Brewster police officer indicted on false arrest charges

Jonathan Bandler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News

October 14, 2022 at 4:10 PM·3 min read

A Brewster police officer caught on video angrily grabbing a man who wanted to file a complaint against him has been indicted on felony charges that he falsified claims to justify arresting the man.

Officer Fernando Quinones pleaded not guilty Thursday at his arraignment in Putnam County Court.

On Oct. 28, 2021, Quinones pulled Alexander King over for allegedly using his cellphone while driving.

King felt Quinones mistreated him and drove to police headquarters to file a complaint.

In the parking lot, Quinones confronted him, asking what King was doing there. King, who had begun recording with his cellphone, told him he was going to see his supervisor.

Video of Brewster police office Fernando Quinones' arrest of Alex King does not bear out what the officer wrote in the criminal complaint.

The video appears to show Quinones grabbing King by the neck and forcing him to the ground. It did not back up Quinones’ account that he included in the court documents charging King with attempted assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

The criminal charges against King were dismissed last month. Charges related to an arrest of King following a traffic stop by Quinones earlier that same month are also likely to be dismissed as early as Monday.

Confrontation:Video shows officer grabbing man who wanted to file a complaint

Body cams:Brewster police lack policy related to body-worn cameras

Greenburgh:Police say ex-sergeant tried to coerce officer

King, who testified before the grand jury, was elated to learn of the indictment Friday.

"It's awesome for me," he said. "For awhile I didn't think anything would come of it. We certainly wouldn't be talking now if I hadn't taken that video."

Police Chief John Del Gardo and Mayor James Schoenig could not be reached for comment. Both defended Quinones earlier this year based on what they described as King's aggressive reaction to being ticketed.

Quinones' lawyers, Andrew Quinn and John D'Alessandro, expressed disappointment with the indictment. Both have known Quinones for years, D'Alessandro as a colleague when both worked in the Yonkers Police Department and Quinn as the Yonkers PBA lawyer.

A screenshot from a cellphone video taken by Alexander King shows Brewster police Officer Fernando Quinones with his right hand at King's neck during an arrest in the parking lot at police headquarters on Oct. 28, 2021.

Quinn described him as a dedicated, well-respected cop who spent more than a dozen years as an emergency services officer, including time working at Ground Zero following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

"We do not see any criminal conduct whatsoever," Quinn said, regarding Quinones' description of the confrontation with King.

A lawsuit filed by King against Quinones and the village alleges excessive force by the officer in addition to wrongful arrest. The Quinones indictment does not accuse him of anything related to the physical confrontation.

He is charged with three counts each of: first-degree falsifying business records, offering a false instrument and making an apparently false statement, all felonies. He is also charged with one count of official misconduct, a misdemeanor.

Quinones, 58, was released without bail and is due back in court Nov. 22. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted of any of the felonies.

He joined the Brewster Police Department as a part-time officer in 2016, four years after wrapping up a 23-year career in Yonkers. He has been out on disability for months over an injury unrelated to the King case.

He is the second village cop arrested in the past year. Officer Wayne Peiffer pleaded guilty in April in Brooklyn federal court to accepting sexual favors in exchange for protecting sex traffickers who brought prostitutes to Brewster.

Staff writer Asher Stockler contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Police officer in Brewster indicted on false arrest charges

