “Deer Creek Marsh is a largely undiscovered treasure offering access to both Deer Creek and Lake Ontario. The dune crossover enables visitors to experience this unique and fragile environment without harming it.”

“The goal of this new publication is two-fold: to let people know about this great natural resource and recreation area that is part of one of the largest inland dune systems in the Eastern Great Lakes region and, most importantly, to inform people about how to protect the resource by using observation platforms, trails, and walkovers,” Penney says.

Deer Creek Marsh WMA is accessible from five parking areas, including a cartop boat launch parking area off Route 3 of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail north of the Salmon River between Route 5 and Rainbow Shores Road.

Directions to Deer Creek Marsh WMA:
From the south: Follow Interstate Route 81 to the Pulaski exit, turn left and travel 3 miles west on Route 13 to the intersection with Route 3 (Great Lakes Seaway Trail) at Port Ontario. Turn right (north) onto Route 3. Deer Creek Marsh WMA is on the left with a cartop boat launch parking area between Route 5 and Rainbow Shores Road and parking off Kelly Drive and Rainbow Shores Road.

From the north: Follow Interstate Route 81 to the Pulaski exit, turn right and travel to the first stop light in the village, turn left onto Route 11, turn right at the first light and follow Route 5 to the intersection with Route 3 (Great Lakes Seaway Trail) at Port Ontario. Turn right (north) onto Route 3. Deer Creek Marsh WMA is on the left with a cartop boat launch parking area between Route 5 and Rainbow Shores Road and parking off Kelly Drive and Rainbow Shores Road.

(Pulaski, NY – June 7, 2011) On June 6 State Police responded to 132 Sherman Lacy Road in the Town of Richland to check on the welfare of the resident, 46 year-old, Ellen M. Boyle.  Troopers were contacted by Boyle’s employer after she failed to show up at work.

A subsequent search discovered Boyle deceased in a small stream located on her property within a wooded area.  Boyle had a history of health issues including a recent surgery.  The scene appears to be consistent with an accidental or natural death.

An autopsy is expected to be performed to determine the cause of death.

(Town of Albion, NY - June 4, 2011) The New York State Police in Pulaski investigated a fatal ATV accident that occurred off Centerville Road around 8:10 p.m. on June 4.

Christopher F. Carrier, 45, of 554 Centerville Road, Pulaski was operating a 2007 Polaris ATV in a north direction on a private ATV trail when he struck a wire across the trail that was approximately 18 inches off the ground.  This caused the wire to spring up and strike Carrier in the neck area.  Both he and passenger, Desmond Parsons, 22, of 600 Centerville Road, Pulaski were ejected from the ATV.

Carrier sustained a severe neck injury and was pronounced at Oswego Hospital ER at 9:58 p.m.

Parsons was transported to Upstate Hospital and treated for a shoulder injury.

No charges are expected to be filed.

(May 2011) District attorney’s offices in 22 counties across Upstate New York have received $477,836 in grants that they will distribute to police departments and sheriff’s offices in their jurisdictions so those agencies can institute or expand the practice of video recording interviews of suspects in custody.

Awarded by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), the one-time grants will fund equipment purchase and installation; funding is made possible through the federal Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program.

This the fourth round of grants that DCJS has awarded to support video recording of custodial interrogations, which has been endorsed as a best practice by the New York State District Attorneys’ Association, the New York State Sheriffs’ Association and the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police. In December, those associations, along with the New York City Police Department and New York State Police, adopted statewide protocols designed to ensure the integrity of the practice. The New York State Bar Association also is a staunch advocate of the practice and has provided funding for its implementation in five counties.

All told, DCJS has invested more than $2 million in federal Byrne JAG money to assist local law enforcement with this initiative. Recordings capture critical evidence needed in the investigation and prosecution of criminal cases and preserve information used to resolve a person’s claim of innocence.

“New York State is committed to supporting initiatives that enhance the integrity of the criminal justice system,” DCJS Acting Commissioner Sean M. Byrne said. “Video recording custodial interviews allows local law enforcement to preserve evidence, safeguard the rights of the accused and protect police officers from false claims. I commend police and prosecutors from agencies large and small for embracing this important public safety initiative.”

These grants will allow law enforcement officials in 13 counties – Allegany, Delaware, Essex, Lewis, Montgomery, Oswego, Orleans, Putnam, Schuyler, St. Lawrence, Steuben, Wayne and Yates – to institute the practice while their colleagues in nine others – Cayuga, Chenango, Dutchess, Jefferson, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange, Saratoga and Westchester – will enhance existing programs.

Stephen P. Younger, president of the state Bar Association, said: “Recording an interrogation on videotape can expose a false confession – or remove doubt about the fairness of the interrogation process. In either case, justice is served.”

Added Franklin County District Attorney Derek P. Champagne, who serves as president of the state District Attorneys’ Association: “The District Attorneys Association of the State of New York (DAASNY) embraces the video recording of interrogations. These generous grants from DCJS will go a long way in helping to support law enforcement’s efforts to install and enhance the technology needed to implement the goal of video recording interrogations.”

Rensselaer County Sheriff Jack Mahar, who serves as president of the New York State Sheriffs’ Association, said: “Video recording of custodial interviews creates a permanent record of exactly what occurred, and prevents disputes about officers’ conduct, the treatment of suspects and statements they made. Jurors in criminal cases will be able to see and hear a defendant’s words and action for themselves, and will be able to tell when defendants are evasive, have changed their version of the incident, or are simply not forthcoming.”

