Please find and view the most up to date news and information regarding the Town of New Windsor Police Department listed below.
Noise Complaints Lead to Citation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE #23-06 Issued on: May 15, 2023
This year, in honor of Police Week, New Windsor Police Chief Dan Valeri, along with Lieutenant Matt Monahan, Sergeant Hannah Lake, PBA President Frank Volpe and School Safety Officer Hardy Pierce, participated in this year’s Virtual National Police Week Memorial 5K – a race uniting thousands of law enforcement officers and their supporters to remember those officers killed in the line of duty. Chief Valeri ran in honor of Sergeant Vincent Oliva and Officer John Cortazzo of the Port Authority Police Department, both of whom died as a result of illnesses sustained during the rescue and recovery efforts following the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. Chief Valeri was a classmate of Cortazzo and a student of Oliva when he attended the Port Authority Police Explosive Detection Canine School in 2001. Lt. Monahan ran in honor of NYPD Officer Patrick Monroe who died as a result of cancer that he developed following his assignment to the search and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Officer Monroe was the uncle of New Windsor Officer Joseph Finnerty. Sgt. Lake dedicated her run to the memory of NYPD Detective Michael Hanson. Det. Hanson died of a neurological illness which was likely attributed to his response to the 9/11 World Trade Center Attack. His family is still awaiting the line of duty death designation. Officer Pierce, who is assigned as the School Safety Officer at the Little Britain Elementary School, ran with school employees Todd Grodin, Marisa Sitko, Lindsey Krause and Jeanna Santagato, who chose to join his team for the event. Together they ran in honor of Officer Breann Leath. Officer Leath was an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Officer who was shot and killed on April 9, 2020 while responding to a domestic disturbance. In addition to honoring the fallen officers, Chief Valeri created the team to participate in this year’s event to promote wellness and unity within the department. He also ran the 3.1 miles in his department issued bulletproof vest as a reminder to officers that there is no good reason not to wear their body armor. The National Police Week 5K is presented by The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP), a non-profit organization dedicated to honoring America’s fallen law enforcement heroes. As the largest law enforcement memorial in the United States, ODMP preserves the memories of 26,000+ fallen officers in its online memorial and reflection pages.
[PHOTO CAPTIONS] NWPD team members (left to right) Lt. Monahan, Chief Valeri, Sgt. Lake and PBA President Volpe. Little Britain School team members (left to right) Todd Grodin, Marisa Sitko, Lindsey Krause, Jeanna Santagato and School Safety Officer Hardy Pierce.
Jessica Lopez, also known as Yessica Lopez, was reported missing to the City of Newburgh Police Department on November 3, 2019. Investigation into her whereabouts has now shown that the last place she was seen was the Windsor Motel on Rt 9W in the Town of New Windsor in the early morning hours of November 3, 2019. Ms. Lopez has not been heard from since and she is missing under suspicious circumstances.
Ms. Lopez’s silver 2005 Toyota Camry, NY Registration JDC9597, has been located by police at Showtime Cinema on Rt 300 in the Town of Newburgh, as previously reported. Police are now asking for the community’s help in determining where her vehicle traveled on Sunday, November 3, 2019 before it was parked at Showtime Cinema. Anyone having seen Ms. Lopez’s vehicle (see photos) between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on November 3, 2019 is asked to contact police at (845)565-7000. We are also urging local businesses and homeowners to review their security camera footage during this timeframe to see if her vehicle happens to be captured on video. The Town of New Windsor Police Department is now the lead agency investigating this missing person report. Since taking over the investigation, police investigators have followed up on over 200 leads. In addition to following up on leads, over the past several days an extensive ground search has been undertaken in the Northern New Windsor area including areas in the City and Town of Newburgh. Assisting the New Windsor Police in this investigation is: The New York State Police, Town & City of Newburgh Police Departments, FBI Safe Streets Task Force, Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Hudson Valley Crime Analysis Center, New York State DEC Police and Forest Rangers, DEA, Orange & Putnam County Sheriff’s Offices, Westchester County Police Dept., and the Ramapo Search & Rescue. This matter is still under active investigation and police are continuing to follow up on several leads. Anyone that may know something about Ms. Lopez’s whereabouts is urged to call the New Windsor Police immediately at (845)565-7000. Additional press releases will be distributed by the New Windsor Police Department when more information becomes available. See vehicle photos provided. Thank you.
