Joint Drug Investigation Leads To Four Arrests Over The Weekend
ONEONTA, N.Y. - Roy Dejesus Young, Kristen Lynn Rudnitsky, Michel Steven Harabet, and Melissa Dawn Rotolo were presented in Oneonta City Court this morning. All four were charged with felony drug charges for their role in a month long narcotics investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration New York Division Albany District Office, the Otsego County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigation Division and the Oneonta City Police Department.
The arrests were announced by Drug Enforcement Administration, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division Brian R. Crowell, Otsego County Sheriff Richard J. Devlin, Jr and Oneonta Police Chief Dennis R. Nayor
Early in the morning of August 24th, Otsego County Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Bureau, the DEA and Oneonta PD executed a search warrant at the residence of Roy Young and Kristen Rudnitsky. The OCSO SEB members including a narcotics detection K-9 team, Sheriff’s Office Investigators, DEA Special Agents, Oneonta PD Detectives and uniform personnel conducted a search which resulted in the seizure of 17 grams of heroin with a street value of $11,220 and 51 grams of cocaine and/or crack cocaine with an Oneonta street value of $10,220, a box of glassine envelopes, an electronic digital scale and $5,128 in U.S. currency. OCSO SEB K-9 ‘Ricky’ alerted to the smell of narcotics and located 47 grams of marihuana packaged for sale with a street value of approximately $450 in their residence.
Young and Rudnitsky were arrested for criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree for possessing narcotic drugs with intent to sell and for possessing more than one-half ounce of the heroin and cocaine as well for criminal possession of marihuana in the fifth degree for possessing more than 25 grams of marihuana. They were also charged with criminally using drug paraphernalia for possessing glassine envelopes used for packaging the heroin and for possessing an electronic scale used to weigh the narcotic drugs.
Later that afternoon, information was developed by investigators that Michel Harabet and Melissa Rotolo would be in possession of crack cocaine in Oneonta. Surveillance was conducted by the OCSO and OPD. Rotolo and Harabet were found to be in possession of ten grams of crack cocaine valued at $2,000 while walking on Gardner Place. Harabet had $211 on his person that was seized. Both Harabet and Rotolo were arrested for criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fourth degree by investigators.
Young and Rudnitsky were arraigned on Saturday afternoon by Oneonta City Court Judge Lucy P. Bernier and remanded to the OCCF on $35,000 and $15,000 bail respectively. Young, a convicted felon for CSCS 5th from a previous OCSO drug arrest, faces up to twelve years in prison and Rudnitsky faces up to nine years of incarceration.
Harabet and Rotolo were arraigned on Sunday morning by City Court Judge Lucy P. Bernier and were both remanded to the OCCF on $25,000 bail. They face up to five and a half years in prison if convicted of their drug possession charge.
District Attorney John M. Muehl and Chief Assistant A.D.A. Michael F. Getman are prosecuting the cases.
The Defendants: -
Roy Dejesus Young, 26 -
Kristen Lynn Rudnitsky, 23 -
Michel Steven Harabet, 43 -
Melissa Dawn Rotolo, 40 -
