Weekday top 5: Skaneateles woman tried to burn neighbor's house down, Cayuga County drunk driving arrest
- ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» staff
- 0
ÈËÊÞÐÔ½»'s top five most-read stories of the work week.Â
- David Wilcox
- Updated
A dispute over a driveway in the town of Skaneateles has escalated into lawsuits, arson and even allegations of a "deep state" conspiracy.Â
In a lawsuit in May, the Della Santina family said that Ritika Mehta, 41, poured an accelerant on the deck of their 2120 Lakeview Lane house and ignited it last October. The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office arrested her at the scene on arson charges. According to the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office, she pleaded guilty in March and was sentenced to five years of probation.
Despite her plea, Mehta denied trying to burn the house down. She told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» she has no memory of doing so, and believes she is being framed for the crime by the "deep state" to discredit her.Â
The Della Santinas, however, say their house's security cameras caught Mehta in the act.
In their lawsuit, the family said the arson was the culmination of a campaign of harassment by Mehta due to a dispute over a driveway she shared with them. She sold her 2111 W. Lake Road house for $622,000 in June, according to Onondaga County property records. It was a part-time residence for her and her husband, , until his Oct. 16 death. She also lives in the Hamptons.
Joe Della Santina, an attorney in the San Francisco area, told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» his family purchased their property in 2022 for seasonal use and a short-term rental business under the name Happy Lake House LLC. But shortly after their purchase, the driveway became a source of tension with Mehta and 11 other neighbors. The Della Santinas filed a separate lawsuit against them all in May, a week apart from the one they filed against her, accusing them of denying the family's right of way over the driveway even though the chain of title to the property includes one-third interest in it.
The dispute got so heated that neighbors James and Sharon Cross threatened to call the sheriff on the Della Santinas if their lawn care workers set foot on the driveway, the family said in that lawsuit.
The Crosses did not respond to requests for comment by ÈËÊÞÐÔ½».
That tension, and footage of Mehta talking with neighbors the day of the crime, is why Joe Della Santina believes someone "put her up to it," he said. To this day, his family has never met her in person.
"It's quite disturbing," he said. "It's had a massive impact on our family."
'I want to kill them all'
The first act of harassment listed by the Della Santinas in their lawsuit happened on Oct. 20.Â
Mehta was heard that day asking at least one employee at the Mandana Inn to "cause some damage" to the family's house, they said in the lawsuit, and adding, "Don't worry, you won't be caught."Â
On Oct. 24, the damage was caused.
The Della Santinas said in the lawsuit that their security cameras first recorded Mehta entering their property from the lakefront that morning with a lifeguard hook in her hand. Climbing atop an air conditioning unit, she used the hook to scrape at one of the cameras and exterior. She then grabbed another camera, stomped on it and threw it into Skaneateles Lake, the family said.
At that point Mehta was arrested and released by the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office for the first of what would be three times that day.
She later returned to the property to throw a bench into the water, the Della Santinas said in the lawsuit. She then left and returned once more, this time by crossing a creek bordering the property. Around that time, the word "Satan" was written on the side of the family's garage in orange paint. They called the graffiti "a particularly hateful act" due to their religious beliefs.
Mehta was arrested and released for the second time after the graffiti, though she did not plead guilty to writing it and the family's cameras did not catch the perpetrator's face.
Then, that evening, Mehta tried to set the family's house on fire.
The Della Santinas said in the lawsuit that Mehta threw "ignition sources" at the flames as they struggled, "demonstrating her clear intent to burn (the family's) home down at all costs." The sheriff's office then arrested and released her for the third time, and discovered the house's telecommunication wires had been cut since a search earlier that day. To the family, that signified her "intent to avert detection and commit her heinous acts that could have resulted in the loss of human life." The family said she returned to the property two days later to take "trophy pictures" of the charred deck.
Mehta posted additional threats on social media after the arson, the family said in the lawsuit, and "announced publicly" at the Mandana Inn, "I want to kill them all."
