Troopers on Patrol

This week's message takes us to Troops E and G.

Troop E

On April 5, 2010, at approximately 2:45 a.m., Troopers Spencer D. Gerow and Derek J. Raichel, SP Bath, responded to a Steuben County 911 dispatch of an armed robbery at the Kwik-Fill gas station on Seneca Road in the town of Hornellsville. The clerk advised that a man armed with a long gun had entered the store and demanded all of their cash. He was handed a bag containing an undisclosed amount of money and quickly exited the store. He was then observed getting into a vehicle that sped off. The clerk stated that the armed man was wearing tan pants, a black shirt, and a black baseball hat, and that he had a black mask over his face.

Troopers Matthew K. Morsheimer and Martin T. McClellan, SP Wayland, had monitored the initial 911 broadcast and started heading towards the Hornell area. While en route on SR-36, they observed a vehicle headed northbound coming from the Hornell area, which was traveling 72 mph in a 55 mph zone. Due to the limited amount of traffic in the early morning hours, they believed that this vehicle may have been involved in the robbery. As the troopers turned around to pursue the speeding vehicle, it turned off SR-36 onto some back roads. After losing sight of the vehicle, they decided to circle around and return to SR-36 believing that the suspect vehicle would head north again. They relocated the vehicle as it was heading back to SR-36 north. The troopers contacted a Dansville Police Department unit and a Livingston County Deputy that were nearby for assistance with the felony vehicle stop. After the stop, the officers quickly realized that the male passenger in the vehicle fit the description of the robbery suspect. The 20-year-old female driver was interviewed and consented to opening the trunk, where a long gun was located. The female driver then admitted that she attempted to evade the troopers and that the passenger was the male they were looking for. Both were taken into custody and transported to SP Bath.

Investigator Donald J. Rodbourn, SP Bath, responded and interviewed the two suspects. The male suspect confessed that he robbed the store and that his female friend had repeatedly tried to persuade him not to go through with the robbery. He also stated that he had planned on robbing a store in Dansville, but when they approached it, he observed a couple of police cars in the parking lot and decided to return to the Hornell area to rob a store there. Both subjects advised Investigator Rodbourn that the proceeds from the robbery were under the passenger seat and some of the money was in the driver's purse, where the male suspect tried to hide it while being stopped by the troopers. They both further admitted that after turning off the main road in an attempt to elude the pursuing troopers, they had stopped and moved the rifle from the back seat to the trunk and had thrown the mask out the window.

All of the proceeds, $111, was recovered from the vehicle and purse. The .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle and five rounds were secured, and a file check of the gun revealed that it was stolen from Virginia. A crack pipe was located in the purse where the male defendant had attempted to hide it. The following morning, Trooper Angela K. Kline, SP Wayland, searched the back roads and was able to locate the black mask used in the robbery.

The 26-year-old male was charged with Robbery 1st Degree and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th Degree. He was arraigned and remanded to the Steuben County Jail in lieu of $50,000 cash or $100,000 bond. The 20-year-old female driver was not charged after consultation with the Steuben County D.A.'s Office.

This armed robbery was quickly closed by arrest due to the outstanding interagency cooperation and teamwork by all the members involved.

Troop G

On April 6, 2010, Trooper Antone R. Irvin had received information from a source detailing a possible string of burglaries in the Schenectady and Rotterdam areas. Trooper William D. Martin was also investigating a burglary to a seasonal camp. Trooper Martin developed a good suspect for the burglary and was going to locate the suspect for an interview. During the morning shift change, the troopers were discussing their cases and it was determined that both troopers were working on burglaries involving the same suspect. They decided to look further into the criminal activities of the subject and his accomplices. They contacted the Town of Rotterdam Police Department to inquire if they had any burglaries with similar MO's. It was determined that Rotterdam had about six open burglaries fitting the same pattern.

Both troopers began conducting numerous interviews and secured several depositions detailing the criminal activities of five different individuals. During the course of the investigation, a large amount of stolen goods was recovered at the house of one suspect's parents. The troopers responded to his residence and placed him under arrest for CPCS 3rd Degree. While in his residence, Troopers Irvin and Martin observed several items of stolen property in plain view. All the subjects in the residence were taken into custody and transported to SP Princetown for interviews. Troopers Irvin and Martin secured statements from three of the subjects detailing their involvement in six different burglaries, including one burglary to the Maple Ridge Ski Resort where they stole $30,000. The subjects were arraigned and remanded to the Schenectady County Jail in lieu of bail.

By sharing information and working closely together, Troopers Irvin and Martin were able to close numerous burglary investigations by arrest.