Kingston, NY—The Ulster County District Attorney’s Office announces the unsealing of an indictment in Ulster County Court charging Colin L. Schlegel, 34 and Kristin Delsanto, 29, both of Lake Katrine, New York, with Manslaughter in the Second Degree, Criminally Negligent Homicide, Assault in the Second Degree, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance to a child, Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Fifth Degree and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in connection to the 2022 death of Schlegel’s biological 14-year-old daughter.
On August 2, 2022, the Town of Ulster Police Department received a 911 call for a 14-year-old female who was unresponsive. Despite all attempted life-saving measures by the officers who responded, the female was pronounced dead on scene. After a year-long investigation, detectives from the Ulster Police Department were able to create a timeline of the events leading up to the child’s death; that investigation revealed that both Schlegel and Delsanto were aware of and contributed to Schlegel’s 14-year-old daughters' consumption of drugs, alcohol, and fentanyl, which subsequently caused her death.
This indictment is a result of the unwavering dedication of the Detective Division of Town of Ulster Police Department, specifically Det. Sgt. Cheryl Benjamin, who never gave up on this investigation and the assistance of the New York State Police and Ulster County Sheriff’s Office.
“This is a tragedy all-around for this family; nevertheless, the care and wellbeing of children remain the legal responsibility of parents and adults who supervise them. Giving a toxic cocktail of controlled and prohibited substances to any child is criminal; when it results in the death of that child, anyone who gave or contributed to such substances and result must be held to account.” said Chief Assistant District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji.
An indictment simply means that there is reasonable cause to believe that the charged crimes were committed. Any defendant retains his/her presumption of innocence until and unless the person pleads guilty, or the prosecution proves such guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in court. Both defendants were arraigned by Hon. Bryan Rounds in Ulster County Court and remanded without bail. The case is being prosecuted by Sr. ADA Tara Waters, Bureau Chief of Narcotics, Guns and Gangs and Chief Assistant District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji.
If you need help with substance & alcohol abuse, or know someone who does, please contact the Sheriff’s Department ORACLE (no judgment passed) at 888-996-0940 or through the Sheriff’s Office Mobile Application at http://apps.myocv.com/share/a57912401
