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CLIFTON PARK : Shen students killed in Northway crash
Police: Other driver had been drinking
BY KELLY DE LA ROCHA Gazette Reporter
Students came to Shenendehowa High School East on Sunday seeking solace from counselors and bearing tokens of affection to place in a memorial for fellow classmates Christopher F. Stewart and Deanna A. Rivers, who lost their lives in a two-vehicle crash on the Northway Saturday night.
   State police blamed the driver of the other car for the crash, which sent that driver and two other students to the hospital.
   Acting State Police Troop G commander Capt. Steven James, speaking at a news conference Sunday afternoon, said the accident occurred at 10:19 p.m. in Halfmoon, about one mile north of the Twin Bridges in the highway’s northbound lanes.
   Stewart, 17, the driver of a 2000 Ford Explorer, and passenger Rivers, 17, both of Clifton Park, died in the accident. Both were seniors at Shenendehowa High School. Stewart was a captain for the varsity football team and Rivers was a member of the varsity softball team.
   The two other passengers in Stewart’s SUV, Bailey Wind, 17, of Latham and Matthew T. Hardy, 17, of Clifton Park, were transported to Albany Medical Center for treatment of serious injuries.
   Wind is a student at Shaker High School, while Hardy attends Shenendehowa High School. Saratoga County District Attorney James A. Murphy III said the students were driving back from the annual UAlbany-Siena Albany Cup basketball game at the Times Union Center in Albany.
   According to James, eyewitness accounts revealed that Stewart was driving in the far right northbound lane of the highway when Dennis S. Drue, 22, of Clifton Park, moved his 2004 Volvo from the left northbound lane across the middle lane and into the far right northbound lane at a high rate of speed, striking the rear of Stewart’s SUV.
   The impact forced both vehicles off the highway. The SUV careened off the road, rolled over multiple times and came to rest in the highway’s median, James said. Drue’s vehicle ended up on the right side of the road.
   Wind, who was in the front passenger’s seat of the SUV, reportedly sustained serious injuries and broken bones.
   James said Rivers, who was in the SUV’s back seat, was ejected from the vehicle.
   Hardy, who was also in the back seat, sustained multiple fractures and was partially ejected from the vehicle, according to James.
   The police investigation revealed that there were no culpable acts on Stewart’s part, and that he had a clean driving record.
   A breath screening administered at the scene of the accident revealed a positive presence of alcohol in Drue’s system, according to James. Toxicology results are pending.
   Should he be charged with DWI, Drue also may be charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter, James said. If his blood alcohol level registered lower than.08 percent, he may be charged with two counts of criminally negligent homicide.
   Drue has no DWI convictions on his record, has a valid driver’s license and is the registered owner of the Volvo, but according to James, he “has a record involving speed, suspensions and revocations spanning back from 2008 up to 2011.”
   In 2010 he was involved in an auto accident that caused property damage, James noted.
   According to state police, Drue was treated at Ellis Hospital for head injuries and was released. SCHOOL OFFERS SUPPORT
   The tragedy has shaken the tightly knit Shenendehowa Central School District. Superintendent of Schools L. Oliver Robinson said he met with the families of the deceased students Sunday morning and had plans to visit Hardy at Albany Med later that afternoon.
   “The two students who unfortunately lost their lives were two wonderful students, two tremendous student athletes as well, so their reach is wide in terms of their interaction with many students, and so we’ll spend today trying to provide support to our students,” Robinson said at a news conference at Shenendehowa High School East on Sunday afternoon.
   Counselors were on hand at the high school to lend support to students and will be available throughout the coming weeks.
   The families of the students who were killed are struggling, Robinson reported.
   “It’s a tough situation when you think about having your kids in their senior year in high school and going into the holidays. There’s never a good time but this seems like such a tragic time when you’re talking about kids who were truly in the prime of their high school career lives, coming off of great athletic seasons and looking forward to the college recruiting process and all the exciting things that you know as a high school person you look forward to and as a family you look forward to celebrating.”
   Michael Wheeler, a senior at Shenendehowa who came to the high school Sunday, said he sat with Rivers in the library every day during lunch period.
   “I helped her to apply to St. Rose on Friday, so that’s just kind of sad,” he said. “She was really outgoing and nice. She was a really good listener. She was just always there to talk to if you needed anybody to talk to.” PRAISE FROM COACHES
   Shenendehowa girls’ varsity softball coach Dan D’Amboise, who coached Rivers, said she was a wonderful person who always had a smile on her face.
   “She really brought enthusiasm and excitement to the softball team. The kids loved her, I loved her. She was really poised to be a big part of this year’s team as a senior,” he said. “She was exactly what we wanted in a student athlete. You couldn’t ask for anything more. She came with a positive attitude every day to the fi eld, lifted everybody else up, a good student in school, a great citizen. This is a true tragic loss for the Shenendehowa Community.”
   Chris Culnan, director of athletics for the district, said the loss of the two student athletes is very hard to process.
   “We’re just trying to figure out a way to help support the families as best we can and fi gure out a way to help our students and our student athletes kind of cope with this tragedy,” he said, adding, “These were the type of kids that you’d always want taking the field and representing your school and your community. They just really were great kids. They were great teammates and great friends.”
   Stewart’s varsity football coach, Brian Clawson, said one word comes to mind when he thinks of Stewart: “Love.”
   “Chris loved everyone that was a part of his life. He loved the Shenendehowa community, Shenendehowa football; he loved his teammates, his coaches, his teachers, and in turn, everyone loved Chris because he had such a radiant, positive personality,” he said.
   On the field, he was a heck of a player, Clawson commented.
   “He had a tenacity about playing the game and trying to be the best football player that he could be,” he said.
   Stewart was recently named a member of The Daily Gazette’s All-Area Football Team.
   The district is encouraging students to memorialize their classmates at the high school and discouraging them from setting up a memorial along the Northway where the crash occurred, for safety reasons, Robinson said.
   Junior Corey Drejas, who was at the school Sunday, played football with Stewart when he was younger.
   “He was really nice. He was like a great leader, a perfect person that you wanted to be like,” he recalled.
   He said Rivers was Hardy’s girlfriend.
   “They were like perfect together,” he commented.
   Brian Shellenback, a senior and varsity football player, said he was Stewart’s best friend.
   “Chris, he can brighten up a room with his smile, his charisma, his personality. I just didn’t know one person who didn’t like him. He was just the best friend anyone could ever ask for, the most selfless person anyone would ever know,” he said.
   Shellenback said he has been in contact with Stewart’s mother. She notified him at around 2 a.m. Sunday that her son had died.
   “She’s a very strong woman,” he said.
   Shellenback was also friends with Rivers.
   “She was a heck of an athlete. She was a great softball player,” he said. “She was going to go on to do bigger and better things. Smart girl, real smart girl. She had a lot going for her.” “It’s sad to see them go,” he said of his two lost classmates. “But it’s good to see that there’s so many people out there that cared about them, because they had such an effect on so many lives.”

