A 19-year-old Albany man is being held without bail after police say they spent three months tracking him down for a gunpoint robbery on Sheridan Avenue, only to find two handguns during a search of his residence. Deahvyaire Williams now faces a felony robbery charge and two separate weapons counts, and he's due back in court on Tuesday.
According to Newport Dispatch, officers responded to the 200 block of Sheridan Avenue near Lark Street at about 8:20 p.m. on June 30 after a suspect pointed a handgun at an 18-year-old victim, demanded money, and fled with the victim's cash. No injuries were reported in the robbery. The stretch of Sheridan Avenue where it happened sits in Albany's Sheridan Hollow neighborhood, an urban pocket that connects the Lark Street commercial strip to downtown, according to background compiled on Wikipedia.
Three-Month Investigation Leads Across Town
Williams wasn't picked up until October 1, when the Albany Police Department's Criminal Investigation Unit, working alongside a U.S. Marshals Service task force, executed a search warrant at a residence on North Manning Boulevard near Third Street. That location sits in Albany's West Hill neighborhood, per details from Apartment List. The operation brought together local police and a U.S. Marshals Service task force.
The Criminal Investigation Unit is part of the Detective Division, which supports other agencies, according to information published by the City of Albany. During the October 1 search, officers recovered two handguns from the North Manning Boulevard apartment, the newspaper's report notes, evidence that led prosecutors to tack on weapons charges alongside the original robbery count.
Charges Carry Mandatory Prison Time
Williams was arraigned in Albany City Criminal Court on October 1 and remanded to the Albany County jail. He faces one count of Robbery in the First Degree, a Class B felony under New York Penal Law that applies when a suspect forcibly steals property while displaying or threatening a firearm.
He also faces two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, which includes possession of a loaded firearm, with an exception for possession in a home or place of business subject to stated exceptions. The two counts are Class C felonies. Williams faces separate weapons counts alongside the robbery charge, and officers recovered two handguns during the search.
Williams is scheduled to return to court on Tuesday, October 6. Whether either of the two seized handguns ties back to the June 30 robbery, or to any other unsolved case in the Capital Region, remains an open question for investigators as the case moves forward.
