16-year-old arrested on sex crime charge
GREENPORT — A Claverack teen was arrested on Tuesday for performing a sex act on a child younger than 11 years old, Columbia County Sheriff David P. Bartlett said.
Michael Burke, 16, has been charged with felony criminal sexual act after the Sheriff’s Office was notified by the Child Abuse Hotline, deputies said. The alleged act was reported to have been committed in Greenport on Aug. 26.
The sheriff’s office urges anyone with any information concerning the incident to call Senior Investigator Mark Dunspaugh at 518-828-3344.
Burke was arraigned and jailed on $1,000 bail.
Suspected child abuse can be reported to the state Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-342-3720. Reports may be made anonymously.
Gas station robbery suspects sought
COLONIE — Police are searching for three suspects involved in an armed robbery at a Mobil gas station early Tuesday.
Town officers were called to the station, at 482 Albany Shaker Road, about 1:40 a.m. One of the suspects, police say, was armed with a black, long barrel handgun or pistolgripped long gun.
The lone employee told police that the three men, who were between 5-foot-9 and 6-foot-1 and were all wearing dark clothing and masks, came in and demanded money and cigarettes. The men fled the convenience store with $400 and several dozen cigarettes, police said. No shots were fired and the employee was not injured.
Anyone with information about the incident or the suspects is urged to contact 518-783-2744.
Probation ordered for marriage fraud
ALBANY — A Russian woman living in Schenectady was sentenced to two years of probation and 50 hours of community service for paying a man to marry her so that she could gain legal immigration status, the U.S. Attorney’s office said Tuesday.
Yana Potapova, 29, was found guilty of conspiring to commit marriage fraud after a five-day trial in March. Prosecutors showed that Potapova and U.S. citizen Brett Thompson agreed to marry in April 2014, to get lawful status for Potapova, who had overstayed on a visitor visa.
In return for agreeing to marry and stay married to Potapova, Thompson received about $3,500 over the course of the marriage. In May 2015, in connection with her application to obtain permanent residency, Potapova falsely represented to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that she and Thompson lived together at an address in Albany.
After her arrest in this case, Potapova served 60 days in Albany County jail in relation to an immigration enforcement matter that remains pending.
Thompson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud. Sentencing is Oct. 3.