Colonie Area Police Weekly Report: New Jersey Woman Arrested for Multiple Theft and Robbery

Ayauna Scott charged over incidents at Macy's and Nordstrom Rack

COLONY – Colonie police went to the Bergen County Jail on Thursday, Aug. 29, to arrest an Albany woman on charges of five thefts from stores in the Colonie Center area over the past 11 months.

Ayauna Scott, 23, of Albany, allegedly stole merchandise from Macy's in October 2023 and fought with staff. She was charged with robbery and grand theft (both felonies), petty theft and damage to property (both misdemeanors), and harassment (physical contact, a violation).

On January 19, she returned to the store and robbed it again. For that incident, Scott was charged with robbery, a felony, and petty theft, a misdemeanor.

Scott was back at the Colonie Center on July 27 and 30, but this time it was at Nordstrom Rack. In those two incidents, she was charged with two separate counts of third-degree grand larceny, a felony.

On August 8, Scott returned to Macy's and was charged with grand larceny – in this case third degree, a felony.

Scott was tried on all ten charges, but none of them was released on bail and bail could not be set.

She was released.

Burglary

COLONY – Albany Police turned over a 56-year-old Troy man to Colonie Police on Tuesday, August 27, on an arrest warrant related to an incident at Northway Mall.

Bobby Whitaker is accused of stealing from a store in the Plaza on July 16 after he had already entered. He was charged with burglary (felony), petty theft (misdemeanor) and trespass (violation).

Whitaker was brought to trial.

Grand theft, conspiracy and arrest warrant

COLONY – Anti-theft employees at Lowes on Central Avenue observed a woman allegedly stealing merchandise on Wednesday, August 28 and called Colonie Police.

According to reports, Jennifer Harrington, 52, of Schenectady was taken into custody with merchandise valued at $1,383.64. She was charged with grand larceny, a felony, and conspiracy, a misdemeanor. She was also wanted by Albany police. Harrington received a summons to appear in Colonie Town Court on Wednesday, September 11, and was taken to meet with Albany police.

Grand theft

COLONY – A Schenectady man turned himself in to Colonie police on Wednesday, August 28, for a theft at Dairy Queen on Central Avenue.

According to reports, 44-year-old Jeffrey Valachovic was arrested and charged with third-degree grand larceny for an incident that occurred at the store on July 20.

He was brought to court.

Suspected arsonist arrested again on arrest warrant

COLONY – A homeless man who was charged with arson in November and arrested on a warrant for failure to appear in court in July was arrested again on Thursday, August 29, for failure to appear in court.

According to reports, 41-year-old Charles Sedgwick was released after arraignment in the two previous incidents because bail was not available for either the arson charge or the warrants.

Because of the recent arrest, police contacted Colony Magistrate David Green regarding Sedgwick, and Green requested that police release Sedgwick with a summons for Wednesday, September 11.

When officers arrived at Schuyler Flatts Cultural Park at 9:02 p.m. on July 21, they found Sedgwick screaming. A name check revealed that he had a warrant out for failure to appear in Colonie Town Court.

On Thursday, November 30, Sedgwick was arrested in connection with an arson investigation related to a fire at Dawson's Body Works on Schuyler Lane on November 23.

At the time, Sedgwick was charged with fourth-degree arson (a felony) and criminal damage (a misdemeanor) and was released with a summons to appear in Colonie Municipal Court on Dec. 6. Fourth-degree arson does not allow bail under state law.

DWI

LATHAM – Colonie Police responded to a property damage accident at 1093 Loudon Road at 3:49 p.m. on Thursday, August 29, and found a 45-year-old Cohoes man allegedly under the influence of alcohol.

The man was transported from the scene to Albany Memorial Hospital. Upon investigation, it was found that the vehicle did not have a valid registration and that there were open containers of alcoholic beverages inside.

He was charged with drunken driving, a misdemeanor, and received tickets for consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle, refusing to take a breathalyzer test, and operating an unregistered vehicle.

The man was given summons to appear in Colonie Municipal Court on Monday, September 9.

