By June Mercer | Local News | October 24, 2026
Dutchess County
Man charged with second-degree murder in Hyde Park homicide
The Poughkeepsie Journal reported Saturday that a man has been charged with murder in connection with a homicide discovered earlier this month in the Town of Hyde Park.
On October 6, officers from the Town of Hyde Park Police Department responded to a private residence on Albany Post Road to conduct a welfare check and found William Martin Wein, 71, dead inside.
New York State Police assumed the investigation. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation at the Rhinebeck barracks was assisted by the Troop K Major Crimes Unit, the Hyde Park Police Department, and the Dutchess County District Attorney's Office.
The Dutchess County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the manner of death to be homicide.
On October 17, State Police arrested Nicholus C. Peterson, 31, whose hometown was not available, and charged him with second-degree murder, a felony. State Police did not disclose what connection, if any, Peterson had with Wein.
Peterson is being held at the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center pending further court action. State Police did not disclose how much bail, if any, was set. The name of Peterson's attorney was not immediately available.
Anyone with information is asked to contact State Police Troop K headquarters at 845-677-7300.
Source: Poughkeepsie Journal, published October 24, 2026, reporting New York State Police information.
Increased patrols target impaired drivers through Halloween
State Police and local law enforcement will step up patrols statewide through Halloween, targeting impaired and reckless drivers, Governor Kathy Hochul announced Saturday.
The campaign, funded by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee, runs Sunday, October 25 through Saturday, October 31. It includes increased DWI patrols and sobriety checkpoints, with particular attention to underage drinking. The initiative is statewide and not specific to Dutchess County, but drivers here should expect greater law enforcement presence on local roads through the end of the month.
During last year's initiative, officers statewide issued 44,545 citations, including 1,210 for impaired driving and 8,701 for speeding.
Source: Office of the Governor, release dated October 24, 2026.
Charges are accusations; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
No release dated October 24 was found from the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office (its newest release is dated October 23), the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department, the Hyde Park Police Department, the Beacon Police Department, the Fishkill Police Department, or the Dutchess County District Attorney's Office, and the State Police newsroom's newest entries are dated October 23.
