LAKE KIAMESHA – Antoine Smith, 34, of Monticello, was arrested Tuesday night on several charges after an encounter with deputies from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO). Smith has four prior felony convictions and has been charged with the felonies of criminal possession of a loaded handgun and reckless endangerment along with the misdemeanors of resisting arrest, fleeing a police officer, and criminal impersonation as a result of the incident.
According to Sullivan County Undersheriff Eric Chaboty, SCSO deputies stopped a vehicle around 11:00 p.m. on Route 42 near Leisure Time Water Company for having a loud exhaust. When deputies approached the vehicle they observed a handgun on the front passenger seat. The driver, Antoine Smith, took off in the vehicle when deputies attempted to engage him.
The deputies pursued the fleeing vehicle which left the roadway a short time later in the Patio Homes neighborhood. Smith exited the vehicle with the gun in his hand and began to run from the deputies and the assisting state troopers. A short foot chase resulted in Smith being apprehended. A New York State Environmental Conservation K9 unit assisted the deputies in locating the .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun that the fleeing felon had thrown into the snow during the foot pursuit.
In addition to the new felony and misdemeanor charges, Smith was issued numerous vehicle and traffic citations. He was arraigned before Town of Thompson Judge Sharon Jankiewicz and remanded to the Sullivan County Jail without bail. Smith is scheduled to appear in Town of Thompson court on Monday, March 6, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.
Undersheriff Chaboty noted that the SCSO was assisted by the State Police, Fallsburg Police, Monticello Fire Department, and Upper Delaware Ambulance.
