Mount Pleasant, NY
News
Family, Officer Save Man In BMW Barely Breathing Outside Area Mall Family, Officer Save Man In BMW Barely Breathing Outside Area Mall
Family, Officer Save Man In BMW Barely Breathing Outside Area Mall Saving a young man dying from a heroin overdose was a harrowing, life-changing event for a family of six, but just another day at work for police and EMS personnel. The Colucci family of Hopewell Junction was out for a day of fun and a movie at the Poughkeepsie Galleria Mall when a stop of two minutes for the kids to use the bathroom turned the day of enjoyment into one of fear. When leaving the mall, the mother, Jenn Colucci, noticed a black BMW parked down a couple spots had the door open and the bell was dinging over and over. At first, she thought nothing of it, but after loading the k…

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by Kathy Reakes
Norwalk, CT
News
Norwalk Doctor Admits To Painkiller Drug Distribution, Health Care Fraud Norwalk Doctor Admits To Painkiller Drug Distribution, Health Care Fraud
Norwalk Doctor Admits To Painkiller Drug Distribution, Health Care Fraud A 71-year-old doctor from Connecticut pleaded guilty on Monday, June 25 to federal narcotics distribution and health care fraud charges. Bharat Patel of Milford entered his plea in U.S. District Court in New Haven, according to John H. Durham, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) for New England. In pleading guilty, Patel admitted that he wrote hundreds of medically unnecessary prescriptions for oxycodone and hydrocodone, and received nearly $159,000 as a result, according to Durham. Accordin…

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by Jon Craig
Paterson, NJ
Police & Fire
Court: Pair Who Bought Heroin In Paterson Not Liable For User's OD Death Court: Pair Who Bought Heroin In Paterson Not Liable For User's OD Death
Court: Pair Who Bought Heroin In Paterson Not Liable For User's OD Death A New York couple who sold a 25-year-old overdose victim the heroin from Paterson that killed him can't be prosecuted for causing a drug-induced death in New Jersey, a state appeals court ruled. Because Kean Cabral received and used the drug in Warwick in Orange County, authorities in New Jersey don't have jurisdiction to prosecute Anthony Potts and Noel Ferguson, who bought it from a dealer in Paterson, the Appellate Division judges found. "The state has not met its burden of establishing that an 'inference could reasonably be drawn placing the site of the crime within th[is] state',&…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Mount Pleasant, NY
News
Westchester Pair Charged With Selling Tens Of Thousands Of Oxycodone Pills Westchester Pair Charged With Selling Tens Of Thousands Of Oxycodone Pills
Westchester Pair Charged With Selling Tens Of Thousands Of Oxycodone Pills A pair of Westchester residents are among five facing charges for their alleged roles in a drug trafficking organization that distributed tens of thousands of oxycodone pills in the area. Geoffrey Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Yonkers residents Adriel Vasquez, 37 and Cindy Garcia, 40, were among five suspects who are facing charges for conspiracy to distribute the prescription pills in the Bronx and other locales. According to Berman, the five suspects obtained oxycodone pills from individuals with prescriptions, stored and packaged…

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by Zak Failla
Mount Pleasant, NY
Business
Walmart, Sam's Club To Limit Opioid Prescriptions Walmart, Sam's Club To Limit Opioid Prescriptions
Walmart, Sam's Club To Limit Opioid Prescriptions With the country in the midst of an opioid epidemic, Walmart is taking efforts to curtail drug abuse by its customers. Officials announced Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies around the country will fill all opioid prescriptions with no more than a seven-day supply, capping daily dosages at 50 morphine milligram equivalents. The new policy is in line with guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding opioid use and abuse. The new policy is expected to be implemented nationwide within two months. Walmart employees are expected to get additional training and ed…

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by Zak Failla
Stamford, CT
Lifestyle
Drop Off Unused, Unwanted Medication In Stamford Drop Off Unused, Unwanted Medication In Stamford
Drop Off Unused, Unwanted Medication In Stamford With an opioid epidemic crippling many across the country, Stamford health and law enforcement officials are encouraging residents to get rid of old or unused medicine during the annual "Drug Take-Back Day" event on Saturday. The event, which is a free anonymous and environmentally safe way to dispose of unwanted and unused medications, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Stamford Police Department, 805 Bedford St. Those taking part won't even have to get out of their vehicle by using a convenient drive-thru box. No liquids or needles will be accepted. 

