Two men from Saratoga Springs were arrested Sunday and charged with breaking into a residence at the Stonequist Apartments.

Arpey (Provided by police)

At 9:10 p.m. Sunday, city police officers responded to a call for assistance at the apartment complex on South Federal Street in Saratoga Springs. A caller reported that two men had broken into their apartment.

After a short investigation, officers found Tucker A. Arpey, 23, and Damon M. Beckerman, 20, in another apartment unit within the building and took them into custody, according to police. While making the arrests, police said they found a gold ring in Arpey’s possession that Silverado Jewelry Gallery on Broadway reported stolen on Friday. The ring was valued at around $1,500, police said. Arpey was charged in that case, according to police.

Beckerman

Arpey was charged with second-degree burglary, fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and fourth-degree grand larceny, all felonies, and attempted petit larceny, a misdemeanor, according to police. Beckerman was charged with second-degree burglary and possession of burglar tools, a misdemeanor, police said. Arraignment and bail information was not immediately available.

A distracted driver who drifted into the westbound lane of Route 29 in the Town of Saratoga struck and killed a motorcyclist moving in the opposite direction, State Police said Tuesday night.

Pronounced dead at the scene at around 2 p.m. Monday was George W. Hibbert, 34, of Victory Mills, according to State Police. An investigation into the crash revealed Shane Irish, 28, of Greenwich, became distracted while driving a Kia Sportage east on Route 29, entered the westbound lane and struck a 2015 Harley Davidson motorcycle operated by Hibbert, police said.

Irish was taken to Saratoga Hospital with injuries. His two-year-old daughter who was riding in the Kia was not injured, according to police. State Police were assisted by Schuyler Hose Company and General Schuyler Ambulance. No arrests were reported. The investigation continues.

The accident marked the second time in less than two weeks a motorcyclist was killed on roads in Saratoga County.

The Saratoga County Public Safety Committee voted Tuesday to endorse equipping sheriff deputies with body cameras, though the panel said changes should first be made in how the sheriff’s office transports inmates.

The committee recommended that the county Board of Supervisors direct the sheriff’s office to join the growing number of municipalities across the country whose arresting officers wear cameras as standard equipment. A 10-member body-camera subcommittee, which included Sheriff Michael Zurlo and members of his staff, reviewed the prospect of equipping all deputies with body cameras and a separate 8-member subcommittee analyzed employee levels in the sheriff’s office.

“The subcommittee agreed body cameras can provide protection for officers and a full accounting of interactions with citizens,” said committee Chairman Philip Barrett, a Republican from Clifton Park.

The subcommittee favors a one-touch camera that costs $400 each and is worn in the chest area. The group backs using an off-site video storage system run by a vendor. Preliminary cost estimates show cameras and equipment would cost $20,000; personnel upgrades and hires, $200,000; video storage, $80,000; and station upgrades, $8,000.

“We’re still working on body cameras,” Zurlo said Tuesday. “We don’t have a timetable for that.”

The recommendation came in the wake of at least two incidents in the last year in which the actions of county officers have been questioned. Shawn Glans, a sergeant in the sheriff’s office, resigned last year after a young man secretly captured on film the sound of Glans slapping another man, Colin Fitch, 20, who refused to allow Glans to search their vehicle.

Also last fall, Daniel Carl Satre died after he was confronted by six officers, including two sheriff’s deputies, outside his home in Ballston Spa. Satre, 42, was repeatedly shocked by police Tasers. While county deputies do not carry Tasers, video from a police uniform could have helped answer some lingering questions about that incident.

As to why cameras for deputies was not ranked first for implementation, Barrett said: “The Board of Supervisors, like any other legislative body, must prioritize the implementation of new initiatives.”

Instead, the Public Safety Committee, acting on the recommendation of the sheriff-staffing subcommittee, urged county lawmakers to first create a “Transport Team” comprised of part-time workers that would be responsible for moving inmates to and from courts, medical appointments and jails.

Implementing that team would cost $210,000 a year, mostly in salaries, while the body-camera program would cost $308,000, according to research done by two subcommittees. After hearing from the subcommittees, the Public Safety Committee recommended initiating both items as soon as possible, but said putting them in place at once would be costly and difficult.

The Transport Team would include part-time personnel who would earn $20 an hour and work from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Creating that team would increase the number of deputies available for road patrol throughout county, and possibly reduce overtime paid to full-time officers now transporting inmates, Zurlo said.

