Saugerties police officer Sydney Mills was arrested last week following an investigation and charged with multiple felony sex offenses, including rape, sexual abuse, and engaging in sexual conduct with a child. The allegations covering several months during 2022 are related to a single teenage girl.
According to the Ulster County district attorney’s office, Mills sexually abused the girl between April and November 2022, while he was still employed full-time by the SPD. The indictment accused Mills of engaging in both oral and vaginal sexual conduct with the girl, who was between 14 and 15 at the time.
Mills, now a part-time officer, was arrested on Monday, July 14 after a tip about the alleged crimes was brought to police chief Ken Swart, who worked with Ulster DA Emmanuel Nneji’s office and the county’s Family and Children Advocacy Center on the subsequent investigation.
Mills was indicted by a grand jury on two felony counts of third-degree rape of a person incapable of consent, one felony count of second-degree criminal sex act on a victim under the age of 15, one felony count of criminal sex act on a victim under the age of 17 years by someone over the age of 21, and one misdemeanor count of third-degree sexual abuse. Mills pleaded not guilty before county court judge Bryan Rounds on the day of his arrest and remanded without bail to the county jail. He has since been transferred to the Greene County jail.
The Saugerties town board released a letter to the community on Wednesday, July 16, two days after Mills’ arrest.
“Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the alleged victims and all those who have been affected by the alleged acts of patrolman Sydney Mills,” read the letter. “As leaders of your community, we will not tolerate any such behavior and will continue to demand better each and every day from those who we entrust to work in our community for all of us. Such arrests shatter public trust and demoralize those who do their job with integrity and professionalism.”
The SPD has struggled with allegations of officer misconduct in recent years. Former officer Dion Johnson accepted a plea deal in 2024 after facing eleven charges related to burglary, sexual abuse, and workplace harassment. That case led to scrutiny of the department’s internal handling of allegations of misconduct and the 2023 retirement of former chief Joseph Sinagra.
Mills joined the Saugerties Police Department following the dissolution of the village police department in January 2011. He joined the village department in 1998. In 2019, Mills was promoted to the rank of police sergeant by Sinagra. Mills retired in June 2023, but remained listed as a part-time officer. According to the SPD, he was not active in the department after his retirement.
In 2007, Mills was named in a federal civil lawsuit that alleged he helped another village officer, Tyrone Chrisjohn, order a 17-year-old girl into the back of a patrol car, where Chrisjohn allegedly attempted to grope her. Mills was mentioned in the complaint but not named as a defendant.
Chrisjohn was arrested in 2006 after a state police investigation into allegations that he had sexual contact with a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old while on duty in 2004, and that he exposed himself to and tried to grope a 17-year-old in 2003. He faced numerous charges including rape, attempted sexual abuse, attempted forcible touching, and official misconduct. Chrisjohn was acquitted in 2007 following a one-day jury trial in Ulster County Court. The civil lawsuit against him was later dismissed by agreement of all parties.
In announcing their arrest of Mills, the SPD affirmed its commitment “to transparency and accountability in our partnership with the community.”
“We understand that public trust is essential for our agency’s effectiveness, and we will continue to work towards maintaining that trust,” read the SPD statement. “We want to assure the community that we take these allegations seriously and will cooperate fully with the investigation. We are dedicated to providing a safe and secure environment for our citizens, and we will not tolerate any behavior that compromises the trust our community deserves.”
In its letter to the community, the town board shared a similar message.
“We, as your town board, want to assure the people of Saugerties that we are committed to transparency and accountability in our partnership with the community,” read the statement. “We assure you that we acted appropriately regarding all aspects of this investigation under the direction of the Ulster County district attorney. We want to continue to encourage community involvement and encourage those who may have had other-than-satisfying encounters with town employees to come forward.”
Last week, Saugerties Conservative Party candidate for town supervisor Gaetana Ciarlante, released a statement that expressed little faith in the town board for a variety of reasons, including its handling of police matters.
“The arrest yesterday of police officer Sydney Mills is one more example of the change needed in the Saugerties administration,” Ciarlante said. “The current administration has shown time and again what poor leadership, lapses in discipline, anti-transparency and fiscal irresponsibility can do to our town. It wreaks havoc. This administration’s first line of defense has always been to cover it up, put a spin on the narrative, and hope no one notices.”
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