Bethlehem Area Weekly Police Blotter May 1: BC High School evacuated

Reports indicate that a student may have set bathroom fire

DELMAR – A fire at Bethlehem Central High School school on Tuesday, April 23 that forced an evacuation of school and relocation of some classes is now under investigation.

At 10:55 a.m. the school was evacuated because of smoke detected in an exhaust fan in the boy’s bathroom in the C Wing. Delmar, Elsmere and Slingerlands fire departments responded and originally thought the source of the smoke was the exhaust fan, but determined that it was an intentional act, the school district said in a statement. At that point, Bethlehem police began an investigation into who caused the fire.

“When we arrived there was a heavy smoke condition in the hallway,” Delmar Fire Chief Dan Ryan said. “There was smoke pushing out from the ceiling.”

The department sent crews to the roof to check the exhaust fan, but the smoke continued after it was disconnected, Ryan said.

“The initial report was that it could be coming from the fan. We found the source when we got into the ceiling and what was above it,” Ryan said.

Ryan wouldn’t elaborate about the burning material above the tiles, due to the police investigation, but did say it was not part of the structure.

Firefighters pulled a water hose into the building as a precaution.

“We didn’t want to get into that ceiling without having water available,” Ryan said.

“You never know what may happen. It is better to be prepared.”

Once the material was put out, the crews had to ventilate the C Wing. Ryan said that the smoke was pretty much contained to that area.

According to the School district, students were allowed back in the building at 11:50 a.m., but the C Wing remained closed until 1:30 p.m., due to the investigation.

“The school district is cooperating with the police department and the fire department in the investigation. The district is also conducting a school investigation according to the district’s Code of Conduct,” an email to parents from district Superintendent Jody Monroe said.

Bethlehem Deputy Chief James Rexford confirmed the investigation, but would not comment beyond that. The school district would not comment beyond the April 23 statement sent to district parents.

“This incident is a very serious matter and is being treated as such,” Monroe wrote. “The safety of students and staff is of greatest importance to the district. There will be additional security measures in place to ensure safety throughout the school and throughout the day. Please have a conversation with your child about the seriousness of this matter.”

“This was not a fake fire alarm,” Ryan said. “It was very disruptive to the school day.”

Students were evacuated to the turf field stadium seating on the East side of the school, according to scanner reports. If the weather was bad or cold, students would have been moved across the street to Eagle Elementary School or sent home early.

Four warrants, 2019 larceny

DELMAR – A 37-year old Albany woman was taken into custody by Menands police on Saturday, April 20 on a Bethlehem warrant for a larceny in 2019.

Shi-Yunda Cancer was transported to Bethlehem police to face petit larceny charges stemming from a April 28, 2019 incident at Price Chopper in Glenmont. Cancer was identified in video surveillance taking items from the store. She also had children with her during the incident. An investigation showed that she was also accused of doing the same thing at the Price Chopper in Latham.

She was arraigned by Bethlehem Town Judge Andrew Kirby and released on her own recognizance. She is due back in court on May 21.

Cancer also had outstanding warrants in Colonie, North Greenbush and Niskayuna. She was transported to meet officers from Niskayuna.

Aggravated DWI on Cherry Ave Ext

SLINGERLANDS – On Saturday, April 20 at approximately 7:52 p.m. a Bethlehem patrol unit observed a blue 2022 Nissan Altima traveling 65 mph on Cherry Avenue Extension and performed a traffic stop near the intersection of Kenwood Avenue.

Upon speaking with the driver, a 42-year-old Selkirk man, the officer observed a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from the car and that the driver had slurred speech and bloodshot and glassy eyes. The man said he had consumed one long island iced tea at a relative’s house prior to driving.

The man was given and failed field sobriety tests and tested positive for breath alcohol on a pre-screening device.

At the police station he provided a breath sample that returned a .20 percent BAC.

The man was charged with aggravated DWI and ticketed for speeding. He was given a bill of particulars and an appearance ticket for Bethlehem Town Court on March 7 and released.

Larceny and criminal mischief

GLENMONT – Bethlehem police responded to Walmart on Route 9w on Friday, April 19 for a larceny in progress and one of the two suspects was wanted for an 2021 incident at the same store.

According to reports, Gerald Harvin, 58, of Albany, was an employee of the Walmart on July 21, 2021 and allegedly attempted to make a money transaction at the ATM at the Woods Forest National Bank branch at the store. Harvin was captured on video smashing the ATM with his fist, breaking the screen. He was not on duty at the store that night.

Police applied for a warrant shortly after the incident and it was signed by Bethlehem Town Judge Andrew Kirby.

Harvin was charged with criminal mischief, a felony, for the incident. He was arraigned by Kirby and sent to the Albany County jail.

Warrant for 2023 CVS larceny

GLENMONT – Bethlehem police responded to Bender Lane for a report of suspicious people in the area. According to reports, upon arrival, officers came into contact with Jenay Willingham, 32, of Albany. A check of her identification found that she had an outstanding warrant for not showing up for court for two incidents in March 2023.

According to reports, Willingham and Niquell Rouse, of Albany, allegedly took items from the CVS on Delaware Avenue twice in one day. The second one, at 3:41 a.m., the pair had taken beer and a backpack of merchandise worth $786.92 to a UHaul truck where officers found merchandise from the earlier  larceny from the same store. They were charged with petit larceny and conspiracy, both misdemeanors.

At that time, they were given appearance tickets and released. They both had active arrest warrants from the City of Albany police at that time, but Albany advised the Bethlehem officers to inform Willingham and Rouse to turn themselves in.

Willingham was also arrested by Bethlehem in May 2023 for having an outstanding warrant from East Greenbush and again in December for warrants from Albany and East Greenbush. The December incident was at Walmart where Bethlehem police responded to the store for a larceny in progress. The store declined to prosecute because it got the merchandise back.

This time, Willingham was arraigned by Bethlehem Town Judge Andrew Kirby and released with a return court date of May 21.

Warrant for 2023 Tractor Supply larceny

DELMAR – A 56-year-old Albany woman was arrested on Wednesday, April 24 on an outstanding warrant for not showing up to court for a larceny at Tractor Supply in Glenmont in January 2023.

Carrey Williams, was arraigned by Bethlehem Town Judge Andrew Kirby and released on her own recognizance. She is due back in court on May 21. She was also arrested in Watervliet and Colonie for warrants there on the same day.

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