Thread: NY: Dutchess sheriff: Rape suspect at large after he 'dove'

Saturday, December 15, 2007
Dutchess sheriff: Rape suspect at large after he 'dove' from second-floor window

By John W. Barry
Poughkeepsie Journal

Victims of two rapes in Pawling have not identified a suspected rapist being pursued by police, a 24-year-old illegal immigrant who is at large after diving from a second-floor window while an officer waited for him to use the bathroom, Dutchess County Sheriff Butch Anderson said Saturday.

More than 150 people crowded into Pawling town hall to hear Saturday a forum on the rape investigation. The forum was hosted by state Assemblyman Greg Ball, R-Carmel. Ball focused on illegal immigration, while Anderson and representatives of the state police updated the crowd on the rape investigation.

A sense of alarm was palpable from a majority of those who spoke during the two-hour meeting.

The first hour or so of the forum focused on the criminal investigation, but never fully abandoned the issue of illegal immigration.

The second hour, for the most part, focused on illegal immigration, with the crowd largely voicing their support for cracking down on illegal immigrants and employers who hire them.

The Dutchess County Sheriff's Office and the state police Saturday continued to search for Flaviano Quintero, also known as Hector Hernandez or Hector Quintero, who is wanted for questioning in connection with two separate incidents of home invasion and rape that occurred Nov. 28 and Dec. 6 in the village.

According to police, Quintero was deported in 2006.

Anderson said neither victim has identified Quintero, whose picture was released last week, as the alleged assailant. When asked by a member of the crowd about DNA testing, Anderson said test results have not yet been returned.

Det. Daren Cummings of the Sheriff’s Department, the lead investigator on the case, said after the forum items taken from Quintero's home are undergoing forensic testing.

Police believed Quintero fled Dutchess County via Metro-North's Harlem Valley railroad line out of Brewster, Putnam County. It was believed he got off the train at Grand Central Station in New York City at 10:35 p.m.Dec. 11, police said.

Anderson said Saturday Quintero is believed to be in New York City and the state police and sheriff's department are working with the New York City Police Department.

"We're hoping to find him," Anderson said. "We don't know when. It's like a needle in a haystack with New York City."

State police responded to the first alleged rape Nov. 28. The Dutchess County Sheriff's Department responded to the second alleged rape Dec. 6.

Anderson said at the forum that his department picked up Quintero Dec. 12 and brought him back to his home in Pawling, where he has family. Quintero was not under arrest at the time, nor was he in custody. Anderson described him as a "person of interest" at that point.

Asked why the Sheriff's Department picked up Quintero initially, state police Senior Investigator Donald Bailey declined comment.

While being questioned inside his home, Quintero told investigators he had to use the bathroom. An investigator went with him, but Quintero "dove out of a second story window," according to Anderson. A law enforcement team of 40, including translators, was dispatched to catch Quintero, but he remains at large.

After Quintero fled, the Sheriff Department obtained a search warrant for his home, Cummings said.

Then, after learning that Quintero might have headed south on the railroad, the Sheriff's Department called Metro-North and asked them to stop a train. Cummings said that based on the information the Sheriff supplied to Metro-North, the train was not stopped.

"We had no idea what train he was on or what state he was in," Anderson said at the forum. Metro-North operates three train lines, one of which passes through Pawling to Manhattan and another that runs between Manhattan and New Haven, Conn.

Several in the audience wanted to know why the state police did not release to the public information about the first incident. Information about both incidents was released after the second one occurred.

"As a female living alone, I really was surprised the information wasn't put out," said Debra Reed of the Village of Pawling. "I think it should have been put out sooner."

State Police Lt. Michael Jankowiak said his agency "had no reason to believe" that releasing the information to the public would prevent another incident. Jankowiak said that decision was made "for reasons I can't describe here today."

Jankowiak added, "It's very easy to play Monday morning quarterback."

At the outset of the meeting, Ball said, "There is a large illegal alien population" and "we're seeing an increase in criminal activity." He added, however, "This isn't about placing blame."

During the second part of the forum, Ball said New York State has the second highest number of illegal aliens in the nation; one in 10 illegal aliens caught crossing the border has a prior criminal history in the U.S.; and 30 percent of those incarcerated in state and federal prisons are illegal aliens.

Ball equated illegal aliens to "robbers" and compared legal immigrants to "house guests."

Ed Kowalski of the Town of Pawling, whose niece was murdered by an illegal alien, spoke of the need to empower local law enforcement officials with the ability to act on immigration crimes under the authority of federal law.

"Who could possibly be against that," Kowalski said.

Darrel Haley of the Village of Pawling said the criminality of illegal immigration "has gotten out of hand."

Janis Fiorelli of the Town of Pawling said any crackdown on illegal aliens should involve their employment.

"Don't hire these people," she said.

However, Debbie Battaglia said she hoped the rape investigation doesn’t stigmatize local Latino families.

“There are a lot of fine families, some of the best, nicest and taxpaying people I know,â€

Police Hunt For Man In Connection With Rapes

POSTED: 1:50 pm EST December 20, 2007
UPDATED: 3:40 pm EST December 20, 2007


NEW YORK -- A man believed to be in the United States illegally is wanted for questioning by the New York State Police in connection with two separate incidents of home invasion and forcible rape that occurred in Village Pawling on Nov. 28 and Dec. 6, police said.

Flaviano Quintero, 25, also known as Hector Hernandez and Hector Quintero, fled Dutchess County via the Harlem Valley Railway line out of Brewster at approximately 8 p.m. on Dec. 11 and is believed to have disembarked at Grand Central Station at 10:35 p.m., police said.

Quintero was previously deported in 2006 and is believed to be in the United States illegally, police said.

http://www.wnbc.com/news/14899058/detail.html

State Police Lt. Michael Jankowiak said his agency "had no reason to believe" that releasing the information to the public would prevent another incident. Jankowiak said that decision was made "for reasons I can't describe here today."

I'll describe it here today. He could have said: "It is and has been for years in NY state and NYC standard policy not to give any media attention to crimes committed by IA's. We do make exception when an IA commits mass murder or becomes a serial rapist. This policy has been very effective to date because if the citizens of NY and NYC knew the truth they'd become enraged, much as they did when we attempted to give IA's driver licenses."