Seneca County man who murdered son for money loses appeal

The Auburn Citizen reports that "The state's highest court has rejected an appeal from Karl Karlsen, a 56-year-old Seneca County man who admitted to killing his son so he could collect insurance money."

Karlsen pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in November 2013. At the time, Karlsen admitted to killing his 23-year-old son, Levi Karlsen, in 2008, when he intentionally caused a pick-up truck to fall off a jack and land on his son's chest.

During his plea, Karl Karlsen said he had obtained a $700,000 life insurance policy on his son's life roughly two weeks before the murder.... He was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

In an appeal, attorney John Cirando argued that Karl Karlsen was improperly denied an attorney during police interrogations and that his statements to police were not voluntary. In addition, Cirando said his client's statements to his estranged wife should have been precluded under the spousal privilege law, that he did not waive his Miranda rights and that his guilty plea was not knowing or intelligent due to a lack of effective counsel.

On June 6, the state Court of Appeals denied the appeal, upholding the rulings of the lower courts.

Suspectology: Getting into the Child Sexual Offender’s Mind to Improve Interview Strategies

Getting into the mind of a child sexual offender can increase the success law enforcement may have when interviewing the offender and investigating the case.

This webinar, sponsored by the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, will explore the background of child sexual abuse, factors affecting child sexual offenders, and discuss and distinguish the terms “child molester” and “pedophile.”

The workshop will also identify common child sexual abuse se defenses and law enforcement strategies, and discuss how a deeper understanding of the child sexual abuser typologies and factors can improve offender interview strategies.

For more on this program, click here.

Fake ID and Underage Drinking Sweeps at Summer Concerts Across New York

New York State officials have launched "Operation Prevent," a 2017 summer concert crack down in conjunction with local law enforcement:

Investigators will continue to conduct sweeps at venues this summer including SPAC, Darien Lake, Jones Beach, Canalside in Buffalo, CMAC in Canandaigua and the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, as well as other events where underage concertgoers are likely to gather. DMV's Division of Field Investigation perform the investigations in partnership with the State Liquor Authority, New York State Park Police, New York State Police, and local law enforcement agencies.

During the concert season, DMV investigators work with the SLA and law enforcement entities to check identification documents. Patrons under the age of 21 found to be using fake IDs or false documents to purchase alcoholic beverages can be arrested and risk having their license revoked for a minimum of 90 days or up to one year. Investigators from DMV, the SLA, and other entities use portable document verification machines to conduct forensic examinations of suspect documents using white light, UV light, and infrared light sources.

Already, fraudulent licenses from New York, Rhode Island, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut and Florida have been recovered.

Seneca County's Woofstock grows into a must for dog lovers

The Ithaca Journal:

The fifth annual Woofstock, at Americana Vineyards Winery, 4367 East Covert Road in Interlaken, happens from noon to 7 p.m. Saturday, rain or shine. This year, a crowd of 2,000 is anticipated, a throng more than six times greater than five years ago....

Woofstock will benefit the Beverly Animal Shelter in Waterloo; Browncoat Cat Rescue in Ithaca; Fetch a Friend Rescue in Seneca Falls; Pet the Pet Program in Trumansburg; and Meals for Mutts in Webster.

For more on this event, click here.

Schuyler County hosts Rabies Clinic June 3

Hector--Schuyler County officials will be hosting a rabies clinic on June 3 at the Hector Fire Department, 5736 Route 414, Hector, New York. The clinic will run from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.

Vaccination is free of charge, but donations are appreciated.

Rabies is a serious virus of all mammals with no known cure. It causes neurological degeneration that ultimately leads to the death of the infected person or animal. Luckily, Rabies can be prevented with vaccination, and New York State requires by law the compulsory vaccination of all domestic dogs, cats and ferrets for the safety of the public. Compliance with Rabies Vaccination Laws is monitored by the New York State Department Of Health.

For more information, click here.

Exploring the Ethical Implications of Social Media Use

New York State Bar Association:

Social media networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook are indispensable tools used by legal professionals and those with whom they communicate. Particularly, in conjunction with the increased use of mobile technologies in the legal profession, social media platforms have transformed the ways in which lawyers communicate.

As use of social media by lawyers and clients continues to grow and as social media networks proliferate and become more sophisticated, so too do the ethical issues facing lawyers. Accordingly, the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section of the New York State Bar Association, which authored these social media ethics guidelines in 2014 to assist lawyers in understanding the ethical challenges of social media, is updating them to include new ethics opinions as well as additional guidelines where the Section believes ethical guidance is needed (the “Guidelines”).

