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SCHENECTADY
Incidents disturb peace of churches
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

   The Rev. Ray Meadows has calmed down drunks and drug addicts during his church services, but even he was taken by surprise by a man who strolled in without wearing any pants.
   Other churches in the inner city are dealing with similar disrespectful incidents, which some fear will drive churchgoers to the suburbs. But so far, most congregants are sticking with their longtime churches, even though a Sunday service in the inner city involves far more than just prayer.
   There are the groups that stand outside and make as much noise as possible, the homeless who stumble in and sleep in the back row, and the interruptions from drunk or mentally ill neighbors who don’t seem to understand that they can’t just walk up to a pastor and start a conversation during the sermon.
   Most of the disturbances are harmless, but some antics are seriously upsetting city churchgoers.
   On Hulett Street, members of the Duryee Memorial AME Zion Church choir are routinely heckled as they make their way to practice. In Bellevue, teens have practiced skateboarding tricks at the entrance of Immaculate Conception, banging their boards against the stainedglass windows until congregants begged them to stop.
   And then, of course, there’s the naked man who walked into Hamilton Hill Fellowship one recent morning.
   The service was nearly over when the man walked in with just a jacket tied around his waist to hide his genitalia. It did nothing to cover him once he took a seat next to a startled congregant.
   Then he blithely interrupted the pastor and explained that he needed some clothes.
   “He told me someone stole his clothes. That may have been the case or it may not have,” Meadows said. “I didn’t have any clothes on hand, so I said, ‘If you’ll just wait five or 10 minutes, we’ll be done here and I can get you some pants.’ After about five minutes, he got up and left.”
   Some congregants think the disturbances are getting worse, that church is no longer seen as sacred in modern society. But pastors say the misbehavior they deal with is typical for an inner city.
   “In every major city where there’s a ghetto, you get this kind of stuff,” said the Rev. James D. Mc-Cathan, pastor of Duryee Memorial AME Zion. His church is on Hulett Street, in the heart of the poorest neighborhood in Schenectady.
   Duryee congregants are furious because residents have taken to heckling them as they walk to church, particularly for evening choir practice.
   “I walk to church for choir practice and every time I round that corner, there are people drinking, smoking weed, cussing,” said Melissa Tucker. “I have watched this town evolve from something beautiful to crime-ridden It’s just awful.”
   Some of the church’s neighbors were arrested recently and charged with shooting a gun as two women walked by. The women were slightly injured, but were not the intended targets, according to police.
   Congregant Lois Mitchell said that after the shooting, she no longer feels safe walking to church.
   “They say the community needs to reach out and do the work — well, we’re trying, but we can’t go outside,” she said. “We are being shot at! Well, they’re not shooting AT us, but they are shooting. And the things they say to us — they call out to the women. It’s not safe.”
   Other members of the church can’t understand why their neighbors litter on church property.
‘READY TO GIVE UP’
   “This is the Lord’s house. We keep our property clean,” said Cheryl Farmer. “Can’t the city move the people out and get people who are God-fearing or something?”
   Disrespect toward sacred spaces isn’t just limited to the inner city. In Bellevue, which was once seen as so distinct from the rest of the city that residents joked it was Schenectady’s first suburb, congregants are now reporting similar church disturbances.
   “There’s a gang of hoodlums running around, causing all sorts of problems,” said Vince Riggi, a member of Immaculate Conception Church on Bradt Street. “Last Monday, they were causing problems right outside church, during a sermon.”
   The Rev. Robert DeMartinis was trying to conduct a healing service. Outside the door, only a few feet from the pulpit, a group of noisy skateboarders were playing games.
   It wasn’t the first time, either. DeMartinis has asked them to skateboard somewhere else, but they like the cement rails leading to the church entrance. They don’t seem to worry that they could damage the glass windows set just beyond the rails.
   “They were going up and banging into the glass,” Riggi said. “I thought they might break it.” He’s ready to give up and move out of the city, heading to a safe suburban neighborhood where such things don’t happen.
COMMISSIONER’S VIEW
   “I hate to say it, but it’s getting bad,” he said. “I see a lot of my good neighbors have moved away.”
   But his pastor isn’t throwing in the towel, and the city ministers say most of their congregants aren’t, either.
   “We’ve had disturbances. Drunk people come in. People on drugs. You know, this is the neighborhood you’re in. You have to be prepared to handle that,” said Hamilton Hill Fellowship’s Meadows.
   McCathan, of Duryee Memorial AME Zion, marshaled his congregants to describe the problems to the Schenectady City Council. In response, police have had “lengthy” conversations with loiterers and residents near the church, Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett said.
   The trouble is that most of the annoying behaviors aren’t illegal.
   “They’re making a pain in the neck of themselves, but it depends on where they’re standing,” Bennett said. “If they’re on church property, that’s private property and they can be asked to leave. If they’re on public property and they’re not really doing anything, well, sometimes a little friendly persuasion can work, and that’s what we’re doing.”
   Police have also told McCathan to call whenever there’s a problem, an offer he’s already used once to disperse a crowd of teenagers who were following him.
   After the speedy response to that call, McCathan is now confi - dent that the problems won’t get worse.
   “It’s going to get better,” he said.

