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SCHENECTADY — The son of a former city school board member who was defeated in her re-election bid during the Steven Raucci debacle is accused of throwing a bottle bomb last month onto the porch of an apartment near the SUNY Plattsburgh campus that injured a fellow student at the college, according to court records.

Tyler Bellick, 21, a 2008 Schenectady High School graduate, is charged with third-degree assault for allegedly lobbing the device that exploded in front of Lindsey Keyser while she stood on the balcony of the off-campus apartment on Brinkerhoff Street on the night of June 4, the Plattsburgh police incident report states.

The 22-year-old woman told police she suffered hearing loss in both ears and may need a hearing aid, has had trouble sleeping and has been anxious since the incident.

Jeb Assaf, Tyler Bellick's Plattsburgh-based attorney, declined comment Monday on the pending case.

According to a police report, Assaf was present at the police station on June 22 when Tyler Bellick admitted to a Plattsburgh police detective that he made two soda bottle bombs with toilet cleaner and aluminum foil that he threw onto two separate porches of homes on Brinkerhoff Street.

Keyser's father, Gary Keyser, said the punishment doesn't fit the crime and that his family is planning a lawsuit.

"I think he was reckless and stupid, and I don't know if he meant to do it, but he did," said Keyser, a Keeseville, Essex County, resident. "I don't think that (misdemeanor assault) is enough of a charge, and I'm just frustrated with the whole system."

He said he was especially upset that Bellick hasn't been kicked out of the National Guard. Bellick's military status could not be determined Monday, and a representative of the National Guard declined comment.

Meanwhile, Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wiley said via email that he has discussed his handling of the case with Gary Keyser and how his office reached their disposition.

Bellick was previously charged with misdemeanor aggravated driving while impaired stemming from an unrelated incident, according to an employee at the Plattsburgh City Court. She said Bellick is scheduled to return to court Aug. 14 for both cases.

Tyler Bellick's father is Thomas Bellick, a Democrat neighborhood leader in the Union-Nott Street section of Schenectady.

In 2009, his mother, Linda Bellick, lost her re-election bid amid allegations that Raucci, a retired school supervisor and union leader, had firebombed the property of perceived enemies to hold onto power. She was later reappointed to the board after another member resigned under pressure.

A jury convicted Raucci of arson, conspiracy and weapons offenses for placing explosives on the property of people he perceived as enemies in Saratoga and Rensselaer counties. He was sentenced to 23 years to life in prison, a penalty he is seeking to overturn in hopes of getting a new trial.

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Re: Joyce Wachala Resigns - Linda Bellick Back In!      Posted by: Admin
Date Posted: August 27, 2009, 8:03am      Word-Hits
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    New Schenectady school board member silenced on Raucci
    Linda Bellick had started giving details of internal report on Steven Raucci

    By LAUREN STANFORTH, Staff writer
    First published in print: Thursday, August 27, 2009

    SCHENECTADY -- Newly appointed former school board member Linda Bellick gave a 15-minute speech at Wednesday night's meeting in which she was stopped midsentence by the school's attorney when Bellick began to talk about what is in the district's secret internal report about former facilities supervisor Steven Raucci.


    Bellick, who was attempting to correct what she feels is unfair media coverage about herself and the school district, at one point began to discuss Raucci, who has been indicted on charges of arson and terrorism for placing explosive devices on cars and at the homes of his perceived enemies.

    The school board has been criticized for appointing Bellick, an incumbent who received the lowest number of votes in May's election, to a seat abruptly vacated by new school board member Joyce Wachala. Bellick was sworn in Wednesday night and immediately resumed her duties.

    Bellick read from a written statement that she takes responsibility for allowing Raucci to be a CSEA unit president while also being a boss, saying she was new to the school board at the time and was not "union-savvy." However, she said no one on the board knew about Raucci's alleged activities. "If we need a lie detector test, bring it on," she said. School board members have previously said they cannot talk about Raucci because of lawsuits filed against the district by employees who have claimed Raucci harassed them.

