FROM: HOLLEY CARNRIGHT
DATE: NOVEMBER 15, 2018
RE: PRESS RELEASE – JOSHUA STUART INDICTMENT
Joshua Stuart, age 42, of 12 Pine Lane, Kerhonkson, was indicted by an Ulster County Grand Jury this week in connection with a series of incidents in the Town of Wawarsing on September 28 and September 29, 2018.
At about 4:30 AM on September 28, Stuart entered the Ellenville Regional Hospital with a loaded handgun and forcibly stole numerous vials of drugs classified as opioids. During the course of the robbery he fired one shot from the handgun. After fleeing the hospital, Stuart’s vehicle was spotted by the New York City DEP in a wooded area off Cutler Road in Wawarsing. As the officers attempted to apprehend him Stuart fired several rounds from a 9MM handgun at a DEP officer and then fled into a large wooded area.
An intense manhunt ensued. Many local police agencies including the State Police, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, DEP, the Ellenville Police Department and the Ulster County District Attorney’s Office searched for Stuart. The next morning, Stuart burglarized a home on State Route 55 and stole several small items. Thereafter, Stuart entered an unlocked garage of a second home seeking property to steal from vehicles. He then burglarized a third home, where he entered through a window by removing a fan. While inside, Stuart stole a purse and car keys and fled the property in the homeowner’s 2005 Honda Pilot.
The Honda Pilot was spotted in Brooklyn on October 1. The New York State Police Fugitive Task Force and members of the NYPD converged upon Stuart near a Whole Foods Market in Brooklyn. Stuart attempted to flee into the Gowanus Canal and was captured shortly thereafter. Stuart had the 9MM handgun on him when he was captured.
The Ulster County Grand Jury handed down an 11 count indictment charging Stuart with Attempted Murder in the First Degree, Robbery in the First Degree, 3 counts of Burglary, and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in connection with the crimes committed on State Route 55 during the manhunt. He also faces federal charges for crimes committed in NYC while on the lam from Ulster County authorities.
Stuart is currently being held in federal custody in New York City and is represented on the Ulster County charges by Russell Schindler of the Public Defender’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Gerard Van Loan and Assistant District Attorney Timothy Lawson.