GLENMONT – Bethlehem police responded to a report of an erratic driver on Route 9W at 7:32 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20.
A witness reported that a blue Mazda was traveling without lights and provided the license plate number after the vehicle stopped at a traffic light. Responding officers were initially unable to locate the vehicle, but a records search provided the registered owner’s address in Glenmont.
Upon arrival, officers found the Mazda in the driveway, still running and in drive. A 74-year-old Glenmont woman was in the driver’s seat.
When approached, the woman placed the vehicle in park. Officers observed that she had slurred speech, glassy eyes, and an odor of alcohol on her breath. When asked if she had consumed alcohol, she responded, “No, not really.” She later admitted to having one glass of wine at a client’s house before driving home.
The woman failed field sobriety tests and refused to provide a breath sample on a pre-screening device. She was taken into custody and later provided a breath sample at the station, registering a .16 percent BAC.
She was charged with DWI, a misdemeanor, and issued a bill of particulars. She was released with an appearance ticket for Bethlehem Town Court on Tuesday, March 4.
No show since 2018
DELMAR – A Fort Worth, Texas, woman was finally back in Bethlehem Town Court on Thursday, Feb. 27, after being released on her own recognizance seven years ago.
According to reports, Lasheba Saunders, 50, was arrested for an incident in February 2018, when she allegedly told a co-worker that she had overheard two men saying members of the Bloods gang had ordered a “hit” to murder other people she knew.
An investigation determined that Saunders had falsely reported a conspiracy to commit murder and had made a false written statement about it. She was charged with second-degree conspiracy, a felony, and falsely reporting a crime and making a false written statement, both misdemeanors.
Saunders was arraigned, then released, and that was the last time she appeared in court until last week.
Albany County Sheriff’s deputies brought Saunders to Bethlehem for an outstanding warrant, where she was processed and arraigned. This time, she was sent to the Albany County Jail.
She was released by court order on Wednesday, March 5, after appearing in county court.
DWI and Wicked Apple Ales
GLENMONT – A Glenmont woman driving a black sedan at a high rate of speed around her neighborhood cul-de-sac after blocking a driveway was the subject of a call to Bethlehem police on Friday, Feb. 28.
According to reports, police arrived at 5:28 p.m., observed the sedan driving in the neighborhood, and conducted a traffic stop. The sedan pulled into a driveway on the street, and the driver, a 43-year-old woman, exited the vehicle and walked toward the patrol unit.
The officer interviewed the woman, who said that the caller was being “mean to her.” The officer also detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage on her breath. The woman stated she had consumed two Wicked Apple Ales earlier.
She was given some field sobriety tests but refused others, as well as refusing to provide a breath sample on a pre-screening device. She was taken into custody and also refused to provide a breath sample at the police station.
An inventory of her car found three empty cans of Wicked Apple Ale. She also had non-transparent tints on her back window.
The woman was charged with DWI, a misdemeanor, and ticketed for tinted windows and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle. She was released with an appearance ticket for Bethlehem Town Court on Tuesday, March 18.
Larceny, fake name, and four warrants
DELMAR – A 34-year-old New Scotland man was picked up by Colonie police on Saturday, March 1 for having two active arrest warrants from Bethlehem related to separate incidents at Market 32 in Slingerlands.
According to reports, on Monday, January 8, Bethlehem police were dispatched to the store for a report of a man concealing merchandise in bags inside the store. Police stopped him before he left, and the man provided a false name and address. It was later determined through an investigation that the man was Joseph Albright. The store declined to press charges for attempted petit larceny after Albright returned the items to the shelves and left.
Albright was later seen on store surveillance video on Saturday, February 10, allegedly taking $140.81 worth of merchandise. He was identified after an investigation by the Capital Region Crime Analysis Center.
The investigation linked the two incidents, and Bethlehem police obtained an arrest warrant. When Colonie police picked Albright up on Saturday, March 1, he was charged with two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, both misdemeanors, in their jurisdiction.
In Bethlehem, Albright was charged with petit larceny and criminal impersonation, both misdemeanors. He was arraigned by Bethlehem Town Judge Andrew Kirby and released under probation supervision. However, shortly after his arraignment, it was discovered that he had two outstanding warrants from the City of Albany. He was transported to the department’s South Station and turned over to Albany police.
Check fraud
GLENMONT – A Glenmont man was notified by National Grid that his payment had not been processed, only to later discover that someone had rewritten his check and cashed it at Broadview on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
According to reports, on that day, Keven O’Rourke, 40, of Albany, allegedly cashed the altered check—now written for $2,200—using his New York identification card. The Glenmont man went to the bank and informed them that he had not given anyone permission to rewrite the check.
A Broadview investigator provided police with a copy of the check, a still photo of O’Rourke, and a copy of the ID used. Police applied for and received an arrest warrant, and he was picked up by Colonie Police on Saturday, March 1.
O’Rourke was charged with grand larceny and possession of a forged instrument, both felonies. He was arraigned by Judge Andrew Kirby, released, and is scheduled to return to court on Tuesday, March 18.
