Lance Cpl. Kevin Guerrero, a Marine stationed at Stewart Air National Guard Base, has been indicted for sexual abuse in the first degree and multiple counts of burglary and one count of attempted burglary, as handed up by the Ulster County Grand Jury last week. These charges come from a series of off-campus break-ins that occurred over Labor Day weekend.
In addition to accounts of burglary and attempted burglary, Guerrero was initially arrested under charges of rape in the first and second degree. However, due to a lack of sufficient evidence presented to the grand jury, an indictment of rape was not warranted, according to Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright.
Only one indictment has been made at this point, however there are other charges still to be presented to the grand jury in pending, according to New Paltz Police Department Chief Joe Snyder.
In New York State, a felony charge is presented to a grand jury, who then reviews evidence and looks for probable cause to hold the matter over for indictment. Preceding this is the preliminary and initial investigation which provide a cause for arrest.
Snyder said it is common that not everything will be indicted on the initial presentation to the grand jury.
The defendant will be arraigned on this current indictment; if he files not guilty with the court then the case will proceed through to a hearing than trial.
“We are months away from a trial,” Carnright said. “Seeing a trial for this occur in six to eight months is the best case scenario.”
There are still additional charges pending at this point against Guerrero, who remains held without bail at Ulster County Jail.