Rotterdam paramedic charged with sexually abusing child Wednesday, January 2, 2008 David Harnett ROTTERDAM — A town paramedic has been charged with sexually abusing a 4-year-old child. Town police said they arrested David Harnett, 31, of 214 South Westcott Road, Tuesday night after receiving a complaint from Schenectady County Child Protective Services earlier in the day that Harnett had sexual contact with the child. Harnett was charged with predatory sexual assault against a child and first-degree rape, both felonies, police said. Police said Harnett was a full-time civilian paramedic for the town from 2002 to 2006 and has worked since on a per-diem basis for the town. Police said he will be fired from that position now, however. Harnett was arraigned in Town Court and sent to the Schenectady County jail without bail and is scheduled to return to Town Court Thursday night.
What a shame. People and children are taught to trust people in these positions. Well, here's just another sex offender that will be living.....where?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Paramedic accused of raping 4-year-old Ex-town employee faces 25 years to life BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Justin Mason at 395-3113 or jmason@dailygazette.net
Rotterdam police arrested a parttime town paramedic and first responder and charged him with raping a 4-year-old child, they reported Wednesday. David Harnett, 31, of 214 South Westcott Road, was charged with predatory sexual assault against a child and firstdegree rape, both felonies, police said. He is the first man Rotterdam police have ever charged under the predatory sexual assault statute, a law that went into effect last year and carries a penalty of 25 years to life in prison. Lt. Micheal Brown said Harnett was arrested New Year’s Day, after police received a complaint from Schenectady County Child Protective Services alleging he had assaulted a child he was acquainted with. Brown said the alleged incident took place sometime during December and not while Harnett was acting in his capacity as a civilian paramedic. Harnett was arraigned in Town Court and sent to the Schenectady County Jail without bail and is scheduled to return to Town Court tonight. Brown said Harnett was employed full time from 2002 until July 2006, when he began working about one day per week. Both police and town officials were unsure exactly why Harnett stopped working full time or the nature of his present employment, but said his reduction in work hours with the town had nothing to do with his performance on the job. “He was a competent paramedic and a reliable employee of the town,” Brown said. “Certainly, there was no indication that he was involved with anything of this nature.” Town Supervisor Steve Tommasone was shocked by the allegations against Harnett. He said Harnett was not contractually protected and was immediately terminated from his job when the allegations surfaced. “We are horrified by these allegations,” Tommasone said Wednesday. “[Harnett] is no longer employed with the town.” The paramedics operate out of the Rotterdam Police Department on Princetown Road and are often the first units dispatched to an emergency call. Although police officers originally served as paramedics, the program is now staffed entirely by civilians. Harnett was a former Air National Guard reservist and joined other paramedics who responded to the World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, according to published reports.
Ex-paramedic gets prison time for sex abuse SCHENECTADY — A former Rotterdam paramedic and first responder received seven years in prison Thursday for sexually abusing a 4-year-old child. David Harnett , 31, of 214 South Westcott Road, received the maximum sentence from Acting Schenectady County Court Judge Polly Hoye. He also faces 10 years post-release supervision and must register as a sex offender. Harnett pleaded guilty in January to first-degree sexual abuse, to the full satisfaction of the indictment against him, said Special Victims Bureau Chief Andra Ackerman. Police arrested Harnett New Year’s Day after receiving a complaint from Schenectady County Child Protective Services. Harnett admitted to the act and expressed remorse during his sentencing. The town fired Harnett, who was a part-time civilian paramedic, after he was charged. He worked full time between 2002 and 2006 when he began working about one day per week.
Court of Appeals rules Rotterdam man’s plea stands BY STEVEN COOK Gazette Reporter
At issue in Thursday’s case was the guilty plea of David M. Harnett, now 34. Harnett pleaded guilty in 2008 to fi rst-degree sexual abuse, admitting he abused the child in December 2007. In exchange for his plea, Harnett was sentenced to seven years in state prison, a sentence he is still serving. His earliest release date is December 2013. But Harnett later moved to withdraw his plea, arguing he wasn’t told of new civil confi nement rules that could keep him confined much longer than the seven years to which he agreed. Harnett’s case got to the Court of Appeals after he lost in the Appellate Division in a split 3-2 ruling. Thursday’s Court of Appeals decision was also split, 5-2. The ruling means Harnett’s plea stands. The civil confinement rules, enacted in 2007, target sexually motivated crimes and leave open the possibility that sex offenders could be held long past the expiration of their original sentences. But, while a possibility, the Court of Appeals found confinement is not a direct result of a defendant’s guilty plea. A direct consequence of a plea, the court has ruled, are the sentence, the probation term, postrelease supervision and fi nes. But the non-direct consequences are the result of individual circumstances not in control of the court system. .............................>>>>.....................>>>>..................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01303&AppName=1
Court of Appeals rules Rotterdam man’s plea stands BY STEVEN COOK Gazette Reporter
At issue in Thursday’s case was the guilty plea of David M. Harnett, now 34. Harnett pleaded guilty in 2008 to fi rst-degree sexual abuse, admitting he abused the child in December 2007. In exchange for his plea, Harnett was sentenced to seven years in state prison, a sentence he is still serving. His earliest release date is December 2013. But Harnett later moved to withdraw his plea, arguing he wasn’t told of new civil confi nement rules that could keep him confined much longer than the seven years to which he agreed. Harnett’s case got to the Court of Appeals after he lost in the Appellate Division in a split 3-2 ruling. Thursday’s Court of Appeals decision was also split, 5-2. The ruling means Harnett’s plea stands. The civil confinement rules, enacted in 2007, target sexually motivated crimes and leave open the possibility that sex offenders could be held long past the expiration of their original sentences. But, while a possibility, the Court of Appeals found confinement is not a direct result of a defendant’s guilty plea. A direct consequence of a plea, the court has ruled, are the sentence, the probation term, postrelease supervision and fi nes. But the non-direct consequences are the result of individual circumstances not in control of the court system. .............................>>>>.....................>>>>..................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01303&AppName=1
How did this guy get the job? What connections did he have? We know that in reality he came in as someone's patronage? Who was his powerful patron? Doesn't "the chief" do all the decision making?
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
How did this guy get the job? What connections did he have? We know that in reality he came in as someone's patronage? Who was his powerful patron? Doesn't "the chief" do all the decision making?
it's all in the family in Rotterdam......get some fans and blow the smoke away and we shall see.....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
That smoke refuses to be blown away, except when feds show up, occasionally.
"While Foreign Terrorists were plotting to murder and maim using homemade bombs in Boston, Democrap officials in Washington DC, Albany and here were busy watching ME and other law abiding American Citizens who are gun owners and taxpayers, in an effort to blame the nation's lack of security on US so that they could have a political scapegoat."
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