All Over Albany

Former Watervliet police officer sentenced, medical marijuana dispensaries open, Troy Bombers set to become a Wolff's

The tangled web involving police in Watervliet
Joshua Spratt -- the former Watervliet police officer who pleaded guilty to a criminal sex act with a teen he met as a city school resource officer -- was sentenced to six months in jail and 10 years probation. Said state Supreme Court Justice Thomas Breslin at the sentencing to Spratt in reference to Spratt's duty as a police officer to protect and serve: "you protected no one and you served yourself," and said he was reluctantly sentencing Spratt according to the plea bargain in the case. [TU] [Daily Gazette] [WNYT]

Also Thursday: Former Albany County Sheriff's sergeant Martin F. Zaloga Jr. was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to texting a photo of his penis to a Watervliet teen -- an act that was discovered during the investigation surrounding Spratt. [TU] [TWCN]

And over in Rensselaer County, Daquan Murray of Troy was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his guilty plea to selling cocaine. Murray was alleged to be a leader of the Young Gunnerz gang, was the target of the state Attorney General's Operation Trojan Horse sweep -- the arrests for which included former Watervliet police officer Nicholas Pontore. And a recording Pontore handed over to Watervliet police prompted the investigation in Spratt. [TWCN] [Troy Record] [TU]

Medical marijuana
Thursday marked the first day medical marijuana dispensaries could be open in New York State, and the Etain dispensary in Albany's Warehouse District opened to the media for a tour. As of Thursday, the state Department of Health said there were just 51 patients statewide who had been registered to buy medical marijuana. [TWCN] [News10] [TU+]

Judith Kaye
Judith Kaye -- the first woman named to New York State's highest court, and the first to serve as the court's chief judge -- has died at age 77. [NYT]

Shooting in Schenectady
Schenectady police say a man was shot twice inside a residence in Hamilton Hill Thursday afternoon (map) -- they're looking for the shooter and asking the public for information. [Daily Gazette] [TWCN]

Bank robbery in Schenectady
Schenectady police say they're looking for the man who robbed the SEFCU in Hamilton Hill Thursday afternoon (map). [Daily Gazette]

Police seeking info in Albany street robbery
Albany police are asking the public for help identifying suspects in a street robbery at Madison and Quail on January 2. [APD FB]

Robert Vickers sentencing
65-year-old Robert Vickers was sentenced in Albany County Court to 21 years in prison for selling heroin to undercover police. Vickers had been suspected of being involved with the killing of two New York City police officers in the 1970s and his attorney had argued the recent drug sting was entrapment prompted by that suspicion. [WNYT] [TU]

Jail for SWATting
A Watervliet teen was sentenced to six months in jail for arranging the call in of a bogus threat that led to Colonie police taking a family of their residence at gunpoint. The call was allegedly a test run to see if a similar call could be made to get him extra time to prepare an in-class presentation. [TU] [Troy Record]

Cohoes police retiring and returning
The police chief of Cohoes and a detective are both retiring and then returning at lower salaries (while collecting their pensions) in a bid by new mayor Shawn Morse to free up budget money for staff for his office. [TU]

Zephyr Teachout
Zephyr Teachout says she's "pretty serious" about a run for the New York 19th Congressional District (currently held by Chris Gibson). [Daily Gazette]

Troy Wolff's
The currently closed Bombers location in Troy is set to become a Wolff's Biergarten. [TU Table Hopping]