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SCHENECTADY -- An investigation into the suicides of teenage girls in 2008 and 2009 triggered a two-year federal probe of a local gang that culminated with the arrests on Thursday of 35 people who authorities say dealt drugs, shot at rival gang members and meted out violence across the city.
Nineteen of the suspects rounded up in early-morning raids on homes were indicted on federal racketeering charges that could put them in prison for decades. Other suspects were indicted on drug trafficking charges. Seized in the raids were $11,000 in cash, three handguns, an AK-47 assault rifle and 200 grams of crack cocaine. That's roughly one-half pound of the concentrated and highly addictive smokable rock form of the drug.
Officials said arrests are pending of at least nine more gang members.
U.S. Attorney Richard S. Hartunian announced the arrests at a news conference in City Hall.
"This is our latest effort to stamp out gang violence," Hartunian said, referencing two similar crackdowns on homegrown gangs in Albany: the Jungle Junkies in 2006 and the Original Gangsta Killers, known as OGK, in 2009. Six Syracuse gangs also have been prosecuted on similar charges. The Schenectady gang was called the Four Block gang.
"Gangs ruin our neighborhoods, poison our children and injure and kill innocent people," Hartunian said.
Hartunian sent this message to would-be gang members: "Stop gang-banging and stop the violence. If you don't, you'll end up like Four Block, in a cell block."
"This dealt a significant blow to gangs," said Clifford Holly, FBI special agent-in-charge.
The Schenectady probe got its start when local authorities began looking into the suicides of girls who attended Schenectady High School.
District Attorney Robert M. Carney said police determined the girls had spent time with members of the Four Block gang. Some of the girls were part of a group referred to as the Hill Bitches.
Four Block gang members, who were mostly in their late teens to mid-20s, ruled a portion of Hamilton Hill near Vale Cemetery with guns, intimidation, threats of violence and retribution against rivals to protect their turf and a lucrative drug trade that included crack cocaine, powder cocaine and heroin. Authorities logged more than two dozen drug sales, nine gun incidents and two major acts of violence in that area in the past two years.
The gang's thuggery extended to a group of impressionable teenage girls who hung around the Four Block crew and tried to mimic their behavior to gain acceptance. Carney said that the gang members' methods of intimidation and control, including predatory sexual behavior, "led to lower self-esteem and a sense of worthlessness" among at least some of the four girls, who were as young as 14 and 15 when they took their own lives.
He said the indictments and arrests of Four Block gang members represented "some sense of justice for these girls."
As the local investigation began to unearth the outlines of a major drug trafficking operation, Carney said authorities asked the U.S. attorney's office, the State Police and the FBI to join their effort. Federal racketeering charges carry longer penalties than state charges, making a criminal case in federal court more appealing to authorities.
Teen suicides led to sprawling drug probe in Schenectady
Dozens charged after probe of narcotics ring whose members allegedly had ties to teen suicide victims
By PAUL GRONDAHL Staff writer
Updated 12:36 a.m., Friday, May 27, 2011
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U.S. Attorney Richard Hartunian, left, speaks during a press conference to announce the arrest of dozens of people busted in an FBI investigation in Schenectady, NY, on Thursday, May 26, 2011.( Michael P. Farrell/Times Union )
    

