Albany, NY
Police & Fire
Trio Uses Dating App To Lure Robbery Victim In Capital Region, Police Say Trio Uses Dating App To Lure Robbery Victim In Capital Region, Police Say
Trio Uses Dating App To Lure Robbery Victim In Capital Region, Police Say He thought he was meeting a woman he’d talked to online, but a man from the region ended up staring down the barrels of two guns instead. Troy Police were called just before 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18, for an armed robbery near Congress and Cypress streets. The victim told officers he had been messaging a woman on a popular dating app when she suggested that they meet up in an alleyway. When the man arrived, he was confronted by two men who displayed what appeared to be handguns and demanded his property. He complied and the suspects fled the scene. Troy Police detectives pursued several lead…

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by Michael Mashburn
Albany, NY
Police & Fire
Capital Region Firefighter Stole From Hospitalized Patients' Homes, Police Say Capital Region Firefighter Stole From Hospitalized Patients' Homes, Police Say
Capital Region Firefighter Stole From Hospitalized Patients' Homes, Police Say He was sent to help them, but police say a paramedic from the region stole from his patients after they were hospitalized. Albany County resident Devvan Farina, age 39, of Albany, was arrested on multiple felony charges, including burglary, on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Bethlehem Police said Farina stole from multiple homes while working as a paramedic for the Albany County Sheriff’s Office in Bethlehem and a firefighter for the city of Troy. He targeted homes that he knew were unoccupied after the residents had been taken to the hospital, police said. It was not immediately clear how many people we…

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by Michael Mashburn
Clifton Park, NY
News
Woman Admits Stealing $550K From Capital Region Employer: 'A Crime Of Greed' Woman Admits Stealing $550K From Capital Region Employer: 'A Crime Of Greed'
Woman Admits Stealing $550K From Capital Region Employer: 'A Crime Of Greed' Years of prison await a woman from the region who confessed to stealing more than a half million dollars from her employer. Rensselaer County resident Debra Powers, age 64, of Troy, pleaded guilty to theft and tax fraud in Saratoga County Court on Friday, Jan. 19. According to prosecutors, Powers admitted to using a company credit card for personal use while employed at Cascades Inc., located in the town of Waterford. An investigation by New York State Police found that she stole $548,993 over a five-year period. She concealed the unauthorized purchases by submitting phony, altered, or in…

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by Michael Mashburn
Albany, NY
Obituaries
‘Beautiful Heart, Soul': National Guard Member From Capital Region Dies At Age 33 ‘Beautiful Heart, Soul': National Guard Member From Capital Region Dies At Age 33
‘Beautiful Heart, Soul': National Guard Member From Capital Region Dies At Age 33 Tributes are pouring in for a beloved New York Army National Guard member from the region following her untimely death. Heather St. Pierre, formerly of Troy in Rensselaer County, died at her Cambridge home in Washington County on Thursday, Jan. 11 at the age of 33, according to her obituary. A cause of death was not given. Born in Albany, St. Pierre graduated from Hoosic Valley Central School in 2008, where she holds school records in pole vaulting and track. She later obtained a criminal justice degree from Bryant & Stratton College. St. Pierre was a member of the Military Police ou…

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by Michael Mashburn
Albany, NY
Police & Fire
Tip Helps Nab 25-Year-Old With Illegal Gun, Drugs, Over $20K In Capital Region, Police Say Tip Helps Nab 25-Year-Old With Illegal Gun, Drugs, Over $20K In Capital Region, Police Say
Tip Helps Nab 25-Year-Old With Illegal Gun, Drugs, Over $20K In Capital Region, Police Say A man from the region is facing drug and weapons charges thanks to an anonymous tip to police. In Rensselaer County, Richawn McClain, age 25, of Troy, was arrested Tuesday, Jan. 9. Troy Police officers were called to the area of River and Rensselaer streets after someone submitted an anonymous tip on the agency’s website reporting suspicious activity. During their investigation, detectives identified McClain as the suspect. A surveillance team spotted him a short time later and arrested him without incident. McClain was found with oxycodone pills and an illegal handgun loaded with 13 roun…

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by Michael Mashburn
Albany, NY
Business
'Inhumane, Cruel': Manager Throws Water On Homeless Man During NY Snowstorm (Video) 'Inhumane, Cruel': Manager Throws Water On Homeless Man During NY Snowstorm (Video)
'Inhumane, Cruel': Manager Throws Water On Homeless Man During NY Snowstorm (Video) A manager at a New York bowling alley has been fired after he was seen in a now-viral video dowsing a homeless man in water during a snowstorm. The shocking scene played out Saturday night, Jan. 6, in Rensselaer County at the Uncle Sam Lanes in Troy. Video shared on Facebook shows a man who appears to be homeless attempting to enter the business as an employee yells for him to leave. “Quickly!” the employee shouts while raising a Coors bucket filled with water. The man then turns around and begins walking toward another set of doors to leave the business as the employee follows. “You got…

