Parole Hearing Postponed for Killer of Larchmont Officer

The parole hearing for Anthony Blanks—the man responsible for fatally shooting Larchmont Police Officer Arthur Dematte on October 12, 1976—has been postponed.

Blanks' hearing was scheduled for either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday of this week, but has been pushed back due to completion of records failure—or a lack of appropriate paperwork.

"A completion of records delay occurs when the board doesn't have the necessary paperwork," said Carol Weaver, a New York State Division of Parole spokeswoman. "For example, they may not have the sentencing minutes."

Weaver noted no new parole hearing date has been set yet, and sometimes parole hearings can be postponed several times.

Dematte was killed almost 34 years ago when Blanks gained control of his weapon and shot him in the chest and arm. Dematte was responding to a call noting Blanks was walking along railroad tracks near 2141 Palmer Ave.

Blanks, now 57 years old, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison and is currently imprisoned at Shawangunk Correctional Facility in Wallkill, NY.

Once the hearing is rescheduled, Blanks will be appearing before the Parole Board for the fifth time. The parole decision will likely be reached the same day as the hearing, according to Marc Violetta, a New York State Division of Parole spokesman.

"If Blanks makes parole, he will be the first notified," Violetta said. "Next the victim—or victim's kin—are notified, and then the public."

Blanks' parole hearings are continually a hot-button issue in Larchmont, where Dematte's death is remembered and memorialized. In response to past parole hearings, the village has circulated petitions signed by officials and residents requesting Blanks' parole be denied.

And this time, Mayor Joshua Mandell released a statement concerning this week's hearing.

"This week, Patrolman Dematte's killer will once again attempt to gain parole," Mandell wrote. "Thirty-three years is a long time and the heinous act perpetrated by Anthony Curtis Blanks may seem a distant memory to some. Let me assure you, however, that the senseless killing of Patrolman Arthur Dematte is never far from memory in the Village of Larchmont."

The issue has reached the state level, with Senate Republicans backing Larchmont's officials' requests to deny bail, according to other news sources.

Matthew Irvine, president of the Larchmont PBA, noted the department always has a representative that opposes Blanks' parole—but also takes time to honor Dematte.

"We honor Arthur Dematte every October with a ceremony at the park named in his honor; it's located at the corner of Park Way and Palmer Avenue," he said. "Officers, officials and residents always turn out."

Check back for more information on Blanks' parole hearing and comments from Larchmont officials.