NORWICH – A 19-year-old Chenango Forks man has been indicted for second degree attempted murder. He’s accused of trying to strangle a 15-year-old girl while holding her and others at gunpoint.
Devin D. White was arrested Dec. 30 by the Norwich Police Department following a 5:20 p.m. 911 call.
First Assistant District Attorney Stephen M. Dunshee said White went to a residence on Pleasant Street in the city where he held four people against their will using a loaded assault rifle.
Dunshee said White targeted the 15-year-old because of a prior relationship, holding her against her will for over an hour, assaulting and nearly killing her.
On Wednesday, a Chenango County grand jury indiceted White for second degree attempted murder and second degree kidnapping, both class B felonies; second degree criminal possession of a weapon and first degree assault, class C felonies; second degree strangulation, first degree reckless endangerment, two counts of third degree criminal possession of a weapon, all class D felonies; unlawful imprisonment, a class E felony; and criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation and second degree menacing, both misdemeanors.
The indictment claims White tried to strangle or break the girl’s neck during the confrontation, saying she passed out from the attack.
It accuses him of “physically restraining her movement by choking her and threatening to kill her for a substantial period of time.”
Dunshee also said White threatened to shoot everyone else in the household and challenged police to shoot him when they cornered him in his pick-up truck outside.
“We learned from our investigation and speaking with victims at the scene that Mr. White had entered the residence and confronted a young female with whom he had some sort of relationship,” said Police Chief Joseph Angelino. “In the course of this confrontation, Mr. White held the female against her will, threatened her with harm and in fact did choke her.”
Angelino confirmed the incident inside the home involved multiple people and developed for more than an hour before police became involved.
Police said after leaving the residence, White got in his truck, carrying a number of firearms while the victims called 911. They found White in a parked pick-up truck outside the home and ordered him from the vehicle at gunpoint.
Angelino said White got out of the truck without a weapon, but he then challenged the arresting officers to use violence against him.
Two officers fought with White in a brief struggle before taking him into custody, Angelino said.
At White’s Dec. 31 arraignment, Dunshee asked Judge James Cushman to incarcerate White on $100,000 cash bail. Cushman responded, “After reading the involving statements, I’m almost considering raising the amount.”
Public Defender John Cameron said White had no previous criminal record.
After arresting White, police said they recovered an AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle, a Saiga assault rifle with an attached scope, one shotgun, a long knife and three 30-round extended magazines with over 100 rounds of ammunition from the scene.