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by Michael Mashburn
Albany, NY
Police & Fire
Man Sets Fire To Veterans Building In Capital Region, Police Say Man Sets Fire To Veterans Building In Capital Region, Police Say
Man Sets Fire To Veterans Building In Capital Region, Police Say A man is facing arson charges after allegedly setting fire to a veterans' organization building in the region. The incident happened at around 9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 1 in Troy, at the Veterans of Lansingburgh club on 1st Avenue. Troy Police said multiple people called 911 reporting a fire on the building’s exterior. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the flames with minimal damage reported to the building. Police said witnesses identified the suspect as 43-year-old Michael Christianson, of Troy. Officers found him a short time later near the scene and arrested him. Christianson wa…

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by Michael Mashburn
Clifton Park, NY
Police & Fire
Prop Movie Money Used By NY Woman To Steal Car, Police Say Prop Movie Money Used By NY Woman To Steal Car, Police Say
Prop Movie Money Used By NY Woman To Steal Car, Police Say A woman from the region is accused of pulling a fast one on a car seller by using counterfeit money to steal their vehicle. State Police in Rensselaer County said troopers were first contacted in July 2023 by a Troy resident claiming that a woman had tried to purchase their car using fraudulent money. The woman allegedly gave the victim multiple counterfeit bills in exchange for a car that had been listed on Facebook Marketplace. Fortunately, the victim realized the money was fake and refused to go through with the transaction. Weeks later, troopers in Warren County received a complaint f…

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by Michael Mashburn
Albany, NY
News
Teen Admits Having Machine Gun At Capital Region Home Teen Admits Having Machine Gun At Capital Region Home
Teen Admits Having Machine Gun At Capital Region Home An 18-year-old from the region could spend years behind bars after being busted with a machine gun. Rensselaer County resident Ahmed AlSaadi, of Troy, pleaded guilty to weapons charges in Albany federal court on Thursday, Dec. 21. Prosecutors said AlSaadi admitted that in August 2023 he possessed three machine gun conversion devices and a Glock handgun that had been modified with such a device. The conversion devices can be attached to a handgun allowing the weapon to shoot and function as a fully automatic machine gun. AlSaadi was arrested following a joint investigation by the ATF, FBI…

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by Michael Mashburn
Albany, NY
News
New Update: One Capital Region Teen Located, 13-Year-Old Still Missing Weeks Later New Update: One Capital Region Teen Located, 13-Year-Old Still Missing Weeks Later
New Update: One Capital Region Teen Located, 13-Year-Old Still Missing Weeks Later This story has been updated. A 16-year-old girl from the region has been located after going missing for several days. Julissa O’Reilly, of Troy, had last been seen on Tuesday, Dec. 5, in the city’s downtown area. On Saturday, Dec. 9, Troy Police announced that she was located in Lansingburgh and was reunited with her family. In an unrelated case, Schenectady Police are still asking for help in locating 13-year-old Gabrella Lopez, who disappeared on Wednesday, Nov. 22. No other information was provided. Anyone with information is asked to contact the department’s Youth Aid Bureau at 51…

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by Michael Mashburn
Albany, NY
Business
Big Lots Closing Capital Region Store Big Lots Closing Capital Region Store
Big Lots Closing Capital Region Store Big Lots is closing one of its stores, leaving just three locations left in the region. In Albany County, the discount retailer will shutter its Colonie store – located at 1892 Central Avenue – by the end of January 2024, a company spokesperson confirmed to Daily Voice. “Consistent with standard retail practices, we review our store footprint on an ongoing basis to make sure we’re best positioned to serve our customers and our business,” they said. “Sometimes this process results in store closings or relocations.” Big Lots shoppers can still visit the following Capital Region locations: M…

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by Michael Mashburn
Albany, NY
News
16-Year-Old, Second Suspect Nabbed After Robbery, Police Chase In Capital Region 16-Year-Old, Second Suspect Nabbed After Robbery, Police Chase In Capital Region
16-Year-Old, Second Suspect Nabbed After Robbery, Police Chase In Capital Region Two suspects, including a 16-year-old boy, are behind bars after allegedly robbing a man at gunpoint in the region. Police in Rensselaer County were called at around 3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 7, for a robbery in Troy’s Lansingburgh neighborhood, near 5th Avenue and 112th Street. The 57-year-old victim told officers that the suspects stole prescription pills from him, according to Troy Police. The man was not injured during the ordeal. Officers searched the surrounding area and located two male suspects a short time later. They tried running from police but were quickly arrested. While being ap…

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by Michael Mashburn