News Staff

The cause of a Waterford fire Sunday night is under investigation. According to WNYT, flames tore through a multifamily home at 100 Vanderwerken Avenue. A family of ten and a family of four were home at the time, but got out safely.
No injuries were reported.

A body pulled from the Mohawk River last week in Schenectady is missing teen Samantha Humphrey. Police made that announcement Monday afternoon. WNYT reports The 14-year-old girl disappeared in that area on Nov. 25. She was headed to Riverside Park to meet up with an ex-boyfriend. Not long after, her jacket was discovered by the river in the area near where she was last seen.

New York State Park Police will conduct a simulated training exercise focusing on a mass casualty response at Saratoga Performing Arts Center this spring. The Saratogian reports the training will focus on coordination and emergency response during several simulated scenarios envisioning an incident involving injuries to a large number of concertgoers at the venue. It’s happening 8 a.m. to noon on Sunday, April 30 throughout the exercises near SPAC inside Saratoga Spa State Park.

Mechanicville police arrested Joseph Howard, 47 of Albany on February 23. Police allegedly followed Howard on a pursuit when he was reportedly driving while drunk. WTEN reports Howard was driving on South Central Avenue when officers tried to pull him over. Howard refused to pull over leading police on a short pursuit through city streets. Officers report the pursuit ended on Newman Avenue where they pulled over Howard and he showed signs of impairment.

A Ballston man is charged with DWAI and other counts. WNYT reports State police say they stopped 40-year-old Steven Stangle of Clifton Park last week. He was impaired and had drugs in the vehicle, which they say he tried to destroy when officers got nearby. He was sent for drug-testing at state police barracks in Clifton Park, where he tested positive for impairment, and was sent to Saratoga County Correctional Facility without bail.

Saratoga Springs Mayor Ron Kim is at odds with Commissioner of Public Safety Jim Montagnino, who asked the City Court to issue a summons against the leader of BLM activists who interrupted a city council meeting this month. Kim issued a statement reading, “This action is counterproductive to a continued dialogue with all members of our community, a waste of city resources, and could potentially lead to additional costs to the City and taxpayers.”

A luxury Saratoga Springs hotel has received a prestigious accolade. WNYT reports The Adelphi Hotel has earned a new Forbes Travel Guide recommended award. Inspectors, who register as regular guests, test up to 900 rigorous standards, from room quality to food to service.

A criminal complaint has been filed in Saratoga Springs related to the disruption of the city council meeting earlier this month.
WNYT reports the complaint asks the police department to issue a summons to Chandler Hickenbottom, the leader of Saratoga Black Lives Matter, who was at the center of the chaos on Feb. 7. The meeting had to be adjourned and then ended early after there was shouting at members of the city council and other members of the public.

State Police of Clifton Park arrested 28 year old Frank P. Dibenedetto Jr., 28, of Clifton Park, NY, for Criminal Possession of a Weapon, Menacing, and Reckless Endangerment. Police say Dibenedetto Jr. wielded a bat while confronting multiple people at a residence and attempted to strike a victim with the bat and his vehicle before fleeing the location. He was gone before the Troopers arrived. Dibenedetto Jr. was located and arrested in Malta.

A woman who claims she was struck by a bullet in an officer involved shooting in Saraotga late last year is filing suit. Cali Brown of Glens Falls has put the city and police on notice that her suit contends police were negligent in the use and discharge of guns, weren’t properly trained and failed to recognize Brown was an innocent bystander. She says she suffered both physical and psychological damages from the incident.