New Windsor Police Sergeant William Ruger was awarded the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee Chair Award for 2019 for his leadership as our grant project director of the Police Traffic Services (“PTS”) grant.
New Windsor Police Sergeant William Ruger was awarded the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee Chair Award for 2019 for his leadership as our grant project director of the Police Traffic Services (“PTS”) grant. Sgt. Ruger was recognized for his effective use of NYS grant funds in increasing motorist awareness of vehicle & traffic laws and for reducing personal injury motor vehicle crashes in New Windsor by 21% over the past year. He was also recognized for his innovative and productive use of grant funding to conduct nighttime traffic checkpoints to enforce & educate motorists in the area of child passenger safety. During just two of these nighttime traffic checkpoints conducted in 2019, an astonishing 45 child restraint violations were observed by Officers and enforcement action was taken. The GTSC Chair Award is presented annually to an individual and their organization for having made efficient use of public resources and for producing programs that are innovative, superior and highly successful in promoting traffic safety. This year’s award was presented on October 24, 2019 at the NYS Highway Safety Symposium in Albany, New York. Pictured in the photo is Sgt. William Ruger (L) and NYS DMV Commissioner & Chair of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee Mark J.F. Schroeder (R). New Windsor Police Chief Robert Doss was also in attendance for the award presentation.
On December 5, 2001, Nancy Smith, a 32-year-old resident was found deceased in her house on Provost Drive in New Windsor. On that day, Smith’s parents received a call from her office saying that Smith had not shown up to work at the Horton Hospital in Middletown. Concerned, they went to check on Smith at her New Windsor home on Provost Drive, where they found her deceased on the living room floor. Nancy’s death was the result of a vicious attack and the investigation into her murder began.
As the 20th Anniversary of Nancy’s death approaches, the detectives from New Windsor Police Department are, once again, asking for the community’s assistance in identifying Nancy’s killer. To date, over 900 investigative leads have been pursued by members of the NWPD, New York State Police, Orange County District Attorney’s Office and several other Local, State and Federal law enforcement agencies. Over the last few years, detectives have re-examined evidence in this case, re-interviewed witnesses, friends, family members, co-workers and other persons from Nancy’s life. Representatives from both public criminal and private DNA laboratories have been consulted, seeking the latest testing methods and technologies available. So far, we have been unable to identify the perpetrator.
The New Windsor Police Department would like to encourage members of the community to call us with any information they may have about this murder. Any piece of information would help, no matter how small or insignificant a person may feel their information would be. For 20 years, investigators and family members have been trying to find the missing pieces to the puzzle for this crime. There is still a reward of $20,000 being offered, for information leading to the identification and arrest of the person(s) responsible for Nancy’s death.
Investigators working this investigation can be reached at 845-563-4657 or by email at [email protected].
Orange County News For Immediate Release Contact: Christopher Borek November 6, 2020 845.291.3276, 845.238.4245c
District Attorney Hoovler Announces Murder Charges
In Death of Missing City of Newburgh Woman
Man Indicted for Murdering 36-Year-Old Woman
Victim Missing Since November 3, 2019
Body of Victim Not Recovered
Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced on Friday, November 6, 2020, that Matthew Mercado, 37, of Newburgh, was arraigned before Orange County Court Judge William L. DeProspo on charges including Murder in the Second Degree, in connection with the death of 36-year-old Jessica Lopez, a City of Newburgh woman who was last seen on November 3, 2019, at the Windsor Motel in the Town of New Windsor.
