FELONY ARRESTS
DANNEMORA — A Clinton Correctional Facility inmate is accused of punching a correction officer in the face last spring.

According to police records, personnel at the Dannemora prison notified State Police on May 28, 2009, that an inmate had allegedly struck a correction officer in the chin and right eye.

Following an investigation, Sergio Ponder, 25, was taken into custody at 4:10 p.m. last Thursday and charged with a single count of assault while confined in a correctional facility.

Ponder was arraigned in Town of Dannemora Court and sent back to the prison pending further court action.

According to New York State Department of Correctional Services records, Ponder has previous convictions of first- and second-degree robbery and second-degree assault.

In 2003, he was sentenced to a minimum of 12 years, 10 months and eight days in State Prison.

MALONE — State Police say an inmate at Upstate Correctional Facility has been charged with possessing a makeshift weapon inside the prison last September.

Malone-based State Police arrested Terrance Corbett Monday morning on a single felony charge of first-degree possession of dangerous prison contraband.

The 21-year-old remains in state custody and is due back in court later this month.

SARANAC LAKE — Two Saranac Lake residents are facing charges for allegedly altering a prescription to get extra medication from an area pharmacy.

Darius C. Collins III, 21, and Kathrine R. Pell, 29, were arrested Monday evening on charges of second-degree forgery, fourth-degree conspiracy and second-degree possession of a forged instrument.

Saranac Lake Village Police said the pair forged a number of prescription slips to try to get more drugs than they were prescribed.

Both suspects were later sent to Franklin County Jail on $5,000 bond or $3,000 cash bail, which Pell posted to secure her release.

Collins was still behind bars Tuesday morning.

MOOERS — After a string of run-ins with the law last year, an Ellenburg Center woman is back behind bars, this time for allegedly failing to face the criminal charges in court.

A warrant was issued for Naomi R. Atkinson's arrest in January after she failed to appear in two Clinton County courts to face unrelated trespass and forgery charges.

Last weekend, the 25-year-old was nabbed in Canandaigua and brought back to the area to face the allegations.

After being charged with second- and third-degree bail jumping, Atkinson was sent to Clinton County Jail, where she was still being held Tuesday night for lack of $35,000 cash bail or $70,000 bond.

Atkinson is accused of a trespass in Franklin County and for allegedly forging a number of checks from a business account.

Also in 2009, Atkinson was arrested after she apparently assaulted a male acquaintance with a candy dish.

CHAMPLAIN — A Florida woman was arrested early Saturday morning on a warrant issued by authorities in Florida.

Alberte Saintamour, 31, arrived at the Champlain Port of Entry at 3 a.m. with the intent of entering the United States, Chazy-based State Police said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel discovered that a warrant for Saintamour's arrest had been issued by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

According to police records, the warrant is tied to a fraudulent insurance claim that Saintamour allegedly filed.

Saintamour, whose address is listed as Ft. Myers, Fla., was taken into custody without incident at 4:30 a.m. on a felony charge of being a fugitive from justice.

She was sent to Clinton County Jail and was still being held Tuesday night pending extradition to authorities in Florida.

PERU — An unlicensed Troy driver was jailed locally earlier this week after, police said, he was caught drinking alcohol in his vehicle while driving on Interstate 87.

Plattsburgh-based State Police said Francis J. Adams was heading north Sunday evening when he was spotted driving erratically in a commercial-class Peterbilt truck.

After stopping the 60-year-old, authorities said, they found alcohol in the vehicle and determined that Adams was drunk behind the wheel.

He was arrested on two felony counts of driving while intoxicated and one count of third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

He was also ticketed for operating an unregistered vehicle, operating a commercial vehicle without the proper license and for drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle.

Police said Adams's latest arrest is his third alleged drunken-driving offense.

After being arraigned, Adams was sent to Clinton County Jail on $2,000 cash bail or $4,000 bond.

He was released Tuesday evening after posting a $4,000 bail bond.

Adams will reappear in court later this week to face the allegations.

MALONE — Authorities believe a North Bangor man forged someone else's personal checks at least three times earlier this month.

Buddy H. Wilson, 22, was charged Monday with three counts of second-degree forgery in connection with the alleged fraud.

Malone-based State Police said Wilson was sent to Franklin County Jail on $2,500 cash bail after his arrest.

MORIAH — A Witherbee man is accused of stealing a checking account number from a Moriah resident.