    Bellick went on to say the internal report, which the board initially said would be released, is now secret because attorneys found there is personal information contained in the interviews. When Bellick began to say the sentence "We know no one who was interviewed," school attorney Shari Greenleaf made a noise from the audience, followed by board President Maxine Brisport telling Bellick she couldn't continue to read from that part of her speech..............>>>>...............>>>>.................... http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=835426&category=YTSCHENECTADY

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    Things looking up in county, thanks to Dems

        The Democratic majority on the Schenectady County Legislature has done a tremendous job revitalizing our economy and reinvigorating our towns and city. Contrary to the inaccurate assertions in John Privitera’s March 19 letter, working together does work!
        The entire Democratic team has a remarkable record. First, Susan Savage recruited Ray Gillen to become the first commissioner of economic development and planning, and chairman of Metroplex. The rest is history. This new team has created over 3,000 new jobs and brought in over $300 million in new investment. Downtown has been reborn, our industrial parks in Rotterdam, Glenville and Niskayuna are booming. General Electric is adding over 600 new jobs, and Proctors is the top entertainment venue in the region.
        Intergovernmental cooperation agreements have saved taxpayers over $5 million, coordination of affirmative action has improved service and saved money, and the camera project is making our county safer.
        This resurgence did not happen by accident. A new Democratic majority on the Legislature is making government work, as is Mayor Brian Stratton and the city council at the city level. Communication will not always be perfect. However [if you ask] if Schenectady County is better off today than it was four years ago, the answer is clear. Yes, we are, thanks to the dedication and hard work of the new majority that has proven government can work together.
        THOMAS BELLICK
        Schenectady

Quoted from GrahamBonnet

and this comedy piece:

    The writer is president of the Union-Nott Democratic Committee.

Quoted from Dirt2

Yep Stratton and the council did a bang up job, look at our budget deficit. Finance Chairman Erickson is all over it though, rest easy..

Quoted from Dirt2

Yep Stratton and the council did a bang up job, look at our budget deficit. Finance Chairman Erickson is all over it though, rest easy..

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Bottle bombs lead to arrest, probation
College prank injures female student
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

    PLATTSBURGH — What started out as a college prank quickly ended in criminal charges and a possible civil lawsuit being fi led against a college student from Schenectady.
    Tyler Bellick, 21, admitted late last month to one misdemeanor count of third-degree assault and an unrelated charge of aggravated driving while intoxicated. As part a plea agreement with prosecutors, Bellick is expected to be sentenced to probation when he reappears in Plattsburgh City Court later this month.
    The Schenectady High School graduate acknowledged that he made two soda bottle bombs using toilet cleaner and aluminum and then threw them onto the front porch of an off-campus sorority house at SUNY Plattsburgh in June. One of the bottles left a resident of the house with concussion and hearing damage after it detonated near where she was standing.
    Bellick is the son of former Schenectady school board member Linda Bellick. Tyler Bellick’s father, Thomas, is chairman of the Union-Nott Democratic Committee.
    A call to Jeb Assaf, Tyler Bellick’s attorney, was not returned Wednesday.
    Witnesses acknowledged there was a history of pranks that occurred between the sorority house and a fraternity located next door on Brinkerhoff Street. But they also said the bottles that exploded, leaving a haze of smoke around the porch, went beyond those pranks and that members of the fraternity didn’t appear to be home when the bottles were lobbed.
    The first bottle that exploded prompted 22-year-old Lindsey Keyser to emerge from a secondfloor balcony at the house. In her statement to police, she said someone yelled to her to go back inside just seconds before the bottle exploded.
    Keyser sustained traumatic hearing loss in her left ear and was diagnosed with post-concussive syndrome, according to a statement she made to police. Her physician wasn’t sure whether her hearing would be permanently damaged.
    Bellick, who wasn’t a member of the neighboring fraternity, tried to convince residents in both houses to keep quiet about the incident, according to witness statements. He feared he could be arrested on terrorism charges and then discharged from the Army National Guard, where he serves as a specialist.
    Just days prior to the incident, Bellick was charged with DWI. Authorities said he was stopped while driving with a blood-alcohol content of 0.18 percent.
    Despite the two misdemeanor convictions, the military isn’t likely to take action as strict a discharge. A spokesman from the Army National Guard indicated Bellick could face a hearing and be sanctioned with a fine or a rank reduction.
    Gary Keyser, the injured woman’s father, said Bellick should at least be removed from the military. He said his daughter is pursuing a civil case against him. ...................>>>>.....................>>>>....................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01304&AppName=1