The Crawford felony indictments against a trio of town officials just got more interesting. At least three more business owners have come forward, alleging misconduct, says a prominent attorney tied to the case.

On March 6, 2007, Orange County District Attorney Frank Phillips announced the indictment of Town Councilman Dan Flanick; Building Inspector John Calaca; and Crawford police advisory board member James Detch. The felony charges were conspiracy, receiving bribes, coercion and witness tampering.

"My information is this is one of a number of like situations," said civil rights attorney Michael Sussman, representing alleged victim Kevin McGill. "I don't think the attempt to intimidate McGill and his partner was unique."

McGill's business, Orange County Dog Training, located in Bullville, was subjected to threats and bureaucratic red tape, following a Sept. 13, 2005 incident on his property with Claude Babcock, a candidate campaigning for town highway superintendent, say prosecutors. The location is now named Clover Meadows Dog Training.

"Since I was associated with this story publicly, I've gotten calls from several individuals telling me [similar] horror stories," revealed Sussman in a telephone interview. "Three [additional] people called me, all local businessmen of one sort or another," he said. "And I've referred them to the District Attorney's office, and they are trying to get their information through." Sussman added, "As you know, it took Mr. McGill quite a long time to get the attention of the District Attorney's people, to get anything done in this."

Indeed, it was 18 months between the time of Babcock's arrest in Bullville, and the grand jury indictments. "Babcock puts up these [election] signs along the road, on [McGill's] property," Sussman explained. McGill and his partner Jeff Long accosted Babcock, and took the signs down, sparking off an altercation, alleged McGill. Crawford Police arrived, and McGill, himself a disabled ex-cop who served 11 years, demanded Babcock be arrested for criminal trespass and coercion. Then the town cops balked. "They weren't going to arrest him at all," exclaimed Sussman, "so it's a whole big scene, it's a crazy story." Eventually Babcock got arrested for disorderly conduct, which is a violation offense, below a misdemeanor crime.

According to the felony complaint, town officials paid McGill a visit not long after. Only they didn't know they were shaking down an ex-cop. Numerous tape recordings were made, including specific threats by Jim Detch, which eventually were brought before the grand jury. Detch is believed to be negotiating a plea bargain.

"My own sense, though it's not confirmed, is that cooperation is going on with Detsch, one of the principle people that McGill dealt with, really the middleman to McGill," said Sussman." He made a deal. He's not the only one tape recorded, but he's a major one, and what he says is very damning. I've heard those tape recordings."

Added Sussman, "I think that the reason there's a delay, is [the DA's] basically trying to debrief Detsch, and find out how deep this goes; how systemic this was in Pine Bush." Sussman suspects Town Supervisor Charles Carnes might harbor some culpability. "I think the question really is, from a prosecutorial point of view, how much are you going to have on these people, and then what are you going to do with them? You're talking about the deputy supervisor of the town, and frankly, from the information I have, there's no reason this didn't go to the supervisor. Why [Charles Carnes] wasn't made part of this, I'm not clear. Because, from the information we have, he was right in the middle of it."

Rockland county judge Victor Alfieri has been assigned to preside, but the case has no trial date set. Defense attorneys, and D.A. Frank Phillips, remain tight lipped. Possibility exists that some tape recordings will be made public before trial, if McGill agrees.

"I think it should be heard," remarked Sussman. "I think it's in the public interest people understand what happened." He continued, "Tthe legal system is one issue, the political system is another issue. There are political issues here in my view, I think it's beyond how a Republican District Attorney may or may not choose to deal with this. He's certainly got political interests here of his own, the delays in the McGill case, which he eventually had to admit were unreasonable."

McGill also tape recorded his dealings with the D.A. "There were other recordings of people who weren't indicted, who were part of the whole mess," recalled Sussman. "[McGill] reached out to other people, to try to find out what was really going on. He also has extensive recordings of his contacts with the D.A.'s office, which are very damning, basically trying to get the DA's people to act on this, he's being given the run-around like all hell."

Towards the end of April 2007, defendants Flanick and Calaca filed motions to have Phillips' office removed, for alleged conflict of interest. Babcock received legal advice from members of Phillips' office, and built homes for them, they claimed. Flanick, Babcock, and Phillips are all Republicans.

"It's a one-party system up there, there's no political competition, that's part of the problem," complained Sussman. "There isn't even a Democratic committee in Crawford. When I ran for county executive, there were four members of the Democratic committee in Crawford, now it's defunct."

Audio recordings are not the only kind of evidence. "The building inspector, they have a lot on him, because he kept coming to this fellow's house, and threatening him, and there are witnesses," Sussman indicated. "There's also a whole documentary record, where this guy had an approval, and they took his approval away, they made him re-apply the whole thing, and they were threatening to basically shut his business down, and that's all in their own minutes," he said. "The idea that this is some sort of a thing of his imagination is ludicrous."

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