  
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The 19 gang members, all from Schenectady, were charged with conspiracy to violate the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and they face a maximum sentence of life in prison. The alleged conspirators are: Richard "Pretty Ricky" Anderson, 23; Henry "Ju Ju" Beard, 18; Justin "Just Blaze" Belle, 23; Mikell "Kells" Butler, 20; Linsandro "C" Brown, 34; Tommie "Tommie Gun" Caldwell, 20; Shaquan "Quan" Hayes, 19; Eric "Easy E" Harris, 20; Ricardo "Ruckus" Henderson, 20; Qierre "Stacks" Jacobs, 20; Charles "Chuck D" Lewis Jr., 19; Arsheen "Dudie" Montgomery, 18; Phillip "Skrilla" Moore, 20; Curtis "Curt" Perkins, 20; Quintel "Quinny" Raysor, 20; Kwame "Kwa" Robinson, 19; Leon "Eon" Robinson, 18; Jose "Rico" Serrano, 20; Kawaun "Doughboy" Wiggins, 25.

The Four Block gang, who used special hand signals and tagged their zone with graffiti to communicate, operated in the area of Hamilton Hill between State and Strong streets and Brandywine and Veeder avenues.

Most of the gang members lived in the city, but their alleged drug trafficking and violence extended to several surrounding counties and into Vermont, authorities said.

In addition to the RICO indictments, those charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess crack cocaine and heroin, which carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison and a minimum penalty of 10 years, are: Deshae Harris, of Schenectady, 25; Kadeem Pell, of Schenectady, 23; DeShawn Tarver, of Schenectady, 23; Charles Edwards, of Schenectady, 23; Brian Wilder, of Clarendon, Vt., 40; Jamie Baker, of Rutland, Vt., 45; Val Socinski, of Rutland, Vt., 44; Kevin Roundsville, of Schuylerville, 47; and Charles Procella, of Whitehall, 34.

Also charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess crack cocaine, cocaine and heroin are: Frank Morena, of the Bronx, 30; Henry Keene, of Medford, N.Y., 35; Terrance Neal, of Brooklyn, 35; Omar Lewis, of Schenectady, 37; Jubbar Singleton, of Schenectady, 39; El-Hajj Moses, of Albany, 18; Asar Brandow, of Schenectady, 38; Marqus Buchanan, of Schenectady, 35; Maikel Mangra, of Schenectady, 26; Rodney Randall, of Schenectady, 39; Shirockie Kirk, of Schenectady, 33; Vittorio George, of Schenectady, 38; Steven Hartridge, of Schenectady, 38; Sakena Kocer, of Schenectady, 22; Dushan Wilson, of Albany, 22; and Gregory Wilson, of Albany, 40.

