The Sullivan Times - Issue #5

The Sullivan Times We cover and uncover the big stories in Sullivan County, NY.

Friday, October 5, 2018 - Issue 5

Eldred Man in Crash With Trooper Says He Fell Asleep At Wheel From Exhaustion -- Denies Drugs Played A Role

By Rich Klein

​ Accident scene Wednesday night on Route 55 in Bethel - Photo courtesy of White Lake Fire Department/Chief Brendon Cunningham

BETHEL, October 5, 2018 ​-- Jesse VanEps, the 18-year-old Eldred man involved in a serious motor vehicle crash with State Trooper Brandon Smith on Route 55 early Wednesday evening, has told ​The Sullivan Times ​ that he “fell asleep at the wheel” and that he was not impaired by drugs or alcohol. State Police said in a news release yesterday the incident is under investigation but have charged VanEps with Driving While Ability Impaired by drugs (DWAI Drugs).

Reached earlier today, Trooper Steven Nevel, the public information officer for Troop F, said that he could not identify the specific kind of drugs that resulted in the charge, adding that “I do not know what kind of drugs that he had in his system​.”

Nevel’s news release issued late Thursday said VanEps was given an appearance ticket and is scheduled before the Town of Bethel Court on Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at 5 p.m. As of Thursday night, VanEps said that he and his parents had not yet retained an attorney.

VanEps, interviewed Thursday night via Facebook messages, said that he spent Wednesday night in the hospital (Catskill Regional) and then went to State Police in Liberty “since they thought I was under the influence of drugs. I wasn't on drugs and I've never done drugs for enjoyment. The only drugs that I take are prescription drugs and I take them the way I'm supposed to.

And I’ve never had an alcoholic drink in my life.”

The incident happened near Wormuth Road, according to White Lake Fire Chief Brendon Cunningham, who added that the Kauneonga Lake Fire Department assisted. Cunningham said that when he arrived soon after 6:30, two off-duty officers from the Sheriff’s Office were already present and were helping the two injured drivers. Cunningham said that Smith had already stumbled out of his vehicle and immediately went to check on VanEps, who made it a point to say that Smith did approach him right after the accident and asked him if he was okay.

Asked how he thought the accident happened, VanEps said: “​It was because I've been having trouble sleeping for the past few nights. ​I fell asleep at the wheel and turned into the ditch. I (then) woke up and swerved to try to get back on the road but I over corrected and hit the trooper.” VanEps noted that he was up until ​2 am or 2:30 am early Thursday before falling asleep and then had to “wake up early (Thursday) for my college classes.” ​VanEps said that he was on his way back home to Eldred from his classes at SUNY Sullivan. Smith -- a three-sport athlete at Livingston Manor and later at Hartwick College -- was also transferred to Catskill Regional Hospital. Both accident victims have since been released with minor injuries. Both Nevel and Cunningham agreed both men were very lucky due to the high impact of the collision.

“The ​officer came to see if I was all right, “ VanEps said. “I wasn't really trapped and we both got assisted at the same time. I could climb out of my Jeep but I got assisted with getting down by a ladder and they held it so it wouldn't tip,” VanEps said. “I apologized to him (Trooper Smith) because I felt bad for hitting him because I didn't mean to do it.” ​Aaron Corrice, a former classmate at Eldred High School, said in an interview Friday: “​Jesse was actually a really good student. He never got in trouble...he was always the quiet kid in the back. I never thought something like this would happen especially with him.” As for drugs, Corrice said VanEps “was never the type of kid to do s---t like that. He was always doing everything he was asked.”

Jeffersonville Man Accused of Raping 2 Minors Employed in Lake Huntington JEFFERSONVILLE​ - Miguel Ramos, 22, has worked since early August in the warehouse at beverage distributor Gasko & Meyer in Lake Huntington, according to his boss Jeffrey Nober, a company owner who said Ramos was a good employee. The suspect has been arrested and charged with raping two 15-year-olds. Ramos lives on Jefferson Avenue here with his mother and grandmother and is believed to have multiple siblings.

Nober, reached by phone, revealed on Thursday that Ramos was actually arrested at his place of employment last week. But he asserted that the the sex crimes Ramos is being accused of did not happen at work.

A news release issued last week by Sullivan County Undersheriff Eric Chaboty states that Ramos is being charged with 14 felony counts of third degree rape and first degree criminal contempt. Ramos is also facing multiple misdemeanor charges of sexual misconduct and three misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Both victims are said to be age 15 but no further information was given.

Many questions remain unanswered about the allegations, including the date and general location of the incident. And, it’s unclear if the rapes happened on the same day or are being treated as separate incidents. District Attorney Jim Farreell was unavailable at press time to answer these and other questions and Chaboty did not reply to emails asking for this information.

The suspect was arraigned before Town of Callicoon Judge Edward T. McKenna and remanded without bail to Sullivan County Jail. Court Clerk. His court clerk would not divulge any other information about the arraignment.

The Ramos family, originally from New York City, are reportedly renters. Their landlord, who has ties to Jeffersonville, reportedly now lives in Syracuse and could not be reached for comment.

Judge Orseck Deliberating On Parksville’s Joe Peters Wade St. Germain, co-owner of Cabernet Frank’s, Will Appear Oct. 31 PARKSVILLE - ​Town of Liberty Judge Kirk Orseck is reportedly continuing to deliberate after a bench trial held last month in connection with a physical confrontation between Joe Peters Sr. of Parksville and RJ Baker, one of his next door neighbors.

