By David S. Lewis

NEW SCOTLAND – An Altamont teen charged with theft eluded capture for a day and half. After a brief chase on Western Avenue, attaining speeds greater than 75 miles per hour in his Toyota Scion, Bryan M. Livingston left his car and entered the woods, where he escaped pursuit from both the Albany County Sheriff’s deputies and a State Police helicopter. 

The Huey II was performing training exercises with new night vision equipment.  When the chase was heard over the scanner, the crew abandoned the training exercise and gave pursuit, but to no avail.

The chase began at 12:40 a.m. on May 14.  Livingston, 17, remained on the lam until he was apprehended May 16 at a pre-arranged probation hearing in Albany. 

Livingston and William H. Russell, 18, of Loudonville, are charged with two counts each of grand larceny, and two counts of criminal possession of stolen property— all felonies – as well as two counts of criminal trespass, a misdemeanor.  Police say they stole car parts and rims from Dunston Brothers Inc., located at the corner of routes 85 and 443 in New Scotland, on at least two occasions.

The Sheriff’s department says the pair loaded a pickup truck with the parts and approximately 100 steel rims, valued at $2,500, and drove the truck to the Hudson River Recycling Company in Albany, where they sold the parts for scrap.  The suspects received $400 for the stolen goods.

Russell was arrested on May 14 after authorities were able to identify him from surveillance camera footage provided by Dunston’s.  Russell made a statement indicating his involvement, and said he hadn’t operated alone: he implicated Livingston in the crime.

Diane Dunston, manager of the Dunston facility, said that, while theft has not been a major problem, they had noticed parts missing several months ago and installed cameras. Dunston said that she expected to see more incidence of theft while the value of scrap is rising. 

She said the cameras were also prompted by the rising value of scrap metal, and that Dunston’s was not the only scrapyard that had been burglarized.

The Enterprise asked Dunston whether she expected to get the stolen goods back; she seemed less than confident.

“Frankly I would be surprised if we do.  I haven’t spoken to the sheriffs yet about whether or not that will happen,” said Dunston.

Hudson River Recycling gave no indication that the goods would be returned.

“It all depends…it might not even be here,” said Gary Chace, plant manager for Hudson Rive Recycling.  “It might be in a steel mill, melted down, by now.  I’m not even sure what they brought in.”

Senior Investigator Ron Bates, with the Albany County Sheriffs Department, said that typically the materials would not be returned, as recycling plants usually melt them down immediately.

The suspect’s father, Jeffrey Livingston, said that the case was full of discrepancies; he said this was a case of over-policing.  He told The Enterprise that his son was on years of probation for resisting arrest, and said now that the police were going too far.

“It was like a murder investigation or something.  It just seemed like overkill, seemed like there could have been other crimes that were more important,” observed Livingston.  “They’ve had a few too many doughnuts right now, and for some reason they don’t like my son, and they are going way out of their way.”

Albany County sheriffs produced a warrant and searched the Livingston residence, and seized Jeffrey’s 2001 Dodge Ram pickup truck, the vehicle allegedly used by the suspects to transport the stolen metal, the department said.

“I’m not sure how long they are going to keep my truck, either, or what it has to do with the investigation, but I’m going to have to pay the storage and towing fees,” he said. 

Livingston said he couldn’t understand why helicopters and search warrants were necessary.

“You’re not guilty until you’ve been proven guilty, you know?” said Livingston.  “But that’s not what this feels like…as far as getting search warrants, and all of that.  I am sure it’s legal, but is it really necessary?”

Livingston also said that the authorities were getting involved with his son’s friends, and asking them questions.

“They are badgering his girlfriend right now, and they are trying to get any information they can out of her,” he asserted. 

“We’re being harassed by the police,” said Livingston. “This is what we’re facing here and I’m getting a little mad.”