1 dead, 1 in custody following shooting, chase
Suspect arraigned in Catskill Town Court
The Daily Mail
June 17, 2009

One man was killed and his wife wounded in a shooting just before 2 a.m. this morning in Palenville.

The alleged shooter, 23-year-old Robert N. Wilkinson, of Pine Plains, Dutchess County, opened fire with a rifle on the victims, Lucian Haid, 28, and his wife Taryn, 23, in the driveway of their home at 95 Pennsylvania Ave., following a dispute among the trio earlier in the morning, according to State Police in Kingston.

Officials said Lucian Haid was pronounced dead at the scene.

In spite of her injuries, Taryn Haid was able to call Greene County 911 with a description of Wilkinson’s vehicle, a 2008 Nissan. She was transported by ambulance to Albany Medical Center and was treated for her injuries, police said.

Catskill Police set up a roadblock at about 1:45 a.m. at the intersection of Route 23A and Route 9W in Catskill, according to Catskill Police Chief David Darling.

Darling said State Police were on the scene right away. “They were on it from the get-go,” he said. “And that is a good thing.”

Following the shooting, police said Wilkinson fled the scene and drove south along Route 9W toward Kingston.

Wilkinson was apprehended about an hour-and-a-half after the shooting following a brief chase by an Ulster County Sheriff’s deputy. According to State Police at Kingston, Ulster County Sheriff’s Deputy Frank Gillespie called in the license plate number of Wilkinson’s vehicle when it was spotted with a defective light. Gillespie was told by dispatch that the vehicle belonged to the Palenville shooter.

The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle on Route 32 in the town of Ulster. When the driver did not comply, Gillespie initiated a pursuit.

Gillespie chased Wilkinson through the City of Kingston on Route 9W and into Esopus, where Wilkinson lost control of the vehicle and struck a rock wall along Black Creek Road.

Wilkinson was taken into custody by the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department and has been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault, first-degree criminal use of a weapon, first-degree reckless endangerment and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Police said police from departments in the Town of Lloyd, Kingston, Ulster and the Town of Saugerties responded to Gillespie’s call. Officers from the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, the Greene County District Attorney’s Office and the Village of Catskill were involved as well.

At 1:30 p.m. today, Wilkinson, who was wearing a dark, patterned zip-up jacket, jeans and black and white sneakers, entered a plea of not guilty at his arraignment in Town of Catskill Court in front of Judge Robert Carl.

Wilkinson conferred with public defender assigned to the case, Dominic J. Cornelius, and stoically looked forward as he was led out of the courtroom by State Police.

Wilkinson was then transferred to the Greene County Jail.

District Attorney Terry Wilhelm said his office will be prosecuting the case.

Wilkinson is expected back in court June 25, he said.