Baker owns Beaverkill Studios and is co-owner of Cabernet Frank’s with husband Wade St. Germain, who had a separate physical confrontation with Peters on Main Street and Short Avenue in July that landed him in the emergency room with a series of injuries.

That brawl included Peters and his son, Joe Peters Jr. as well as Baker and April Slegona, who works at Cabernet Frank’s and who also sustained minor injuries. Baker has owned the Cabernet Frank’s and Beaverkill Studio properties since the early 2000s.

Peters lives next door and also operates Peters Glass on the street.

Peters has waged a vocal campaign in person and online consistently for about two years, trying to publicly embarrass the restaurant/bar/entertainment venue. Peters has asserted regularly that he wants to put them out of business. ​The incidents include telling customers not to eat there and putting up signs that accuse the couple of killing stray cats.The accusation about the cats is what both sides say triggered the hostility in June 2017.

One Sunday July 2018, Peters’ set up a chair on the corner of Main Street and Short Avenue where the shuttered drugstore stands and continued to hold signs up that chased customers away. St. Germain, who has said he is ncreasingly frustrated that local law enforcement has not taken stiff action against Peters, approached Peters and shoved his sign away.

That led to a fight between the pair that soon escalated when supporters of both Peters and St. Germain joined the scuffle that was streamed live on Facebook.

“I was punched by both Joes several times and knocked to the ground,” St. Germain said in July. “ I have a big shiner and contusions on my arm and still totally numb on the left side of my mouth and nose.” He added that he was seeing double and had previous concussions.

Regardless, St. Germain has to appear before Judge Orseck on October 31 on a disorderly conduct charge from that incident. Peters earlier this year was warned in open court by former Assistant District Attorney Michael J. Andreani to immediately case from harassing his neighbors or he would most certainly end up in jail. But Andreani is no longer part of DA Jim Farrell’s team and Peters showed little sign of stopping the harassment on Main Street and on Facebook. Chief Assistant District Attorney Robert L. Zangla has replaced Andreani on the case.

Monticello attorney John Ferrrara is representing Peters but has continually declined comment “I will not comment publicly upon pending litigation outside the court proceedings,” he said in July. “Any comment I have will be made only in the court proceedings.”

Peters Jr. previously acknowledged that state police arrested his father in July after the brawl “for violating the order of protection and stalking.” That order of protection expires in February 2019 but St. Germain and Baker say it has been violated repeatedly without consequences. Peters Sr. was held overnight in Sullivan County Jail the Monday after the brawl but was released less than 24 hours later after making the $10,000 bail imposed by Orseck.

The Peters have consistently argued that the ongoing tensions has been about feral cats: Peters was feeding them and refused to stop after many requests by St. Germain and Baker. So the couple said that they later safely removed the cats from the area to maintain the sanitation of their restaurant business. St. Germain and Baker believe strongly that they are being targeted only because they are gay since Peters has made anti-gay statements in many of his verbal and online attacks. They also remain baffled as to why county and state law enforcement officials have not investigated any of these incidents as hate crimes.

EDITORIAL Sullivan County Undersheriff Eric Chaboty does not consider this digital-only newspaper “legitimate” and yesterday told us he would no longer send us news releases that he regularly sends to other media outlets in the County. That’s his choice, of cause, and there’s no Freedom of Information Law that says he must include us. We appealed to him and even sent a link to our online subscription page on Issuu, where hundreds of media outlets publish in full or in part. But we were met with silence.

While Mr. Chaboty does not have an obligation to The Sullivan Times, shouldn’t he and Sheriff Michael Schiff have an obligation to adequately inform the public about crimes committed in his jurisdiction? In our story today regarding the arrest of Miguel Ramos, for example, we tried to find out when these alleged rapes occurred. So we sent an email asking Chaboty since that information was nowhere to be found in the release that we did find online. No reply. So was Ramos arrested for rapes in 2018 or last year or two years ago? Again, the public has no clue. We are sensitive that minors were victims here and that’s beyond heartbreaking to hear. We would never publish the names of any crime victims who are minors or youthful offenders. But when someone is charged with multiple felonies and misdemeanors in a sex crime case, the public ought to know at least when and in what town or village they might have occurred. In fact, that kind of baseline information could also lead to more victims coming forward to the District Attorney’s Office. If divulging such information in any way risks interfering with an ongoing investigation, then just say that.

We have respectfully urged Schiff and Chaboty to reconsider this unfortunate policy of media exclusion. Another option might be to create a Facebook page for the Sheriff’s Office and post news releases there. That way, the media and the public at large would have access to important information that might have the added benefit of solving the most heinous crimes.

Whatever happens, we will not be scared off any story just because the powers-that-be don’t like our reporting or don’t consider us legitimate. Most trained journalists never rely exclusively on the official statement and call it “news.” It’s our job to use it only as a starting point towards the goal of balanced reporting. Your thoughts? Post to our Facebook page or send a Letter to the Editor via sullivancatskillstimes@gmail.com​ -- Rich Klein (Editor & Publisher)

The Sullivan Times Editor & Publisher: Rich Klein PO Box 502 Jeffersonville NY 12748 sullivancatskillstimes@gmail.com On Facebook and Instagram

Town of Thompson Recognized by Sullivan Renaissance Helen Valenti Budrock (third from right) of Sullivan Renaissance presents a plaque to Town of Thompson Town Board as well as the town’s parks director earlier this week for their work to improve the town’s parks. From left: Council members Peter Briggs, Scott Mace and John Pavese; Supervisor William J. Rieber, Jr., Budrock, who is the assistant director and community planner for Sullivan Renaissance. Council Member Melinda S. Meddaugh and Parks Director Glenn Somers. ​(photo by Rich Klein)