Investigators said the alleged drug network stretched from New York City to Schenectady and the drugs were transported upstate in small quantities known as "licks." The alleged sales took place not only in Schenectady but in the neighboring suburbs of Niskayuna and Glenville, as well as Saratoga Springs.

"But we can't prosecute our way out of these problems," Carney said. He added that anti-gang programs aimed at improving self-esteem have been started in the past two years and more than 100 teenaged girls have participated.

Teenaged boys at risk of joining gangs are the focus of Project S.A.V.E, or Schenectady Anti-Violence Empowerment, which organizes basketball nights and other activities at the Boys' and Girls' Club on Crane Street. It's run by Shariem Merritt and he's got 10 boys participating.

Merritt, 31, who grew up in Schenectady and served eight years in state prison after being convicted of selling crack cocaine, uses a scared straight approach.

"Hey, I've lived the life and I tell it to them straight," Merritt said. "That instant gratification of selling drugs brought me eight years in prison. I teach them about the consequences."

He said he worries about which way the 10 youths he's working with will end up turning. Some of them are younger brothers or relatives of those rounded up in the Four Block gang sweep.

"I hope they don't try to step up to fill those shoes," Merritt said. "If we get to them early enough, we can turn them around."

Reach Paul Grondahl at 454-5623 or pgrondahl@timesunion.com.



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Candles, cards and Tebow as sympathy pours in for Shen, Shaker students
By Dennis Yusko
Updated 3:26 p.m., Tuesday, December 4, 2012
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FILE - This Nov. 22, 2012 file photo shows New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow (15) warming up before an NFL football game against the New England Patriots in East Rutherford, N.J. (Bill Kostroun / AP)
        

  
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Students at Shenendehowa and Shaker high schools are wearing Shaker blue on Tuesday as a show of support for students from both schools involved in a weekend crash. On Monday, students wore green to recognize the Shenendehowa students.

Two popular student-athletes were killed and two others were seriously injured in a two-vehicle crash caused by the driver of a second car, according to state troopers who are investigating the incident.

Shenendehowa is preparing for a crowd at a candlelight vigil at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday at Brent T. Steuerwald Stadium on the Clifton Park campus. The school district canceled all other activities after 5:30 p.m.

The district will have shuttle buses running continuously throughout the event. Visitors should park in the shuttle lots at Gowana and Acadia/Koda parking lots or nearby Clifton Commons.

Saratoga County Sheriff James Bowen said Tuesday his office had been alerted, and deputies will patrol the area.

Football player Chris Stewart of Halfmoon and softball player Deanna Rivers of Clifton Park, both 17-year-old seniors at Shenendehowa, were killed.

Two other teens who were passengers in the SUV Stewart was driving were injured: Stewart's football teammate Matthew Hardy, a junior, and Shaker High School senior Bailey Wind, Stewart's girlfriend and a member of her school's diving team.

Wind was in critical condition and Hardy in fair condition on Monday afternoon at Albany Medical Center Hospital.

Criminal charges are pending against Dennis Drue, 22, of Clifton Park, the speeding driver who, state troopers said, abruptly and aggressively switched lanes about a mile north of the Twin Bridges and rear-ended Stewart's Ford Explorer.

Saratoga County District Attorney James Murphy said prosecutors postponed a meeting Tuesday with victims' families because they were already dealing with so many things. The meeting is to be rescheduled and include victim specialists from the DA's office, Murphy said.

Blood test results from Drue are not expected Tuesday from the State Police crime lab, Murphy said.

Troopers said Drue failed an alcohol screening test at the scene and was driving at least 70 to 75 mph. He was treated at Ellis Hospital for cuts to his head.

According to state Department of Motor Vehicle records, Drue's driving privileges were revoked from February 2009 to January 2010 for racking up three speeding convictions within an 18-month period, but he has a valid driver's license.

