POUGHKEEPSIE – A 25-year-old Pine Plains man has been arrested by the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office for dissemination of indecent materials to minors. The arrest is the result of a lengthy investigation, according to Sheriff Kirk Imperati.
Hayez Prelich was charged with felony disseminating indecent materials to minors earlier this year by the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office but failed to appear for his court dates, resulting in a warrant being issued for his arrest. The accused man was located on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, in New York City and arrested on the Dutchess County warrant.
Prelich was returned to Dutchess County the same day and arrested on felony bail jumping and misdemeanor criminal contempt. After being arrested and processed, Prelich was arraigned before the Town of Pine Plains Court and remanded to the Dutchess County Jail in lieu of a $20,000 cash/$40,000 bond/$100,000 partially secured bond.
At this time, Prelich is accused of sending indecent images to minors using social media. If anyone has further information about this case, or similar incidents involving Prelich, they are urged to contact Detective Sistarenik at 845-486-3820. The Sheriff’s Office can also be contacted via the tipline at 845-605-2583 or dcsotips@gmail.com, and all information will be kept confidential.
Sheriff’s Captain John Watterson said, “This arrest is a direct result of the diligence of the Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau and Pine Plains School Resource Officer, along with the assistance of the Dutchess County Drug Task Force and US Marshals Regional Task Force.”
The investigation is continuing.