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“There’s a gang of hoodlums running around, causing all sorts of problems,” said Vince Riggi, a member of Immaculate Conception Church on Bradt Street. “Last Monday, they were causing problems right outside church, during a sermon.”

   “They were going up and banging into the glass,” Riggi said. “I thought they might break it.” He’s ready to give up and move out of the city, heading to a safe suburban neighborhood where such things don’t happen.

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SCHENECTADY
Buffardi: Jail incident report due
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter

   The Schenectady County Sheriff’s Department has completed its investigation of an alleged 45-minute gang assault on an inmate and plans to release the results this week, perhaps as soon as Wednesday, Sheriff Harry Buffardi said.
   “That’s the target date,” Buffardi said.
   Chief Deputy Timothy Bradt of the sheriff’s department conducted an investigation into allegations that four inmates assaulted a fi fth inmate Aug. 15, and into how such an attack could go on so long without intervention by jail guards.
   Buffardi said he turned over Bradt’s investigation to County Attorney Chris Gardner. Gardner on Monday said he is reviewing the report and its recommendations. He would not divulge details but suggested one person, whom he would not name, is likely to face disciplinary action. Buffardi said that could include firing.
   Zachariah Fay, 17, of Niskayuna, alleges four inmates assaulted him after he had just entered the tier at the county jail and was the only one there when five inmates returned from recreation.
   Fay was in jail after being arrested the day before, accused of helping rob a 16-year-old of marijuana and a cellphone.
   Charged with gang assault were: Nicholas Price, 18; Nicholas Coons, 18; Corinth Snipes, 18; and Jullian Vanness, 18. Snipes and Vanness are from Schenectady, Price from Colonie and Coons from Rotterdam.  

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Guard quits in Schenectady beating case  
  
By PAUL NELSON, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007

SCHENECTADY -- A Schenectady County jail guard was forced to resign amid allegations that he failed to prevent prisoners from severely beating another inmate earlier this month.
  
David Teller, 38 and a guard for eight years, quit this morning, according to a county official familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity.

An investigation was conducted into the Aug. 15 alleged beating of 17-year-old Zechariah Fay of Niskayuna and why it took correction officers 45 minutes to stop it.

Four county jail inmates have been charged with gang assault.

Police said the four men approached and beat Fay as he talked to his girlfriend on the phone.

Fay returned to his cell after the initial beating and was followed by the four men, who, police said, took turns punching Fay in the body and head, fracturing his cheekbone and bruising his face.

Jullian Vanness, 18, of Schenectady; Nicholas Coons, 18, of Schenectady; Nicholas Price, 18, of Colonie; and Corinth Snipes, 18, of Schenectady, were charged with felony gang assault.

Fay had been in jail since the day before the attack after allegedly stealing marijuana and a cellphone from a teenager.

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And, Mr. Riggi, may I point out that some of these people that you are ridiculing in this story are who?  People who probably voted for you to get into office...now you want to tuck tail and run to the suburbs?  But if you go to a church there, you just might have to go through one of those neighborhoods that you have decided that all the sexual predators need to move to.  And if you move out of the district that you currently live in, what does that show to the people who voted for you there?  What does it show to the rest of the county when you said to the sex offendors, "NIMBY," then you are complaining about your "BY," so you're going to move and tell OTHER people "NIMBY?"  This is exactly what you want!

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SCHENECTADY
Jail guard quits in wake of assault
Resignation ends potential criminal action against officer
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter

