Plainfield Man Gets 6½ Years For Raping Students At NY High School: DA
A Connecticut man who worked inside a New York high school now faces years behind bars for abusing two teenage students.
Reid Kappler, 32, of Plainfield, was sentenced last week in Ulster County Court, New York, to six-and-a-half years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, according to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office. Kappler pleaded guilty in January to three counts of third-degree rape.
Prosecutors said Kappler abused two students, ages 15 and 16, at Saugerties High School during 2023 and 2024. At the time, he worked as a custodian and wrestling co…
Germantown Man Who Opened Fire On Officer Struck In Shootout, Hospitalized, Arrested: Police
A Maryland man who fired shots at a police officer during a wild pursuit is behind bars, officials confirmed.
Germantown native Andre Duvall is facing charges after a shootout ended with him suffering a gunshot wound and being arrested for attempted murder, according to the Montgomery County Department of Police.
Shortly before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24, officers were patrolling the area of Contour Road in Montgomery Village following community complaints of criminal activity including aggravated assaults, robberies, thefts, drug activity, disorderly conduct, and other public nuisance cri…
NY Mayor Raped Teen Girl For Three Years In Clifton Park: State Police
A small town New York mayor repeatedly raped a teenage girl in the Capital Region for three years, state police said Wednesday, March 25.
Frank Kovacs, elected mayor of Laurens in 2025, began assaulting the girl when she was 13, New York State Police said. The attacks occurred between 2008 and 2011, according to authorities.
Kovacs, 61, was first arrested and accused of raping a teen girl in June 2025. At the time, state police said they began investigating him in December 2024 “when a victim reported that over a decade ago, they had been sexually assaulted by Kovacs for several years, in m…
Toms River Man Found Not Guilty By Insanity After Killing Brother: Prosecutor
A New Jersey man was found not guilty by reason of insanity on Wednesday, March 18, after killing his brother in Princeton, the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said.
At a bench hearing, Judge Robert Lytle agreed with experts from both prosecutors and the defense that Matthew Hertgen was legally insane at the time of he incident, Court TV reported.
On Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, Princeton police responded to the Michelle Mews Apartments and found Matthew next to the body of his brother, Joseph, Mercer County Prosecutor Janetta Marbrey said. Joseph was pronounced dead at the scene, police said…
Gunpoint Robbery, Deadly DUI Crash Lead To Guilty Plea For Hempstead Man: Prosecutors
A Long Island man pleaded guilty in a deadly drunken car crash and three robberies just before he was set to face trial, authorities announced Wednesday, March 18.
Elvin Maradiaga Ortiz, a 35-year-old Hempstead resident, admitted to burglary, robbery, and manslaughter charges, the Nassau County District Attorney’s office said.
“From violent robberies to the alcohol-fueled crash that killed his own passenger, this defendant demonstrated a consistent disregard for human life,” District Attorney Anne Donnelly said. “He left a dying victim behind in an attempt to escape responsibility for his v…