The Della Santinas have been afraid to even return to Skaneateles ever since, they said. For rendering their house "useless," they seek at least $975,000 in damages from Mehta. They also seek orders from Onondaga County Supreme Court permanently restraining her from approaching or contacting them, and requiring her to take an anger management program for at least one year.
"I won't stay in that house overnight," Joe Della Santina said. "We're unsafe there."Â
Along with denying that she tried to burn the house down, Mehta said she did not commit any of the acts of harassment described in the lawsuit, including the announcement at the Mandana Inn.
"I do not recall saying that at all. No way," she said. "Absolutely no way I said that."
'She's made up some things'
Mehta is similarly dismissive of her charges. Citing unspecified "federal agents," she said they don't exist. But Onondaga County Senior Assistant District Attorney Michael Manfredi told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» she pleaded guilty to fourth-degree arson on March 22. She received five years of probation instead of prison time because the charge is a nonviolent felony and she had no criminal history, he said.
ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» has submitted a Freedom of Information Law request to the district attorney's office for Mehta's sentencing report, but has not received a response.Â
Onondaga County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Tom Newton told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» there is currently a warrant out for Mehta for violating her probation.
During a July 12 video interview with ÈËÊÞÐÔ½», Mehta indicated she was on the run from the "deep state," a network of powerful forces believed by conspiracy theorists to secretly rule the world.
Mehta accused the Della Santinas of being connected to the deep state through the mafia, again citing unspecified federal sources.
Joe Della Santina laughed off the accusation, calling it defamation that shows her "contempt for the law" and helps his family with their lawsuit against her.
Mehta also believes a lookalike was used to frame her for the crime. But she sometimes acts under hypnosis, she said, due to her participation in an -like government program as a child.
What motivated the deep state to frame Mehta, she said, was her discovery of money laundering and other financial misconduct at New York Life Investments in Jersey City, where she worked from 2018 to 2020. Her brother, , died months after she shared her findings with him, she continued, and several attempts on her life were made in New York City as well.
To corroborate her story, Mehta directed ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» to a former colleague at the company. Asking not to be identified, he denied her claims and said, "She's made up some things in her head."
Mehta detailed the alleged attempts on her life in a letter to Fleming Town Court, where she is currently the subject of a bench warrant for a charge of second-degree aggravated harassment.
On Oct. 21, days before the arson, Mehta is accused of texting "You are all dead," "Your going to be thrown off of this balcony" and "Hey you ugly hick! I'm going to take off all your nailed with plyers" to a recipient whose name was redacted in records the town provided to ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» after a Freedom of Information Law request. She denied sending the texts, which she said are part of a plot by her late husband's children to seize life insurance money from her. Terhune's policy is the subject of in federal court against the family by American General Life Insurance Co.Â
Like in Skaneateles, Mehta said, she believes she's being framed for sending the texts.
"This is an attempt by the deep state to cover up ... my findings of corruption," she said.
- Christopher Malone
- Updated
The downtown Auburn bar known for its wall-to-wall shelves of George Dickel Tennessee Whisky is giving its customers another cool view.
The owners of A.T. Walley & Co. have built a two-level deck behind the cocktail bar, overlooking State Street Plaza. Â
"It's a cool space," owner Bernie Simmons told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½». "The view is amazing."
Simmons, who co-owns A.T. Walley with Jeff Campagnola and Nick Musso, said the idea for the deck came a couple years ago. They originally wanted to buy the State Street property where the plaza was built, previously the Kalet's department store and then the site of a proposed theater. The plaza was completed in 2022.
The owners had to scale back with the deck, they said, but are pleased with how it turned out. It's accessible from State Street, and both levels are 16 by 45 feet. It can host approximately 70 people on a regular night for food service, which Simmons said will begin there next year. For standing-room-only cocktail parties it can accommodate up to 90.Â
The deck will be open from April through October, and there will be outdoor heaters for the cooler days and nights.