   A veteran corrections officer resigned Wednesday rather than face internal charges of gross negligence in connection with the alleged gang assault of an inmate in the Schenectady County Jail earlier this month.
   David Teller, 38, no address listed, faced the administrative charge following an investigation by Chief Deputy Timothy Bradt of the Sheriff’s Department, according to a report obtained by The Daily Gazette through the Freedom of Information Law. Teller served eight years with the department.
   Teller’s resignation ends any potential criminal actions against him, said Sheriff Harry Buffardi.
   Teller, who earned approximately $45,700, is accused of failing to place two inmates under disciplinary treatment immediately inside their cells prior to the alleged assault, Bradt’s report stated.
   Under questioning, Teller said he “forgot to lock them up,” according to the report. “That is clear negligence,” Buffardi said. “They should have been locked up.”
   Teller was responsible for supervising the unit that houses the inmates and for conducting periodic inspections of inmate cells, maintaining discipline over inmates and rendering aid to injured inmates. Buffardi said staffing on the tier was not a factor in the incident. “It was not quantity but the quality” of the oversight that was at issue, he said.
   Teller also failed to observe inmates allegedly assaulting Zechariah Fay, 17, of Niskayuna, the report said. “He did not perceive or hear the assault even though his desk was a few feet away from Fay’s cell,” Buffardi said.
   Fay had been at the jail after being arrested Aug. 14, accused of helping rob a 16-year-old of marijuana and a cellphone.
   Inmates Jullian Vanness, 18, Nicholas Price, 18, Nicholas Coons, 18, and Corinth Snipes, 18, are accused of repeatedly assaulting Fay. The alleged assaults occurred intermittently between 10:07-10:45 a.m. Aug. 15 on the second floor of the jail.
   A Schenectady County grand jury is reviewing evidence against the four inmates. They face possible indictments on Class B and D felony charges of gang assault. The charges carry prison sentences of between 10 and 25 years upon conviction.
   Vanness and Price were under discipline for misbehaving in the correctional facility and were supposed to be locked in their cells 23 hours per day, with one hour set aside for recreation. Vanness’ punishment began Aug. 14.
   Inmates not under disciplinary treatment are locked in their cells at night and have access to the jail’s facilities during the day. Fay was using the jail’s phone when Price allegedly punched him in the face at 10:07 a.m., according to Bradt’s report. Vanness, Snipes and Coons also allegedly punched Fay at this time.
   Buffardi said the motive of the assault is unclear, but appears to involve “a cultural difference between them.” He said the four inmates demonstrated “predatory, grouplike” behavior toward Fay.
   Fay “ran back to his cell while Coons continued to assault him,” Bradt’s report said. Fay found respite for about 20 minutes until Snipes allegedly entered the cell, called him a “snitch” and struck him again, the report said.
   Several minutes later, Coons, Snipes and Vanness allegedly assaulted Fay for the third time. Fay allegedly suffered a fractured check bone and passed blood through his urine, Buffardi said.
   Ed Fay, the boy’s father, on Wednesday said his son is still experiencing medical problems but refused to answer other questions.
   Throughout the incident, Teller told Bradt he had made periodic inspections of the cells, but reported nothing out of the ordinary. Teller also told Bradt that Fay told him he sustained his injuries during his arrest days earlier and that Fay failed to tell a nurse making rounds of his injuries. Buffardi said all inmates are checked when they first enter the jail for physical injuries and that Fay did not have any at the time.
   The alleged assault came to light the Aug. 16 when corrections offi cer Frank Iadicicco came to take Fay from his cell after he had made bail. Buffardi said Iadicicco noticed Fay’s red and swollen face and asked him twice what happened.
   “It was obvious to him,” Buffardi said, who immediately launched the investigation and brought Fay to a local hospital for treatment.
   County Attorney Chris Gardner said the Sheriff’s Department did an “outstanding investigation and the outcome is one the sheriff can be proud of.”
   Gardner said the county has not received a notice of claim from the Fay family over the incident. “We are monitoring the situation very closely and reviewing any injuries Fay may have received very carefully, and there is a criminal prosecution going against the inmates. So there is a two-edge sword here,” he said.  

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SCHENECTADY
Kilcullen to field questions from news media now Lieutenant named new information officer
BY STEVEN COOK Gazette Reporter

   Schenectady Police Lt. Brian Kilcullen has worked as the department’s backup spokesman for several years now, fielding calls from local media when needed.
   The backup role, however, meant he only served as the spokesman infrequently, sometimes for a week at a time.
   It was a duty he warmed up to.
   “At the end of the week, I kind of liked it,” Kilcullen said Wednesday. “I started looking forward to it.”
   Now the 13-year veteran can look forward to Sunday. That’s when he’ll be the department’s official public information offi cer.
   In one of his final duties as the current department spokesman, Capt. Peter Frisoni confirmed Wednesday that Kilcullen will be his successor.
   Kilcullen was selected out of a half-dozen candidates, Frisoni said. Interviews were conducted and Kilcullen was recommended for the post.
   “He has attended several training courses and has done a very good job in a secondary role,” Frisoni said. “It was a natural progression to the primary role.”
   Taking over as the new backup spokesman will be Officer Christopher Wrubel.
   Frisoni’s promotion to Captain earlier this summer started the shuffle. He is now the No. 2 man in the investigative services bureau behind Assistant Chief Michael Seber. The job didn’t allow for time fielding media questions.
   Kilcullen has been with the department more than 13 years. He started as a patrol officer and worked his way up to sergeant in 1998 and lieutenant in 2001.
   Kilcullen most recently worked nights. He is moving to day shift as platoon commander for the fi eld services bureau.
   Kilcullen got his undergraduate degree in international studies from Siena. He received a master’s in public administration from Marist College.
   Prior to entering police work, Kilcullen had once been on track for a career in the Central Intelligence Agency, he said. Changing world events sent him elsewhere.
   He also served a volunteer officer at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
   Kilcullen follows Frisoni, who was named the department’s offi - cial spokesman in 2003 after a series of unofficial spokesmen. The department spokesman responds to questions from local news media.
   The appointment as public information officer carries no offi cial stipend, Frisoni said. But work off hours is covered under overtime provisions.  

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Teller’s resignation ends any potential criminal actions against him, said Sheriff Harry Buffardi.

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So we again have a case where someone in law enforcement, breaks the law, and gets off scott free.

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Sheriff Buffardi tries to convince the public that things are under control and that the issue has been addressed