The Eastwick Press Newspaper

Eastern Rensselaer County's Community Newspaper

Cox Guilty of Second Degree Murder of a Child

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Submitted by the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office

Following a nearly two-week long trial, a Rensselaer County Court Jury on Wednesday, April 27, convicted 42-year old Kevin Cox on two counts of Murder in the Second Degree and one count of Assault in the First Degree. The charges stem from the February 11, 2020 death of six-year-old Davonte Paul of Lansingburgh.

District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly confirmed that according to the evidence, Davonte was found after a 911 call by his mother stating that he had drowned in the bath tub, although no water was found in the child’s lungs.

“As proven at trial, Cox punished the child by forcing him to sit outside on a snow covered deck on a blisteringly cold February night. Cox left Davonte outside for hours which directly caused his death. This was a heartbreaking case and I applaud the jurors who sat through the difficult testimony and viewed evidence of the death of this child,” said District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly.

Cox will be sentenced on May 18 before County Court Judge Debra Young and faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison.

Fatal Accident in Poestenkill

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On Thursday evening, April 21, around 10:39 pm, the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office responded to a two-car personal injury motor vehicle accident on NY 355 ( Main Street) in the town of Poestenkill. Upon arrival, responding units observed a blue 2008 Honda Civic with significant front-end damage, with an occupant (driver) entrapped inside the vehicle. Responding units also observed a white 2018 GMC pickup truck, with heavy front drivers-side damage, and the driver outside of the vehicle.

First aid was rendered to the driver of the Honda Civic by deputies, until ALS arrived on scene. The driver of the Honda Civic was extracted and transported to Samaritan Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.

The driver of the white 2018 GMC, Dylan Densmore, 26, of Poestenkill, was arrested on scene and charged with:

  • PL 125.12 – Vehicular Manslaughter in the 2nd Degree (Class D Felony)
  • VTL 1192.2 – DWI (Unclassified Misdemeanor)
  • VTL 1192.3 – DWI (Unclassified Misdemeanor)
  • VTL 1120 – Failure to keep right (Infraction)

Densmore was arraigned in East Greenbush Town Court by the Honorable Judge Jessica Mocerine and was remanded to the Rensselaer County Jail with no bail, set to re-appear in court on Monday, April 25.

We would like to thank the New York State Police, Poestenkill Fire Department, Mohawk Ambulance, and the West Sand Lake Fire Department for their assistance during this tragic event.

Lions Club Penny Hunt

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After one rain out the Lions moved inside the Gilchrist-Reynolds skating rink. The weather improved and the event was held outside the rink attended by many kids and their parents.

The penny hunt groups and winners are as follows:
Boys and girls three and under – Layla Colvin of Hoosick Falls
Girls ages four to six: Marcia Thomson of White Creek
Boys ages four to six: Thomas Hale of Hoosick Falls
Girls ages seven to nine:
Allison Bushee of Hoosick Falls
Boys ages seven to nine:
Eli Fredricks of Hoosick Falls
Each of the above winners received a prize of an Easter Basket.
The winners of the egg toss, which was held for older kids, were Chelsea Stevens and Aurora Ferraro. [Read more…] about Lions Club Penny Hunt

Petersburgh Bridge Project Progressing

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by Chris Tergliafera
At the April 18 regular meeting of the Petersburgh Town Council, more was revealed about the upcoming project to replace the bridge on Rt. 2 and 22. Engineers have said the bridge can be taken down in one day if the crew is allowed to work through the night, which would require special approval from the Town. Otherwise deconstruction would take roughly two days. How traffic will be rerouted is still to be determined. Efforts are being made to ensure the design of the new bridge will fit with the current bridge’s look. It’s believed that the project will fall within the $4.5 million budget. A presentation to the Town will be scheduled once the next design of the bridge is completed. Once started, the project will likely take about five months to complete. More details should be available by early summer.

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Brunswick Town Council Meeting

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Ready to Review Code Changes

by Doug La Rocque

More than a year into a moratorium on two-family and multi-family construction in the Town, Supervisor Phil Herrington announced at the Thursday, April 14 Town Council meeting, the proposed changes are nearly complete, and scheduled a Council Workshop for Tuesday, April 26 at 6 pm. This workshop is open to the public, but no comments will be entertained — those will be heard when a public hearing is scheduled.

The moratorium came to be because of many complaints about overcrowding in some areas of the Town along with comments that these multi-family dwellings were being proposed for some rural and agricultural areas. Since the moratorium’s enactment, a group of public officials and Town attorneys and the LaBerge Group have been meeting on a weekly basis to identify the issues that needed to be addressed and put together proposed solutions. That work is now complete.

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Schodack Town Council Highlights 

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by Denise Wright

The April 14 meeting of the Schodack Town Council was brief but full of resolutions. The Council approved two proclamations highlighting two Schodack residents’ contributions to the community and resolutions approving everything from employee appointments to equipment and finances. 

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Ruth E. Devlin – Obituary

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Stephentown – Ruth Elizabeth Devlin, 88, a resident of Stephentown for over 50 years and recently of Mannsville, New York, passed away on April 9, 2022, after a brief illness, surrounded by loving family members. She was married for 67 years to the late Vincent S. Devlin, who passed away November 26, 2020.

Ruth was born in Jamaica, Queens, NYC on February 11, 1934. She was the only child of the late Kurt O. Krell and Elizabeth P. Mueller Krell.  [Read more…] about Ruth E. Devlin – Obituary

PFOA’s Found In Stephentown Trailer Park

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A mobile home park in Stephentown has been cited for exceeding the state maximum contaminant level for PFOA, the Rensselaer County Health Department announced today.

The Mountain View Park public water system has a level of 10.75 parts per trillion at well 1 and a level of 12.5 ppt at well 2. The state maximum contaminant level as outlined in state Sanitary Code is 10 parts per trillion.

Located on State Route 22, the Mountain View Park includes approximately 80 mobile homes.

A written notification has been sent to residents in all mobile homes in the large park regarding the discovery of the elevated PFOA level, said county health officials.

“We have taken the necessary action to inform residents of the situation and to provide owners of Mountain View Park with steps to improve the situation,” said Public Health Director Mary Fran Wachunas.

“The town has been informed of the situation at Mountain View, and is working with the county and other parties to protect public health. We will work jointly with the county to provide more information to the public when it becomes available,” said Town Supervisor PJ Roder.

The steps required of Mountain View Park, as detailed in state Sanitary Code, include a public notice to all customers of the park’s water district, hiring a consulting engineer within 30 days to perform a feasibility study, and submission of the feasibility study within 90 days to the Health Department.