A routine traffic stop outside Marshalls in Monticello turned into anything but routine when a Walden man allegedly resisted deputies trying to detain him, leaving a Sullivan County sheriff's deputy with a knee injury and the driver facing a stack of charges, according to authorities.
Deputies say they pulled over 50-year-old David Monastersky on Wednesday and accused him of driving with a suspended license. He is now charged and scheduled to appear in Town of Thompson Court on July 27.
How deputies say the stop unfolded
The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office said deputies initially tried to handle the stop with an appearance ticket and let Monastersky go, but they allege he refused to provide the basic information needed to complete the report and then became combative.
As deputies moved to take him into custody, a struggle broke out. During that confrontation, one deputy suffered a knee injury, according to the sheriff's office.
Monastersky was arrested on charges that authorities say include felony assault, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, criminal mischief, obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest. He was brought to the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office for processing, then released under New York's bail reform laws, as reported by Daily Voice.
Released under state bail rules
Monastersky's release after processing tracks with New York's post-2019 bail reforms, which generally limit when judges can require cash bail and encourage release on recognizance or other non-monetary conditions for many offenses. As the New York State Bar Association notes, the law still allows judges to set bail or detain a defendant in certain qualifying situations.
What to expect next
Monastersky, 50, is due back in Town of Thompson Court on July 27. The sheriff's office said the deputy who injured a knee during the struggle is recovering, and prosecutors are reviewing the case ahead of the court date.
