PRATT NOW IN SULLIVAN COUNTY JAIL AFTER EXTRADITION FROM NYC ON MONDAY
Suspect Is Registered Sex Offender Who Was Convicted In November Of Promoting Sexual Performance of Child, But Got Probation
Charged With Arson In 2020
(This story was updated Monday, April 11 at 7:20 pm)
Bank robbery suspect Charles Pratt being taken into custody by the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office after extradition on Monday morning from Manhattan. The SullivanTimes has learned that Pratt is a registered sex offender who was convicted in November of promoting the sexual performance of a child from an incident in April 2020.
Charles Pratt, the suspect wanted in connection with Friday afternoon's bank robbery in Monticello, was found and arrested by New York Police Department officers late Saturday.
The SullivanTimes has learned that Pratt is a registered sex offender who was convicted in November for an attempt to promote a sexual performance by a child less than age 17. However, he was sentenced to 10 years probation for the incident that occurred on April 1, 2020. The victim was a 15-year-old male, according to the New York State registry records.
Pratt , whose last known address is in Evans Mills, NY about 10 miles east of Watertown in Jefferson County, was also charged with arson stemming from an incident in 2020. According to a media report, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office alleged in its report that Pratt attempted to burn down the home in Evans Mills where he has been listed as a resident.
According to Northern New York Newspapers, the Jefferson County Sheriff's report quoted witnesses to the arson as saying: "I'm going to burn the bitch down. I'm going to burn your house down." Pratt was arraigned and held on $10,000 bail, the report said.
In addition, Pratt filed a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of New York while a student in the Indian River Central School District (located in Philadelphia NY) alleging that he was the victim of harassment spanning nearly all of his time in primary and secondary schools, according to court papers. He alleged that he was targeted by peers and IRCSD staff "because he did not conform to masculine stereotypes and because of his sexual orientation."
The NYPD told The SullivanTimes that Pratt, 33, was sleeping in the back seat of a reported stolen vehicle at the northwest corner of Fifth Avenue and West 131st Street in Manhattan.
Intersection of Fifth Avenue and 131st Street in Manhattan where suspect was found and arrested.
He was arrested by officers from the 32nd Precinct at 10:37 pm and charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle and criminal possession of stolen property, according to the NYPD on Sunday.
The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office had previously announced that Pratt was allegedly involved in the bank robbery at M&T Bank on State Route 42 and that he was believed to be driving a stolen 2015 Ford Explorer Ltd. The vehicle was allegedly stolen from Watertown.
Witness told sheriff’s detectives that a white male wearing an orange shirt and no mask, entered the bank at about 1:20 pm and passed a note to the teller stating he had a gun and demanded money. The suspect then fled the bank with a an undetermined amount of cash.
Late Monday, the Sheriff's Office confirmed that its detectives extradited Pratt earlier in the day from New York City and returned him to Sullivan County. He was arraigned before Neversink Town Justice Michael Scagnelli and sent to the Sullivan County Jail without bail pending a future appearance in the Town of Thompson Court, officials said.
Sheriff Michael Schiff, while praising the work of his own agency, also acknowledged the police officers of the NYPD 32nd precinct. “We all know how busy they are in New York City with their own investigations," Schiff said in a statement. "They did a great job spotting the getaway vehicle on the street and apprehending the suspect”.
Schiff added that he was thankful that no one was injured during the commission of the crime or the subsequent apprehension of the suspect.
At press time, there is no information available about Pratt's ties to Sullivan County or a motive for the bank robbery.
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