DA Hoovler Announces Conviction After Jury Trial in Narcotics Case

April 8, 2022

DA Hoovler Announces Conviction After Jury Trial in Narcotics Case

Port Jervis Man Convicted of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree for possessing 43 grams of Fentanyl and 9.5 grams of Cocaine
Port Jervis Police Department, Orange County Drug Taskforce, the Town of Wallkill Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Special Operations Group executed
Search Warrant in Town of Wallkill Hotel Room

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that on Friday, April 8, 2022, Sheldon Cooper, age 36, of Port Jervis, was convicted following a jury trial in the Orange County Court of all charges against him including Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree. Cooper faces a maximum sentence of twelve years in state prison and three years of post-release supervision when he is sentenced on June 9, 2022. Cooper was remanded to the Orange County Jail without bail following the jury’s verdict.
Cooper was arrested following the execution of a search warrant at the Hampton Inn hotel located in Town of Wallkill. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Group aided in the execution of the search warrant at the hotel. The seizure was the result of an investigation conducted by the City of Port Jervis Police Department, who were assisted by the Orange County Drug Taskforce, and the Town of Wallkill Police Department. Cooper was arrested by the Town of Wallkill Police Department.
Among the items seized during the execution of the search warrant were approximately 43 grams of fentanyl, approximately 9.5 grams of cocaine, a digital scale, packaging materials commonly used for narcotics sales, $4,621.00 and approximately 34.5 grams of a substance commonly used as cutting agent by those involved in narcotics sales. At the time of the execution of the warrant, there was also a two and a half-year-old child in the room with the suspected narcotics. The search warrant, which was drafted with the aid of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, was part of an investigation into illicit narcotics sales in the City of Port Jervis.
District Attorney Hoovler thanked the City of Port Jervis Police Department, the Town of Wallkill Police Department and the Orange County Drug Taskforce for their investigation and the arrest of the defendant.
“We face an ongoing battle against the scourge of dangerous drugs in our communities,” said District Attorney David M. Hoovler. “I am particularly troubled in this case by the presence of Fentanyl, an incredibly lethal substance, around children. My Office will continue to pursue those that profit from the sale of narcotics and bring them to justice. We will seek to hold those offenders accountable, even in the face of the challenges presented by the pandemic. I commend the efforts of the Port Jervis Police Department, the Wallkill Police Department, and the Orange County Sheriff and the collaborative efforts all the other law enforcement agencies who aided in this investigation and in this search warrant execution.”
District Attorney Hoovler highly commended Senior Assistant District Attorney Janine Kovacs and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bennett who prosecuted the case.

A criminal charge is merely an allegation by the police that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.