Mercado had previously been indicted on charges including Burglary in the Second Degree for breaking into room 32 of the Windsor Motel on November 3, 2019, at about 1:35 AM, and stealing two bags from the three young woman who had been sleeping in the room at the time. Mercado has been continually incarcerated since his arrest on November 6, 2019, in connection with those charges. The District Attorney’s Office superseded that case in the Grand Jury and asked the Grand Jury to consider additional evidence concerning the disappearance of Jessica Lopez, who had been staying with Mercado in room 33 of the Windsor Motel the night of Saturday, November 2, 2019, into the morning of Sunday, November 3, 2019. The Grand Jury indicted Mercado for Murder in the Second Degree for intentionally killing Jessica Lopez in room 33 of the motel as Ms. Lopez was attempting to leave the motel at approximately 5:00 AM on November 3, 2019. The Grand Jury also indicted Mercado for a separate count of Murder in the Second Degree for having killed Ms. Lopez during the commission of a robbery or kidnapping of her. Robbery under the law is forcibly stealing property. Mercado is charged with two counts of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree for having stolen Ms. Lopez bank card and stealing approximately $1,500 from her account, most of which was taken out in ATM withdrawals starting at approximately 9:00 AM on November 3, 2019.
Mercado is also charged with three felony counts of Tampering with Physical Evidence. One count alleges that he removed Ms. Lopez’s body from room 33, placed her in the trunk of her car, drove the car to an unknown location and concealed the body. Another count alleges that he deleted text messages between her cellular telephone and his cellular telephone, messages that were sent at about 5:30 AM on November 3, 2019. The third count of Tampering with Physical Evidence alleges that he disposed of Ms. Lopez’s cellular telephone so it could not be used as evidence.
The Grand Jury indicted Mercado again for Burglary in the Second Degree for breaking into room 32 and stealing bags from the three young woman, and added a charge of Criminal Impersonation in the Second Degree for Mercado having told the three young woman that he would not give their bags back and that he was an undercover police officer.
Bail was set in the amount of one-million dollars cash, or three-million dollars secured bond, or ten-million dollars partially secured bond. The case is next scheduled for a virtual conference in County Court on December 2, 2020. Mercado faces up to twenty-five years to life in state prison on the charges of Murder in the Second Degree and up to an additional fifteen years in state prison on the charge of Burglary in the Second Degree.
District Attorney Hoovler highly commended the Town of New Windsor Police Department for their investigation and unceasing efforts in the case, as well as the many law enforcement agencies that aided in the investigation, including the Town of Newburgh Police Department, the City of Newburgh Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police, and the New York State Police, as well as the civilian volunteers who have searched for Jessica Lopez.
“By all accounts Jessica Lopez was a remarkable young woman and her loss is being severely felt by her family, friends, and many of her former students,” said District Attorney David M. Hoovler. “While recovering her remains will continue to be a high priority for us, we are fully prepared to litigate this case even without her body being recovered. Murder convictions without bodies are permissible under the law and in fact such convictions have occurred before here in Orange County. My heartfelt condolences go out to Ms. Lopez’s family, and my office will do everything in our power to see that the person responsible for her death faces just punishment.”
Chief Robert Doss of the Town of New Windsor Police Department said, “I would like to thank every member of the New Windsor Police Department that worked so diligently on this investigation. It is because of their hard work, along with the assistance of all the other police agencies, that made a difference in this case. I also want to thank District Attorney David Hoovler and his staff for their unwavering support through the process. We will never forget the family of Jessica Lopez, who have been without her in their lives for over a year now. Her mother, father and brother, all live with the constant pain of her loss. I speak for every member of Law Enforcement that worked on this investigation when I say that we stand with them and we will continue to fight for Jessica every day until justice is brought in this case. Our hearts go out to her family and we will continue to pray for them. It is my hope that the news of this indictment will at least begin the process of closure to Jessica’s family and everyone that knew her.”
The case is being prosecuted by Chief Assistant District Attorney Christopher Borek and Senior Assistant District Attorney Kelle Grimmer.
A criminal charge is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Jessica Lopez
On January 27, 2021, the New Windsor Police Department arrested William M. Hinspeter, 48-years old of New Windsor, NY for stealing from the New Windsor Little League organization after a four-month long investigation by Detectives. Mr. Hinspeter, who formerly served the New Windsor Little League organization as its President, made a series of unauthorized debit card cash withdrawals for his own personal use between the dates of October 1, 2018 and August 31, 2020. Mr. Hinspeter was arraigned on a criminal charge of Petit Larceny in New Windsor Justice Court. He plead guilty to the charge in the presence of his attorney and he was sentenced to a conditional discharge. Additionally, Mr. Hinspeter has paid $6,500. in restitution back to the New Windsor Little League organization.