Adam Rupeka, right, arrives at Saratoga City Court for his arraignment Thursday morning May 21, 2015 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Police Chief Gregory Veitch will announce details of the settlement at a press conference scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Thursday in City Hall. “At this event, police department documents and videos pertaining to this case will be released” accompanied by a statement from Veitch, says a police statement released Wednesday.

Case history here.

Those who have owned a pistol permit for at least a year in Saratoga County will soon be able to register for advanced firearms training courses to obtain an unrestricted permit.

Under a program crafted by county Sheriff Michael Zurlo and Judge James A. Murphy III, law-abiding gun owners can register for the courses starting Monday at this website. The course was designed with input from several National Rifle Association instructors and gun clubs. Gun owners in Saratoga County that complete the course will be able to carry concealed firearms in public, though not in gun-free zones such as government buildings, schools and churches. The county’s pistol permitting system had long been restricted to hunting and target use.

Zurlo’s office will continue to be responsible for conducting mental health and criminal background checks of applicants. Murphy, a county district attorney for more than 20 years, will issue the permits. Unrestricted pistol permit holders cannot openly carry guns under state law.

The driver of a Jeep that collided with a Saratoga Springs police car responding to a medical call was ticketed Thursday for failing to yield for an emergency vehicle.

At 6:36 p.m., a city officer responded in a marked patrol car to a report of an unresponsive male on Maple Avenue, according to police. The officer driving the patrol car had its emergency lights and siren on as it traveled through the intersection of Excelsior Avenue and Route 50, but was struck by a 2012 Jeep Liberty moving south on Route 50, police said.

“Both vehicles sustained significant damage, but there were no reported injuries at the scene,” police said in a statement released Friday morning.

Police identified the driver of the Jeep as Derek Goddard of Ganesvoort. He was ticketed for failing to yield the right of way at an intersection and failing to yield the right of way to an emergency vehicle, according to police. Several persons who witnessed the accident were interviewed as part of an investigation into what happened, police said.

The accident caused traffic to back up at the intersection for about 45 minutes. Another police unit that responded to the medical call found the male to be OK. Here’s the police arrest blotter:

user38322-1439560962-media1.pdf by Steven Bailey

A registered sex offender from Schenectady who described himself as a photographer is accused of using social media to entice underage females into posing for him, according to the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office.

Joseph V. Fowler, 33, was arrested Aug. 18 following a complaint that he used Facebook to solicit topless photographs from an underage female from Moreau, according to the sheriff’s office. A police investigation revealed the man posed as a photographer named “Joe Nasuti,” police said. He maintained contact with many underage females that he lured into photo shoots by telling them he would help them build a modeling portfolio, police said.

Fowler used a Facebook page titled “Photos by Joe,” and handed out business cards with the same name, according to the sheriff’s office. Fowler, a level two sex offender from Manhattan Street in Schenectady, was charged with second-degree disseminating indecent material to minors, failure to notify registry of e-STOP change, both felonies, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor, police said. He was arraigned in Moreau Town Court and sent to county jail on $5,000 bail.

The investigation remains active. Those who have information about potential illegal contact between Fowler and minors should call Investigator Curtis Brand at the sheriff’s office at 885-6761.

The attached document from the Saratoga Springs Police Department should be helpful for those trying to navigate the city Saturday, when more than 50,000 racing fans flood Saratoga Race Course for the Travers Stakes, and others arrive to attend parties and the Chicago/Earth, Wind & Fire concert at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. The crowds are expected to double, and possibly triple, the city’s population of less than 30,000.

Assistant Police Chief John Catone coordinated and planned security with other police agencies. He will hold a press briefing at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Saratoga Music Hall to detail the plans, according to Police Chief Gregory Veitch. Here’s the information we have as of Wednesday afternoon:

user38073-1440616770-media1.pdf by Steven Bailey

Michael P. Farrell/Times Union

More than 100 of Currier’s relatives are coming from across the country to meet Saturday at the Orenda Pavilion in Saratoga Spa State Park, where the reunion has been held for decades. The party will end around dusk, or whenever someone wins the coveted horseshoe tournament title. That could fall close to when the sold-out Travers crowd will depart the track for dinner, or a concert at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, which is located in the park.

Police say the track and SPAC, along with Travers parties being held Saturday, could attract more than 100,000 people, one of the largest crowds they have ever tried to manage in this small city.

“I guess our 50th family reunion just happens to fall on one of the most significant weekends in Saratoga history,” Currier said Thursday.

