November 2, 2020
From Steuben County District Attorney Brooks Baker:
The investigation into the murder Thursday of a Pulteney man proceeded swiftly because of the active cooperative investigation efforts provided by the Steuben County Sheriff’s Department, county District Attorney Brooks Baker said. “There was one state police investigator available in Steuben County when the call came in,” Baker told the county Legislature’s Public Safety and Corrections Committee Monday. “So we were desperate for law enforcement.” Baker told the committee the Steuben department’s response was swift as they set up a perimeter at the site and launched a thorough investigation. “Thanks to (Sheriff Jim Allard) they have developed that capacity,” Baker said. “They were phenomenal.” Baker said later the murder investigation ultimately included 20 state investigators and a full state police Forensic Investigation Unit team, with troopers conducting a thorough early-morning search to find the gun. “Cooperation is the key here – the sheriff provided invaluable and necessary assistance with the case and manpower, and the two agencies cooperated seamlessly throughout the investigation,” he said. “Steuben’s squad was critical to the speedy resolution of the case and removing the threat from the streets.” The sheriff’s department’s presence added immeasurably to the comfort of the area unsettled by the report of a homicide, Baker said. Baker said county Inv. Don Lewis, DA Inv. Noel Terwilliger and three state troopers worked together to secure a confession, allegedly made by the victim’s wife. . “It’s a state police arrest but the Sheriff’s Office came up huge,” Baker said.
