DATE: OCTOBER 23, 2017
RE: PRESS RELEASE - KINGSTON MOTEL ARSONIST PLEADS GUILTY
Dennis Stokes, 37, of DeWitt Mills Road, Hurley, entered a guilty plea to Arson in the Third Degree in Ulster County Court on Friday, October 20, 2017.
The charges arose from a fire at the Super 8 Motel on Washington Avenue in Kingston. On January 2, 2017, police were alerted to a man with a gun in room 241.
Stokes, alone in the room, refused to allow the police to enter and threatened to “come out blazing” and kill others with him. During the incident, Stokes threatened police officers with an apparent handgun which was later determined to be a very realistic looking BB gun. The standoff lasted several hours while officers took positions of safety on the ground and on nearby buildings and attempted to negotiate with Stokes.
Shortly before 5:00 PM, Stokes sprayed lighter fluid in the room and used a lighter to ignite the fluid. The smoke and flames caused Stokes to jump from the second story window of the Super 8 onto the ground, where he was apprehended.
Along with the Kingston Police Department, members of the Kingston Fire Department, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team, and the New York State Police assisted during the incident.
“All of the police agencies involved, did an excellent job of keeping their patience and trying to control this dangerous situation as this incident took numerous turns over several hours. It is amazing that this defendant was not shot and killed based on his reckless and dangerous actions,” said Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright.
Stokes will be sentenced on December 20, 2017, in Ulster County Court. He was represented by Ulster County Public Defender Majer Gold. The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Gerard Van Loan.