Dangerous Vehicular Pursuit Ends with Pair of Arrests in the Catskills

Normally when you hear about the Catskills the first thing that comes to mind is probably thoughts of skiing or snowboarding trips, various hiking trails, the abundance of wildlife or visiting a State Park. Dangerous vehicular pursuits while attempting to flee from law enforcement probably isn't anywhere in the top 50 of things you'd think of when thinking of the Catskills, but that is exactly what occurred just recently and it resulted in two suspects taken into police custody.

Police Pursuit in the Catskills

The ordeal began just the other day on Monday March3, 2025, when Troopers from State Police Coxsackie were out on patrol near exit 21 on the New York State Thruway. According to the press release issued by the New York State Police, at approximately 2:54pm, Troopers spotted a 2018 Kia in violation of New York State Vehicle and Traffic Laws.

After spotting the vehicle, Troopers began to engage attempting to initiate a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle evidently had other plans and fled the scene, exiting the Stewart's parking lot onto Route 23B in Leeds and heading towards Jefferson Heights.

Troopers began their chase after the suspect, who during the pursuit attempted "several evasive maneuvers" to further facilitate the escape attempt. The chase went on for several miles and eventually ended in the Village of Catskill.

After stopping his vehicle, the driver made the attempt to flee again this time on foot. This endeavor did not last long though and law enforcement was successfully able to take the driver into custody.

Suspects Arrested a List of Charges

No that's not a typo because two arrests were made in this eventful encounter as the vehicle that law enforcment was pursuing had two occupants in it. While the driver, identified as 31-year old Michael R. Dauphin of Elka Park, NY, was the root cause for the incident, his passenger, 41-year old Sara Leppig of East Durham, NY was also taken into custody and charged.

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Starting with Leppig, she was officially charged with the misdemeanor crimes of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 7th Degree and Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia in the 2nd Degree. She was later released on an appearance ticket and is scheduled  to appear in the Town of Catskill Court on March 27, 2025.

Previous Stories: Suspect Arrested for Armed Robbery of Ulster County Stewart's Shop

Moving on to Dauphin, for his role in the incident he was charged with a litany of offenses. Those offenses would include...

• Reckless Driving (A Misdemeanor)
• Unlawful Fleeing a Police Officer in a Motor Vehicle 3rd Degree (A Misdemeanor)
• Reckless Endangerment in the 2nd Degree (A Misdemeanor)
• Obstructing Governmental Administration 2nd Degree (A Misdemeanor)
• Resisting Arrest (A Misdemeanor)
• Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle 3rd Degree (Unclassified Misdemeanor)
• Manufacture of Drug-Related Paraphernalia (A Misdemeanor)
• Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 7th Degree (A Misdemeanor)
• Two counts of Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia in the 2nd Degree (A Misdemeanor)
• Multiple Vehicle and Traffic Law Violations

Considering these offenses were also classified as misdemeanors, Dauphin was also later released with an appearance ticket for court. His court date has been scheduled for March 20, 2025, also in the Town of Catskill Court.