Middleburgh man arrested 2x in 12 hours

8/11/2022

State Police arrested a Middleburgh man twice in less than 12 hours Sunday into Monday on charges that included endangering the welfare of four children in his care and failure to secure a firearm.
Arrested was James Wood, 59.
He was processed and released after the first set of charges—but sent to the Schoharie County Jail in lieu of $2,000 cash bail or $4,000 bond after the second.
According to State Police, at about 7:40pm on Sunday, August 7, Cobleskill Troopers responded to a home in Middleburgh to check the welfare of four children in Mr. Wood’s care.
While being interviewed, Mr. Wood acted belligerently and damaged a vehicle not belonging to him, they said.
During further investigation, Troopers located a firearm inside the home, which was not stored safely.
All children present were turned over to a family member.
Mr. Wood was charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a Class “A” misdemeanor, criminal mischief in the fourth degree, a Class “A” misdemeanor, and failure to safely secure firearms, a Class “A” misdemeanor.
He was transported to State Police Cobleskill for processing, arraigned in the Cobleskill Town Court, and released on his own recognizance.
On Monday, August 8, at about 6:50am, Mr. Wood was arrested for criminal contempt in the first degree, a Class “E” felony.
After being released on the above charges, State Police said Mr. Wood violated a stay-away order of protection issued by the court during his arraignment. The protected party was the victim of the criminal mischief.
He was then was arrested and again transported to State Police Cobleskill for processing.
He was arraigned at the Cobleskill Town Court, and remanded to Schoharie County Correctional facility in lieu of $2,000 cash or $4,000 bond.