Putnam Man Sets Off Fireworks, Causes School Lockdown: Sheriff

COLD SPRING, NY — A Putnam County man was accused of exploding fireworks near a school that caused a lockdown.

Putnam County Sheriff Kevin J. McConville said, around 12:20 p.m. May 15, the deputy assigned to the Haldane school district as a school resource office was outside the district office and heard what he believed were gunshots in the vicinity of the school campus.

At the time, the officer said he moved toward the sounds and heard additional popping sounds that were also heard by school district staff.

The school was put into lockdown, with all students outside the building ushered into the school.

Additional sheriff’s deputies and investigators began responding to the school assist.

New York State Police as well as the Cold Spring, Kent and Metro-North police departments responded.

A resident of the area told deputies that they had seen smoke near a home on Mountain Avenue around the time the resident heard what was thought to be fireworks.

Law enforcement found what was believed to be freshly exploded fireworks in the yard of a Mountain Avenue home. However, when deputies attempted to talk to the occupants of the home, they said they were uncooperative.

After consultation with the district attorney’s office, investigators obtained a search warrant for the residence that was executed around 7 p.m.

As a result of the search, Alexander Welsh was taken into custody and charged with second-degree criminal possession of cannabis, a felony, and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminal nuisance, misdemeanors.

Welsh was processed and issued an appearance ticket for the Town of Philipstown Court at a later date to answer the charges.