Woman convicted of firearm, endangering and drug charges

KINGSTON, N.Y. >> A city woman was convicted by a jury Wednesday on weapon, drug and endangering charges, the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office said.

Corena Kelley, 29, of Kingston, was convicted on two felony counts of criminal possession of a firearm, felony criminal possession of fentanyl with the intent to sell it, and the misdemeanors of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia and endangering the welfare of a child, the DA’s Office said.

Kelley’s conviction followed a three-day jury trial that ended Wednesday, Nov. 1, before Judge James Farrell.

Kelley faces “a significant period of incarceration in state prison when she is sentenced,” the DA’s office said. She was sent to Ulster County Jail without bail pending sentencing presently scheduled for Jan. 10, 2024.

The conviction stemmed from a search warrant executed at Kelley’s apartment and vehicle in Kingston on Dec. 16, 2021, during which the state police recovered two loaded pistols, one without a serial number, digital scales and narcotics packaging materials, and 10 grams of fentanyl along with thousands of dollars in U.S. currency, prosecutors said.

Kelley’s nine-monthold child was present in the apartment during the search, according to the DA’s Office.

The Ulster County District Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case in collaboration with the Violent Gangs Narcotics Enforcement Team (VGNET) of the state police, the DA’s Office said.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Sohil Sharedalal and Kristen Druse. Druse also serves as the Anti-Gun Violence Unit of the Narcotics, Guns and Gangs Bureau at the DA’s Office. Kelley was represented by attorney Jake Kim.