Bentley
GOSHEN – A Newburgh man faces up to 15 years in state prison when sentenced after being convicted in Orange County Court of violating an order of protection, choking and stalking a former girlfriend.
Garfield Bentley, 27, was convicted in a jury trial before Judge Nicholas DeRosa of burglary, four counts of criminal contempt, criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, stalking and falsely reporting an incident.
Prosecutors argued at trial that at 9 p.m. on October 15, 2016, Bentley was seen peering through the apartment window of his former girlfriend in violation of an order of protection issued by Newburgh City County. He had also been following the victim earlier that day, in violation of the order of protection.
At about 11 that evening, Bentley approached the victim while she was outside her apartment, grabbed her hair and throat and poured what appeared to be motor oil over her head. When she retreated into her building, Bentley forced his way partially into the building, but the victim and her family were able to push him out.
Bentley also falsely reported to police, using an assumed name, that the victim had been chasing children with a machete,
“Violence against former intimate partners is a particularly serious crime that I, and my office, will do everything in our power to combat,” said District Attorney David Hoovler.
