A truly tabloid-worthy story in today's Daily Freeman: Saugerties police have arrested a Phoenicia man who allegedly plotted to shoot his ex-girlfriend and then himself.
John R. Howland of Church Street in Phoenicia, 63, was arrested after a Saugerties resident called police to report that Howland was on his property with a shotgun making threats. Howland then led police from several agencies on a dramatic car chase from Saugerties to Woodstock. The Freeman writes:
Police said Howland drove through a roadblock Woodstock police had set up at the intersection of Glasco Turnpike and Woodstock West Saugerties road, but the driver was eventually stopped “by a combination of a roadblock and spike strips” deployed by state police on MacDaniel Road in Woodstock, Saugerties police said in a press release.
Sinagra estimated the chase lasted 15 minutes.
After he was stopped, Howland refused to comply with officers and was eventually subdued with a Taser, police said.
Police said they found a loaded shotgun and a loaded rifle in Howland’s car.
The story has been covered by several other news outlets, including YNN and the Associated Press.
