Peekskill Insider: Westchester County District Attorney; APRIL 22 COMMUNITY GUN BUYBACK EVENT.

 

WESTCHESTER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE JOINS PEEKSKILL LEADERS TO HOST COMMUNITY GUN BUYBACK.

  

Up to $250 gift cards will be offered for handguns and assault rifles; to be held at United Methodist Church in Peekskill on April 22.

 

WHITE PLAINS, NY – The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, together with the Peekskill NAACP, the Peekskill Police Department and the City of Peekskill, will host a community gun buyback event to be held on Saturday, April 22 from 10am to 2pm at the United Methodist Church located at 1040 Main Street in Peekskill. Eligible participants will be offered up to $250 in pre-paid gift cards for surrendered firearms with no questions asked. 

 

Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah said: “Gun buybacks are a part of our ongoing efforts in promoting gun safety and ensuring unwanted weapons are disposed of safely. We thank our partners in the City of Peekskill—from the NAACP to the Peekskill Police Department and the Mayor’s Office–for their shared commitment toward reducing gun violence, including gun-involved suicides.” 

 

Peekskill NAACP President Priscilla Augustin said: "As the first branch of the national NAACP to have established in Westchester County nearly 90 years ago, the Peekskill NAACP has been leading the fight against violence in our communities while promoting peace and safety for generations. It is meaningful to have valued partners at the Westchester County DA’s Office, Peekskill Police Department and the Peekskill City Mayor’s Office supporting events we have been organizing for decades. We encourage the public to take advantage of this opportunity to safely turn in any firearms in exchange for cash." 

 

Peekskill Police Department Chief Leo Dylewski said: “The Peekskill Police Department is proud to partner with the District Attorney’s Office, the Peekskill NAACP and the Mayor’s Office for this community gun buyback event, which is an opportunity for the public to help us potentially prevent the next possible gun-related incident, as well as keep guns out of the wrong hands. It’s also a chance to get rid of old firearms lying around the home as a good measure of safety.” 

 

Peekskill Mayor Vivian McKenzie said: “Community gun buyback programs help get guns off the streets and out of our communities. I thank the DA’s Office, the Peekskill NAACP and our Police Department for hosting this event with the City of Peekskill, and supporting our fight against gun violence so we can ensure our residents feel safe and secure in our neighborhoods.” 

 

Guns must be unloaded and placed in a plastic bag, paper bag or box. If transported by car, guns must be unloaded and, in the trunk, placed in a plastic bag, paper bag or box. Identification will not be required and no questions will be asked. Participants will be offered money in the form of pre-paid gift cards: $250 for assault rifles, $200 for handguns, $100 for shotguns or rifles, and $25 for non-working guns. Payment is subject to inspection and screening by onsite officials. There is no limit to the number of firearms that can be surrendered. 3-D printed guns are not eligible for the buyback program. Licensed gun dealers and active or retired members of law enforcement are not eligible to participate.  

 

For more information, visit bit.ly/peekskillgbb 

Peekskill Insider: Westchester County Board of Legislators Chair Catherine Borgia: Peekskill Community Gun Buyback.

 

PEEKSKILL COMMUNITY GUN BUYBACK 

Get Cash (pre-paid gift cards) in Exchange for Getting Guns off our Streets. 
No Questions Asked. No ID Required.

SATURDAY, APRIL 22 from 10 AM - 2 PM

 

$250	$200	$100	$25
Assault Rifles	Hand Guns	Shot Guns	non-working Gun

 

For more information and how to participate in this buyback event, 
click on the flyer to the right or visit: https://bit.ly/peekskillgbb

Peekskill Insider: Westchester County Legislator Colin Smith 2nd District: Workforce Development Academy for Youth.

 

Youth enrolled in the program have access to the following services:

• Career & Occupational Assessment
• GED/High School Equivalency Completion  
• Paid Incentives $$$  
• $3,000 Scholarships
• Resume Building
• Financial Literacy Education
• Career Exploration 
• Leadership Development 
• Internships  
• Mentoring  
• Educational Counseling  
• Entrepreneurial skills training
• Support finding employment
• College Tours & More!!!

The City of Peekskill Youth Bureau's Workforce Development Academy for Youth is geared towards assisting youth and young adults from the Northern Westchester-Putnam area who are not in school, have dropped out of school, or have already obtained their high school diploma/GED, in foster care or not, with employment and/or secondary education.

Sign Up Today!

W.D.A.Y. equips young people with the skills to successfully navigate an increasingly challenging world of work.

To enroll in the program, you must contact Emily Bender at (914) 862-5347, or ebender@cityofpeekskill.com. You may also come into the Youth Bureau at 828 Main Street, Peekskill, NY 10566.

Peekskill Insider: New York State Senator Pete Harckham 42nd District: TOMORROW: Coffee and Conversation in Peekskill.

