An ex-convict from the City of Newburgh will likely head back to the slammer after a jury found him guilty of possessing a loaded gun near Newburgh Free Academy.
On July 29, 2022, the City of Newburgh Police Department and the New York State Police responded to Fullerton Avenue for a report of a man with a gun. Fullerton Avenue is the street that Newburgh Free Academy is located on, although school was not in session at the time.
Upon arriving in the area, officers discovered a man who matched the description of the person with a gun. The suspect kept his hands near his waistband as police approached him. Officers discovered a loaded 9mm Taurus firearm from his pants pocket near where his hands were positioned.
Police identified the defendant as Nicholas Palm, age 29 of the City of Newburgh.
The firearm was confiscated and later test fired. It was found to be in operable condition.
Following a jury trial, Palm was convicted of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd degree. The conviction was handed down in Orange County Court today.
Palm faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in the state penitentiary when he is sentenced on May 16, 2023. The minimum sentence Palm faces is elevated based on his prior conviction for illegally possessing a firearm in 2018.
According to public records, Palm went to the slammer in February of 2018 on another charge of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd degree. He was sentenced to three and a half years in the penitentiary. He won a parole, but apparently violated it and went back to the bin before winning a second parole in August of 2021. It could not be determined if he was actively on parole when his committed his latest crime.
Orange County District Attorney Hoovler thanked the City of Newburgh Police Department and New York State Police for their investigation and arrest of the defendant.
“Dangerous guns in the hands of dangerous recidivists are a recipe for disaster,” said District Attorney David. M. Hoovler. “Thankfully, the prompt response by the police in this case assured that this repeat offender was held responsible for his crimes. The City of Newburgh is safer because of the steadfast and often thankless efforts of the police. I commend the work done by the prosecutor in this case to see that justice was done before a jury of this defendant’s peers.”
