Woman’s body found in Plattekill Creek
The corpse of a 48-year-old female was found floating in the Plattekill Creek, near the intersection of Route 212 and Old Route 212 on May 4 at approximately 10 a.m. and reported to local authorities. Saugerties police have ascertained her identity, but did not name her, citing an ongoing investigation.
“There is not a public safety issue, we’re investigating the cause of the woman’s death,” said police chief Joe Sinagra. “There’s no indication at this particular moment in our investigation that it was anything criminal.”
Sinagra said that the corpse had not been floating long, based on the state of the body, before it was found. Individuals who witnessed “any suspicious activity” in the vicinity in the days preceding the discovery are asked to contact police headquarters at 246-9800.
— Christina Coulter
Leaving the scene of an accident
Matthew M. Nilsen of Saugerties, 21, was charged with the misdemeanors of driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a property damage motor vehicle crash on May 2. According to Saugerties Police Chief Joseph Sinagra, Nilsen ran his car into a ditch off Churchland Road at approximately 2:43 a.m., hitting a guard rail; his blood alcohol content was .14% when measured by police. Nilsen was released to a third party with an appearance ticket and a traffic summons to answer his charges at a later date.
“If we can identify who damaged a guard rail, the highway department goes after that person for replacing the guard rail,” said Sinagra. “If you think about it, should the taxpayer have to pay for a utility pole because someone ran into it when they were drunk? If it’s a no-fault accident, the person’s car insurance would cover that.”
— Christina Coulter
Saugerties woman found in possession of marijuana and hypodermic syringes
Saugerties police discovered that a woman who was interviewed by police after she witnessed a car hit a utility pole at 11:30 a.m. on May 3 was driving with a suspended license; after she was taken into custody, 26-year-old Jenna J. Neglia of Saugerties was found in possession of marijuana and a number of hypodermic syringes.
“Neglia was following the car that crashed,” said police chief Joe Sinagra. “There was a relationship here between Neglia and this gentleman.”
The driver who struck the utility pole in the area of Malden Turnpike, 26-year-old Luke J. Robinson of Saugerties, was cited for speed not reasonable and was “not under the influence of drugs,” according to Sinagra. Neglia, however, was charged with the misdemeanors of aggravated unlicensed operation, criminally possessing a hypodermic incident and second-degree unlawful possession of marijuana.
— Christina Coulter
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