Drug Task Force – Homeless Shelter Employee Caught Selling Cocaine to Shelter Residents
The Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office Drug Task Force has been investigating the sale of cocaine at the Homeless Shelter located on the property of the former Dutchess County Jail. The Drug Task Force began an investigation in early February after residents of the Homeless Shelter alerted Drug Task Force Agents of an employee working security was selling dangerous drugs inside the Homeless Shelter. This caused an immediate response by the Drug Task Force and investigation due to the vulnerability of homeless community members.
Over the course of this investigation Drug Task Force Agents purchased cocaine on multiple occasions from Marlene Sosa, Age 32, of Poughkeepsie at or near the Homeless Shelter while she was working property security for a contracted agency.
On 04/04/24 Drug Task Force Agents with the assistance of the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Bureau took Sosa into custody inside the homeless shelter charging her with Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd Degree, a class B Felony. Sosa is being held at the Sheriff’s Office pending her arraignment in the City of Poughkeepsie Justice Court. This investigation and arrest is a good example of the relationship our Agents have with community members, including our local homeless population, where individuals feel comfortable coming forward with information regarding illegal activity.
The Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office Drug Task Force warns the public that cocaine is often mixed with fentanyl, a dangerous drug that is the leading cause of overdose deaths in Dutchess County.
If anyone has information regarding this case or about any other individuals selling drugs in Dutchess County, you are urged to contact the Drug Task Force confidential tip line at 845-463-6040 or by sending an email to the following web address: DrugTaskForceTips@gmail.com As with any criminal case, the charges described above are merely an accusation and those individuals named in this release are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
