Breaking News

A Spring Valley man will spend ten years behind bars after pleading guilty to sexually abusing a child over a three-year period. Rockland County D-A Tom Walsh says 41 year-old Evelio Mendez began abusing an eight year-old in September 2020. Walsh says Mendez was in a relationship with the victim’s mother at the time. Sentencing is scheduled for May 5th. Mendez will also be required to register as a sex offender.

Ramapo Police have arrested a man in connection with a stabbing last month. Police say a 21 year-old Nanuet man was stabbed in the arm in Hillcrest on February 17th during a fight. Police say the suspect fled on foot, but they caught up with him earlier this week. An unidentified 24-year-old Hillcrest man was arrested Monday and charged with 1st degree Assault and Criminal Possession of a Weapon. He was arraigned and sent to the Rockland County Jail. He was being held on $25,000 cash bail.

Report: Spring Valley Apt Complex Had Permit Issues Prior to December Fire
The apartment complex that caught fire Sunday and displaced dozens of people had already been slapped by Rockland officials with alleged violations. That’s according to News 12. They report the Surrey Carlton Apartments on Ewing Avenue had been issued four violations in December for doing construction and electrical work without a permit. Another fire there that same month resulted in a fine, as the complex’s automatic alarm didn’t function properly. The owner of the complex could not be reached for comment. Meanwhile, the Salvation Army’s been helping put displaced residents in area hotels. The County is working to get permits so repairs can be made quickly and people can return to their apartments. The fire remains under investigation.

Rockland DA Investigator Retires
A long-time Rockland Police Investigator has retired. The Rockland District Attorney’s Chief of Detectives, Peter Walker, started his 30-year career with the NYPD’s 48th Precinct in the Bronx in 1994. Five years later he joined the Clarkstown Police Department and served as their Public Information Officer. After retiring from Clarkstown, he joined the DA’s office in 2020.

There were no reported injuries to residents of a senior apartment complex following a fire in Spring Valley yesterday afternoon, but four first responders suffered minor injuries. News 12 reported the fire is believed to have started in a second-floor apartment at the Harvest House at 14 Union Road. Two police officers were taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. Two firefighters were checked for injuries but were cleared at the scene. The cause of the blaze is under investigation. The local American Red Cross has opened a shelter at the Louis Kurtz Civic Center to those who need assistance due to the fire. 34 residents had registered there as of last night. The Civic Center is located at 9 North Main Street in Spring Valley.

Local Story #3

The victim of a fatal early-morning crash on the Thruway between the Sloatsburg and Harriman exits in Orange County Tuesday morning has been identified. New York State Police say 36-year-old Erika Gargan of Schuyler Lake, New York, was in the center lane of I-87 south in the Town of Woodbury when she was struck by a Honda CRV driven by 67 year-old David Millman of Washington, New Jersey. Gargan was pronounced dead at the scene, Millman was uninjured. Traffic was detoured down Route 17 through Sloatsburg for four hours while the initial investigation was underway. The incident remains under investigation. If you witnessed the incident, contact State Police Troop F at 845-344-5300. 

Local Story #4

A Rockland legislator may be tossing his hat into the ring to run for the state Assembly. A published report on RocklandDaily.com suggested Ramapo Democrat Aron Wieder announced at a Democratic Committee meeting in Orangetown on Tuesday that he was looking to run in the 97th District, a seat currently held by Republican John McGowan. We reached out to Wieder for comment but did not hear back. The 97th District covers Orangetown and portions of Ramapo.

The Stony Point man nabbed earlier this month and charged in connection to a murder three years ago was arraigned yesterday on charges of second degree murder. Rockland District Attorney Tom Walsh says 36 year-old Robert Rodriguez was also accused of possessing a loaded gun, arson, tampering with evidence, and concealing a human corpse following a brief stay at the Mid-Hudson Forensic Psychiatric Center. New York State Police responded to a car fire on the Palisades Parkway near exit 16 three years ago. 36 year-old Ronald Mann of the Bronx was found dead in the car of at least one gunshot wound. Walsh says Mann was shot by Rodriguez at his home on Call Hollow Road in Haverstraw. Rodriguez then reportedly drove the victim’s car with the body inside to the Parkway, parked in a snowbank, doused the car in gasoline and set it on fire with Mann still inside. He then fled the area. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The southbound New York State Thruway reopened around 5 this morning after being closed overnight for about four hours by Woodbury Commons in Harriman following a fatal car accident involving a pedestrian around one this morning. News 12 says traffic had to be moved to Route 17 South and then back onto the Thruway in Sloatsburg. The incident is under investigation.

Nanuet Roofer Faces Prison and Fines After Death at New Square Work Site
A 41-year-old Nanuet roofer faces prison and a large fine for the death of an employee at a New Square construction site two years ago. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Jose Lema of ALJ Home Improvement faces six months in prison and a $250,000 fine after pleading guilty yesterday in federal court to willfully violating OSHA safety regulations. The unidentified victim was helping install a roof on a three-story, multi-family apartment building under construction at the time. The worker fell and there were no protections in place. Lima will be sentenced May 22nd.