Police charge New Paltz man in fatal hit-run

Written by Poughkeepsie Journal

Monday, July 19, 2010

Shantal Parris Riley

NEW PALTZ — A 22-year-old man is in Ulster County Jail after being arrested, accused of leaving the scene of a fatal motorcycle accident, police said Sunday.

Police said they believe a Nissan truck operated by Clinton Roehrs made contact with a motorcycle driven by Frank Perconti, 23, as he traveled alongside it Friday.

About 10:40 p.m., New Paltz police responded to a report of a serious accident on Brookside Road. Officers found Perconti lying on the road with his Yamaha dirt bike a short distance away.

Perconti was pronounced dead at the scene by the Ulster County Medical Examiner's Office.

An investigation led police to Roehrs, police said.

Roehrs was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident, a felony, and misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. He was sent to the jail on $5,000 cash bail and is due at 6 p.m. Wednesday in New Paltz court.

Police said they are investigating whether an all-terrain vehicle operated by 25-year-old Kurt Zielinski was also directly involved.

As of Monday, no additional charges had been filed, police said.

All of the men were residents of Brookside Road in the Town of New Paltz.

Perconti was not wearing a helmet, police said.

"He had numerous internal injuries, including injuries to his head and neck," New Paltz Detective Sgt. David Dugatkin said Sunday.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the New Paltz Police Department at 845-255-1357. All calls will be kept confidential.

Source: http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20107190322

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“It’s frustrating having a hunt ruined by people riding ATVs where off-road vehicle use is prohibited. Many ATVs look the same so there’s no way to identify violators when reporting the incident to law enforcement. There should be a requirement that off-road vehicles used on public lands have license plates or large decals. Any ATV user who follows the law and land management directives on where they can and can not use these machines should have no objection to this type of identification.”

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