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Two Rockland Men Indicted on Charges of Sexual Abuse of Children

Published

4 years ago

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rockland report

NEW CITY, NY – Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh announced the indictments of two men on two separate charges relating to the sexual abuse of young children that occurred in Rockland County over the past few weeks. Both victims were 11 year old females.

Pedro Francisco, 20, of Sparkill, NY, was indicted on charges of Rape in the First Degree and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. Fransico is accused of sexually abusing an 11-year old victim in the Town of Orangetown on March 1, 2021. The case came to police attention when the child was reported missing to authorities in New Jersey earlier that day. The case was investigated by the Town of Orangetown Police Department with the assistance of the Special Victims Unit of the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Stefanie Schera.

Santos Santana-Quintanilla, 40, of Orange, NJ, was indicted on charges of Predatory Sexual Assault Against a Child, Rape in the First Degree, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child. The incident occurred during February 2021 in Suffern, NY. The defendant and his 11-year old victim met several years prior to the incident at their church in the Village of Spring Valley. This case was investigated by the Village of Suffern Police with the assistance of the Rockland County Sheriff’s Office, the Village of Spring Valley Police, the City of Orange Police, and the Special Victims Unit of the Rockland County District Attorney’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Executive Assistant District Attorney Kathleen Devlin.

Rockland County District Attorney Tom Walsh said ”The priority in these horrific crimes must be to do our best to protect and assist the victims and their families. Rest assured, we are going to do everything to ensure maximum prosecution is achieved. I have to point out the efforts of all law enforcement agencies involved with these investigations. They are working tirelessly to do everything for our young victims.”

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Crime

Rockland County Court Rejects Convicted Murderer’s Eighth Attempt To Vacate Conviction

Published

4 days ago

on

March 27, 2025

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Rockland County District Attorney Thomas E. Walsh, II, announced today that, in a decision issued on March 25, 2025, Rockland County Court Judge Kevin F. Russo rejected the latest attempt by convicted murderer Amer Zada to have his conviction vacated. The court noted that this motion is the eighth time Zada has sought to reverse or vacate his conviction.
In 1980, Zada was convicted of the murder of seventeen-year-old Shirley Smith in a Village of Nyack parking lot. He was also convicted of Attempted Sodomy in the First Degree and Aggravated Sexual Abuse as a result of his attack on Ms. Smith. At his trial, Zada was represented by William Kunstler, a world-renowned defense attorney who had gained notoriety for successfully defending many high profile and controversial clients.
In its decision, the court described the defendant’s current motion as being largely based on Zada’s claim that certain documents were not turned over to him prior to trial.
“The court found that Zada had failed to adequately establish this speculative claim as he provided no direct evidence that he had never received the documents. I would like to commend Executive Assistant District Attorney James Dolan for his dedication and professionalism representing the Office in this proceeding.” said District Attorney Tom Walsh.
The court also found that, even assuming that the documents had not been turned over, they were of little importance in the case against Zada and none of them were exculpatory within the meaning of the law. In addition, the court found that Zada’s motion to vacate his conviction raised only minor inconsistencies in the case against him, most of which were thoroughly explored by Mr. Kunstler during the trial. In conclusion, the court found that Zada had not offered anything to justify vacating his conviction.

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Crime

Ramapo Police Officers Arrest 19 Individuals Over The Weekend From DUI to Domestic Violence

Published

6 days ago

on

March 25, 2025

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This past weekend, your Ramapo officers were hard at work, making 19 arrests throughout the Town. The breakdown includes:
• 10 arrests for suspended licenses or registrations
• 2 arrests on warrants
• 2 arrests for drunk driving, including one with a child in the car
• 1 arrest for open container
• 1 arrest for a forged inspection sticker
• 2 domestic-related assaults with child endangerment
• 1 arrest for domestic-related criminal mischief
All individuals arrested have been processed and cases handed off to the next step in the criminal justice system. It is important to note that a criminal complaint is an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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