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by Kathy Reakes
White Plains, NY
Politics
Westchester, Putnam, Rockland County Execs Share Thoughts On Biggest Issues Westchester, Putnam, Rockland County Execs Share Thoughts On Biggest Issues
Westchester, Putnam, Rockland County Execs Share Thoughts On Biggest Issues Westchester County's new County Executive George Latimer made his Pattern for Progress debut Monday, April 23 as he joined Rockland County Executive Ed Day and Putnam County Executive Mary Ellen Odell for an annual Southern County Leaders discussion. It was held in Putnam County for the first time this year. Moderated by Pattern's President & CEO Jonathan Drapkin, the three county executives discussed some of the major issues facing the lower Hudson Valley, including high taxes, the opioid epidemic, and the need for infrastructure upgrades.  Additional questions came from audience membe…

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by Jon Craig
Newburgh, NY
News
Newburgh Man Pleads Guilty To Drug Dealing Newburgh Man Pleads Guilty To Drug Dealing
Newburgh Man Pleads Guilty To Drug Dealing A 37-year-old man who was busted as part of a massive drug bust dubbed "Aces High," pleaded guilty to criminal sale of a controlled substance for having a half-ounce of cocaine and heroin, according to Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler. Newburgh resident Joe Bailey, a/k/a “Capital,” pleaded guilty Thursday before Orange County Court Judge Robert H. Freehill and admitted to having sold the drugs in the area of South Lander Street and Spring Street, in Newburgh, the DA's Office said. Bailey was arrested by the Orange County Drug Task Force after an Orange County grand ju…

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by Kathy Reakes
Hackensack, NJ
Lifestyle
Recovering Addicts Share Chilling Stories On Bergen Prosecutor Video Series Recovering Addicts Share Chilling Stories On Bergen Prosecutor Video Series
Recovering Addicts Share Chilling Stories On Bergen Prosecutor Video Series If he'd only known he'd be doing heroin at 17 years old, he would have gotten out sooner. That's what one recovering addict said in a new series by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, "If I'd Only Known." "We don't want anyone to say 'If I'd only known,'" the prosecutor's office said on social media. The videos highlight "recovery specialists" from across the county who share their stories and experiences as a former alcohol or drug addict.  The goal is to stop the opioid epidemic that last year claimed the lives of approximately 130 people in Bergen Count…

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by Cecilia Levine
Stamford, CT
News
Blumenthal Seeks Stronger Fight Against Fatal Opioid Epidemic Blumenthal Seeks Stronger Fight Against Fatal Opioid Epidemic
Blumenthal Seeks Stronger Fight Against Fatal Opioid Epidemic U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, urged the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Committee to allocate robust federal funding to fight the opioid epidemic in Connecticut, which now ranks 11th among the national drug overdose mortality rate.  On average, nearly three Connecticut residents die each day from drug overdoses, resulting in a record-setting 1,000 overdose deaths in 2017. The recently-passed Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 authorizes $6 billion over two years to address the opioid crisis. Senate appropriators are currently reviewing requests for…

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by Jon Craig
Armonk, NY
Police & Fire
Investigation Leads To Takedown Of Hudson Valley Drug Distribution Ring Investigation Leads To Takedown Of Hudson Valley Drug Distribution Ring
Investigation Leads To Takedown Of Hudson Valley Drug Distribution Ring More than a dozen alleged Hudson Valley gang members and an alleged drug supplier from New Jersey are facing prison time after a major narcotics distribution ring was broken up as part of “Operation Yellow Brick Road.” New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced a 172-count indictment charging 16 members of the “600 Gang” operating in the Hudson Valley, who were allegedly selling heroin and cocaine in Orange County. Each of the suspects faces up to 25 years in prison. The bust - which was dubbed “Operation Yellow Brick Road,” partially due to ringleader Damion Jackson’s street na…

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by Zak Failla
Hackensack, NJ
Police & Fire
Bergen Sheriff Provides Anti-Heroin Drug To Eligible Jail Inmates Bergen Sheriff Provides Anti-Heroin Drug To Eligible Jail Inmates
Bergen Sheriff Provides Anti-Heroin Drug To Eligible Jail Inmates HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino's staff this week began offering the anti-heroin drug Vivitrol to addicted inmates. “This is just another tool that we can offer with our partners to break the deadly cycle of addiction in our communities,” Saudino said. Eligible inmates enrolled in a program to reintegrate them into society who are struggling with opioid/heroin addiction are being offered the drug. The first two participants are already being monitored "to support them and to measure the impact of this initiative," the sheriff said. The injectable Vivitr…

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by Jerry DeMarco