Suspect In Area Burglaries Is Arrested

by Bea Peterson
After a month long burglary investigation, Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Investigators arrested Keith E. Gates, 25, of Church Street, Hoosick Falls. Gates is charged with Burglary Second Degree and Grand Larceny Fourth Degree, both are felonies. The arrest is in connection with a residential burglary that occurred on Tory Hill Road in Pittstown in April. Reportedly, jewelry valued at $1,800 was taken. It has not been recovered to date.
[private]Bennington Police Detectives were investigating a burglary that occurred on May 16. A vehicle was observed at the scene and the owner and operator was identified as Gates’ girlfriend, Jessica Wilwol. New York State Police Officers and Sheriff’s Investigators located the vehicle and took Gates into custody. At the time of the arrest Gates was out on bail for several other residential burglaries.
Investigators executed a search warrant to examine Gates’ residence. At this location a rifle that had been stolen during another burglary in Vermont and several items of jewelry believed to have been stolen during other recent area residential burglaries were found.
Gates was arraigned in Pittstown Court by the Honorable Judge McNaughton and was remanded to the Rensselaer County Correctional Facility without bail. Gates has no previous criminal convictions. He was released from jail on Monday, May 21. Why Gates was released is not known. Rensselaer County District Attorney Rich McNally was unable to be reached for comment.
According to Detective Sergeant David Bromirski of the Bennington Police Department, they will be lodging additional burglary charges against Gates at a later date. The investigation is on-going. Anyone with information regarding Gates is encouraged to contact the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Unit at 266-1983. The Hoosick Falls Police will also be lodging additional charges against Gates.
Another Burglary Suspect Arrested
On May 30 Hoosick Falls Police Chief Robert Ashe reported the arrest of Jessica Wilwol, age 26, of 124 Church Street, for Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Fifth Degree. She was arrested after an investigation of a house burglary that occurred in the Village on May 16. At the time jewelry and cash were stolen. Some of the jewelry has since been recovered. The investigation is part of a joint investigation with the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Department and the Bennington Police Department. The investigation is continuing with additional arrests to be made.[/private]