PRESS RELEASE October 9, 2014. The Port Jervis City Police Department, as part of a county wide initiative entitled “Operation Open Air”, arrested and charged six individuals with various offenses related to the illicit sale and possession of narcotics. “Operation Open Air”, an initiative of the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and numerous county, state and local law enforcement agencies, resulted in the arrest of 32 individuals county wide. The following subjects were arrested and charged: Ashley Plotts, age 27, and Davon Bush, age 30, both of 16 Barcelow Street, Port Jervis, were arrested on October 2, 2014, by Port Jervis Detectives, after a Port Jervis City Court ‘no knock’ search warrant was executed at their residence. United States currency and 16 grams of crack cocaine (concealed in a child’s pink shoe) were recovered in the search. Plotts and Bush were each charged with two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (intent to sell), one count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (possess greater than ½ ounce of a narcotic drug), one count of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, all class B felonies; one count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Fourth Degree, a class C felony; and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a class A misdemeanor. Both were arraigned in Port Jervis City Court and remanded to the custody of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on $25,000 cash bail. Both Plotts and Bush have a prior felony conviction. Raymond Slockbower, age 24, of 10 Prospect Street, apt. 7, Port Jervis, was arrested on October 3, 2014, by Port Jervis Detectives, after a Port Jervis City Court ‘no knock’ search warrant was executed at his residence. He was charged with two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (intent to sell), and two counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, all class B felonies; and one count each of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree and Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree, both class A misdemeanors. Slockbower was arraigned in Port Jervis City Court and remanded to the custody of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on $75,000 cash bail. Hector Cruz, age 29, of 186 Ball Street, apt. D, Port Jervis, was arrested on October 7, 2014, by Port Jervis Detectives, after a Port Jervis City Court ‘no knock’ search warrant was executed at his residence. He was charged with two counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (intent to sell), and two counts of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, all class B felonies; and Criminal Possession of Marihuana in the Fifth Degree, a class B felony. Cruz was arraigned in Port Jervis City Court and remanded to the custody of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on $25,000 cash bail. Derrick Holmes, age 42, of 186 Ball Street, apt. C, was arrested on October 7, 2014, by Port Jervis Detectives, after a Port Jervis City Court ‘no knock’ search warrant was executed at his residence. During a search of the residence detectives recovered a loaded Sig Sauer 9mm handgun, and an electronic stun gun. Detectives later determined that the handgun had been reported stolen out of a jurisdiction in Pennsylvania. He was charged with one count of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree (intent to sell), and one count of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, all class B felonies; Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a class C felony; two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, a class D felony; and Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree, a class E felony. Holmes was arraigned in Port Jervis City Court and remanded to the custody of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office on $50,000 cash bail. Holmes has a prior felony conviction. Additionally, Tony Walker, age 32, was charged with Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, a class B felony. Walker was already in the custody of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office at the time of arrest. He is being held in the Orange County jail pending further court action. Port Jervis Police were assisted by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations group, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, and Orange County Department of Social Services Child Protective Services. “Illicit narcotics’ trafficking, particularly of heroin, has continued to devastate the lives of those in our communities,” said Orange County District Attorney Hoovler. “The broad range of jurisdictions represented in this enforcement action clearly demonstrates that the illicit trade is not confined to the cities, but is a problem throughout the County. It is particularly alarming that in each of the four narcotics enforcement actions we conducted this year there are defendants who continue to sell near elementary school grounds. When a search warrant was executed at the home of Ashley Plotts and Davon Bush, cocaine weighing over a half an ounce, which they are charged with possessing with intent to sell, was recovered from a child’s pink shoe. Dealing narcotics around children is particularly heinous, and those defendants will be dealt with appropriately. The recovery of handguns from these defendants further demonstrates the connection between the illicit narcotics trade and violence. Despite the efforts of law enforcement, it is clear that heroin use is on the rise and has become the number one quality-of-life crime issue in the Hudson Valley.” “Narcotics-related crimes fuel and contribute to the majority of other crimes committed in Orange County. My office has an important role in educating the public about issues involving drug abuse and prevention, empowering those addicted to substances to seek drug treatment, and, if education and treatment prove to be ineffective, strictly enforcing drug-trafficking laws against those profiting from selling narcotics and adversely impacting our communities. Where appropriate, our plea offers will include conditions requiring mandatory drug treatment, which studies have shown to be extremely effective. Higher level narcotics-trafficking crimes, however, will be treated in a particularly serious manner, with a goal of imposing a sentence that acts as a true deterrent.” The cases are being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Lorri Goldberg, and Assistant District Attorneys Matthew Healy and Neal Eriksen. The charges against the defendants are accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 23:13:57 +0000
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