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VOLUME 135 — WHOLE 7080
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017
Walton Approves Assessor, Code Enforcer Contracts, Franchise Agreement Page 3
Accused and Acquitted Downsville Man Not Guilty of Alleged Sex Crimes
By Lillian Browne DELHI - A Downsville man was cleared of sex crime charges by a jury of his peers in Delaware County Court on Thursday, Sept. 7 in just over an hour of deliberations. That, defense attorney James Hartmann of Delhi said, speaks volumes about the evidence. There was none, Hartmann said - except the accusation of an 18-year old male, who said Gary L. Haynes, 60, restrained him and forcibly engaged him in anal sex when he was 13 years old, in 2012, and an accusation by another male who claims he was forced to engage in oral sex with Haynes in January and then again in March, 2016. Haynes was charged in October 2016 with one count of first-degree criminal sexual act, one count of endangering the welfare of a child, one count of second-degree unlawful imprisonment, and two counts of third-degree criminal sexual act as a result of the accusations.
The seriousness of the accusations against Haynes devastated his family and shocked his community, Hartmann said. Haynes has maintained his innocence from his arrest to his not guilty plea in early November 2016, to the witness stand last Thursday. It was not just Haynes’ testimony that helped the jury to arrive at a finding of not guilty, it was the testimonial evidence and documentation presented by two other witnesses for the defense. Haynes could not have committed the crimes he was accused of because he was outof-state, in Kentucky, working, during the 2012 time frame, and was an in-patient in Wilson Hospital in Broome County, in a diabetic coma, during the 2016 time frame, Haartmann said. The travesty of the matter, Hartmann said, is that the case should have never gone to trial. Both accusers testified under oath, on Wednesday, See Acquitted page 3
Contributed Photo
Fundraising Goal Reached for Delhi Boy’s Service Dog By Rosie Cunningham DELHI - A little boy will be getting his dog. Evan Kruppo’s
Serving Delaware County and the Surrounding Areas Since 1881 ———— Delaware County’s Leading News Source
family and his community have been working diligently to raise the necessary $17,000 for an assistance service canine and the goal has been met. Evan has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). “I just mailed the last checks and I have to wait for them to be processed,” said Evan’s mother, Patti Kruppo. She said she is just waiting to find out what the next steps are. In an earlier interview, Kruppo said she believes the dog will be an asset to the family because of “elopement” issues. “Evan is often unaware of the hazards posed by water, roads and parking lots,” she See Service Dog page 4
High School Football & Soccer Guide Inserted
Stamford Trucking Company Delivers Water to Houston By Rosie Cunningham STAMFORD - Water, water everywhere - but not a drop to drink. This is why Michael O’Connor, of Stamford, decided to send drinking water to Houston following the onslaught of Tropical Storm Harvey, which unleashed catastrophic flooding Aug. 26. The husband, father of three and owner of Michael O’Connor Trucking, organized the trip last week, doing what he could to help out. The delivery was made Sept. 9 (truck was loaded Sept. 7). “My aunt, Sheila Gallagher, lives in Cairo and she used to live in Houston,” said O’Connor. “She contacted me and said she was collecting supplies and could I send a truck. When I arrived, I realized she didn’t have enough stuff. So, I got a hold of Phil Gerster (Gerster Trucking out of Davenport) and put what she had collected on his truck because he was sending goods and supplies down as well.” According to O’Connor, after discussion with Gerster, he sent one of his own down, too, full
of donated Nirvana Spring Water. “My driver Mark Lutz, delivered the shipment to San Antonio,” he said.
While O’Connor and his company donated their time, Don and Debbie Coager of South See Stamford Trucking page 7
Contributed Photo
Michael O’Connor of Stamford with his son Sean, in front of one of his Stamford-based company trucks, donated his time and service to those who were effected by disastrous Hurricane Harvey.
Water-Sewer Rates, Police Pay Raised in Walton By Lillian Browne
Evan Kruppo reached his fundraising goal to acquire a service dog from 4 Paws for Ability in Ohio.
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WALTON - No one spoke in favor of or against an increase in water and sewer rates at a public hearing held immediately before a meeting of the Walton Trustees on Sept. 11. Users will see an increase of 95 cents per quarter on the water capital portion of their water bill beginning in October. Likewise, users will see an increase of $2.95 in the capital portion of their sewer bill. The increases are necessary, Mayor Ed Snow said, because the reserve accounts are nearly empty. The increases will be deposited into capitol accounts to be used for upgrades to infrastructure - including installation of new water pipes and new equipment at the sewer plant. The increases are a reflection of the village planning ahead, Snow said. Police officers also received increases following negotiation
of a new two-year contract in which officers will see a two-percent increase in their rate of pay. The contract expires in 2019. Police responded to a total of 490 calls in August which included 97 property checks, 33 interviews, eight motor vehicle accidents, nine domestic complaints and 12 assists to the fire department, among other calls. Officers drove the two patrol vehicles a total of 3,633 miles using 382 gallons of gas. In addition to routine duties, officers worked 42 hours at traffic control for the Delaware County Fair, issued 91 traffic summonses, made 12 misdemeanor and one felony arrest. In other business: • Trustees approved a request of the Walton Central School District to hold its homecoming parade on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 8:30 a.m. The parade route will begin at the school bus garage on Delaware Street and travel along Bridge Street to Stockton
Avenue to the high school campus. • Trustees approved a $24,000 expenditure at the wastewater treatment plant for upgrades to the lighting system, payable to Taggart Electric in Sidney Center. The cost is fully reimburseable by New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The purchase of a replacement sludge pump was also authorized at a cost of $3,188.25 and the replacement sludge press conveyor belt at a cost of $2,050. The replacement items costs will be shared by the village (80 percent) and DEP (20 percent.) • The wastewater treatment plant violated state turbidity limits, which were remedied without a fine. The turbid discharge from the plant lasted for 2,496 minutes. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Walton Village Trustees will be on Oct. 2 at 6 p.m.
Hobart’s Festival of Women Writers, Another Shining Success By Rosie Cunningham HOBART - It was a weekend of creativity, friendship and quite a but of fun in the village of Hobart for the Festival of Women Writers (FWW) which kicked off Friday, Sept. 8, and ran through Sunday, Sept. 10. The annual event has become highly anticipated, unique among cultural happenings in the Catskill Region, especially in Delaware County. The Festival celebrated its fifth year in the Hobart Book Village, “the reading capital of New York state.” Hobart hosted a diversity of working women writers, and Main Street was busy with workshops, readings and other writing activities. Nov-
Rosie Cunningham/The Reporter
Poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths read on the last day of the Festival of Women Writers in Hobart. elists, short story and young adult fiction writers, memoirists, poets and bloggers were all represented. Over the past four years,
the Festival brought fifty-two published writers, who presented seventy-three workshops and forty-one author See Women Writers page 4