The potential for massive crowds and traffic loom over the Spa City as it enters its historic weekend. Police anticipate a steady flow of humanity to pour into Saratoga to try to catch a glimpse of American Pharoah, attend parties and enjoy music at SPAC. All of the nearly 2,000 hotel and motel rooms are in the city are sold out, and the weather is expected to be sunny and dry.

To help ease some congestion and provide extra security, the city police department is partnering with State Police, State Park Police, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office and New York Racing Association staff. Saratoga Springs Assistant Police Chief John Catone, who grew up in the city and has worked on the force for nearly 30 years, is coordinating law enforcement efforts. He expects one of the busiest weekends he’s ever seen.

“Saturday is becoming bigger in terms of manpower because of all the excitement around American Pharoah,” Catone said. “But it’s not just the track. You’re going to have Travers viewing parties and a fair contingent of people who afterward come downtown.”

The sheriff’s office will expand patrols into the city, according to Sheriff Michael Zurlo, who intends to work at a command post inside the track on Saturday. “We’re just assisting the city and NYRA,” Zurlo said. “They have asked for some additional resources, and we’re helping them.”

Neither Catone nor Zurlo would discuss security concerns, how many police would be deployed, or where. Catone said there were no credible security threats, but police agencies were constantly communicating with each other.

Authorities are preparing for the crowds to start building Friday evening, when at least 20,000 people arrive to see singer Chris Brown perform at SPAC. A concert by Chicago and the band Earth, Wind and Fire starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at SPAC.

The crowds could quadruple the city’s official population of 26,586, Catone said. Anticipating them, police on Wednesday released a “Travers Day Traffic and Safety Plan.” The three-page document offers advice to residents and visitors on what roads to use and where to park, as well as other logistical tips.

To reduce traffic and lengthy delays for parking, those coming to the track Saturday should arrive early and take advantage of all three Northway exits leading to track (13N, 14 and 15), police said. Exit 14 is expected to be the most congested. Parking lots around Saratoga Race Course open at 6:45 a.m. Saturday, and the track opens at 7 a.m. NYRA has repeatedly advised fans without tickets not to travel to the track Saturday.

Concertgoers should leave time to get to the shows. Parking at state park locations begins at 4:30 p.m. Police are encouraging motorists to arrive via Exit 13N of the Northway.

Currier, 38, works as an analyst for a software company and serves as his family’s unofficial genealogist. This year, his family members formed a committee to plan the 50th reunion to ensure it would be their best yet. He said his family’s reunion will go on as planned, despite the hairy transportation challenges that may await.

Family members will start heading to the city around 9:30 a.m. Saturday, “in between the early-morning picnic table squatters and the rest of the late-morning track crowd,” Currier said. They will take Route 9 instead of the Northway, and are limit travel to south of Saratoga Spa State Park to avoid some of the Travers crowd.

“Personally, I just think it’s exciting,” Currier said. “It’s great to have a high-energy weekend in Saratoga with a high-energy event.”

Police arrested a Saratoga Springs man Friday morning and charged him with a felony for allegedly breaking into a 2014 Maserati Granturismo at Pavilion Grand Hotel, opening up a pen and spreading its ink inside the car’s interior.

Jordan Ray VanBuskirk, 24, was charged with third-degree criminal mischief, a felony, and sent to Saratoga county jail on $15,000 bail, according to police. The Maserati was parked at the hotel and belonged to a guest that VanBuskirk didn’t know, police said. He is accused of entering the vehicle, breaking apart the pen, and marking up the interior with ink. Hotel staff located the man inside the vehicle, according to police.

A Ballston Lake man is charged with hitting a pedestrian with his vehicle near Caroline Street early Saturday morning and leaving the accident scene.

At 5:17 a.m. Travers morning, city police responded to a 911 call and located David Keohane, 27, from Boston, Mass., lying injured in the roadway. Police determined Keohane had been hit by a car while crossing Broadway from Caroline Street. Firefighters treated the man before he was flown by helicopter to Albany Medical Center Hospital.

The driver of the vehicle that struck Keohane while moving north on Broadway pulled to the side of the road, then drove off in an unknown direction, police said, citing witness testimony. About 90 minutes later, a street sweeper that works for the city’s Public Works Department informed police of a gray sedan parked on Van Rensselaer Street with significant front-end damage.

Officers located the vehicle – a 2015 Mazda 6 – with damage to its windshield and roof. The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office helped locate the owner of the vehicle, identified Monday by city police as a Brian MacDonald, 35, of Ballston Lake, according to police. MacDonald was charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury accident, a felony, and released, Lt. Robert Jillson said.

