By June Mercer | Sunday, October 11, 2026
Hyde Park: Man in Tactical Gear Detained Near Two Schools
Staff at Haviland Middle School and Ralph R. Smith Elementary called police Sunday after spotting a 54-year-old man riding a bicycle between the two campuses in full camouflage clothing, a bulletproof vest, and carrying loaded rifle magazines and a hunting knife. Hyde Park Police tracked Daniel Prospero to Violet Avenue and took him into custody under state mental-health laws. A search warrant executed at his apartment turned up no firearms. A court-ordered protection order was issued. Prospero was not charged with a crime; the detention was civil. Increased police presence at both schools is in effect.
Rhinebeck: Man Charged With Setting a Traffic Camera on Fire
Someone apparently decided that a license-plate reader on Route 9 had it coming. John K. Coleman, 26, of Rhinebeck, was arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly setting a Flock camera ablaze around 11:50 p.m. Saturday at 6052 Route 9. The fire spread to nearby brush. Coleman is alleged to have committed Criminal Mischief in the Third Degree (a felony) and Arson in the Fifth Degree (a misdemeanor). He was released on appearance tickets returnable to Town of Rhinebeck Court on November 5. The Dutchess County Sheriff's Office handled the case with assistance from NYSP, the Dutchess County Fire Investigation Division, and Rhinebeck Fire Department.
Wappingers Falls: Officer Seriously Injured in Three-Car Crash
A Wappingers Falls police officer sustained serious injuries Saturday afternoon following a three-vehicle crash on West Main Street (Route 9D) between School and West Streets, around 2:15 p.m. NYSP is investigating.
Poughkeepsie: Teen Sentenced to 20 Years to Life for Rush-Hour Shooting
Anthony Taylor, 19, was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison, reported this weekend, for the October 2025 shooting death of Gabriel Mosca, 22, near Main and Garden Streets in Poughkeepsie. Taylor had pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon. The Dutchess County District Attorney's Office prosecuted; City of Poughkeepsie Police investigated.
NYSP Troop K Blotter: Village of Fishkill, Oct. 10
Two arrests of note from State Police Zone 2 in Dutchess County. Around 3:20 a.m., Kailin Marie Todaro, 28, of Wappingers Falls, was arrested in the Village of Fishkill on a DWI charge and released on an appearance ticket. About ten minutes earlier, a second individual whose name has not been released was taken into custody on felony charges: Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree (multiple counts), Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fourth Degree (credit card), and Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree (retail goods valued over $1,000).
