KINGSTON, N.Y. A 32-year-old Highland man faces significant prison time after being convicted Thursday, Oct. 5, in Ulster County Court of five counts of rape and three counts of criminal sexual act, according to the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office. Charles M. Burgher was convicted of the felonies during a jury trial before Judge […]
However, in many of these cases the subject will not have been convicted of any crime before the program s intervening steps begin.
That has Dutchess County agencies eager to implement IPVI, as it s known, facing opposition from the county Public Defender s Office. The public defender has a mandate to protect the constitutional rights of our clients. Foremost among those rights is the presumption of innocence of the accused. The IPVI program’s request for our involvement undermines our mandated duties, said Thomas Angell, Dutchess County s public defender.
Angell s office said it had provided Family Services with suggestions on how the two offices could work together, but those recommendations were not accepted.