Newburgh Man Convicted After Trial of Seriously Injuring Man with a Chain and Padlock
And Striking a Second Victim Sentenced to 21 1/3 – 24 Years in State Prison

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that on Friday, March 23, 2018, Carlos Melendez, 29, of Newburgh, was sentenced by Orange County Court Judge Craig Stephen Brown to twenty years in state prison and five years post-release supervision for seriously injuring a man with a chain and padlock and one and one-third to four years for attempted to assault a second victim; those sentences are to run consecutively, for a total prison term of twenty-one and one-third to twenty-four years in state prison. On January 9, 2018, Melendez was convicted after a jury trial of Assault in the First Degree, Attempted Assault in the Second Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, for having struck two men in the City of Newburgh with a padlock and chain. At the trial prosecutors argued that on May 20, 2017, at about 1:41 AM, in the vicinity of 478 Broadway, Melendez used a padlock and chain as a flail to strike two men in the head. One of the men suffered life-threatening serious physical injuries as a result of the assault and required hospitalization. The defendant was also sentenced to two and one-third to seven years for the weapons charge, which will run concurrent to the other two sentences.

District Attorney Hoovler thanked the City of Newburgh Police Department for their investigation of the case, and the arrest of Melendez.

“The community will be safer during the two decades this defendant is in prison,” said District Attorney Hoovler. “This defendant’s conduct could easily have resulted in the loss of life and is deserving of a lengthy sentence of incarceration. I commend the City of Newburgh Police Department for their professional investigation of case and their arrest of the defendant. My office will continue to seek severe state prison sentences for those who resort to the use of violence and weapons.”

District Attorney Hoovler highly commended Assistant District Attorney Christopher Kelly and Assistant District Attorney George del Fierro who prosecuted the case.