Serial Kings Park Bank Robber With ‘No Funny Business’ Demand Note Headed Back To Prison: DA
A serial Long Island bank robber who hit two more banks in December 2025 was sentenced Thursday, Oct. 1 to more prison time, authorities said.
Brian Blackford, 52, of Kings Park, got five and a half to 11 years in prison after admitting to the heists, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said. The sentence was consistent with his plea deal in August.
Blackford’s name, age, hometown, and general appearance match a man who was charged in seven bank robberies and arrested in 2014, according to prior reports. Blackford spent seven years in state prison before his release in November 20…
Driver Pulled Handgun And Fled After Albany Crash, Didn’t Get Far Before Arrest: Police
A Capital Region driver pulled a gun on another man following a car crash in Albany, police said.
Maurice S. Fitzgerald, 33, of Schenectady, was involved in a two-car collision near Columbia Circle West and South Frontage Road on Friday, Sept. 25, the Albany Police Department said.
After the wreck, Fitzgerald displayed a handgun toward the other driver, a 44-year-old man, then fled the intersection, police said. By the time officers arrived, only the 44-year-old and his car remained at the scene, according to authorities.
However, Fitzgerald and his vehicle were located shortly afterward d…
East Hampton Town Officials Admit Pocketing Fast-Track Bribes While Others Waited Months: DA
Two Long Island town officials pleaded guilty to bribery charges this week, authorities announced Thursday, Oct. 1.
Evelyn Calderon, 47, of Mastic, and Ryan Benitez, 38, of East Hampton, admitted taking bribes to fast-track building permits through the Town of East Hampton, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said.
Building permits in East Hampton could take months for approval, and the office was understaffed and overworked, according to prosecutors and prior reporting from Newsday.
But if you knew the right people — namely Calderon and Benitez — you could get permits in days fo…
14-Year-Old Smithtown High Girl Stopped, Offered $300 By Creep In SUV: Police
A 14-year-old Long Island high school student was accosted by a bald man in an SUV, and now police are searching for the man.
The female student at Smithtown High School East was walking home Friday, Sept. 11 when she reached Lincoln Avenue and 6th Street in St. James, the Suffolk County Police Department said Thursday, Oct. 1.
At the intersection, a bald man between 40 and 50 years old driving a black Audi SUV parked in front of her, made an "inappropriate comment,” and offered her $300, police said.
Traffic cameras captured the man’s SUV on video, and he is wanted for child endangerment,…
Half-Kilo Of Oxycodone Seized In Routine Albany Traffic Stop: Police
Two men were busted with nearly half a kilo of oxycodone after a traffic stop in the Capital District, police said.
Tasheem Haggray, 31, of Amsterdam, and Ptolemy Sutherland, 26, of Schenectady, had 506.5 grams of oxycodone in their car when they were pulled over, New York State Police said Thursday, Oct. 1.
Haggray was behind the wheel of a 2004 Buick sedan traveling northbound on the New York State Thruway in Albany on Friday, Sept. 25 when troopers pulled the vehicle over around 8:30 a.m., state police said.
Investigators found the oxycodone in the car and said Haggray showed signs of a…
Drunk Bay Shore Driver Who Killed Pedestrian After Stealing Car Cuts Plea Deal: Authorities
A young Long Island man who killed a pedestrian while driving drunk in a stolen car took a plea deal Wednesday, Sept. 30, authorities said.
Alexander Cerda, 23, of Bay Shore, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter and several more charges in the death of Eric Perez in March 2025, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said.
In exchange, Cerda is expected to get between six and 18 years in prison at his sentencing hearing on Jan. 8, 2027, according to the DA’s office.
“Every decision this defendant made on March 8, 2025, was worse than the next,” District Attorney Ray Tierney s…
Second Suspect Caught After Three-Person Crew Boosts AC Units In Halfmoon: Police
A second suspect has been arrested after a three-person crew stole air conditioners from a Capital Region building, police said.
Donald J. Gendron III, 40, of Troy, was captured Friday, Sept. 25, the Saratoga County Sheriff’s office said.
Gendron conspired with two other people to steal the air conditioning units from a building on Corporate Drive in Halfmoon on Tuesday, Sept. 15, the sheriff’s office said. The crew also damaged another building during their unorthodox heist, investigators said.
The air conditioners were worth more than $3,000, and the property damage cost exceeded $1,500,…
