An ex-convict will be returning to the state penitentiary for two decades following his role in a shootout on the City of Newburgh streets during broad daylight last year. Just three months before the shootout, he won a get out of jail free card and was sprung after serving only nine months of his 3 1/2 year sentence.
Lavelle Stackhouse, age 25 of Newburgh, will head to the slammer for up to 22 years following his role in a shootout on William Street on September 8, 2021. He was sentenced in Orange County Court on Friday.
During the night of the incident, Stackhouse reportedly approached his victim, Joshua Hendrick, age 22 of Newburgh, on William Street. Stackhouse allegedly pulled out a firearm and fired at Hendrick, striking Hendrick in the torso and leg.
Hendrick then reportedly pulled out a firearm of his own and began returning fire at Stackhouse, similar to a high noon shootout scene from the Wild West. Stackhouse ran down the street to get away from Hendrick. During the shootout, a bystander was shot in the shoulder. The entire shooting was captured on video.
Stackhouse fled the area and was not located and apprehended until the day of his sentencing, according to Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler. His apprehension came with the assistance of the United States Marshall Fugitive Task Force.
On June 22, 2022, Stackhouse was convicted of the charges after a trial in Orange County Court. He was found guilty of Attempted Murder in the 2nd degree; Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd degree; Assault in the 2nd degree; Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 3rd degree; and Reckless Endangerment in the 1st degree.
During Friday’s sentencing, Stackhouse was issued a 22 year stay in the state pen, plus five years of parole.
Stackhouse is no stranger to breaking the law. According to public records, he began a previous prison sentence at the young age of 23 years old. He was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison following a conviction for Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd degree in 2020. He allegedly possessed over 1,000 glassine envelopes of heroin.
After serving only nine months of his 3 1/2 year sentence, Stackhouse won a parole on June 16, 2021. The shootout occurred just three months later.
Hendrick pled guilty to Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd degree on March 2, 2022. He was sentenced to zero to seven years in the can and has already begun serving his debt to society.
The City of Newburgh Police Department investigated the incident with the assistance of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, United States Marshall Fugitive Task Force, and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
“I hope that the sentence of more than two decades that was imposed on this defendant today serves to deter others tempted to engage in gunplay on our streets,” said Hoovler. “Offenders in these types of cases need to be identified, charged, convicted, and sentenced to long prison terms to make ensure that our community is safe for us all. My office will continue work with our law enforcement partners to pursue justifiably lengthy sentences on cases involving gun violence.”
