WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – From a shooting in downtown Watertown to continued calls for justice for a murdered Gouverneur teenager, we take a look back at the crimes and trials that made headlines in 2021.
Hundreds gathered in Watertown’s Public Square to mourn the losses of Maxine Quigg and Terry O’Brien. Both were shot and killed in their Watertown office building.
Terry O’Brien and Maxine Quigg worked at Bridgeview Real Estate Agency in Watertown when police say Barry Stewart, a former employee, shot and killed Quigg and O’Brien.
“We know from video that Mr. Stewart was in the office for a very short time. Less than a minute,” said Detective Lieutenant Joe Donoghue of the Watertown Police Department.
An hours-long chase ensued for Stewart. Police attempted to pull over Stewart’s vehicle on Route 11B in the Franklin County town of Dickinson. According to police, Stewart drove off the roadway in his silver pick-up truck and was found dead inside the vehicle with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
This year, we also saw developments in the Treyanna Summerville murder case. Summerville’s mother, Lashanna Charlton, was indicted on murder and manslaughter charges.
According to the indictment, Charlton subjected her daughter to “prolonged physical abuse” between June 16 and 22 of 2020 in their Gouverneur home. She’s accused of striking Summerville with a hammer, severely injuring her knee, which caused an infection.
The indictment says Charlton failed to seek medical help for her daughter and failed to feed her daughter, leaving Summerville with “severe malnutrition.”
“I just want justice. We need updates. We need to know what’s going on,” said Alexis Stevens, a classmate of Summerville.
Charlton pleaded not guilty to murder and manslaughter charges in October. She’s free after posting $50,000 bail over the summer.
A pre-trial conference date for Charlton is set for February 18. Before then, Charlton will undergo a psychiatric exam at the request of prosecutors. Meanwhile, a murder charge against Summerville’s 14-year-old half-sister was dropped.
On January 6, an angry mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building in Washington D.C. A Watertown man and his mother were allegedly part of it. 55-year-old Maryann Mooney-Rondon and her son, 23-year-old Rafael Rondon are facing nine charges connected to the riots; both of them pleaded not guilty to those charges in a district court in Washington, D.C.
In Ogdensburg, Mayor Mike Skelly was found not guilty on second-degree harassment charges. He was accused of shoving then-firefighter Gerald Mack to the ground while the mayor was entering city hall for a council meeting.
St. Lawrence County Legislator Tony Arquiett faces drunk driving and cocaine possession charges after a crash. Arquiett continues to serve as county legislator. Arquiett will appear in court on January 14.
While some were committing crimes, others were stopping them. James Kilcer, a Marine Corps veteran and Theresa native, stopped an attempted robbery at a gas station in Yuma, Arizona by grabbing the gun and hitting the suspect in the face with a bag of drinks. The 14-year-old suspect was charged with armed robbery and aggravated assault.
This year, Jefferson County Sheriff Colleen O’Neil announced that she will not run for re-election in 2022 after serving two terms. Retired deputy Pete Barnett has already announced his candidacy for the position. More are expected to run as well.
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