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6 Arrested in Connection with Fatal Evergreen Fire in Spring Valley

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4 years ago

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Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh announced the arrests of 4 Rockland County men as a result of the multi-agency 3-month long investigation into the fatal fire in the Evergreen Assisted Living Home on March 23, 2021, claiming the life of Volunteer Firefighter Jared Lloyd and a resident of the facility.

The identities of the individuals, as well as their charges, are attached to this press release. The investigation into the tragic fire is still ongoing and limits the amount of information that can be shared at this time.

Aaron Sommer and Nathaniel Sommer are both charged with the same crimes for their actions that have been determined to cause the fire. They were both arraigned in Spring Valley Justice Court before the Honorable David Fried. Bail was set and they were transported to the Rockland County Jail. Wayne Ballard and Raymond Canario are charged with falsely filing reports to New York State regarding fire inspections. Both men were processed and released on appearance tickets. They will appear in Spring Valley Justice Court in July. Two arrest warrants were issued for Denise Kerr and Manuel Lema. Their charges are for their actions from within the facility prior to the start of the fire.

Watch full press conference below

FULL LIST OF CHARGES:

Nathaniel Sommer

Manslaughter in the 2nd Degree (2 Counts)
Assault in the 2nd Degree (2 Counts)
Arson in the 4th Degree
Assault in the 3rd Degree (7 Counts)
Reckless Endangerment in the 2nd Degree (2 Counts)

Aaron Sommer

Manslaughter in the 2nd Degree (2 Counts)
Assault in the 2nd Degree (2 Counts)
Arson in the 4th Degree
Assault in the 3rd Degree (7 Counts)
Reckless Endangerment in the 2nd Degree (2 Counts)

Wayne Ballard

Offering False Instrument 1st Degree
Falsifying Bus. Records 2nd Degree

Raymond Canario

Offering False Instrument 1st Degree (3 Counts)
Falsifying Bus. Records 2nd Degree (3 Counts)

Denise Kerr

Reckless Endangerment in the 2nd Degree

Manuel Lema

Criminal Impersonation in the 2nd Degree
Obstructing Governmental Administration

The investigation involves the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control, Spring Valley Police Department, Rockland County Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York State Police, and the Rockland County District Attorneyโ€™s Special Investigations Unit. The case is being prosecuted by Executive Assistant District Attorney Michael Dugandzic and Senior Assistant District Attorney Ryan Sweeney.

Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh said, โ€œToday is a culmination of an intensive multi- agency investigation that left no stone unturned. I informed the Lloyd family of the arrests made today.

While we canโ€™t bring Jared back, today is a step in the right direction. Although we have made arrests in this case, the investigation is far from over.โ€

Photo via Rockland County DA/Instagram.

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Wanted: Town of Ramapo Police Department is Sharing on Behalf of The Mahwah Police Department

Published

17 hours ago

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May 8, 2025

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Do you know Yorhelys Nakari Montilla, a 27-year-old from Spring Valley, NY?
She is currently wanted by the Mahwah Police Department in connection with an incident that occurred within their jurisdiction.
If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Yorhelys Nakari Montilla, please contact the Mahwah Police Department directly.
๐€๐๐˜๐Ž๐๐„ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ฌ๐ž๐ž๐ฌ ๐Œ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ๐š ๐จ๐ซ ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ ๐Ÿ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐ž๐ซ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—น๐—ฑ ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ป ๐—ฎ ๐œ๐š๐ฌ๐ก ๐ซ๐ž๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฉ ๐ญ๐จ $๐Ÿ,๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ ๐›๐ฒ ๐œ๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐๐ž๐ซ๐ ๐ž๐ง ๐‚๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ฒ ๐‚๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐ž ๐’๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ: ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐ.๐›๐ž๐ซ๐ ๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐ž๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ.๐จ๐ซ๐  ๐’๐”๐๐Œ๐ˆ๐“ ๐“๐ˆ๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐›๐ฒ ๐œ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐Ÿ–๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ’-๐Ÿ’๐Ÿ”๐Ÿ”-๐Ÿ”๐Ÿ•๐Ÿ–๐Ÿ— (๐š๐ฏ๐š๐ข๐ฅ๐š๐›๐ฅ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ’/๐Ÿ•).

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Crime

Rockland County Sheriffโ€™s Office and Consumer Protection Joint Investigation Leads to Arrest in Fraud Case

Published

2 weeks ago

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April 28, 2025

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New City, NY โ€” Authorities in Rockland County have arrested a Nyack resident in connection with the use of a fake home improvement license, following a joint investigation by the Sheriffโ€™s Office and the County Department of Consumer Protection.

Christian C. Kolarz, 48, faces felony charges of Second-Degree Forgery and Second-Degree Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument. Investigators allege that Kolarz created and attempted to use a counterfeit Rockland County Home Improvement License to fraudulently secure financing for a construction project.

The forged document came to light thanks to a coordinated effort by the Sheriffโ€™s Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Consumer Protection investigators. Kolarz was taken into custody on April 18, arraigned in Clarkstown Justice Court, and released on his own recognizance. He is scheduled to appear in court again on May 12.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day praised the collaboration between agencies, stating, โ€œThis joint effort is a prime example of how working together keeps Rockland safe. It sends a strong message: fraud will not be tolerated.โ€

Sheriff Louis Falco echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the importance of interagency cooperation in protecting residents from scams. โ€œWeโ€™re committed to pursuing those who attempt to take advantage of our community,โ€ he said.

Consumer Protection Director Kimberly Von Ronn added that the misuse of official county documents is a serious matter. โ€œLet this serve as a warningโ€”we will take action to protect families and businesses from fraud.โ€

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