Drug raid in hotel

LATHAM – The Colonie Police SWAT team responded to the Colonie Inn and Suites on Loudon Road on Thursday, August 29, after an investigation revealed significant drug trafficking was taking place there.

At 11:51 p.m., officers entered the hotel rooms and arrested five people without injuries.

Carl Goodson, 32, and Megan Couture, 27, are listed as residents of the hotel, the others were from other areas.

According to police, Goodson was charged with illegal possession of a drug with intent to sell, illegal possession of a drug and destruction of evidence (all felonies) and illegal use of drug paraphernalia (a misdemeanor). He was accused of destroying a cellphone during the raid.

Couture was charged with illegal sale of a narcotic, a felony.

Rebecca Miller, 26, of Ballston Lake, was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, criminal possession of a controlled substance and destruction of evidence (all felonies), as well as loitering-unlawful use of a controlled substance and criminal use of drug paraphernalia (both misdemeanors).

Nicholas Sapienza Jr., 35, of Ravena, was charged with unlawful sale of a controlled substance (a felony) and two counts of unlawful possession of a controlled substance (both misdemeanors).

Goodson, Couture, Miller and Sapienza were processed and taken to the Albany County Jail as pre-arraignment detainees and were arraigned the next day.

Alexis Wagner, 35, of Clifton Park was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor. She was released with a summons.

DWI and reckless
Danger

COLONY – A 66-year-old man who lives at Sanderson Court Senior Apartments was stopped by Colonie police near the complex and charged with driving under the influence.

The man reportedly refused to take a breathalyzer test and had open containers of alcohol in the vehicle at 6:40 p.m. on Friday, August 30. He was also charged with reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor, in a separate arrest at the same time.

He was taken into custody and charged with driving under the influence, a misdemeanor, and was ticketed for refusing to take a breathalyzer and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.

The man was issued summonses for both incidents to appear in Colonie Municipal Court on Monday, September 9.

DWI

COLONY – Colonie police stopped a vehicle on Lapham Drive in the Village of Colonie on Saturday, August 31, and found the driver was allegedly intoxicated.

At 1:11 a.m., police reportedly arrested a 43-year-old Newburgh man who was driving and charged him with drunken driving, a misdemeanor.

He received a summons to appear in court in Colonie on Monday, September 16.

No driver's license, serious DWI

LATHAM – On Sunday, September 1, at 12:58 a.m., Colonie Police stopped a vehicle for speeding near the intersection of Hastings Drive and Watervliet Shaker Road.

When questioned, the driver, a 26-year-old Latham woman, showed signs of intoxication. She was given a breathalyzer test, which she failed. The woman also did not have a valid driver's license. She was taken into custody and charged with driving while intoxicated and driving without a license, both misdemeanors, and received a speeding ticket.

The woman received a summons to appear in court in Colonie on Monday, September 16.

Theft, chase, accident

LATHAM – An Albany man was arrested Monday, Sept. 2, following a chase and crash on Troy Schenectady Road.

Colonie police reportedly attempted to stop the vehicle, which eventually crashed near the intersection with Park Avenue.

The driver, Terrence Parker, 32, fled the vehicle after the crash at 12:28 a.m. but was soon apprehended. He was injured in the crash and taken to Albany Memorial Hospital for treatment of his injuries. After treatment, he returned to the Colonie Police Station, where he was charged with conspiracy and destruction of evidence (both felonies), as well as unlawful flight from a police officer, resisting arrest, leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving.

Arrest warrants for this week

Dale Spencer, 31, of Colonie, was arrested Monday, September 2, for failure to appear in Colonie Municipal Court in August. He was booked into the Albany County Jail as a pretrial inmate.

Randy Beach, 43, of Rensselaer, after a car crash on Route 9 at 11:45 a.m. Monday, Sept. 2, for failure to appear in court in July. He was also charged with driving without a license. Judge Norman Massry ordered police to release Beach with a summons for both counts set for Sept. 9.

Trisha Palmer, 41, who is homeless after receiving a 911 call for failure to appear in court at the Econolodge in July, received a summons to appear at Albany Memorial Hospital on Wednesday, Sept. 18.