ELLENVILLE – On Tuesday afternoon, Jamin A. Ward, 28, of Whispering Hills Drive in Chester, NY, was indicted by an Ulster County jury in Kingston, after shooting and wounding Wawarsing resident Alex Jorge, 24, of Lundy Road.

As reported last week, on Tuesday, April 28, Jorge was trying to break up an argument between his brother, Jose Navio, 32, of Ellenville, and Ward. As Jorge drove away from the conflict in Berme Road Park, Ward shot into the car, hitting Jorge in the back of the neck. The victim was airlifted by helicopter to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla. He was since treated and released on Sunday.

According to police, Ward turned himself in to the custody of the Ellenville Police Department at about 2:45 p.m., on Thursday, April 30. He is represented by Benjamin Greenwald of Greenwald Law Offices in Chester, NY.

Ward was indicted on seven different charges: two counts of assault in the first degree; two counts of reckless endangerment in the first degree; one count of criminal use of a firearm; and two counts of possession of a weapon in the second degree. Because of a prior felony drug offense for which he was arrested several years ago in Ellenville, and for which Ward was sentenced to five to fifteen years in prison, Chief Mattracion said on Tuesday evening that "he faces a substantial amount of time if convicted," estimating that the combined charges could bring a minimum sentence of ten years in prison.

Ward appeared in county court on Wednesday, where he was arraigned and received the reading of the indictment. However, due to our publishing schedule, we will not know the results of the court appearance until after we go to press.

"At this point it's in the hands of the district attorney's office and county court," said Mattracion. Ward may work out a plea deal with the D.A., or if he pleads "not guilty," he will stand trial.

"The indictment's big…it's a big part of the case to get an indictment. We worked very strenuously and exhaustedly on this case, and got the indictment within four days of the arrest. We aggressively pursued this case due to the violent and heinous nature of it," said Chief Mattracion.

The chief said that Ward was a former resident of Ellenville who moved several years ago. He also spoke to what may have provoked the argument which led to the shooting.

"It wasn't a random shooting," he said. "It was a dispute that had been boiling for a few years, and it just came to a head….There've been some unresolved conflicts…We're pursuing what the exact nature of the conflict is, and how it came to such a violent conclusion."

While one of the weapons involved in the incident has been recovered, the location of the other weapon is still under investigation.

Mattracion said that after Jorge was operated on while still in the hospital, the police received fragments from the bullet.

According to Chief Mattracion, the arrest was the result of a joint investigation of the Ellenville Police Department and the New York State Police in Ellenville. They were assisted throughout by the New York State Forensic Investigation Unit, New York State Police's Violent Felony Warrant Squad, New York State Police Departments in Wurtsboro, Liberty, and Monroe, the Ulster County Sheriff Department and K9 Unit, Sullivan County Sheriff Department, and Sullivan County Probation.

"This was a quick resolution to a violent crime as a result of a collaborative effort between all of the agencies involved," said Mattracion. "Without a doubt, we will aggressively pursue any and all people who commit violent acts, particularly with weapons and guns, in the village of Ellenville."

Chief Mattracion said that incidents of gun violence in Ellenville are few and far between, and that this type of incident is "the exception rather than the norm."

"I haven't seen a victim of a shooting in Ellenville in probably well over 15 years, that I can recall," he said. "We've had homicides here, but never with guns and things of that nature, in my tenure."

He added, "It's still under investigation, it's far from closed. We're still going to pursue where the weapons are, and who has those weapons, and we'll do that until its fruition."

COMMENTS about this article (10)