In Liberty, three men were found stabbed. Another man faces attempted murder charges
LIBERTY - A Liberty man was charged with attempted murder after three men were stabbed in the village early Sunday morning.
Police began their investigation after officers responded to a report of a man with a knife outside a restaurant on School Street in the village around 12:55 a.m. That investigation led to the arrest of Darwin Banegas-Ortiz, 38, of Liberty in a wooded area off Grant Street about an hour later.
When officers initially responded to the scene, they found a 42-year-old man and a 20-year-old man suffering from cuts and puncture wounds to the neck and abdomen.
Due to a lack of available ambulance service at that time, they were taken by private vehicle with a Liberty police escort to Garnet Health Medical Center Catskills in Harris. After receiving initial treatment there, the 42-year-old was flown to Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown and the 20-year-old was flown to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla for further treatment.
Child abuse: Middletown man charged with predatory sexual assault against a child
As their investigation began, Liberty police learned a third stabbing victim had left the School Street location and was at a private residence on Chestnut Street. Officers responded and found a 47-year-old man at that location with a stab wound to the chest.
He was taken by ambulance to Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown.
After Banegas-Ortiz was taken into custody, he was treated for a cut on his arm at Garnet Health Medical Center in Middletown.
Police charged him with felony counts of attempted second-degree murder, attempted first-degree assault, second-degree assault and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was also charged with a misdemeanor count of second-degree menacing, a misdemeanor.
Lessons learned: New York nurses endured COVID's darkest days.
He was arraigned in Town of Liberty Court and sent without bail to the Sullivan County jail, pending a future court appearance.
The name of his attorney was not immediately available.
The Sullivan County District Attorney's office, state police and the K-9 division of the Orange County Sheriff's Office assisted Liberty police with the investigation.
Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record, Poughkeepsie Journal and The Journal News/lohud. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com or on Twitter @mikerandall845.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Liberty stabbings: Man charged with attempted murder, 3 men injured
