Ida questions swan lake resort

MONTICELLO — The Sullivan County Industrial Development Agency held a brief closed-door session on Tuesday to discuss possible legal action against the Swan Lake Resort, one of their investments.

Action could be imposed to force the resort and its owner, Dr. Vincent Gallo, to comply with his IDA agreements. The resort, which has already failed to pay Liberty water and sewer taxes, will default on an $110,000 payment in lieu of taxes unless a letter of credit is presented today.

When he proposed restoring the former Stevensville Hotel, the IDA granted Gallo property tax breaks that saved almost two hundred thousand dollars a year.

Rescheduled ecs board meeting tonight

GLEN SPEY — The monthly meeting of the Eldred Central Board of Education, which was canceled last week due to inclement weather, has been rescheduled.

The board will meet at 7:15 p.m. on February 15 in the cafeteria of the MacKenzie Elementary School in Glen Spey.

Troopers nab burglar red-handed

COCHECTON — State police investigating a reported burglary on February 6 apparently interrupted a crime in progress.

Trooper Timothy Dowling, from the Narrowsburg barracks, arrived at a seasonal residence on Pinewood Road and found that a man was inside. The house was supposed to be empty.

After a brief struggle, Dowling arrested the intruder, Gregg M. Penwarden, 19, of Jeffersonville. Pennwarden was charged with felony second-degree burglary, misdemeanor possession of burglars’ tools, and violations including unlawful possession of marihuana and under-aged possession of alcohol.

Penwarden was arraigned before Callicoon Town Justice McKenna and remanded to Sullivan County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail to reappear February 19 in the Town of Cochecton Court.

Penwarden was arraigned in the Callicoon court as troopers learned that he was due in that court on the evening of his arrest to answer another pending criminal charge.

Highland to consider cell tower

ELDRED — The Town of Highland Planning Board has scheduled a public hearing to consider a request by an Albany firm to construct a communications tower.

Attorney for the Town Andrew Boyar said the proposal includes a 246-foot tower on Highland Rod and Gun Club property off a cul-de-sac on the end of the private Mountain View Road, which intersects Proctor Road (County Road 32).

Sullivan County has looked at the same site as a location for a proposed new radio tower to serve the river valley area. Boyar said the developers, who will lease commercial antenna space, have offered to provide free antenna locations to local municipal and emergency services. The application is the first for a communications tower of this kind in Highland.

The hearing is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on March 7 at the town hall in Eldred.

Pike abuse suspect was
fugitive murder suspect

MILFORD — A New York City murder suspect reportedly spent more than 25 years in hiding in Pike County, before being forced to flee from unrelated local charges.

Forced to flee impending arrest for some 20 child abuse charges in Pike County, Joseph Scudiero, 65, who was known locally as Joseph Monaco, was arrested by New York City Police two weeks ago and charged on an outstanding murder warrant. All told, Scudiero/Monaco was said to have eluded police for 30 years.

Scudiero/Monaco had come under investigation by the Pike County Child Abuse Task Force and fled the county shortly before a planned arrest. Scudiero/Monaco was said to be a “soldier” in the New York City-based Bonanno crime family.

Westfall Township Police Chief Timothy Mitchell told the Pike County Dispatch that Scudiero/Monaco had no apparent means of support while in the community, and that he had no doubt some people living in the Westfall-Milford area knew of the fugitive’s past and did not come forward.