Blotter: Thursday, October 8, 2026
By June Mercer | RFTUV Hudson Valley
The lead: forty-one years. Victor Harris, 42, of Poughkeepsie was sentenced Wednesday to consecutive prison terms totaling 41 years for sexually abusing a child. A Dutchess County jury convicted Harris in August of six felonies: first-degree criminal sexual act, third-degree criminal sexual act, and four counts of first-degree sexual abuse, all involving a child under 15. Prosecutors said the abuse took place at two City of Poughkeepsie locations between July 2022 and April 2024. The jury deadlocked on four additional charges. District Attorney Anthony Parisi said Harris will also face post-release supervision and sex-offender registration requirements. (Source: Poughkeepsie Journal)
A guilty plea in last year's Main and Garden shooting. Anthony Taylor, 19, pleaded guilty in Dutchess County Court to second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, closing the book on the October 3, 2025 rush-hour shooting that killed 22-year-old Gabriel Mosca near Main and Garden Streets in Poughkeepsie. Parisi called it a brazen, cold-blooded killing carried out in broad daylight, in a public place where countless innocent people could have been put at risk. Taylor admitted to gunning down Mosca around 5:30 p.m. that day and to carrying the loaded pistol with the intent to use it unlawfully. (Source: 94.3 Lite FM / Hudson Valley Post)
Worth watching: the county legislature's committee was slated to take up the Flock camera resolution today, October 8, the next chapter in the fight over the county's automated license-plate reader contract. We'll report the outcome as soon as it's on the record. (Source: HVNY)
Harris was convicted by a jury; Taylor pleaded guilty. Details above come from official releases and court reporting. As always, the people named in blotter items we cover are presumed innocent of anything not yet proven or admitted in court.
