LIBERTY, NY — On Monday, June 12 at approximately 3:30 a.m. the Village of Liberty Police Department responded to a 911 call for a domestic disturbance at a residence on North Main Street in the Village of Liberty. The caller reported that an individual known to her was on her back porch and had pointed a firearm at her. Upon arrival on the scene, a male was observed fleeing from the residence's rear.

Officers pursued the individual, later identified as Isaiah Blanch, 36, of Livingston Manor and were able to take him into custody without further incident. Investigation into the circumstances of the incident resulted in officers locating a loaded .380 caliber handgun in the area where Blanch had fled and approximately 4.4 grams of crack cocaine. 

Blanch was charged with Burglary in the 1 st degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the 2nd degree, criminal possession of a weapon in the 3rd degree, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 3rd degree with intent to sell, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the 4th degree, and tampering with physical evidence all felonies and aggravated harassment in the 2nd degree, menacing in the 2nd degree, and endangering the welfare of a child all misdemeanors. He was arraigned in the Town of Liberty Court by the Honorable Judge Troy Johnstone and remanded to Sullivan County Jail without bail.

The Village of Liberty Police Department was assisted in the investigation by the New York State Police, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation K-9 Unit and the Orange County Sherriff’s Office K-9 Unit.

Criminal charges are merely allegations that a defendant has committed violations of the criminal law, and as such they are not evidence of guilt. All defendants have a presumption of innocence and are entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the burden of the State of New York to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.