Hudson Valley Child Dressed in Black Found With Illegal Firearm
Police say they recovered an illegal gun from a 13-year-old boy that was dressed all in black and headed towards the center of town.
Orange County District Attorney, David Hoovler, shared the chilling account of an incident that occurred on July 30 just before midnight. In a press release, the DA announced that a 13-year-old child was taken into custody and charged with two felonies after he was discovered to be in possession of an illegal firearm.
The gun was recovered from the child after police responded to reports of a juvenile dressed all in black with a handgun in his waistband.
Port Jervis police officers say they received information about the 13-year-old boy heading towards Church Street, which is in the center of town. Officers responded to the area near Church Street Park and located the suspect. Police say they recovered a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol from the child that had its serial number scratched off.
Hoovler says that, unfortunately, this isn't an isolated incident.
We have seen a disturbing uptick in juveniles carrying dangerous and illegal weapons and we will continue to work with all of our law enforcement partners to ensure that these weapons are taken out of the hands of offenders. We will do everything in our power to hold offenders accountable and, where appropriate, ensure their rehabilitation.
The child, who was not identified because he is a minor, was charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree (defaced firearm), both felonies. Because he is underage, the child was released to his family and issued an appearance ticket to Orange County Family Court.