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Investigation of beating continues by Columbia County Sheriff

Jul 11, 2020 12:04 am
Columbia-Greene Media and News10 [dot] com reported this week that the Columbia County Sheriff's Office on Tue., July 7, executed a search warrant at the home of Adam Rosenstrach, at 3193 County Route 21 in Kinderhook. The residence is believed to have been the site of an assault that occurred during a party held the night of July 4 and the early morning of July 5. Sheriff Paul Bartlett said the state police were brought in to investigate with his department out of an abundance of transparency. “We have an ongoing investigation with reference to an assault that happened in Kinderhook Sunday morning,” he said, but declined to provide details. An archived recording of the emergency center call obtained by WGXC, indicates the operator dispatched a unit to the location at approximately 1:08 a.m., Sunday (PLAY) After reaching 3193 County Route 21 the deputy reported at 1:18 a.m. that an EMS unit was staging, and the scene had been secured. At 1:35 a.m. the deputy signed out from that location. Rosenstrach is the owner of the ClubLife gym in Kinderhook, and kept the facility open in defiance of the state's business shutdown executive order. He continued to run the business even after it was shuttered under a cease-and-desist order from from the Kinderhook Code Enforcement Department. The gym was closed July 7 because of the current investigation. As rumors continued to circulate countywide about the alleged brutal assault that took place at a private residence in Kinderhook over the holiday weekend, the Columbia County Sheriff's office announced that Deputy Kelly Briscoe Rosenstrach, the wife of Alex Rosenstrach, has been placed on administrative leave, effective July 9. The former school resource officer is married to the property owner Alex Rosenstrach, the owner-operator of the ClubLife Health and Fitness club in Kinderhook. “At this point in the investigation, it has been determined that no other deputy sheriffs were at this residence at the time of the incident,” according to a press release from the sheriff’s office. The statement directly contradicts social media reports that multiple law enforcement officers were present at the party held the night of July 4, and into the early morning hours of July 5. A call came into the Columbia County dispatch shortly after 1 a.m., that prompted emergency personnel to respond to 3193 County Route 21 in Kinderhook, where 31-year-old local mechanic Harold Handy, had allegedly been assaulted. Handy was then transported to Albany Medical Center for treatment. The investigation into the alleged assault is headed up by the sheriff’s office with the assistance of the state police Special Investigative Unit, despite the potential conflict of interest. The sheriff’s office defended its investigation of a case that may involve one of its employees. “We investigate every incident with the same integrity and skill,” a department spokesperson said. The state police declined to comment on the investigation. As of late Thursday, no one had been criminally charged for their role in the incident. Rosenstrach drew attention countywide after he organized a Back the Blue rally June 18 at Kinderhook Village Square. Campaign records show that Rosenstrach's Clublife Health & Fitness business donated $1,500 to Columbia County Sheriff David Bartlett's campaign in 2019. The business also donated $1,400 to Bartlett in 2018 and $1,000 in 2016, and $772.70 in 2015. Bartlett claimed the donations will not affect his investigation. He told WNYT, "I don't control who gives money to my campaign if somebody wants to give money to my campaign they donate and that's that. That does not make a difference if someone gives money to a campaign whether or not there's criminal charges filed against them. That's the most corrupt thing I could ever hear and that's not me." Read more about this story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.
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