District Attorney Hoovler and Sheriff DuBois Announce Drug and Weapon Enforcement Action

September 20, 2016

Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler, and Orange County Sheriff Carl E. DuBois announced on September 20, 2016, that the Orange County Drug Task Force has concluded a three-month-long investigation and enforcement action targeting illegal sales of narcotics throughout Orange County. As a result of this enforcement action, thirteen individuals were charged by an Orange County Grand Jury with felony crimes. Eleven defendants were charged with possessing and selling a number of controlled substances, including Heroin, Xanax, Crack Cocaine, Oxycodone, and Suboxone. Drug Task Force investigators had developed information concerning illegal drug sales in the Village of Washingtonville, Village of Walden, Village of Monroe, City of Newburgh, City of Middletown, Town of New Windsor, and the Town of Wallkill. In addition to those charged with drug offenses, two additional defendants were charged with felony weapon possession.

The Orange County Drug Task Force, assisted by the Orange County Sheriff’s Special Operations Group and the Town of Wallkill Police Department, executed a search warrant at 8 Airport Road, Town of Wallkill, N.Y. Located at the residence was an illegally possessed, loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic hand gun. Angela Peoples, 40, and her son, Robert Peoples, 17, both of the Town of Wallkill were charged with the following crimes:

  • Angela Peoples, 40, of the Town of Wallkill, Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th Degree.
  • Robert Peoples, 17, of the Town of Wallkill, Criminal Possession of a Firearm.

Weapons recovered from the Peoples residence are pictured below.


The following defendants were charged with the following narcotics offenses:

  • Anthony Pittman, 28, of Walden, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree.
  • James Alexio, 38, of Monroe, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 5th Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 5th Degree.
  • Andrew Baynes, 37, of Newburgh, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree.
  • Charles Brown, 35, of Newburgh, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree.
  • Robert Radek, 24, of Newburgh, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree.
  • Luis Melendez, 35, of New Windsor, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree.
  • Patrick Miller, 28, of Newburgh, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree.
  • Delondre Miller, 24, of Newburgh, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree.
  • Ryan Nagle, 23, of Washingtonville, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 5th Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 5th Degree.
  • Andrew Ramirez, 23, of Middletown, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree.
  • Corey Washington, 23, of Newburgh has been charged with the following crimes, and has not yet been arrested. The Drug Task Force is asking for the public’s cooperation in obtaining information concerning his location:
  • *WANTED* Corey Washington, 23, of Newburgh, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 3rd Degree.

The maximum sentence for the Class C Violent Felony of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree is fifteen years in state prison.

The maximum sentence for the Class B Felonies of Criminal Sale of Controlled Substance in the Third Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree is nine years in state prison.

The maximum sentence for the Class C Felony of Criminal Sale of Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree is five and one-half years in state prison.

The maximum sentence for the Class D Felonies of Criminal Sale of Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree is two and one-half years in state prison.

The maximum sentence for the Class E Felony of Criminal Possession of a Firearm is one and one-third to four years in state prison.

The maximum sentence for the Class A Misdemeanor of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree is one year in jail.

“The illegal drug epidemic continues to destroy lives in Orange County, and requires a constant and serious response throughout the County,” said District Attorney Hoovler. “I am proud to be partnered with the Orange County Sheriff and the Orange County Police Chiefs in running the Orange County Drug Task Force. The key to the success of these narcotics enforcement actions has been the collective efforts of the police agencies involved, and the local governments who generously agreed to allow their police officers to serve with the countywide Drug Task Force. Too many of our fellow Orange County residents have died this year because of the illicit drug trade, and the lives of countless others, both inside and outside of our cities, continue to be ravaged by addiction.”

“The need for these continual enforcement actions in Orange County reinforces how serious the drug problem is,” said Sheriff Carl DuBois. “Heroin overdoses, and deaths associated with fentanyl, continue to rise and are not confined to our cities. A coordinated law enforcement response involving cooperation among different police agencies is the only effective way to combat illegal narcotics. My office will continue to support the Orange County Drug Task Force. The Sheriff’s Special Operations Group will continue to make sure that search warrants are executed with as little risk as possible to the public, police officers, and the targets of those searches. The weapons seized in this enforcement action provide further evidence of the link between illegal narcotics and violence, as well as the dangers faced by police officers conducting these investigations.”

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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