Police review leaves behind serious debates By KEVIN LIMITI • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com Oneonta’s Common Council will likely meet its self-imposed June 1, deadline to review, and change or adopt, the city’s Community Advisory Board’s recommendations for the Oneonta Police Department, Mayor Gary Herzig said Tuesday, May 17. Among the topics being discussed are the status of no-knock raids in Oneonta, making statistics of crime and arrests available to the public and a review board to examine the high number…
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Oneonta Police
NEXT STOP, POLICE ACADEMY Largest OPD Class Sworn In At Park…
Repeat Offenders Have Oneonta On Edge By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA – For Oneonta Police Chief Doug Brenner, the recent slate of thefts from unlocked cars are more than just petty crimes. They’re a stress on the Oneonta community as a whole. “These aren’t huge larcenies, but they create a more hyper-sensitive community,” he said. “You have to remember to lock your car, your house, you might be more sensitive to when your dog barks.” On Sept.…
CARS RIFLED THROUGH IN CITY Homeless Man Arrested For 4th Time Since July 31 Chief: Drug Abuse At Root; No Help Available ONEONTA – Oneonta Police report arresting a second homeless man for stealing items from unlocked cars over the past week, and it’s the fourth time the suspect was arrested two months. Keegan Allen, 22, homeless, was arrested following a report that someone had been rifling through cars on Hudson Street. Allen was located near the scene and admitted…
With COVID Outbreak, Oneonta ‘A Ghost Town’ By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA – In 23 years with the Oneonta Police Department, Lt. Christopher J. Witzenburg had never seen a Saturday night like Aug. 29. “It’s never been this quiet,” he said. “It’s a real departure from last weekend, where we just had a ton of house parties. It’s like a switch flipped.” With more than 200 students sickened with COVID-19 following “several large parties” last weekend, SUNY Oneonta…
Juvenile Arrested In Tire-Damage Spree ONEONTA – One juvenile was arrested and a second is awaiting charges following 29 incidents where car tires were punctured and other personal property items were damaged last week in Oneonta’s East End. In all, the juvenile, whose name was not released because of their age, was charged with 23 misdemeanors and six felonies after they allegedly slashed and punctured the tires of more than 20 vehicles on Fair Street, Hudson Street, Belmont Circle, North…
20 Tires Punctured Overnight In Oneonta ONEONTA – Oneonta Police are seeking the suspects in more than 20 incidents of tires punctured overnight in Oneonta’s East End. “We started getting calls at 10 a.m. this morning,” said Police Chief Doug Brenner. “And we’ve been collecting statements all day.”…
Told Officers ‘Shoot Out’ Imminent; No Weapons Found Police: Man Falsely Accused Man Of Brandishing Handgun ONEONTA – An Oneonta man was arrested after he allegedly made a series of calls to the Oneonta Police Department, falsely accusing neighbors of being “involved in a drug deal” and brandishing a handgun. According to Police Chief Doug Brenner, Thomas E. Harker, 64, Oneonta, allegedly called the Oneonta Police department yesterday afternoon, first to report an alleged drug deal, then made a second…
NO DEATHS; HEROIN MAY BE TAINTED OPD Chief Reports 4 ODs In 48 Hours Beware Of ‘Bad Batch,’ Brenner Says By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA – Oneonta Police have been called to four heroin overdoses in the last 48 hours, prompting fears that a “bad batch” may be on the streets, according to Police Chief Doug Brenner. “Each time, our officers had to use both of their Narcan kits to revive the person,” said Brenner. “That tells…
Oneonta Man Arrested After Robbery Spree By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com ONEONTA – Following four gas station robberies, including one where a clerk was stabbed, an Oneonta man has been arrested and charged in the five-hour spree across Oneonta and Otego overnight and into Friday morning. “I called Mayor Herzig after we made the arrest,” said Oneonta Police Chief Doug Brenner. “I told him, ‘we got him, you can sleep well tonight’.” Bryan Ruple, 41, Oneonta, was arrested…