Keohane sustained several bone fractures, and was in stable condition, police said. Here’s other arrests from Travers weekend as reported by city police:

user38322-1441030684-media1.pdf by Steven Bailey

Members of the Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office and a burglary suspect who allegedly resisted arrest were treated for exposure to pepper spray following a struggle in Halfmoon, according to police.

A deputy officer used pepper spray Thursday in the arrest of Marc A. Abendschein, 53, a convicted felon who refused to comply with police at his residence on Route 9 Thursday, when police attempted to arrest him for burglarizing a nearby home, according to the sheriff’s office.

The matter started as an investigation into a complaint of a stolen television from a residence in Halfmoon. Police determined Abendschein was responsible, and when they tried to apprehend him, he resisted arrest, resulting in him being peppered-sprayed, handcuffed and taken into custody, Lt. Jeffrey Brown said Tuesday.

“No one was injured,” Brown said. The suspect and members of the sheriff’s office were treated at the scene of the arrest, a sheriff’s office press release said.

Abendschein was charged with second-degree burglary and fourth-degree grand larceny, felonies, and resisting arrest, a misdemeanor, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He was arraigned in Clifton Park Town Court and sent to jail without bail due to prior felony convictions, Brown said.

VanBuskirk (police)

Jordan Ray VanBuskirk, 24, appeared in City Court Tuesday to face a felony criminal mischief charge for allegedly damaging a 2014 Maserati Granturismo that was parked outside the Pavilion Grand Hotel on Friday, Lt. Robert Jillson said. VanBuskirk also was charged with first-degree promoting prison contraband, a felony, accused of concealing a razor blade in his mouth while in custody in the city lockup, police said.

VanBuskirk hails from Grand Rapids, Mich., and has family in Saratoga Springs, but does not have a permanent address, Jillson said. On June 28, city police charged him with fourth-degree criminal possession of a stolen property, a felony, in a stolen credit card case, according to police. VanBuskirk was released. On Aug. 24, he was charged with resisting arrest, a misdemeanor, and disorderly conduct, a violation, for shoving a police officer that tried to question him in connection to a burglary of his relative’s home on Regent Street, Jillson said.

In that case, police received a complaint that a rifle, shotgun and a couple of boxes of ammunition were stolen from the home. Police increased patrols to find the guns.

“Whenever we get reports of missing guns, we’re concerned,” Jillson said.

Within 30 minutes of taking the burglary report, police received a call for a man needing medical assistance on Union Avenue. They found VanBuskirk lying in the grass, unresponsive, but he became extremely agitated when questioned and fought with officers, Jillson said. Police then located the missing rifle and shotgun at the corner of Phila and Court streets wrapped in a red towel and wedged between two home fences, Jillson said.

Police did not charge VanBuskirk with taking the guns, but the investigation into the alleged burglary continues and he remains a suspect, police said. “We don’t think it’s a random burglary,” Jillson said.

From Bob Turner

“I don’t know why the guns weren’t in a locked cabinet,” Turner said. “Why were the guns not locked up? This is a problem.”

Four days after being charged with resisting arrest, one day before the running of the Travers Stakes, VanBuskirk broke open a pen inside a Maserati that belonged to someone he didn’t know and tarnished its inside with ink, according to police. He was charged with third-degree criminal mischief, a felony, and remains in the Saratoga County jail on $15,000 bail, according to police.

VanBuskirk has not cooperated with authorities since his arrest, Jillson said, adding, “He’s never talked with us about anything.”

The Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the theft of two antique Indian bicycles motorcycles from a home in Clifton Park.

Police say the burglary occurred during the day on Monday. They described the motorized bikes as rare, worth about $12,000 each. The Sheriff’s Office released photos of the bikes.

Anyone with information is asked to call Investigator Brand at 885-6761.

Diaz (Courtesy of police)

Saratoga Springs police officers in conjunction with members of the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force and State Police Computers Crime Unit executed a search warrant at a residence at 128 Grand Ave., around 7 p.m. Tuesday. Arrested as a result was Josue L. Diaz, 24, city police announced Friday.

Police allege Diaz possessed and shared child pornography on June 21. He was charged with possessing a sexual performance by a child and promoting a sexual performance by a child, both felonies, according to police.

Diaz was arraigned and taken to Saratoga County jail on $20,000 bail, police said. Additional charges are possible, according to police.

Jockey Mike Luzzi is all smiles as he makes his first start, since he sustained serious injuries when a horse fell on him at Aqueduct in November of 2014, Wednesday afternoon Sept. 2, 2015 at the Saratoga Race Course (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Luzzi, a rider at New York’s biggest tracks, was arrested at 12:33 a.m. after his wife summoned authorities to a home on Glenwood Drive, according to police. When police arrived, they found Luzzi’s wife with bruises around her neck and items broken around the home, Lt. Robert Jillson said.

