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Pat Ryan’s Administration Failed To Prosecute 5 Criminals In Ulster County

RED HOOK, NY – While serving as the Executive of Ulster County, Pat Ryan’s Administration failed to prosecute 5 criminals. These individuals were charged with having drugs including heroin and fentanyl, along with illegal firearms. While Ryan has always been soft on crime, individuals in his own administration said there was “no excuse,” for Ulster to not prosecute these criminals in a timely manner. “Crime is rising and New York is becoming less safe, yet under Pat Ryan’s Administration as Executive of Ulster County they released 5 criminals, because they failed to properly prosecute the case,” said Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro. “Pat Ryan’s inaction proves that he stands with these rouge District Attorneys who fail to prosecute crime and this extreme movement led by Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to defund the police, and it’s why we can’t elect him to Congress.” BACKGROUND: Under Pat Ryan’s Administration, Five Ulster County cases dismissed for failure to prosecute. “On the same day Ulster County District Attorney David Clegg stood with Attorney General Letitia James to announce the takedown of a major drug trafficking ring in Ulster County, charges against five other men arrested for possessing illegal drugs and guns were being dropped in Ulster County Court for the district attorney’s failure to prosecute. The cases were dismissed, according to defense attorneys representing the men, because the District Attorney’s Office failed to meet the state’s ‘speedy trial’ laws under section 30.30 of the state’s criminal procedure law. In an interview Wednesday, Clegg called the failure to indict the cases in a timely manner ‘unacceptable’ and said he had ‘no excuses.’” (Daily Freeman, 06/22/22) These criminals were charged with possessing drugs and firearms, yet Pat Ryan’s Administration let these criminals back on the street, instead of prosecuting them. Because the charges were dismissed, the cases are sealed and the names of the individuals are no longer public. However, the charges against the individuals are public and a review of the allegations shows the alleged crimes to be far from insignificant. In one case, a 19-year-old was arrested on Jan. 15, 2021, and charged with felony fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. In another instance, a 21-year-old was arrested on Sept. 26, 2021, and charged with two counts of felony criminal possession of a weapon for allegedly having a loaded firearm that had the serial number scraped off. In a third case, a 29-year-old was arrested on March 4, 2021, and charged with two class A felony counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance – one for allegedly selling at least two ounces of a narcotic and one for allegedly selling at least a half-ounce of a narcotic, as well as two counts of criminal possession of a narcotic and two counts of criminal possession of a narcotic with intent to sell, also felonies. And in yet another instance, a 31-year-old was arrested on March 20, 2021, and charged with first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a class A felony, for allegedly having a pound of heroin and fentanyl in his vehicle. That same individual was also charged with the felonies of criminal possession of a narcotic with intent to sell and possession of a forged instrument. A co-defendant in the case was also charged with first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a narcotic, along with unlawful possession of marijuana, violation. Marijuana was not legalized until March 31, 2021. According to the New York State penal law, the class A felonies, the most serious of all the crimes charged, carry a prison sentence for first-time offenders of 8 to 20 years.” (Daily Freeman, 06/22/22)

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