Cohoes Man Indicted For Placing Suspicious Device in Park

Albany County District Attorney Lee C. Kindlon announced today that the 26-year-old Cohoes man who placed a device that resembled a bomb in a local park has been indicted by a grand jury.

Brandon Arsenault was arraigned Tuesday afternoon on an indictment that charges him with Placing a False Bomb or Hazardous Substance in the First Degree, a violent felony.

A concerned citizen alerted Colonie Police on May 16 to the presence of a suspicious device placed in a book exchange box at Colonie Mohawk River Park.

The New York State Police Bomb Disposal Unit responded to the scene and determined that the device was inoperable. Colonie Police also contacted the FBI to assist in the investigation.

Arsenault pleaded not guilty and was remanded to the custody of the Albany County Correctional Facility.

The felony charge carries a potential sentence of up to seven years in state prison.

Assistant District Attorney Joseph Brucato, Bureau Chief of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.

ALL DEFENDANTS ARE PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN OTHERWISE.