EAST FISHKILL – The parolee who was the target of a two-county manhunt on Friday before being captured has been charged with several felonies for the three-hour crime spree that began in Hopewell Junction around 12:15 p.m. on September 1, 2023. Joseph Gourd, 41, of Oneonta was taken into custody near Fahenstock State Park in Carmel just after 3:00 p.m. He is charged with the felonies of attempted murder of a police officer, burglary, reckless endangerment, grand larceny, and criminal possession of stolen property.
The crime spree began when Gourd was attempting to burglarize a residence on Hortontown Road in Hopewell Junction. The burglary was interrupted by East Fishkill police officers who found Gourd in the house. He fled outside, gained possession of an unmarked East Fishkill police vehicle, and began to speed away. He was racing directly toward the officers during the escape. One East Fishkill officer attempted to end the escape by firing his weapon in the direction of Gourd. The shot missed and Gourd fled away.
The stolen police vehicle was located at the intersection of the Taconic State Parkway and Route 301. The vehicle had been disabled following an accident and Gourd fled on foot.
The manhunt ensued with a description of the suspect and the warning that he was to be considered “dangerous” was distributed across emergency radios throughout the area.
Police from East Fishkill, New York State Police, MTA, Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, Town of Kent, Town of Carmel, NYS Park Police, and the NYS DEC Forest Rangers converged on the state park to search for Gourd, who has served three different prison sentences for a total of 20 years of his 41-year life.
Parolee Gourd was arraigned in the East Fishkill Justice Court and remanded to the Dutchess County Jail. He is scheduled for another court appearance in East Fishkill on September 6, 2023, at 6:15 p.m.
The initial breaking news story about the manhunt can be found here and…
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