District Attorney Hoovler Announces Indictments in City of Newburgh Sex Offender Registry Violator Enforcement Operation

May 27, 2017

Twelve Defendants in the City of Newburgh Charged
with Failing to Register as Sex Offenders

Goshen, NY – Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler today announced that twelve defendants have been charged as part of an enforcement action targeting sex offenders in the City of Newburgh who failed to register with the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) and the City of Newburgh Police Department. Four defendants were arrested on May 15, 2017, in an operation conducted by the City of Newburgh Police, with the assistance of the Orange County Department of Probation, New York State Parole, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. All four of those defendants are currently being held in the Orange County Jail. An additional six defendants have been indicted by an Orange County grand jury and charged with felony charges of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Arrest warrants have been issued by the Orange County Court for those defendants. Arrest warrants for two additional defendants have been issued by the Newburgh City Court. The City of Newburgh Police Department and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office are seeking the public’s help in locating those defendants still being sought on County Court and City Court arrest warrants. Anyone with information is urged to contact City of Newburgh Detective Erik Eltz at (845) 569-7560, or the Orange County District Attorney’s Office at (845) 291-2050.

New York’s Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) mandates that individuals convicted of certain crimes be designated as “sex offenders,” and that they register their addresses with DCJS. The law also requires that sex offenders who move register their new addresses within ten calendar days after the change of address. The law further requires that certain sex offenders, designated as Level III sex offenders, personally appear every year at the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over their residence in order to provide a current photograph. Level I and Level II sex offenders are required to appear at least every three years to update their photographs. Violation of SORA is a class E felony and is punishable by up to 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison. A second violation of SORA is a class D felony and is punishable by up to 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison.

The four defendants arrested by the City of Newburgh Police on May 15, 2017, who are currently in Orange County Jail are:

Name
Age
Last Known Address
Charge
Jonathan Massey
45
Newburgh
Failure to Register
E Felony
Richard McNamara
61
Newburgh
Failure to Register​
D Felony
James Melvin
25
Newburgh
Failure to Register​
E Felony
Dwayne Cotton
46
Newburgh
Failure to Register​
E Felony

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the City of Newburgh Police Department are seeking the public’s help in locating the following defendants who have been charged by an Orange County grand jury and who are currently wanted on arrest warrants issued by Orange County Court:

Name
Age
Last Known Address
Charge
Antonio Wilson
28
Newburgh
Failure to Register​
E Felony
Angel Avila
30
Newburgh
Failure to Register​
D Felony
John Bologra
62
Newburgh
Failure to Register​
E Felony
Dwayne Green
54
Newburgh
Failure to Register​
E Felony
Edmond Parker
61
Newburgh
Failure to Register​
E Felony
Carl Woodcock
48
Newburgh
Failure to Register​
E Felony

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the City of Newburgh Police Department are seeking the public’s help in locating the following defendants who have been charged by the filing of felony complaints and are currently wanted on arrest warrants issued by the Newburgh City Court:

Name
Age
Last Known Address
Charge
Jessie Chavez
40
Newburgh
Failure to Register​
E Felony
Anthony Rodriquez
41
Newburgh
Failure to Register​
E Felony

This operation was the first of its kind conducted by the City of Newburgh Police Department in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies.

“Convicted sex offenders must be registered and monitored to keep the public safe,” said District Attorney Hoovler. “I applaud the City of Newburgh Police Department for conducting this enforcement action to ensure public safety by making sure that sex offenders register in compliance with the law. The public has a right to know that convicted sex offenders are not evading the registration requirements that have been enacted to keep the public safe. Too many sex offenders attempt to structure the timing of their address changes around reporting deadlines contained within the Sex Offender Registration Act, in order to make enforcement of these laws more difficult. By coordinating their enforcement action with the Orange County Department of Probation, New York State Parole, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, the City of Newburgh Police were able to amplify the results of this crackdown. I hope this enforcement action induces other sex offenders who are currently not in compliance with registration requirements to register. I also hope to see enforcement actions similar to this one conducted throughout Orange County.”

The cases are being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Michael Milza and Assistant District Attorneys Kate Bellingham and Michael Purcell.

A criminal charge is merely an allegation 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.

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