Luzzi, 45, was charged with third-degree criminal mischief and second-degree strangulation, both felonies, third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child, both misdemeanors, police reported Friday afternoon.

“It looked like it had been a verbal argument that went physical,” Jillson said. Luzzi’s wife was taken to Saratoga Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, he said.

Luzzi, of Floral Park, Nassau County, reported his arrest to the New York State Gaming Commission on Thursday morning before riding O K By Me to a ninth place finish, state officials said. The jockey spoke with racetrack stewards about what happened on Friday morning.
Luzzi faces counseling, suspension or even revocation of his racing license, depending on the legal outcome of the case.

“The matter is under review,” gaming commission spokesman Lee Park said Friday. The New York Racing Association, which operates racing at Saratoga but does not employ jockeys, confirmed Friday that it was also aware of Luzzi’s arrest. The Jockeys’ Guild did not respond to an inquiry.

Luzzi started his riding career in 1988 and has won more than 3,400 races worth more than $1.7 million. He rode in 333 races last year and won 31, according to NYRA.

Luzzi was charged with endangering the welfare of a child because kids were present at the time he allegedly attacked his wife, according to police. Jillson said Luzzi’s wife met responding officers outside the home, while Luzzi was cooperative with police.

Luzzi is the latest high-profile rider arrested in the city during the race meet. Police arrested Norberto Arroyo Jr., in August 2009 during a traffic stop near Saratoga Race Course. He was charged with possessing 12 grams of cocaine. The former New York State Racing and Wagering Board suspended Arroyo’s license. He pleaded guilty to drug possession, and was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in state prison and two years post-release supervision.

From earlier:

Jockey Michael J. Luzzi was arrested in an alleged altercation with family members on Glenwood Drive in Saratoga Springs early Thursday morning, according to police.

Luzzi, 45, was charged with third-degree criminal mischief and second-degree strangulation, both felonies, third-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child, both misdemeanors, according to a blotter item released by Saratoga Springs Police Department. Luzzi was arrested at 12:33 a.m. Thursday, according to police.

Luzzi mounted a horse in the fifth race Thursday at Saratoga Race Course.

A prostitution sting executed by police in Saratoga Springs on the last weekend of the track meet resulted in the arrest of four persons.

Charged with prostitution, a misdemeanor, were: Sarah N. Maguire, 20 of Glens Falls; Nikeya A. Motley, 29, of Rensselaer; Valentina M. Centra, 32, of Albany; and Angelette T. King, 26, of Schenectady, according to the Saratoga Springs Police Department.

Motley and Centra were also charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor, according to police. The four were arrested in the city on Friday in connection with an investigation into “prostitution issues within the city,” police said.

A 44-year-old Saratoga County woman is accused of hurling an object at her boyfriend and wounded him during an argument.

Saratoga County sheriff’s deputies on Monday arrested Michelle M. Neahr of Rock City Road, Milton, and charged her with second-degree assault, a felony, according to Investigator Courtney Salaway.

Police say Neahr threw something at her 44-year-old boyfriend, causing a wound to his right leg that required treatment at Albany Medical Center Hospital. She was arraigned in Milton Town Court and sent to county jail on $1,000 bail pending a future court date.

A woman in Stillwater was charged with failing to provide a dog with food, water and shelter.

Stillwater Police on Friday arrested Kristina M. Phillips, 43, and she was charged with a misdemeanor under state Agriculture and Markets Law, Sgt. Ray Cordani said. “It was discovered during an investigation that the defendant kept a dog tied to a pole by a cable in her yard for several days without providing food, water or shelter,” Cordani said.

The town’s animal control officer seized the dog. It was taken to the Saratoga County Animal Shelter, police said.

Phillips was ticketed and released pending an appearance in Town Court.

Cotter (State Police)

State Police on Saturday responded to a section of the Northway in Wilton for a report of a vehicle partially in the roadway. When officers arrived they found Amanda L. Cotter, 24, asleep in the vehicle, “which was partially in the lane of travel,” State Police said. “The vehicle had heavy front-end damage, which Cotter couldn’t account for,” State Police said in a statement.

Cotter was charged with driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor. Police say she had a Blood alcohol content (BAC) of .15 percent. She was ticketed and will appear in Wilton Town Court at 4 p.m. Sept. 22.