A City of Newburgh man is heading to the slammer for over two decades after he was convicted of possessing two kilos of cocaine, dumping his contraband, fleeing from police, and perjuring himself in court.
The incident unfolded when Sherlan Simpson, age 37 of the City of Newburgh, was stopped for a traffic infraction near Route 32 in the Town of Woodbury on January 6, 2021. New York State Troopers observed a backpack in the back seat of the vehicle that Simpson was driving.
Simpson then allegedly fled in his car, racing into the Woodbury Commons. Surveillance video showed a backback being thrown from his car. Troopers recovered the bag from where Simpson threw it. Inside of the bag was Simpson’s personal belongings as well as two kilos of cocaine. Police estimated the street value of $200,000. A subsequent DNA analysis of the contents of the bag matched Simpson.
When evidence in the case was presented to the Orange County Grand Jury five days later, Simpson elected to testify on his own behalf. After taking the oath to tell the truth, Simpson reportedly denied that he ever had a backpack in the car or threw the backpack from the car.
Simpson was sentenced to 20-22 years in the state penitentiary today following a jury trial. He had been convicted of all charges against him, including Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 1st degree, Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd degree, and Perjury in the 1st degree.
Orange County District Attorney Hoovler thanked the New York State Police for their investigation which led to the arrest of the defendant. Hoovler also thanked the Town of Woodbury Police Department for their assistance during Williams’ apprehension.
“A huge quantity of drugs was intercepted by the police in this case before it could be spread throughout our community,” said Hoovler. “The lengthy and appropriate sentence imposed on this defendant reflects the serious nature of his crimes and criminal history. My Office, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to address through arrest and prosecution the pernicious spread of narcotics in the County. The defendant’s bold lies before the Grand Jury strike at the very heart of our criminal justice system and merited the consecutive sentence imposed by the Court.”
