Poughkeepsie Man Charged with Public Lewdness at Local School

The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of Dennis T. Dougherty, age 61 of Poughkeepsie, for public lewdness and trespass in connection with a recent incident that occurred in Pleasant Valley.

On 5/11/16 Deputies responded to the West Road School on West Road in Pleasant Valley for a report of a suspicious person who was trespassing on school grounds. Upon arrival Mr. Dougherty was observed on school grounds, and he was interviewed but not charged at that time. After further interviews and investigation by Sheriff’s Office Detectives Mr. Dougherty was arrested on 5/14/16, and has been accused of both urinating in plain view and trespassing on West Road School property. Anyone who may have more information on this incident or other public lewdness-type incidents involving Mr. Dougherty is urged to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 845-486-3820 and ask for Detective Harris or Detective Pfitscher. The Sheriff’s Office can also be contacted via the tipline at 845-605-CLUE or email at dcsotips@gmail.com. All calls & emails will be kept confidential.

At this time Mr. Dougherty has been charged with Public Lewdness (Misdemeanor) and Trespass (Violation). After being processed he was arraigned before the Town of Pleasant Valley Court, and was remanded to the Dutchess County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond.

It should be noted that recently information has been circulated via the internet and social media which describes Mr. Doughtery as possibly being involved in child luring type activity. This information is currently under investigation, however at this time Mr. Dougherty has not been charged with any offense related to child luring or similar type activity. The investigation is ongoing, and more information may be released at a later time if it becomes available.

As with any criminal case, the charges described above are merely accusations and Mr. Dougherty is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.