State Police discover bench warrants, drugs in Claverack arrests

Two men were arrested by State Police Wednesday evening after they allegedly left the scene of an accident in the town of Claverack and were later found at a gas station with drugs in their possession.

A state trooper was called to the scene of a personal injury auto accident on State Route 23 near the intersection of County Route 11 at around 9:30 p.m., and found that two passengers had left the scene, police said.

The men, 21-year-old Johnathan Labounty and 21-year-old Jeremiah Hoyt, were located at a nearby gas station. Troopers discovered Labounty had an arrest warrant for petit larceny out of the State Police agency at Kinderhook, and that Hoyt had left the scene and had a bench warrant for criminal trespass out of the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.

After both were arrested, police found 11 grams of marijuana, 2 methadone pills and two oxycodone pills in Labounty's pocket.

Labounty was arraigned in the Town of Livingston Court and sent to jail without bail. Hoyt was turned over to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office for processing.

The woman driving the vehicle carrying Labounty and Hoyt, 35-year-old Violet Yates, was issued a speeding ticket.