 

Peekskill Insider: New York State Senator Pete Harckham 42nd District: Coffee and Conversation in Peekskill.

 

Peekskill Insider: Westchester County District Attorney: PEEKSKILL MAN INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGES FOR FATAL SHOOTING AT YONKERS BAR.

 

WESTCHESTER COUNTY OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY

MIRIAM E. ROCAH

 

 

***NEWS RELEASE***

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 22, 2022

 

PEEKSKILL MAN INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGES FOR FATAL SHOOTING AT YONKERS BAR.

 

 

White Plains, NY -- Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced that Peekskill resident Yaquba McGougain was indicted on charges in connection with a shooting that killed one and injured another at a Yonkers bar in February.  

 

McGougain, 29, was indicted by a Westchester County Grand Jury for Murder in the Second Degree, Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, Assault in the First Degree, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, all violent felonies. The defendant was arraigned on March 21, 2022, and is being held without bail.  

 

McGougain is charged with fatally shooting 22-year-old New Jersey resident Antonio Antoine-Fils at a bar on Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers, on February 6, 2022, at approximately 2:08 a.m. The victim was transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Yonkers, where he was pronounced dead. A second victim, who McGougain is also charged with shooting and injuring, was transported to Jacobi Hospital where he was treated for his injuries.  

 

The Yonkers Police Department investigated the incident and arrested McGougain.  

 

The case was arraigned before Judge Anne Minihan in Westchester County Court, and is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Nicholas DiCostanzo and Adrian Murphy.  

 

The charges against the defendant are merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  

 

 

Peekskill Insider: Westchester County DA: FORMER PEEKSKILL POLICE OFFICER PLEADS GUILTY TO FORCIBLY SEXUALLY ABUSING WOMAN HE THREATENED WITH ARREST WHILE ON DUTY ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS.

 

WESTCHESTER COUNTY OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY

MIRIAM E. ROCAH

 

 

***NEWS RELEASE***

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 17, 2022

 

FORMER PEEKSKILL POLICE OFFICER PLEADS GUILTY TO FORCIBLY SEXUALLY ABUSING WOMAN HE THREATENED WITH ARREST WHILE ON DUTY ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. 

 

 

White Plains, NY -- Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced that former Peekskill Police Officer Michael Agovino pled guilty to sexually abusing a woman he threatened with arrest while he was on duty on multiple occasions between 2019 and 2020.  

 

Agovino, 35, pled guilty on March 17, 2022, to three counts of Burglary in the Second Degree as a Sexually Motivated Felony, two counts of Burglary in the Second Degree, two counts of Sexual Abuse in the First Degree, Attempted Burglary in the Second Degree as a Sexually Motivated Felony, Attempted Burglary in the Second Degree, Stalking in the First Degree as a Sexually Motivated Felony, and Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, all felonies. He also pled guilty to four counts of Official Misconduct, three counts of Coercion in the Third Degree, and two counts of Forcible Touching, all misdemeanors.  

 

In exchange for his plea to each count in the indictment, the Court promised Agovino a sentence of seven years in state prison, with 15 years of post-release supervision. Agovino will also have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. The District Attorney’s Office voiced to the Court their strong objection to the agreement, as Agovino faced significantly more prison time if convicted after trial. 

 

On two occasions in July 2019, Agovino, while on duty as a police officer, unlawfully entered the victim’s Peekskill home under the pretext that he was conducting an investigation where she was a suspect. During the first visit, Agovino demanded the victim remove all of her clothing under the pretense of conducting a body search, and then sexually abused her. On the second visit, Agovino returned to the home, threatened the victim with arrest unless she removed her clothing or performed a sex act on him, and again sexually abused her.  

 

Over the next five months, on three separate occasions, while on duty, Agovino unlawfully entered or attempted to enter the victim’s home for his own sexual gratification at the expense of the victim, and in one instance sexually abused her. On the last date, in January 2020, unbeknownst to Agovino, the victim audio recorded their interaction, and provided that recording the District Attorney’s Office.   

 

Investigators with the District Attorney’s Office arrested Agovino on February 15, 2020, following an investigation, in collaboration with the Peekskill Police Department. Agovino resigned from the Peekskill Police Department in 2021.  

 

“Michael Agovino disgracefully violated his oath of office and his responsibility to serve and protect the public as a police officer by repeatedly abusing his authority, and sexually abusing this woman,” DA Rocah said. “The victim in this case demonstrated great courage in her attempt to hold her abuser accountable during this emotionally distressing ordeal and we hope that today’s plea helps in the healing process. I commend the Peekskill Police Department for their cooperation in this investigation and prosecution.”  

 

The case is before Judge Barry Warhit in Westchester County Court, and is being prosecuted by Special Prosecutions Deputy Division Chief Michelle Lopez and Public Integrity & Law Enforcement Integrity Deputy Bureau Chief Jennifer Sculco. Agovino is scheduled to be sentenced on June 23, 2022.