Headlines: Man charged in fentanyl death, arrest in gas station robberies, inmate awarded $2M in brutality lawsuit

Here are some stories making headlines across the Hudson Valley.

Dec 6, 2023, 12:40 PM

Updated 308 days ago

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Here are some stories making headlines across the Hudson Valley.
Perry Freeman, a resident of Mohegan Lake, is now facing federal charges linked to a fentanyl-induced fatality that occurred in Nov. 2021. Yorktown police say they were alerted to a burning car in a Mohegan Lake parking lot. Upon arrival, they discovered the deceased victim in the driver's seat, with the accelerator pedal engaged. Investigations suggest the vehicle caught fire due to overheating while in park and with the pedal pressed. Authorities have determined the victim's cause of death as both acute fentanyl intoxication and an accident. If convicted, Freeman could face a prison sentence ranging from 20 years to life.
Julia Marcinak, a resident of Highland Falls, has been apprehended and charged in connection with multiple gas station robberies in Poughkeepsie. Reports confirm Marcinak's involvement in robbing both the Chestnut Mobil Gas Station and the Speedway Gas Station, both located on South Road. Investigators traced Marcinak through the getaway car used in both robberies. Marcinak faces several charges, including robbery and criminal possession of a weapon.
A former inmate of Fishkill Correctional Facility, Chad Stanbro, has been awarded $2 million in a lawsuit after suffering paralysis following a brutal incident involving correction officers. Court records indicate that Stanbro experienced an adverse reaction to anesthesia during surgery in 2018, leading him to inadvertently knock over medical equipment while regaining consciousness. Subsequently, Stanbro was assaulted by four correction officers in the operating room. A jury found these officers, along with the hospital, accountable for Stanbro's injuries and maltreatment. As a consequence, one of the involved guards resigned, while another was fined and placed on workplace probation, according to the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.