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Authorities: cigarette smuggling ring linked to Capital Region

ALBANY - Authorities have linked a cigarette smuggling ring with ties to stores in Albany and Schenectady counties to known terrorists.

The state Attorney General's Office has charged 16 people in the case. They're accused of selling untaxed cigarettes up and down the east coast.

One of the stores includes the House of Juan in Westgate Plaza in Albany. The state Tax and Finance Department raided the store back in April. One employee was arrested.

Schenectady police shoot knife-wielding suspect

SCHENECTADY – Police shot a man Thursday morning while responding to a domestic incident in Schenectady.

Police say they were called to 3290 Balltown Rd. where a man was threatening another man with a knife. They ordered the suspect to drop his knife and shot him when he didn’t.

Police say the man then lunged at the officers, at which point they shot him two more times.

The man was taken to the hospital where he later died.

The shooting is under investigation. But police say the officer acted properly.

"The law says if you have reasons to believe that a subject is about to inflict deadly physical injury on yourself or another individual, you have the right to use deadly physical force," said Schenectady Police Commissioner Wayne Bennett.

Schenectady County Gun Buy Back held March 30.

Schenectady County Gun Buy Back held March 30.

 

SCHENECTADY – The 8th Schenectady County Gun Buy Back will be held on March 30.

The event is set to occur at Faith Deliverance Tabernacle in Schenectady from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Officials will be offering gift cards of $200 to individuals turning in handguns $250 individuals turning in assault weapons.

The program is opened only to the residents of the County of Schenectady.

For more information, Sheriff Dagostino at 518-388-4300 or dominic.dagostino@schenectadycounty.com

Schenectady County man, 66, admits to having 10K child porn images

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Federal prosecutors say a 66-year-old Schenectady County man has admitted to having thousands of images of child pornography on his computer.

Llenroc mansion owner guilty of harboring illegal alien

 

ALBANY – A federal jury as found Annie George, owner of the Llenroc mansion in Rexford, guilty of harboring an illegal alien.

George was cleared of the more serious charge of harboring an illegal alien for private or financial gain.

The jury deliberated just under 10 hours between Thursday and Friday.

Annie George was released on bail again until her sentencing on July 9.

Cops not revealing results of former nun's autopsy

SCHENECTADY - Police in Schenectady say they have autopsy results from the body of 82-year-old Mary Greco, but they are not releasing a cause of death at this time.

The former nun was discovered dead Tuesday morning inside her apartment on Stanford Street. Her car was found parked at a mile away at St. John the Evangelist Church.

Wednesday the Schenectady County district attorney ruled Greco's death a homicide.

Schenectady man in custody after fatal hit and run

ALBANY - A Schenectady man is in police custody after he allegedly struck a bicyclist and led police on a pursuit that spanned five cities and two counties.

Pablo Cruz is facing charges for what police described as one of the most bizarre cases they've seen in a very long time.

Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said today, “We believe him to be highly intoxicated. He was recently paroled.”

Early Saturday morning, investigators say he decided to run from police on a routine DWI stop. It all started on Central Avenue in Colonie, where Albany County Sheriff Deputies were on the look out for drunken drivers.

Apple says of one deputy, “He noticed this headlight coming at him erratically.”

That was Cruz in a white pick up truck; clocked at around 90 miles per hour, according to Apple. Police went after him with their emergency lights on from Colonie, into the city of Albany.