top of page
  • Rich Klein

Mace Drug Case Sent Back To County Court After Mamakating Judge Recuses

Updated: Oct 14, 2021

Town of Thompson Council Member, Candidate For Supervisor, Continues Five Months of Silence To Public About Arrest and His Race


MAMAKATING - Town of Mamakating Judge Terrence Mullen this morning recused himself from presiding over the case of People vs Scott Mace in connection with the Town of Thompson council member's arrest in May and sent the matter back to County Court.


There, it will be up to County Court Judge Jim Farrell or County Court Judge E. Danielle Jose-Decker to put the case on one of their calendars.


Mace was arraigned in early May at Town of Thompson court but Justices Sharon Jankiewicz

and Martin Miller had to recuse themselves. The matter was then sent to County Court Judge Jim Farrell, who, in turn, sent the case to the Town of Mamakating court.


Town courts are limited to handling misdemeanors but Mace was charged by the District Attorney's Office with two felonies: criminal possession of narcotics in the 4th degree

and falsifying business records in the 1st degree. A third charge against Mace was petty larceny, a misdemeanor.


It's unclear at press time why Farrell, the former District Attorney, would send the case back to a town court when there was two pending felony charges.


Mace, a Republican, is still on the November ballot in the Town of Thompson race for supervisor, challenging Democrat incumbent Bill Rieber.



Scott Mace, at left, and Bill Rieber earlier this evening at Thompson Town Hall meeting. (Screenshot from Zoom meeting via Town of Thompson)


Soon after The SullivanTimes reported exclusively on his May 10 arrest, the former Rock Hill pharmacy owner took down his election campaign page on Facebook.


And, during a 90-minute public hearing/town board meeting tonight at Thompson Town Hall, Mace made no mention of his legal problems. That's been the recurring pattern since his arrest nearly five months ago as he has participated in many town board meetings since May.


In addition, none of the leaders from the Sullivan County Republican Committee have publicly called for Mace to withdraw his candidacy. The SullivanTimes late tonight sent a message to the Committee asking for comment about Mace's candidacy while criminal charges are pending. An email was also sent to John Ingrassia, Mace's criminal defense attorney (based in Newburgh), asking for comment about the case being sent back to County Court.


It's also unclear at press time if the case could be adjudicated at County Court before Election Day (November 2).


Note: This story was updated at 12:44 pm on Wednesday . A previous version of the story stated that Mace was charged with one felony but it was actually two. The SullivanTimes regrets that error.



ADVERTISEMENT


OCTOBER SALE TO MARK FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF CATSKILLS PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK


This week marks five years since The Catskills of Sullivan County: A Photography Journey was published. It has led to multiple permanent and temporary exhibits of #fineart prints from the book.


Now through October 31, use coupon code 5Years at checkout to receive a $10 discount on the book at the link below.


Please allow up to two weeks for delivery.

https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-catskills-of-sullivan-county-a-photography-journey



636 views

Recent Posts

See All

It's Been A Great Journey

Nearly four and a half years ago, I decided to launch The SullivanTimes to offer an alternative media outlet focused on hard-hitting,...

Comments


bottom of page