Now complete, the deck is being booked for parties and will be used for upcoming events like the bar's second annual Italian Heritage Festival on Saturday, Sept. 14.Â
"We've been talking about the Italian festival longer than the deck," Simmons said.Â
"We'll have food, good music and the Uncle Louie Variety Show, which was a big hit last year," he continued. "Hopefully, if the weather is with us, it'll be a great day."
- ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» staff
- Updated
A Skaneateles man was arrested and charged with DWI on Saturday in Seneca Falls, and faces an additional felony charge under Leandra's Law due to having a child in the vehicle.Â
Andrew C. Russo, 48, was stopped by the town of Seneca Falls Police Department on Ovid Street at about 10 that night, the department said in a news release.
Russo was initially stopped for speeding, police said, and during the stop officers determined that Russo was intoxicated with a child in the vehicle.
Under Leandra's Law, Russo has been charged with the class E felony of aggravated DWI with a child in the vehicle. He has also been charged with DWI with a blood alcohol level of .08 or more, endangering the welfare of a child and speeding in a zone. He was processed and released on an appearance ticket requiring him to return to Seneca Falls Town Court at a later date.
Russo is a Juilliard-trained pianist and Grammy Award nominee who unsuccessfully challenged David Valesky for the 49th New York State Senate District seat in 2010. His Republican candidacy was the subject of as well.
- ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» staff
- Updated
A woman arrested for DWI on Sunday had a blood alcohol content of .37, according to the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Brian Schenck said in a news release Wednesday that Kimberly L. Tanner, 38, of Montezuma, was stopped by deputies at about 8:30 Sunday night after they observed her car traveling north on High Street. It then veered far off the road, striking its passenger-side mirror against a dumpster in the front yard of a residence.
Deputies conducted a traffic stop and charged Tanner with DWI and aggravated DWI, as well as other vehicle and traffic law offenses. Her BAC of .37 was more than four times the current legal limit.
Tanner was transported to the county's Public Safety Building for processing, and released with appearance tickets. She is scheduled to appear in Montezuma Town Court on Aug. 28.
- Robert Harding
- Updated
GEDDES — The much-anticipated baby goat cuddling exhibit at the New York State Fair has been shut down after one of the goats showed symptoms of an illness, according to fair officials.Â
In a statement, the fair said veterinarians from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets "identified a health concern" with one of the baby goats in the exhibit. The veterinarians conducted routine health checks before the exhibit opened to fairgoers Wednesday.
The baby goat, the statement continues, "was exhibiting signs of a viral disease that could potentially be transmitted to other goats in the exhibit."Â
"Out of an abundance of caution for the other animals throughout the fairgrounds, the exhibit has been closed and will not return for the 2024 state fair," fair officials said.Â
The exhibit was operated by Steinmetz Family Farm in Pennsylvania. In a , Justin Steinmetz revealed that the veterinarian believes the goat has symptoms of orf, a virus that causes sores around an animal's mouth. Orf can spread to other animals and humans.Â
The goat, named Monique, will be tested for the virus. Even if the test is negative, Steinmetz said regulations prevent them from returning to the fair this year.Â
Steinmetz and his wife, Lauren, have a large herd of Nigerian dwarf goats. Two years ago, they began taking the goats to fairs, festivals and nursing homes. This year, they decided to bring the goats to the New York State Fair — their largest event yet.Â
The exhibit occupied a large space in the Horticulture Building. Fairgoers would've paid $10 for unlimited cuddling sessions with the goats.Â
"The 13 days that was supposed to change our life — the goat snuggling that was supposed to change other people's lives — is not happening," Steinmetz said. "The investment was tremendous. Tens of thousands of dollars. Hundreds and hundreds of hours of work. We will not see or reap the benefits from that."Â
At the fair and on social media, there was a lot of excitement about the baby goat cuddling exhibit. State officials were also eager to see the goats.Â
But the exhibit never opened to fairgoers. Steinmetz confirmed the veterinarian visited the exhibit one hour before it was scheduled to open.Â
The fair, which opened Wednesday, continues through Labor Day, Sept. 2.Â
More like this...
