While they might not have had the gumption or the detective skills or perhaps the will to stop one of the biggest criminals in their midst – Keith Alan Raniere – the New York State Police have shown they can handle some criminal matters with eclat and dispatch.
Stephen K. Matthews, 47, of Gansevoort, who was a passenger in a car stopped on Route 9, grabbed a handful of snow and actually threw it at the trooper that stopped them, state police said.
He was quickly arrested and charged with misdemeanors and violations, a snowy-faced trooper told the media.
For decades Raniere raped, statutorily raped, swindled, threatened, extorted, coerced, computer hacked, and possibly murdered or at least prompted the suicide of one or more women. Yet despite getting numerous reports of his crimes, the New York State Police ignored the complaints and instead investigated and arrested those who dared make the complaints.
Raniere is backed with $100s of millions of Seagram heiresses Clare and Sara Bronfman’s money.
In one of the most gripping reversals of justice ever doled out by the NYSP – when Joe O’Hara and Toni Natalie tried to report suspected child abuse by Raniere – and during an investigation into child sex abuse by one of Raniere’s students – State Police could uncover no wrongdoing and instead turned to investigating and ultimately arresting Natalie and O’Hara for computer trespassing – leaving the child molesters to go free.
The case was ultimately dismissed when it was discovered that Clare Bronfman lied about the location of the computer server that was supposedly accessed by Natalie and O’Hara.
It remained for the Eastern District of New York – whose district is some three hours away from Raniere and most of his criminal exploits – to finally put a stop to the criminal too elusive for the New York State Police.
Happily, when it comes to enforcing real crimes, the NYSP can be sometimes be counted on to act with integrity and alacrity.
After a trooper spotted a driver committing vehicle and traffic violations and stopped the car, and upon interviewing the driver, the trooper detected a whiff of marijuana from the vehicle and asked the driver and passengers to get out of the car.
“While walking to the rear of the car, Matthews grabbed snow off the trunk and threw it at that Trooper, striking him,” state police said in a release.
Matthews was handcuffed and taken into custody.
He faces one count of resisting arrest [of course] and obstructing governmental administration, misdemeanors, as well as violations of disorderly conduct and harassment.
After brushing away the snowflakes, the cool faced trooper made a vigorous search of the vehicle and discovered a minuscule amount of marijuana, [not enough to get someone high] which belonged to a different passenger, troopers said in their report.
NYSP were so proud of their brave action that they put out a press release lauding themselves..
Snowball size that hit trooper as described by witnesses.
Snowball size that hit Trooper as described by NYSP.
