River Vale Man Accused Of Stealing Grass Seed In Orangeburg

ORANGEBURG, NY — At 6:53 p.m. Sunday a town employee called Orangetown police to say he had seen someone climb over the fence into the Organic Recycling Center at 121 Route 303.

Officers searched the business and found a man they identified as River Vale, New Jersey resident Joseph V. Ottomanelli. They allege the 51-year-old had three bags of grass seed in his possession that he had taken from a building on the property.

They concluded he was intoxicated, they said.

A check of state records uncovered the fact that his license to drive in New York had been suspended for failure to pay driver's responsibility assessment.

(The Department of Motor Vehicles says: The driver responsibility assessment is a fee you must pay to DMV over a three year period if you are convicted of certain traffic offenses in New York State or accumulate 6 or more points on your driving record within 18 months. This fee is in addition to any fines, penalties or surcharges that you must pay for a traffic conviction. The purpose of the assessment is to prevent the repeated behavior of problem drivers and to improve traffic safety.)

Ottomanelli was charged with felony burglary, misdemeanor petty larceny, driving while intoxicated, criminal trespass and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

>>Click to Like Pearl River Patch on Facebook.