- David Wilcox
A dispute over a driveway in the town of Skaneateles has escalated into lawsuits, arson and even allegations of a "deep state" conspiracy.Â
In a lawsuit in May, the Della Santina family said that Ritika Mehta, 41, poured an accelerant on the deck of their 2120 Lakeview Lane house and ignited it last October. The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office arrested her at the scene on arson charges. According to the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office, she pleaded guilty in March and was sentenced to five years of probation.
Despite her plea, Mehta denied trying to burn the house down. She told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» she has no memory of doing so, and believes she is being framed for the crime by the "deep state" to discredit her.Â
The Della Santinas, however, say their house's security cameras caught Mehta in the act.
In their lawsuit, the family said the arson was the culmination of a campaign of harassment by Mehta due to a dispute over a driveway she shared with them. She sold her 2111 W. Lake Road house for $622,000 in June, according to Onondaga County property records. It was a part-time residence for her and her husband, , until his Oct. 16 death. She also lives in the Hamptons.
Joe Della Santina, an attorney in the San Francisco area, told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» his family purchased their property in 2022 for seasonal use and a short-term rental business under the name Happy Lake House LLC. But shortly after their purchase, the driveway became a source of tension with Mehta and 11 other neighbors. The Della Santinas filed a separate lawsuit against them all in May, a week apart from the one they filed against her, accusing them of denying the family's right of way over the driveway even though the chain of title to the property includes one-third interest in it.
The dispute got so heated that neighbors James and Sharon Cross threatened to call the sheriff on the Della Santinas if their lawn care workers set foot on the driveway, the family said in that lawsuit.
The Crosses did not respond to requests for comment by ÈËÊÞÐÔ½».
That tension, and footage of Mehta talking with neighbors the day of the crime, is why Joe Della Santina believes someone "put her up to it," he said. To this day, his family has never met her in person.
"It's quite disturbing," he said. "It's had a massive impact on our family."
'I want to kill them all'
The first act of harassment listed by the Della Santinas in their lawsuit happened on Oct. 20.Â
Mehta was heard that day asking at least one employee at the Mandana Inn to "cause some damage" to the family's house, they said in the lawsuit, and adding, "Don't worry, you won't be caught."Â
On Oct. 24, the damage was caused.
The Della Santinas said in the lawsuit that their security cameras first recorded Mehta entering their property from the lakefront that morning with a lifeguard hook in her hand. Climbing atop an air conditioning unit, she used the hook to scrape at one of the cameras and exterior. She then grabbed another camera, stomped on it and threw it into Skaneateles Lake, the family said.
At that point Mehta was arrested and released by the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office for the first of what would be three times that day.
She later returned to the property to throw a bench into the water, the Della Santinas said in the lawsuit. She then left and returned once more, this time by crossing a creek bordering the property. Around that time, the word "Satan" was written on the side of the family's garage in orange paint. They called the graffiti "a particularly hateful act" due to their religious beliefs.
Mehta was arrested and released for the second time after the graffiti, though she did not plead guilty to writing it and the family's cameras did not catch the perpetrator's face.
Then, that evening, Mehta tried to set the family's house on fire.
The Della Santinas said in the lawsuit that Mehta threw "ignition sources" at the flames as they struggled, "demonstrating her clear intent to burn (the family's) home down at all costs." The sheriff's office then arrested and released her for the third time, and discovered the house's telecommunication wires had been cut since a search earlier that day. To the family, that signified her "intent to avert detection and commit her heinous acts that could have resulted in the loss of human life." The family said she returned to the property two days later to take "trophy pictures" of the charred deck.
Mehta posted additional threats on social media after the arson, the family said in the lawsuit, and "announced publicly" at the Mandana Inn, "I want to kill them all."