Westport-based State Police received a complaint Feb. 16 from a Moriah resident who claimed a checking account number had been stolen.

Following an investigation, Ronald L. Merrill, 18, was taken into custody in Plattsburgh at 11:42 a.m. Saturday and charged with one count of fourth-degree grand larceny, according to Lewis-based State Police.

Merrill was arraigned in Town of Moriah Court and issued an appearance ticket.

KEESEVILLE — A Champlain man, who police say was intoxicated and standing in the middle of the road, is accused of punching the hood of a pickup truck that had to make an immediate stop to avoid hitting him.

At about 1:05 a.m., two State Police troopers were driving in a patrol cruiser behind a pickup truck on Front Street in the village when they allegedly observed Christopher S. Burns, 30, standing in the middle of the road.

They observed the truck driving in front of them make a sudden stop to avoid hitting Burns, who appeared to be intoxicated, police said.

Burns then allegedly struck the truck with his fist, causing damage to the hood of the vehicle.

Burns was taken into custody and charged with third-degree criminal mischief, which alleges that he caused more than $250 worth of damage to the truck.

He was also charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly obstructing traffic.

After being arraigned in Town of Chesterfield Court, Burns was sent to Essex County Jail, where he was released after posting $1,000 cash bail.

PERSONAL-INJURY ACCIDENTS
MORIAH — Two Essex County men, including one who suffered an injury, are facing charges following a two-car accident early Saturday morning.

Westport-based State Police received a report of a two-car accident on Witherbee Road at about 12:32 a.m., but found no vehicles at the reported location.

An investigation resulted in the arrest of Vince E. Genier, 30, of Mineville, who told police he was driving south on Witherbee Road in a 1990 Chevy pickup truck when he struck another vehicle that was pulling out of a driveway, Lewis-based State Police said.

Genier was charged with misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a personal-injury accident. He was also ticketed for refusing to take a breath test and failure to keep right.

At 7:15 p.m. Saturday, the man driving the other vehicle, Casey R. Bettis, 23, of Lewis, was taken into custody and charged with misdemeanor aggravated unlicensed operation of a vehicle and leaving the scene of a personal-injury accident. He was also ticketed for having no license.

Bettis complained of leg and abdominal pain but refused medical treatment.

Genier and Bettis were both issued appearance tickets and will face the charges at a later date.

NORTH ELBA — A downstate man suffered a knee injury when a sports-utility vehicle backing out of a parking spot hit an open door of his car, pinching his legs.

Ray Brook-based State Police were called Saturday morning to a two-car accident in a parking lot on Bobsled Run Lane.

An investigation revealed that Tomas Jelinek, 45, of Lake Placid was backing a Toyota Sequoia out of a parking spot to the right of a parked Volvo S70 sedan.

At the same time, Rachel A. Avenia-Prol, 41, of Pomona, N.Y., was standing on the driver's side of the Volvo, while her husband, Robert Prol, was leaning into the rear right passenger doorway with the door ajar to retrieve items from the car.

As Jelinik was driving in reverse, he turned the wheel of the SUV, causing the front driver's side corner of the vehicle to strike the open door of the Volvo, causing the door to swing into Prol's legs and pinching him between the door and the frame of the car, State Police said.

Prol was transported to Adirondack Medical Center in Lake Placid, where he was diagnosed with an internal left-knee injury.

Jelinek was ticketed for unsafe backing.

BOMBAY — A St. Lawrence County woman suffered a minor injury Thursday morning in a one-car accident.

Crystal L. Crump, 24, of Brasher Falls was driving a 2006 Pontiac sedan on County Route 4 at about 8:44 a.m. when she lost control of the car on the snow-covered roadway, went off the shoulder, struck a road sign and came to rest in a ditch in the vicinity of Croke Road.

Crump complained of back pain and was transported to Alice Hyde Medical Center in Malone for treatment.

She was ticketed for imprudent speed for weather conditions.

DANNEMORA — A Morrisonville man suffered a minor injury Thursday night in a one-car accident.

According to Dannemora-based State Police, Jason E. Bruno, 22, was driving a pickup truck east on Route 374 at about 11:02 p.m. when he lost control of the truck due to unsafe speed, went off the shoulder and struck a tree.

Bruno suffered bruises to his face, but he did not seek medical treatment.

He was ticketed for imprudent speed for weather conditions.

— By Staff Writer Andrea VanValkenburg and Contributing Writer Casey Ryan Vock