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Kathy Reakes
Reporter
kreakes@dailyvoice.com
Kathy Reaks has worked as a reporter in the local news business since 1984, starting as a news clerk and working her way up. She spent 17 years at Florida Today in Melbourne, Florida as a general assignment reporter, crime reporter, entertainment reporter and restaurant critic. She worked four years at Hometown News as a general assignment reporter, then another two years at Spacecoast Daily in Cocoa Beach, Florida. She attended Eastern Florida State College in Melbourne, Florida.
Woman Admits To Hudson Valley Burglary After Falsely Claiming She Had Covid- 19, DA Says
A Hudson Valley woman has pleaded guilty to two burglaries after failing to show up in court after allegedly falsely claiming she had COVID-19.
Brandi Wickliffe, age 46, of the town of Newburgh, pleaded guilty on Thursday, April 7, under a plea agreement that will recommend she serve six to eight years in state prison, said the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Prosecutors say that in January 2020, Wickliffe entered a home in the town of Newburgh and stole an X-Box gaming system. After stealing the property, Wickliffe sold the system at a store in Poughkeepsie.
A few days later, W…
Cardinal Timothy Dolan Visits Hudson Valley
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, visited the Hudson Valley to meet with prisoners and law enforcement personnel during Holy Week.
Dolan was on hand at the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office, on Wednesday, April 13, and greeted Sheriff Louis Falco III and his staff.
Cardinal Doland and Sheriff Flaco.Rockland County Sheriff's Office
He then went to the Rockland County Correctional Facility, accompanied by other clergies, including the Rev. Monsignor Emmet Nevin, Vicar of Rockland, and Monsignor, Rev. Marc Filacchione, Archdiocesan director, and performed Catholic Mass for…
Stone Ridge Dentist Admits To Fraudulently Obtaining Oxycodone For Her Use
A dentist from the Hudson Valley has pleaded guilty to obtaining oxycodone for her own use.
Ulster County resident Vivian Letizia, age 63, of Stone Ridge, made the plea on Friday, April 15, according to US Attorney Carla Freedman.
In pleading guilty, Letizia admitted that, in December 2019, she fraudulently submitted a prescription for oxycodone for one of her dentistry patients using that patient’s name and date of birth, the US Attorney's Office said.
Letizia then obtained the oxycodone from a pharmacy in Woodstock, for her own consumption. At the time Letizia submitted the prescription …
Hudson Valley Woman Admits To Stealing $51,000 Of Her Dead Mother’s Pension
A Hudson Valley woman has admitted to grand larceny after stealing more than $50,000 of her mother's state pension money.
Orange County resident Valerie White, 58, of Middletown, pleaded guilty on Thursday, April 14, and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $51,532.64, which is the total funds that White illegally stole from the state pension system, said the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
White’s mother was a pensioner, vested in the state retirement system. At the time that White’s mother retired in 2000, she elected to receive her pension benefits in full until her …
CT Native Convicted Of Killing His Wife, Three Children, Family Dog
A physical therapist from Connecticut has been convicted of killing his wife, three children, and the family dog by a jury.
Anthony Todt, a New London County native who grew up in Colchester, was found guilty on Thursday, April 14 in Kissimmee, Florida, located just minutes from Disney World.
Todt, age 46, reportedly commuted between Florida to Connecticut to his Colchester business, Family Physical Therapy.
The former physical therapist was arrested in 2020 for drugging and stabbing to death his wife Megan, age 42, along with their children, Alek, age 13, Tyler, age 11, and Zoe…
Woman Charged For Fatal Hit-Run Long Island Crash
A Long Island woman has been arrested for a fatal hit-and-run crash that left a woman dead earlier this year.
Brenda Alvarenga, age 27, of West Babylon, was arrested on Friday, April 15, and charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.
See Earlier Story: ID Released For Woman Killed In Hit-Run Stony Brook Crash
The crash killed Gina Paduano, age 33, of Centereach, around 5:15 a.m., Monday, March 7, on Route 347 in Stony Brook, said the Suffolk County Police.
Paduano was in the westbound lanes of traffic when she was struck, police said.
Alvarenga will be ar…
Couple Accused Of Murdering 5-Year-Old On Long Island
A couple has been arrested for allegedly murdering a 5-year-old boy on Long Island, police announced on Friday, April 15.
The incident was uncovered in Suffolk County in Brentwood on Thursday, April 1, 2021, when a 911 caller reported a 5-year-old was unresponsive and unable to move.
The child was transported to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore where he was pronounced dead, said the Suffolk County Police.
An autopsy revealed the child, King Owusu, sustained blunt force trauma throughout his body, police said.
Following an investigation by homicide squad detectives, the c…
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