The Della Santinas have been afraid to even return to Skaneateles ever since, they said. For rendering their house "useless," they seek at least $975,000 in damages from Mehta. They also seek orders from Onondaga County Supreme Court permanently restraining her from approaching or contacting them, and requiring her to take an anger management program for at least one year.
"I won't stay in that house overnight," Joe Della Santina said. "We're unsafe there."Â
Along with denying that she tried to burn the house down, Mehta said she did not commit any of the acts of harassment described in the lawsuit, including the announcement at the Mandana Inn.
"I do not recall saying that at all. No way," she said. "Absolutely no way I said that."
'She's made up some things'
Mehta is similarly dismissive of her charges. Citing unspecified "federal agents," she said they don't exist. But Onondaga County Senior Assistant District Attorney Michael Manfredi told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» she pleaded guilty to fourth-degree arson on March 22. She received five years of probation instead of prison time because the charge is a nonviolent felony and she had no criminal history, he said.
ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» has submitted a Freedom of Information Law request to the district attorney's office for Mehta's sentencing report, but has not received a response.Â
Onondaga County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Tom Newton told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» there is currently a warrant out for Mehta for violating her probation.
During a July 12 video interview with ÈËÊÞÐÔ½», Mehta indicated she was on the run from the "deep state," a network of powerful forces believed by conspiracy theorists to secretly rule the world.
Mehta accused the Della Santinas of being connected to the deep state through the mafia, again citing unspecified federal sources.
Joe Della Santina laughed off the accusation, calling it defamation that shows her "contempt for the law" and helps his family with their lawsuit against her.
Mehta also believes a lookalike was used to frame her for the crime. But she sometimes acts under hypnosis, she said, due to her participation in an -like government program as a child.
What motivated the deep state to frame Mehta, she said, was her discovery of money laundering and other financial misconduct at New York Life Investments in Jersey City, where she worked from 2018 to 2020. Her brother, , died months after she shared her findings with him, she continued, and several attempts on her life were made in New York City as well.
To corroborate her story, Mehta directed ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» to a former colleague at the company. Asking not to be identified, he denied her claims and said, "She's made up some things in her head."
Mehta detailed the alleged attempts on her life in a letter to Fleming Town Court, where she is currently the subject of a bench warrant for a charge of second-degree aggravated harassment.
On Oct. 21, days before the arson, Mehta is accused of texting "You are all dead," "Your going to be thrown off of this balcony" and "Hey you ugly hick! I'm going to take off all your nailed with plyers" to a recipient whose name was redacted in records the town provided to ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» after a Freedom of Information Law request. She denied sending the texts, which she said are part of a plot by her late husband's children to seize life insurance money from her. Terhune's policy is the subject of in federal court against the family by American General Life Insurance Co.Â
Like in Skaneateles, Mehta said, she believes she's being framed for sending the texts.
"This is an attempt by the deep state to cover up ... my findings of corruption," she said.
- Christopher Malone
The downtown Auburn bar known for its wall-to-wall shelves of George Dickel Tennessee Whisky is giving its customers another cool view.
The owners of A.T. Walley & Co. have built a two-level deck behind the cocktail bar, overlooking State Street Plaza. Â
"It's a cool space," owner Bernie Simmons told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½». "The view is amazing."
Simmons, who co-owns A.T. Walley with Jeff Campagnola and Nick Musso, said the idea for the deck came a couple years ago. They originally wanted to buy the State Street property where the plaza was built, previously the Kalet's department store and then the site of a proposed theater. The plaza was completed in 2022.
The owners had to scale back with the deck, they said, but are pleased with how it turned out. It's accessible from State Street, and both levels are 16 by 45 feet. It can host approximately 70 people on a regular night for food service, which Simmons said will begin there next year. For standing-room-only cocktail parties it can accommodate up to 90.Â
The deck will be open from April through October, and there will be outdoor heaters for the cooler days and nights.
