POUGHKEEPSIE – Six subjects were taken into custody by City of Poughkeepsie police on Thursday after they were caught in a stolen SUV. The incident also resulted in the recovery of guns, cash, and drug paraphernalia.
Detective Sergeant George Camacho said the incident began in the lower parking lot at Shadows on the Hudson on Rinaldi Boulevard around 5:30 p.m. when officers observed a Honda Pilot SUV with several occupants acting suspiciously. Officers determined that the vehicle had been reported stolen from Stamford, Connecticut, and attempted to stop the vehicle as it was attempting to leave the area.
When the vehicle was blocked in by police, three of the subjects got out and attempted to run away. A pursuing officer caught one of them and sustained an injury in the process. The injured cop was able to detain the 16-year-old Poughkeepsie resident who was carrying a loaded handgun when he was caught.
The injured officer was subsequently transported to a local hospital by another officer. He was treated and released later Thursday night.
The two other subjects who attempted to flee were caught by officers a short distance away. The two detainees were identified as a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old, both from Poughkeepsie.
The three subjects that did not try to run, exited the SUV and obeyed the orders given to them by the police. City of Poughkeepsie resident Semaj Godfrey, age 20, Stamford, Connecticut resident Zayre Davis, 18, and a 15-year-old City of Poughkeepsie resident were taken into custody without further incident.
Officers searching the vehicle before impounding it recovered a loaded .380 caliber semi-automatic handgun in the SUV, according to Camacho. An individual close to the investigation told Mid-Hudson News that officers found a digital scale, common in drug trafficking, and an undetermined amount of cash in the vehicle.
All of the subjects were arraigned in the City of Poughkeepsie Court late Thursday night. Except for the 15-year-old, they were charged with the felonies of criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of stolen property. The 16-year-old that was caught with the loaded handgun was charged with the additional felonies of criminal possession of a weapon and assault.
The continuing investigation revealed that the 15-year-old had an active Dutchess County Family Court Juvenile Delinquent arrest warrant and he was remanded to a secure detention facility in another county. The teen will face charges in Dutchess County Family Court for criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of stolen property.
The remaining juveniles were all released to their parents. The children were not held in custody due to a shortage of beds in state secure youth detention facilities.
Twenty-year-old Semaj Godfrey and Zayre Davis, 18, were remanded to the Dutchess County Jail.