Join leading social media legal experts for a moderated discussion on the 2017 updated Guidelines.

The event will be held Thursday, June 1, 2017 from 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the New York Society of Security Analysts, 1540 Broadway, Suite 1010 | New York City and available on the web.

Law enforcement officials lobby for parole reforms

Fingerlakes1.com reports that "a new proposal would allow police officers to detain parolees who are violating the terms of their release and turn them over to parole officers...The proposal would do three things specifically:

• Create a database accessible to police in their cars that includes information about restrictions, which would include curfews. Release conditions are currently not included in what police officers have available to them.
• It would allow police officers to detain a parolee and turn that individual over to parole.
• It would give parole officials the choice as to what to do with the parolee who has violated the terms.

According to the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, "the push for parole changes was spurred by a number of violent crimes committed by parolees, including the 2014 murder of Rochester Police Officer Daryl Pierson. His killer, Thomas Johnson III, was a parole absconder."

Seneca County, Airbnb, strike tax collection deal

Fingerlakes1.com:

An agreement between Seneca County and Airbnb is expected to grow the tax base and allow the Airbnb to contribute “its fair share” of taxes.

That’s the word that came down from officials from both organizations on Wednesday, as the deal, which will go into effect on May 1st — becomes reality.

Seneca Airbnb hosts cater to a range of travelers, from visitors to the Wesleyan Chapel – the location of the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 – to families looking for a comfortable place to vacation in the Finger Lakes.

Seneca County joins a number of counties, including Schuyler County, in contracting with Airbnb for room tax collection assistance. Schuyler County's deal with Airbnb came after a challenge to its room tax was rejected by the New York State Court of Appeals.

Schuyler County Municipalities Fight Wal-Mart’s Tax Reduction Claim

A preliminary conference has been scheduled for June 23 in the case of Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust (“Wal-Mart”) against the Town of Dix Board of Assessment Review and other affected Schuyler County municipalities.

In the meantime, attorneys for the affected municipalities, Schuyler County Attorney Steven Getman and Town of Dix Attorney Robert Halpin have served a demand to audit Wal-Mart’s books and records to substantiate the retail giant’s statement of income and expenses.

In July 2016, Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, filed suit alleging that their store in the Village of Watkins Glen was over-assessed. The current assessment values the property at $11,700,000.00 (Eleven Million, Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars). Wal-Mart has claimed their property is only worth $7,500,000.00 (Seven Million, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars). In 2012, Wal-Mart agreed that their property was valued at $11,400,000.00 (Eleven Million, Four Hundred Thousand, Dollars)

Because any such assessment reduction would adversely affect all real property tax jurisdictions in the county deriving taxes from the Wal-Mart property, the affected municipalities—the Town of Dix, the Village of Watkins Glen, the Watkins Glen School District and Schuyler County--joined forces to fight Wal-Mart’s claims.

According to Getman, the June 23 preliminary conference will likely result in the court fixing a date for trial, as well as directing the parties to obtain appraisals and sales reports, and to exchange and file appraisal reports and sales reports.

In anticipation of that trial, the defendants have already served a demand upon Wal-Mart to make their relevant books and records available for audit. That audit should be completed in approximately 120 days, Getman noted.

Nationally, some reports have previously criticized Wal-Mart for what has been called a “systemic” attempt by the company to lower its taxes while benefitting from billions of dollars in public subsidies to build its stores and site infrastructure. In 2007, the Huffington Post called the company “America’s tax deadbeat” for such attempts. That article cited efforts by the company in other parts of upstate New York, including Geneva and Wilton, to lower its taxes.

Schuyler County 2017 Life Planning Seminar

Schuyler County officials are sponsoring the 2017 Life Planning Seminar.

The seminar addresses advance care decisions for your quality of life. Topics include:

• Power of Attorney,
• Last Will & Testament,
• Health Care Proxy,
• Living Will,
• Elder Abuse and Scams,
• Nursing Home Medicaid Rules and Asset Protection

The event will be held May 18, 2017 from 5:30- 9:00 pm at the Silver Spoon Café, Schuyler County Human Services Complex and is being conducted by the County Office for the Aging.

Seating is limited. Reservations are required. To make reservations, call the Office for the Aging at 607-535-7108 prior to Tuesday, May 16, 2017.