Man sent threatening letters to himself, others

Syracuse, NY

On December 6, at around 7 p.m., police were called to [Jason] Wilson's residence at 603 E. Pickwick Drive. They found a vehicle on fire in the driveway and Wilson in the backyard leaning against a tree. Wilson told the officers that he noticed his truck on fire and that someone tried to break his sliding glass window to gain entry into the house.

He said he chased the person and the two of them got in a fight, but the unknown male got away. Police searched the area but located no one.
On Saturday, December 7, Wilson and the female in Bremen both again received threatening letters.
After an investigation, it was determined that Wilson sent the threatening letters to himself, the female and her father in Bremen and also to Kohl’s’ department store in Warsaw where the woman works.

Handcuffed man who stole then crashed police car still on the lam

A follow-up story from Syracuse, NY:

Forty-eight hours after he escaped police custody authorities are still looking for Daniel Kantak.
He disappeared around 2 a.m. Friday. Syracuse police said Kantak, 33, of Liverpool, stole a police car after he was handcuffed and placed in the back of that car.
Sgt. Tom Connellan said Kantak is still at large...
Police said the department is conducting an internal investigation to determine whether the officers followed appropriate rules and procedures.

Thief a magician, too? Handcuffed man locked in police car back seat manages to steal the vehicle

From Syracuse, NY:

[Daniel] Kantak, 33, of Liverpool, was taken into custody after police responded to a burglary in progress at 320 Ashdale Ave. just after 2 a.m.
When officers got to the home, they saw two men holding down Kantak, police said. The woman who lives in the house told police that Kantak broke into the home. Her brothers were holding him down.
The officers handcuffed Kantak, putting his arms behind his back. The press release notes that officers put Kantak in the back seat of the car. Both doors were locked and the shield between the front and back seats were closed, police said."Even though Kantak was cuffed behind his back and placed in the rear of a patrol car with the shield closed, he was somehow able to slip his cuffs to the front and climb through a small window between the back seat and the front seat and drive away in the car," reads the release...
Several minutes later, they found the police car crashed on Court Street near Assumption Cemetery. It was heavily damaged.
When Kantak crashed the car, he hit a utility pole and knocked out power in the area.
The car was empty. Kantak, police said, ran away from the scene..

Kantak, who is still at large, is wanted for second-degree escape, second-degree burglary, criminal mischief, unauthorized use of motor vehicle, fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, and grand larceny.

He may be dangerous — and may still be wearing handcuffs.

New York State Criminal Justice Official Arrested for Driving While Drunk and Naked

"Ronald Dickens, a 48-year-old deputy director at the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, was arrested before dawn on Sunday morning by State Police on charges of public lewdness and first-offense driving while intoxicated — both misdemeanors.

"The arrest was made at 5:46 a.m. Sunday at the rest area on the northbound side of I-87 near Exit 18 in Queensbury, according to police.

"The investigator handling the case said Dickens was allegedly seen parking his vehicle at the rest area and emerging naked from his car. He was the sole occupant."

Via the Times Union