PORT JERVIS, NY — In the city hall full of grieved faces and sadness, Port Jervis Police Chief William Worden announced that the combined efforts of law enforcement agencies across the Tri-State area had swiftly caught up with the perpetrator of the brutal beating that led to the death of Josef Kucher, an older, beloved Port Jervis shoe store owner, within 24 hours of the crime. Flanked by a line of police officers and city and county officials, Worden spoke first, followed by Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler, and Port Jervis Mayor Kelly Decker.

Dennis McBee, 29, of 82 Seward Ave., will be charged with murder in the second degree, a class A felony. Hoovler said he’ll seek the maximum penalty if McBee is proven guilty. He has a criminal history in Pennsylvania, and he was caught due to an invaluable tip from a member of the community, and the cooperation of law enforcement officials across the region, law enforcement officials said.

Hoovler’s message was direct: “My office will not tolerate despicable attacks like this on responsible, civic-minded people such as Mr. Kucher, by criminal opportunists who regard the elderly as easy targets. We will do everything in our power to see that elderly victims get the justice they deserve and that criminals who commit acts like this get all the punishment those acts have earned them. We will seek maximum prison sentences for those who assault and steal from vulnerable elderly victims.”

He went on to acknowledge Kucher’s status among the community, saying he’d never seen the room as full anywhere he’d given press conferences in Port Jervis.

Worden praised Kucher’s life and work in his remarks, saying the 77-year-old was an Austrian immigrant who came to this country, served in the U.S. Army, and became a well-known figure in the tightly knit community to whom anyone could go for help.

Decker said, “This shows evil lurks among us. We as a society must begin to fight back to save our children and ourselves from this degradation.” He went on to condemn movies and music that “glorify sex, drugs and violence.”

“We can go on tomorrow to show that we, as humans, care for one another, that we have respect for ourselves and each other. We need to teach our children by example,” he said.

“The motive was robbery,” Worden said when asked if the murderer knew Kucher. “We’re still investigating further. At this time, we can’t comment further.”

“Very nice person, very caring, hard-working. He would give you the shirt off his back; that’s the kind of person he was,” said a teary Robin Onofry who went to the shop in Front Street after the press conference to sign one of the message boards that had spontaneously sprung up on the window of Kucher’s shop. “I’m really grateful to the police they caught his murderer so quickly.

“He would probably have given him what he had in the cash register if he had asked. It’s so awful he went this way,” she continued.

Kucher attended church every Sunday, opening doors, greeting people and preparing the service. He was the person whom you could always rely on for help, several people said.

Larry and Candice Stanzo stood outside the city hall after the press conference.

“I knew him for years. This was their second loss,” Larry said referring to the Kucher’s son, who was killed in a car accident some years ago. “He was a man if you needed something done and you wouldn’t have [the means], he would carry you. He came to America in 1959 and served in the army for two years. When he came to this country he fell in love with it and didn’t want to go back. He left his mark.”

Kucher is survived by his wife, son, and grandchildren.