The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Carmel Police Department following an assault that occurred on the Putnam County Bike Path near Old Route 6 in the Town of Carmel.
James Regan, 35, homeless, was located and arrested for an incident at 9am when an unidentified woman, who was alone at the time, noticed a man in the vicinity of a tunnel near Route 6 and the bike path.
Police said the suspect pushed the victim to the ground and began punching her in the back of the head. The woman began to scream and the perpetrator fled on foot.
The victim called 9-1-1 and an army of police officers converged on the area. With the use of drones, ATV’s and a Kent Polce canine, Regan was found hiding in a large culvert pipe a distance away and was taken into custody.
Following his arraignment, Regan was issued an appearance ticket and released. The victim said, “Always walk or run with a partner.”
Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne and Congressman Mike Lawler both highlighted the fact that Regan was a repeat offender. “Incidents like the October 19 physical assault on the Putnam Trailway in Carmel underscore exactly why we’ve been so vocal about the need to fix Albany’s broken and dangerous no-bail laws. Today we hosted a joint press event with federal, state, and local delegation members calling on Governor Hochul and Albany’s leadership to immediately repeal cashless bail and keep our #PutnamCounty residents safe, period.”
“I’d like to thank Acting Sheriff Brian Hess and Undersheriff James Menton for their continued commitment to public safety and the well-being of our residents. Following my Executive Order this week reaffirming and strengthening existing #PutnamCounty policy concerning illegal encampments, nonpermanent shelters, and the enforcement of county property rules across the county’s entire trail system, we engaged in a foot and UTV patrol along a stretch of the Trailway in #Carmel. Once again, we are taking decisive action to ensure that residents and families can feel safe using our county’s abundant outdoor amenities,” said Byrne.
Congressman Mike Lawler said, “The issue of bail reform has been address and discusses ad nauseum, and the state legislature has failed to fix it. They tried to tweak it but those changes have not made our communities safer. People continue to fall victim to violent assaults all across NY. New Yorkers are tired of living in a state where violent offenders are released before their victims have even left the hospital.
“They’re tired of feeling unsafe on their own streets, in their own parks, and on their own trails. We owe it to every victim to make sure violent criminals stay behind bars where they belong. Individuals commit assaults, they are arrested, released, and then they commit another assault. NY has failed to hold criminals accountable and protect victims of crime. When you have repeat offenders continually inflicting harm on innocent people, something has to change. Law enforcement needs to be supported.”
