Cohoes Teacher Who Admitted Raping Teen Student Ripped By Judge At Sentencing: ‘Twisted’
A Capital Region high school teacher was living in a “twisted fantasy, false reality” when he started a sexual relationship with his 16-year-old student, a judge said at his sentencing hearing Friday, Aug. 21.
Drake Galarneau, 36, of Cohoes, got four years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of third-degree rape, the Albany County District Attorney’s office said.
“What sort of twisted fantasy, false reality were you living in, sir, to think this was appropriate or somehow right for you as a teacher to have a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student?” Judge Roger McDonough as…
DWI Driver Who Killed Man In Albany Crash Had ‘No Remorse,’ Victim’s Mom Says
A Capital Region man who killed another man in a drunken car crash last year was sentenced Friday, Aug. 21 to prison time, authorities said.
Matthew Merriman, 30, of Rotterdam, will serve between six and two-thirds and 20 years in prison, the Albany County District Attorney’s office said. The sentence was in line with a plea deal Merriman took in June.
Merriman ran a red light while traveling northbound on Everett Road in Albany and slammed into a driver who was exiting I-90 around 5:45 p.m. on Sept. 30, 2025, investigators said. Matthew Mardon, a 34-year-old Wynantskill man, was kille…
Trusted Aide Looted $138K From Unsuspecting Garden City Park Senior: Police
A Long Island home health aide stole $138,000 from her elderly client, even financing a car loan by stealing her identity, police said Friday, Aug. 21.
Doris Chou, 56, of Oakland Gardens, opened five credit card accounts and took out the car loan in the name of a 69-year-old woman she was caring for in Garden City Park, the Nassau County Police Department said.
The victim was unaware of the theft, which occurred between Nov. 17, 2023, and Nov. 21, 2024, investigators said. Chou piled up $138,000 before she was stopped, cops said.
Chou surrendered to police on Friday and was charged with si…
Child Sex Abuse Material Found On Albany Man’s Phone, Jury Takes One Hour To Convict: DA
An Albany man with child sex abuse material on his phone was convicted on eight counts, authorities said Thursday, Aug. 20.
Kurt Nous, 54, faces a maximum of four years in prison for each count of possessing a sexual performance by a child, the Albany County District Attorney’s office said.
Authorities began investigating Nous in October 2024 following a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, prosecutors said. State troopers searched his residence on March 12, 2025, and seized electronics, police said.
Investigators found Nous had downloaded and saved child sex…
15-Year-Old Girl Sexually Abused At West Islip Hospital By Nurse’s Aide: Police
A Long Island hospital employee sexually abused a 15-year-old girl while she was being treated, authorities said.
Trever Lauriano, 36, of Wyandanch, used his position as a nurse’s aide at Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip to abuse the teenager, the Suffolk County Police Department said Friday, Aug. 21. He has since been fired, according to the hospital.
Another hospital employee called 911 to report sexual abuse by Lauriano that occurred on Monday, Aug. 3, police said. The girl was a patient at the hospital’s behavioral health unit, authorities said.
Lauriano was arrested Fr…
Queensbury Coke Dealer Busted In Traffic Stop On I-87, Police Say
A Capital Region man was busted in a traffic stop with more than half a pound of cocaine, police said Friday, Aug. 21.
Chasaun Pearson, 33, of Queensbury, was traveling on I-87 through Saratoga Springs on Monday, Aug. 17 when he was pulled over multiple violations around 1 p.m., New York State Police said.
As troopers investigated Pearson, they found more than eight ounces of cocaine inside the vehicle, authorities said. The troopers were assisted by the Saratoga County Sheriff’s office’s K9 unit.
Pearson was charged with first- and third-degree drug possession, along with the vehicle and …
Drunk Driver Slammed Tree, Ran Away After Collision In Hampton Bays: Police
A drunk driver crashed his car on Long Island, then fled the scene Thursday night, Aug. 19, police said.
Sergio J. Nunezvela, 25, of Riverside, was behind the wheel of a Ford van that crashed into a tree near Bellows Pond Road and Montauk Highway in Hampton Bays around 10 p.m., the Southampton Town Police Department said.
Nunezvela and other occupants of the vehicle fled the scene after the collision, but they were located shortly afterward by responding officers, police said.
Investigators determined Nunezvela was intoxicated and arrested him at the scene, holding him overnight for arraig…
