Troopers on Patrol

This week's message takes us to Troops F, K, and L.

Troop F

On May 23, 2008, Trooper Michael Belgiovene, SP Wurtsboro, patrolled to a DOT work zone on State Route 17 near Exit 112 in the town of Mamakating.  The left lane was closed to traffic in this location for pothole work, and Trooper Belgiovene provided additional visibility and security for the work crew by setting up at the rear of the work zone with emergency lighting activated.

Trooper Belgiovene then observed, in his rear view mirror, a vehicle approaching the work zone strike a traffic cone.  Trooper Belgiovene continued to observe the vehicle, which then started to hit numerous traffic cones.  Trooper Belgiovene activated his vehicle's siren to alert the workers to the oncoming vehicle. The vehicle began to swerve back and forth and then entered the closed lane of traffic, nearly striking Trooper Belgiovene's vehicle and a DOT truck, which was attempting to pick up the traffic cones.  Trooper Belgiovene attempted to pull the vehicle over, which at this time slowed substantially but still moved unsafely in and out of the lanes of traffic.  The vehicle was pulled over approximately two miles later, and then struck the right-hand guide rail and came to a stop.  The 44-year-old female operator indicated to Trooper Belgiovene that she had done nothing wrong and had no idea why she was stopped.  She was taken into custody and later admitted to using Xanax the night before.  A blood test was secured at Catskill Regional Hospital, and the subject was arrested for DWAI-Drugs, Reckless Endangerment 2nd Degree, Reckless Driving, Failure to Obey a Police Officer, and several Vehicle and Traffic violations.

Trooper Belgiovene is to be congratulated for providing assistance to the DOT work zone crew and alerting them to the oncoming erratically operated vehicle.  His actions possibly saved one or more of the workers' lives.  He was able to successfully stop and arrest this operator with no one getting injured or killed.

Troop K

On May 20, 2008, Troopers Meredith W. Govoni and Tifini L. Atai, working a 2 shift out of SP Hawthorne, were on routine patrol on the Sprain Brook Parkway in the city of Yonkers when they observed a vehicle traveling at 79 mph in a 55 mph zone.  Both troopers stopped and approached the suspect vehicle and detected a strong odor of burnt marijuana emanating from inside the vehicle.  Both troopers also observed marijuana residue on the pants of both the operator and front-seat passenger.  A search of the operator yielded 33 grams of marijuana secured in 13 separate plastic bags in his front jacket pocket and an additional gram of marijuana in his pants pocket.

Trooper Atai also observed that the vehicle's operator displayed tell-tale physical indicators that he was driving while his ability was impaired by drugs.  Trooper Atai then administered Standardized Field Sobriety Tests to the operator, which he failed.  Further investigation at the scene by both troopers revealed that the suspect vehicle was a rental, and the associated rental company paperwork did not cite either the operator or passenger as authorized operators of the vehicle.  The operator was placed under arrest for DWAI-Drugs and CPM 5th, and both the operator and passenger were arrested for Unauthorized Use of a  Motor Vehicle 3rd Degree.  A search of the vehicle, subsequent to the arrests, yielded 27 grams of cocaine secreted behind the fuel-fill door of the vehicle.  Both subjects were additionally arrested for CPCS 3rd Degree and CPCS 4th Degree, and a total of $2,274 in U.S. currency was secured from both subjects.

On May 25, 2008, Troopers Govoni and Atai were again on routine patrol on the Sprain Brook Parkway, northbound in the city of Yonkers, when they effected a Vehicle and Traffic stop on a 2002 Chevrolet Blazer for making an unsafe lane change. During a roadside interview with the vehicle's operator, Trooper Govoni observed obvious signs that he was driving under the influence of drugs.  Trooper Govoni administered Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, which he failed.  A search of the vehicle subsequent to the arrest yielded three hypodermic needles with heroin residue secreted in the headliner of the vehicle and one hypodermic needle secreted in an umbrella.  A spoon with heroin residue was also located and secured during the vehicle search.  The vehicle operator subsequently admitted to using heroin prior to operating the vehicle.  A special file check during the arrest processing revealed he is currently on probation in Columbia County for Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3rd Degree.  He was charged with DWAI-Drugs, CPCS 7th Degree, Criminal Possession of a Hypodermic Instrument, Criminal Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Violation of Probation.

Troopers Govoni and Atai are to be commended for "looking beyond the ticket."  Their work resulted in the removal of two dangerous drivers from the roadway and the seizure of a large amount of drug contraband.

Troop L

On May 26, 2008, at approximately 2:14 a.m., Troopers Charles C. Weilminster and Christopher B. Nolan, SP Farmingdale, stopped a vehicle on the Southern State Parkway in Nassau County for numerous Vehicle and Traffic Law violations.  The troopers smelled a strong odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle and observed, in plain view, a marijuana cigarette in the vehicle's ashtray.  The three occupants were removed from the vehicle, at which time a female passenger pushed Trooper Nolan and grabbed her purse.  The troopers attempted to restrain the subject, but she resisted arrest and tightly held on to her purse. A brief struggle ensued and the troopers restrained her.  A search of the subject's purse was conducted, and a 9mm Ruger pistol with a defaced serial number and a butterfly knife were located inside. Further investigation revealed that the driver of the vehicle was wanted by Nassau County Police on an arrest warrant.  The third occupant falsely identified himself as another person and was found to be on parole with a conditional release from prison.  All subjects were taken into custody without any further incident.

The subjects were charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon 3rd Degree, Criminal Possession of a Weapon 4th Degree, Resisting Arrest, Bail Jumping 3rd Degree, Criminal Impersonation, DWAI-Drugs, Unlawful Possession of Marijuana, and numerous Vehicle and Traffic Law charges.

By looking beyond the ticket and continuing an investigation beyond what was found on the roadside, an illegal loaded handgun was removed from the community.