Reuters
India's poll panel seeks responses to complaints against Modi, Rahul Gandhi
India's Election Commission said on Thursday it has sought responses from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress on alleged violations of poll rules by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and opposition leader Rahul Gandhi. India is holding the world's largest election over seven phases, with votes due to be counted on June 4. In their complaints to the commission, the BJP accused Gandhi and Congress accused Modi of making divisive speeches on religion, caste and linguistic issues, notices from the panel said.
6m ago
Reuters
Tech companies plug into India's smaller cities for talent
Indian engineer B. Ramachandran now prefers living in the smaller cities than the major tech hubs of Bengaluru and Chennai. Some are already finding it easier to hire staff in tier 2 cities, in contrast to before the pandemic when workers largely went from smaller cities into the country's major IT hubs for jobs. "The HR and I used to drive down to Bengaluru and Chennai to interview experienced talent and convince them to move to Madurai," said Selvaganesh M.P, founder of IT firm SMI that was bought by mid-cap IT company Happiest Minds in 2023.
27m ago
Associated Press
The Latest | Israeli strikes in Rafah kill at least 5
Palestinian hospital officials say Israeli airstrikes on the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip have killed at least five people. Among those killed in the strikes overnight and into Thursday were two children, identified in hospital records as Sham Najjar, 6, and Jamal Nabahan, 8. More than half of the territory’s population of 2.3 million have sought refuge in Rafah, where Israel has conducted near-daily raids as it prepares for an offensive in the city.
39m ago
Associated Press
Electric cars and digital connectivity dominate at Beijing auto show
Global automakers and EV startups unveiled new models and concept cars at China's largest auto show on Thursday, with a focus on the nation's transformation into a major market and production base for digitally connected, new-energy vehicles. Toyota and Nissan both announced tie-ups with major Chinese technology companies as they strive to meet customer demand for AI-enabled online connectivity in cars, from social media apps to autonomous driving features. Electric vehicles accounted for about a quarter of all auto sales in China last year.
40m ago
AFP
Asian markets mixed as global rally stalls, eyes on yen
Equities were mixed Thursday as investors turned cautious after the past three days' sizeable gains, with Meta's warning that it will spend far more than expected this year fuelling worries that the latest tech-led rally may have gone too far.Tech titans Microsoft and Alphabet are due to report later in the day.
42m ago
Associated Press
Ferrying voting machines to mountains and tropical areas in Indian elections is a Herculean task
From the Himalayan mountains to the tropical Andaman Islands, Indian officials are using helicopters, buses, trucks, boats, donkeys, and mules to carry electronic voting machines for India’s gigantic national elections. Election officials are traveling through jungles and snow-covered mountain tracks, even wading through rivers to set up polling stations in tents, shipping containers, and school buildings in remote areas. Four donkeys lugged the voting machines to Kottur hills in the Dharmapuri parliamentary constituency in Tamil Nadu state in southern India where the first phase of voting was held Friday.
45m ago
AFP
Blinken calls for US, China to manage differences
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Thursday on the United States and China to manage their differences "responsibly" as he went on a charm offensive ahead of expected tough talks.China has accused the United States of unfair economic coercion.
46m ago
Reuters
UAE reports illness linked to contaminated water after floods
A small number of people in the United Arab Emirates have shown symptoms associated with contaminated water after heavy rains and floods, the health ministry said. There have been "a very limited number of cases that showed some symptoms of being affected by the mixed water" and they received hospital treatment, the ministry said. It did not say what the water had been contaminated with.
48m ago
AFP
Blades of Paris landmark Moulin Rouge windmill collapse
The blades of the Moulin Rouge windmill, one of the most famous landmarks in Paris, collapsed during the night, firefighters said on Thursday, just months before the French capital hosts the Olympics.The Moulin Rouge cabaret, with its distinctive red windmill blades, is located in northern Paris and is one of the most visited landmarks in the city.
52m ago
Associated Press
Colleges nationwide turn to police to quell pro-Palestine protests as commencement ceremonies near
With graduations looming, student protesters doubled down early Thursday on their discontent of the Israel-Hamas war on campuses across the country as universities, including ones in California and Texas, have become quick to call in the police to end the demonstrations and make arrests. While grappling with growing protests from coast to coast, schools have the added pressure of May commencement ceremonies. At Columbia University in New York, students defiantly erected an encampment where many are set to graduate in front of families in just a few weeks.
1h ago
AFP
The Myanmar 'water brothers' salvaging shipwrecks on the tide
Diving into the darkness of the Yangon River, Than Nyunt starts another murky sortie in his months-long mission to salvage a sunken ship using the power of the moon.He says he has salvaged around 40 ships, from cargo boats to passenger ferries, since he started diving over four decades ago.
1h ago
TODAY
Where is Jennifer Pan's ex-boyfriend, Daniel Wong, now?
Netflix documentary “What Jennifer Did” explores the story behind a young Canadian woman, Jennifer Pan, who is accused of planning to kill her parents in a murder-for-hire plot.
1h ago
Associated Press
Stock market today: Asian benchmarks mostly slide as investors focus on earnings
Asian shares mostly declined Thursday as investors awaited a flood of global earnings reports, including updates from U.S. tech companies known as the “Magnificent Seven.” Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slid 2.1% to 37,670.50. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained nearly 0.1% to 17,215.51, while the Shanghai Composite was virtually unchanged at 3,044.41.
2h ago
AFP
Taiwan president-elect names cabinet ahead of inauguration
Taiwanese president-elect Lai Ching-te named his cabinet and security team appointees on Thursday as he prepares to take office next month.Lai named security council head Wellington Koo as his new defence minister, replacing Chiu Kuo-cheng.
2h ago
AFP
Heatstroke kills 30 in Thailand this year as kingdom bakes
Thailand issued fresh warnings about scorching hot weather on Thursday as the government said heatstroke has already killed at least 30 people this year.The health ministry said late Wednesday that 30 people had died from heatstroke between January 1 and April 17, compared with 37 in the whole of 2023.
2h ago
AFP
US Supreme Court to hear Trump immunity claim
The US Supreme Court will hear arguments Thursday on whether Donald Trump, as a former president, should be immune from criminal prosecution for acts he committed while in office.Two lower courts flatly rejected that argument but the Supreme Court agreed in February to hear the case.
2h ago
Associated Press
UN report says 282 million people faced acute hunger in 2023, with the worst famine in Gaza
Nearly 282 million people in 59 countries suffered from acute hunger in 2023, with war-torn Gaza as the territory with the largest number of people facing famine, according to the Global Report on Food Crises released Wednesday. The U.N. report said 24 million more people faced an acute lack of food than in 2022, due to the sharp deterioration in food security, especially in the Gaza Strip and Sudan.
2h ago
AFP
Philippine court blocks GMO 'golden rice' production over safety fears
A Philippine court has blocked the commercial propagation of genetically modified golden rice because it said conflicting scientific views gave rise to "severe" health and environmental safety concerns."By reason of the conflicting scientific views and uncertainties on the risks and effects of Golden Rice and Bt Eggplant, potential severe and grave threats to the welfare of people and the environment arise," the court said.
2h ago
Associated Press
With war in Ukraine on the border, Poland wants to be among countries setting the EU agenda
Poland’s Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski told parliament on Thursday that the government wants to return to the group of countries which sets the agenda of the European Union, laying out the government’s vision at a historically crucial moment with war across the border in Ukraine. Sikorski was describing the new direction of the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, which took office in December.
2h ago
CNN
Trump can’t be in two places at once in double courtroom drama
For most people, sitting in court at their own criminal trial would represent a defining moment of their life.
3h ago

Latest Stories