Father-Daughter Duo Who Stole $230K From Elderly Victim In Kingston Dodges Prison
A father and daughter who scammed a 92-year-old woman out of more than $230,000 in Ulster County won’t spend a day in prison.
Frank Whittaker, 56, of Kingston, and his daughter, Christine Ellsworth, 39, of Accord, were sentenced to probation and ordered to pay restitution in Ulster County Court on Tuesday, March 4.
The daddy-daughter duo gained the victim’s trust by helping with yard work and household tasks, according to the New York Attorney General’s office. Over time, Whittaker convinced the woman to grant him Power of Attorney over her finances.
But instead of managing her money resp…
Live Bird Markets Shut Down In Several NY Locales To Stop Avian Flu Spread
New York officials are taking aggressive action to stop the spread of bird flu.
An order issued by the Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM) on Friday, Feb. 7, directed live bird markets in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties to close for five days, Gov. Hochul’s office said.
The emergency measure comes after health officials confirmed that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)–or bird flu–has been detected at seven live bird markets in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx since Friday, Jan. 31. Outbreaks have also been confirmed in Suffolk and Ulster counties, as D…
Hochul Won't Extradite New Paltz Doctor Charged With Prescribing Abortion Pill
New York will not extradite a Hudson Valley doctor who was criminally charged with violating Louisiana’s abortion laws, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
It comes after a jury indicted Ulster County-based Dr. Margaret Carpenter, of New Paltz, along with her company, Nightingale Medical, and the mother of a minor girl on Friday, Jan. 31, alleging that Carpenter shipped the girl an abortion pill.
The pill, Mifeprestone, caused the girl to have a medical emergency which terminated the pregnancy, Baton Rouge CBS affiliate WAFB reports. All three were charged with criminal abortion by means of abortion-in…
Kingston Man Charged With Fentanyl, Cocaine Charges Following Investigation
An Ulster County man has been indicted on multiple felony drug charges following an extensive investigation into narcotics sales in the City of Kingston.
According to Capt. Joe Sciutto of the Ulster County Sheriff's Office, the investigation, carried out by the Ulster Regional Gang Enforcement Narcotics Team (URGENT), identified Ontario S. Johnson, age 27, of Kingston, as a key figure responsible for selling fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine in the area.
On Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office presented the case to an Ulster County grand jury, which…