Siena College confirmed Tuesday that Drue is a student there. The school released the following statement: "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the Shenendehowa and Shaker High School students who were involved in the crash on the Northway Saturday night. During this time of grief, we hope that all those affected by this tragedy can find comfort in the support of their family, friends and community."

Siena directed inquiries to the State Police.

Twitter went viral on Monday night to lift the spirits of Hardy and Wind. It started as a simple request for NFL quarterback Tim Tebow to call Hardy and Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin to Wind in their hospital rooms.

By 7 p.m. Monday, more than 50,000 Twitter users had retweeted the #TebowCallMatt and 16,700 had tweeted #MissyCallBailey, according to Hashtag.org, a website that tracks Twitter traffic.

Tebow delivered. He called Hardy around 9 p.m., and at 9:30 Tebow tweeted "Thanks to everyone who got #TebowCallMatt trending & helped connect us. Matt truly inspired me. God bless y'all."

Franklin tweeted around midnight that she called Wind and left a voicemail message.

Hardy and his mother, Patricia, released a statement Tuesday through the Shenendehowa school district. "We appreciate and are overwhelmed with gratitude for the outpouring of support and concern from the entire Shenendehowa community and beyond.

"While the call from Tim Tebow provided a smile in an otherwise devastating situation, we would like to keep the attention focused on supporting the families of the students who passed. Tonight is a time to come together as a community and celebrate the lives of Chris and Deanna."

The Hardys said they would not be giving interviews at this time.

ESPN picked up the story on its website.

A makeshift memorial was set up in the Shen high school auditorium to keep people from visiting the Northway site of the crash.

Radio station FLY 92.3 is setting up a public condolence card at Crossgates Mall in Guilderland near the Forever 21 store. The card will be available from 5 p.m. to close on Tuesday and remain at the mall through close of business on Saturday.

Calling hours for Stewart are 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at Corpus Christi Church, 2001 Route 9 at Ushers Road, Round Lake, with a memorial Mass at 11 a.m. Saturday. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Colman's Autistic Program, 11 Haswell Road, Watervliet, NY 12189, in honor of his cousin, Andy. Arrangements are by the Catricala Funeral Home, Clifton Park.

View his obituary and leave a note for the family here.

Rivers' funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at St. Edward the Confessor Church, 569 Clifton Park Center Road, with burial in St. Paul's Cemetery, Mechanicville. Calling hours are from 3 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the church. Her family suggests remembrances be made to the Deanna Marie Rivers Memorial Scholarship, c/o Shenendehowa Central School, 5 Chelsea Place, Clifton Park, NY 12065. Arrangements are by the DeVito-Salvadore Funeral Home, Mechanicville. Click here for the full obituary and condolences.



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Schools
Education news for the Capital Region
By Scott Waldman     
Family: girl who committed suicide was bullied
April 4, 2009 at 6:42 am by Hank Domin
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UPDATE: Lauren Stanforth is reporting that the family of a girl who committed suicide claims she was bullied at school.

Shana Davis of Latham said her niece must have had other problems to see death as a reasonable way out. But the bullying she endured at the hands of other girls must have been a contributing factor, said Davis, who said her sister, the teen’s mother, is too distraught to speak publicly.

”She didn’t want to be there,” Davis said about her niece. ”It was very clear she struggled.”

PREVIOUS: A 14-year-old girl became the fourth Schenectady High student to take her life since November.

“This is not a community problem, this is not a church problem, this is a school problem, and this is becoming a school epidemic because everyone that has done this is from Schenectady High,” Rev. Veron House, pastor of the Life Changes World Ministries in Schenectady, said in a TImes Union story in Saturday’s paper.

The school district, in a statement, asked the media to spread the word about teen suicide. There are links to suicide prevention resources on the school’s Web site.

The district also sent a letter home to parents on Friday.

School officials publicly addressed the topic of suicide after two students killed themselves in one week in February.

Update: Staff writer Lauren Stanforth has a story in Sunday’s paper that looks at how students, teachers and administrators are dealing with the issue. All four suicides since Nov. 25 were black, teenage girls from the same part of the city.

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“This is not a community problem, this is not a church problem, this is a school problem, and this is becoming a school epidemic because everyone that has done this is from Schenectady High,” Rev. Veron House, pastor of the Life Changes World Ministries in Schenectady, said in a TImes Union story in Saturday’s paper.