A 75-year-old Montour Falls man is facing felony assault and reckless endangerment charges after allegedly firing multiple shots at someone trying to flee a domestic disturbance at a Town of Montour residence, authorities say. Deputies and state troopers spent about 20 minutes negotiating with Kevin M. Voorhees before taking him into custody without further incident.
According to the Finger Lakes Daily News, the Schuyler County Sheriff's Office released a booking photo of Voorhees following his arrest. Deputies were called to the residence around 9 p.m. on Monday after a domestic disturbance broke out, and investigators say Voorhees pointed a firearm at the victim before firing multiple shots in their direction as the victim attempted to leave the area in a vehicle, according to Fingerlakes1.com.
New York State Police troopers responded alongside Schuyler County deputies to the residence, where Voorhees was reportedly armed, per authorities. Negotiators spent roughly 20 minutes working to safely secure him before he was taken into custody. The Schuyler County Criminal Investigations Division assisted with the broader investigation into the shooting.
Charges Carry Steep Potential Penalties
Voorhees was charged with first-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, and second-degree menacing, according to the same report. Under New York Penal Law Section 120.10, first-degree assault is a Class B violent felony carrying a mandatory state prison sentence of five to 25 years upon conviction, according to the New York State Senate.
The reckless endangerment charge, under Penal Law Section 120.25, is a Class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison, and applies when someone's conduct shows depraved indifference to human life that creates a grave risk of death, regardless of whether anyone was actually hurt. The menacing charge, a Class A misdemeanor under Section 120.14, covers intentionally instilling fear of injury or death through use of a weapon and carries a potential sentence of up to 364 days in jail or up to three years of probation.
The sheriff's office did not provide information about whether anyone was injured in the incident or the amount of bail set, the station's report notes. Voorhees was remanded on bail following his arraignment, per the sheriff's office.
Why the Case Went to Centralized Arraignment
Because the arrest happened around 9 p.m., Voorhees was held for arraignment in Schuyler County's Centralized Arraignment Part, which operates out of the Sheriff's Office facility in Watkins Glen specifically to handle off-hours cases with rotating judges, public defenders, and prosecutors on call, as reported by Fingerlakes1.com in 2020. A 2022 state report on indigent legal services found the county's centralized court system had eliminated overnight arraignment coverage gaps, recording zero missed defense representation occurrences over a two-year stretch, per the NYS Office of Indigent Legal Services.
The Town of Montour, like many rural municipalities in Schuyler County, has no municipal police department of its own and relies on the Sheriff's Office as its primary law enforcement agency, according to a 2021 county public safety reform report from the Schuyler County Police Reform Collaborative. That structure is why both county deputies and New York State Police troopers responded jointly to the scene.
Felony domestic violence cases in Schuyler County are prosecuted through the county District Attorney's Office, which has used state Violence Against Women grant funding to support specialized prosecution efforts, according to historical county legislative records.
The specific relationship between Voorhees and the victim, along with whether anyone sustained injuries, remains unclear based on currently available information. Voorhees' charges remain allegations at this stage, and the case will proceed through Schuyler County court.
