Amenia stabbing: residents consider neighborhood watch

AMENIA — A man was stabbed multiple times in Amenia Saturday, May 9, according to state police.

The incident took place on Mechanic Street, after an altercation involving four people at the Amenia Elementary School basketball courts on Route 343.

Investigator David Denzel, who is with the state police Dover barracks, said the suspect is a teenage male from the town. He reported that the man who was attacked is also a resident, and in his 40s. Since the altercation, he has been released from the hospital. Denzel reported that the incident was not drug-related, and said there is no connection to any of the recent robberies in Millerton. The case is still under investigation.

Because of the close proximity to Webutuck school district property, the incident was briefly discussed at the Board of Education meeting on May 5.

Board of Education President Dale Culver said that the fence around the basketball court needed to be completed.

“There needs to be a whole fence to keep people out,� he said.

Board member John Perotti said that while he supported completing the fence, he was concerned over the possibility of the school’s liability in the incident. He suggested checking the district’s insurance coverage to make sure the school is protected.

“The basketball courts have become a real hangout for undesirable behavior,� said district Superintendent Richard Johns during a telephone interview. “That’s not the case all the time, but there has been drug usage and drug exchanges there.�

Johns said that he has not talked to anyone from the state police about the incident, but Denzel said he was working with Deputy George Strid, Webutuck’s school resource officer.

 Johns reported at the board meeting that he had received a call from a resident asking about a neighborhood watch.

That person is Ernie Lowell, who lives near where the incident occurred. He is concerned about activities happening around the basketball courts, as well as the safety of residents and children looking to use the facilities.

“There are signs at the court saying that no one is supposed to be there after dark, but there are always kids there,� he said. “It’s not just the basketball courts either. They hang out at the Rail Trail, and I’ve seen them at Freshtown.�

Lowell said this is not the first incident at the basketball courts he has heard about. In fact, two months ago, he reported his 18-year-old daughter was at the courts during the day and was approached by a man she didn’t know, who punched her in the face. He said the attack was unprovoked.

Lowell contacted the sheriff’s department after the incident. He reported that he had identified the male who attacked his daughter, but said that when the sheriff arrived at the alleged assailant’s house witnesses stated he was at home when the attack occurred. Charges were never filed.

The day after the stabbing, Lowell said he saw a teenage boy searching the basketball courts for something. The teen finally went over to the scene of the crime and picked something up, which he showed to his friends. The male then got into a van and drove off. Lowell gave the license plate number to the state police, but said he hasn’t heard anything else.

While Lowell said that he would like to see the courts locked securely at night so no one could get in, he acknowledged that it would only relocate the problem.

“It’s just going to send the kids someplace else,� he said.

Lighting on the basketball courts, as well as the Rail Trail parking lot, is much needed, Lowell added. He also said there needs to be more patrol coverage of the area. He has an idea for a community center that youngsters could spend time at.

As far as lighting school property, building the rest of the chain-link fence or possibly installing surveillance cameras, Johns said it’s not something the board had talked about prior to its last meeting.

“The fence was never meant to keep people out,� he clarified. “It was meant to keep balls from going out into the street.�

One of the gray areas with the Amenia Elementary property is the board’s intention to donate the building to the town of Amenia. That proposal is one of the items school district residents will decide on May 19, when they vote on the budget for the 2009-10 year. If the building is donated, those security measures would then be at the town’s discretion.

Lowell said he has spoken with several store owners who are in support of a watch group, and has also talked with town Supervisor Wayne Euvrard.

“I feel it’s going to be a combined effort,� Lowell said. “I’m willing to do it, but I’m going to need the support of the town and police agencies.�

“I think it would be great if that group were to form and be vigilant in keeping undesirable elements off the playground,� Johns said, adding that 95 percent of the people using the equipment are using it as intended. “I’d hate to deny kids a recreational facility because of a few thugs.�

“The town needs to step up and take initiative with the kids,� Lowell said. Residents who are interested in a neighborhood watch program can reach Ernie Lowell at 518-610-3700.

“After this incident, I want kids to realize that I’m going to make it my priority to make sure this doesn’t happen again,� he said. “I have three kids who walk the streets of Amenia, and I’m not going to get a phone call saying my son or daughter has been stabbed.