Added Dryden Police Chief Margaret E. Ryan, who serves as president of the Chiefs’ Association: “Electronic recordings of custodial interrogations enhance the investigative process and assist in the investigation and prosecution of criminal cases.  While these funds are a fraction of what is necessary to allow all agencies in the state to fully participate in this program, it greatly expands the number of agencies who are not already utilizing electronic recordings, and assists in the ability to conduct electronic recorded interrogations and allow all facets of law enforcement to work cooperatively throughout the state to enhance this public safety initiative.   The New York State Association of Chiefs of Police commend the state’s continued support of videotaping confessions as it not only promotes safe communities but builds the public’s confidence in the criminal justice system as well.”

With the awarding of these grants, 58 of the state’s 62 counties will have video recording capabilities. The grant awards are as follows:

* Allegany County District Attorney’s Office: $19,519 for the Allegany County Sheriff’s Office, and the Alfred, Cuba and Wellsville police departments.

* Cayuga County District Attorney’s Office: $4,915 for the Auburn Police Department.

* Chenango County District Attorney’s Office: $29,849 for the Afton, Bainbridge, Greene, New Berlin, Norwich, Oxford and Sherburne police departments and the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office.

* Delaware County District Attorney’s Office: $24,980 for the Colchester, Delhi, Hancock, Sidney and Walton police departments.

* Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office: $5,000 for the Hyde Park Police Department.

* Essex County District Attorney’s Office: $14,809 for the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, and Moriah and Ticonderoga police departments.

* Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office: $15,372 for the Adams, Alexandria Bay, Cape Vincent, Carthage, Clayton, Sackets Harbor and West Carthage police departments.

* Lewis County District Attorney’s Office: $10,000 for the Lowville Police Department and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

* Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office: $23,561 for the Amsterdam, Canajoharie, Fort Plains and St. Johnsville police departments.

* Oneida County District Attorney’s Office: $50,000 for the Boonville, Kirkland, New York Mills, Oriskany, Sherrill, Vernon, Whitesboro and Whitestown police departments and Oneida County Sheriff’s Office.

* Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office: $17,016 for the Geddes, East Syracuse, North Syracuse and Skaneateles police departments.

* Oswego County District Attorney’s Office: $23,105 for the Fulton, Oswego, Phoenix and Pulaski police departments and the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office.

* Orange County District Attorney’s Office: $29,200 for the Chester, Cornwall, Crawford, Montgomery, Monroe, Wallkill, Warwick and Woodbury police departments.

* Orleans County District Attorney’s Office: $18,648 for the Albion, Holley and Medina police departments and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office.

* Putnam County District Attorney’s Office: $15,000 for the Carmel and Kent police departments and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

* Saratoga County District Attorney’s Office: $25,000 for its office, as well as the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office and the Mechanicville, Saratoga Springs and Waterford (town and village) police departments.

* Schuyler County District Attorney’s Office: $9,620 for the Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office and Watkins Glen Police Department.

* St. Lawrence County District Attorney’s Office: $30,000 for the Canton, Gouverneur, Massena, Ogdensburg and Potsdam police departments and the St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office.

* Steuben County District Attorney’s Office: $39,489 for the Addison, Bath, Canisteo, Corning, Hornell, Painted Post and Wayland police departments and the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office.

* Wayne County District Attorney’s Office: $17,972 for the Lyons, Newark and Macedon police departments and the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.

* Westchester County District Attorney’s Office: $45,161 for the Bronxville, Dobbs Ferry, Eastchester, Harrison, Mamaroneck (town and village), Mount Kisco, North Castle, Sleepy Hollow and Yorktown Heights police departments.

* Yates County District Attorney’s Office: $9,620 for the Penn Yan Police Department and Yates County Sheriff’s Office.

DCJS (www.criminaljustice.state.ny.us) is a multi-function criminal justice support agency with a variety of responsibilities, including collection and analysis of statewide crime data; operation of the DNA databank and criminal fingerprint files; administration of federal and state criminal justice funds; support of criminal justice-related agencies across the state; and administration of the state’s Sex Offender Registry and a toll-free telephone number (1-800-262-3257) that allows anyone to research the status of an offender.

(Pulaski, NY – Feb. 23, 2011) On Feb. 22 State Police in Pulaski arrested, 64 year-old, Lawrence J. Wilkinson, of 105 Larobardiere Road in Mexico, NY with Criminally Negligent Homicide (E-Felony) following a fatal motor vehicle accident that occurred on Nov. 15, 2010 on Peter Scott Road, in the Town of Schroeppel.

Wilkinson left his 1978 Ford F-600 stake truck parked unattended partially in the northbound lane of Peter Scott Road while he was farming land adjacent to the road.  The vehicle was parked on a dark, unlit road without sufficient illuminating lights and/or reflectors, which would be visible to traffic.

Wilkinson’s vehicle was struck in the rear by a 2003 Toyota Tundra being operated by Eric A. Wilsey, 30. Wilsey was travelling north on Peter Scott Road with passenger Shawn M. Gronau, 17, when the accident occurred.

Gronau was pronounced deceased at the scene of the accident.

Wilkinson was also issued vehicle and traffic tickets for his failure to utilize emergency lighting while parked and parking on a public highway without reflectors or signaling devices.

He was arraigned in the Town of Sandy Creek Court and released to appear in the Town of Schroeppel Court on March 9, 2011 at 7 p.m.

(Liverpool, NY

(Pulaski, NY

(Albion, NY – July 10, 2010) -

(Albion, NY – July 10, 2010) -

(Pulaski, NY – June 26, 2010) -