Now complete, the deck is being booked for parties and will be used for upcoming events like the bar's second annual Italian Heritage Festival on Saturday, Sept. 14.Â
"We've been talking about the Italian festival longer than the deck," Simmons said.Â
"We'll have food, good music and the Uncle Louie Variety Show, which was a big hit last year," he continued. "Hopefully, if the weather is with us, it'll be a great day."
- ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» staff
A Skaneateles man was arrested and charged with DWI on Saturday in Seneca Falls, and faces an additional felony charge under Leandra's Law due to having a child in the vehicle.Â
Andrew C. Russo, 48, was stopped by the town of Seneca Falls Police Department on Ovid Street at about 10 that night, the department said in a news release.
Russo was initially stopped for speeding, police said, and during the stop officers determined that Russo was intoxicated with a child in the vehicle.
Under Leandra's Law, Russo has been charged with the class E felony of aggravated DWI with a child in the vehicle. He has also been charged with DWI with a blood alcohol level of .08 or more, endangering the welfare of a child and speeding in a zone. He was processed and released on an appearance ticket requiring him to return to Seneca Falls Town Court at a later date.
Russo is a Juilliard-trained pianist and Grammy Award nominee who unsuccessfully challenged David Valesky for the 49th New York State Senate District seat in 2010. His Republican candidacy was the subject of as well.
- ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» staff
A woman arrested for DWI on Sunday had a blood alcohol content of .37, according to the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff Brian Schenck said in a news release Wednesday that Kimberly L. Tanner, 38, of Montezuma, was stopped by deputies at about 8:30 Sunday night after they observed her car traveling north on High Street. It then veered far off the road, striking its passenger-side mirror against a dumpster in the front yard of a residence.
Deputies conducted a traffic stop and charged Tanner with DWI and aggravated DWI, as well as other vehicle and traffic law offenses. Her BAC of .37 was more than four times the current legal limit.
Tanner was transported to the county's Public Safety Building for processing, and released with appearance tickets. She is scheduled to appear in Montezuma Town Court on Aug. 28.
- Robert Harding
GEDDES — The much-anticipated baby goat cuddling exhibit at the New York State Fair has been shut down after one of the goats showed symptoms of an illness, according to fair officials.Â
In a statement, the fair said veterinarians from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets "identified a health concern" with one of the baby goats in the exhibit. The veterinarians conducted routine health checks before the exhibit opened to fairgoers Wednesday.
The baby goat, the statement continues, "was exhibiting signs of a viral disease that could potentially be transmitted to other goats in the exhibit."Â
"Out of an abundance of caution for the other animals throughout the fairgrounds, the exhibit has been closed and will not return for the 2024 state fair," fair officials said.Â
The exhibit was operated by Steinmetz Family Farm in Pennsylvania. In a , Justin Steinmetz revealed that the veterinarian believes the goat has symptoms of orf, a virus that causes sores around an animal's mouth. Orf can spread to other animals and humans.Â
The goat, named Monique, will be tested for the virus. Even if the test is negative, Steinmetz said regulations prevent them from returning to the fair this year.Â
Steinmetz and his wife, Lauren, have a large herd of Nigerian dwarf goats. Two years ago, they began taking the goats to fairs, festivals and nursing homes. This year, they decided to bring the goats to the New York State Fair — their largest event yet.Â
The exhibit occupied a large space in the Horticulture Building. Fairgoers would've paid $10 for unlimited cuddling sessions with the goats.Â
"The 13 days that was supposed to change our life — the goat snuggling that was supposed to change other people's lives — is not happening," Steinmetz said. "The investment was tremendous. Tens of thousands of dollars. Hundreds and hundreds of hours of work. We will not see or reap the benefits from that."Â
At the fair and on social media, there was a lot of excitement about the baby goat cuddling exhibit. State officials were also eager to see the goats.Â
But the exhibit never opened to fairgoers. Steinmetz confirmed the veterinarian visited the exhibit one hour before it was scheduled to open.Â
The fair, which opened Wednesday, continues through Labor Day, Sept. 2.Â
