For More Information Contact:
Captain John Watterson 845-486-3860
The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest of Richard P. Danko, age 36 of Dover Plains, at approximately 1:20 pm on 1/1/25 as the result of a complaint and subsequent standoff in the Town of Dover.
At approximately 6:10 am on 1/1/25 Deputies responded to 16 Old State Route 22 in Dover for a report of someone having been threatened with a shotgun. Upon arrival Mr. Danko was identified as a possible suspect in the complaint, however he allegedly refused to cooperate with the investigation and fled into a residence. After approximately five (5) hours of attempted but unsuccessful negotiation with Mr. Danko, members of the Sheriff’s Office’s Emergency Services Unit entered the residence and took him into custody without further incident.
Prior to the standoff Mr. Danko was also wanted on a warrant for reckless endangerment stemming from a previous unrelated incident. At this time he has been charged with the following in connection with both the pre-existing warrant and standoff incident:
After being processed Mr. Danko was arraigned before the Town of Dover Court and remanded to the Dutchess County Justice and Transition Center in lieu of $10,000 cash bail. NOTE – On 1/1/25 Mr. Danko was only arraigned on the warrant and bail jumping charge, the other charges were lodged after the arraignment.
Numerous Sheriff’s Office personnel and units responded to the scene and contributed to the successful outcome of the incident to include Patrol, Detectives, Crisis Negotiators, K-9, Emergency Services, and UAS (drones). The Sheriff’s Office was also assisted at the scene by the New York State Police, Dutchess County Department of Emergency Response, the J.H. Ketcham Hose Company.
As with any criminal case the charges described above are merely accusations and Mr. Danko is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
