State Police say a Sept. 29 traffic stop led to a pursuit, a collision with a patrol vehicle and felony and misdemeanor charges.
A Columbia County police pursuit ended with the arrest of a 50-year-old Florida woman after she allegedly struck a New York State Police patrol vehicle while trying to flee, authorities said. Angelina J. Lopez, of Lake Wales, faces a felony criminal mischief charge and several misdemeanor charges following the Sept. 29 incident.
State Police announced the arrest in a Sept. 30 release. Troopers said the incident began with an attempted traffic stop in Kinderhook and ended after the Volkswagen briefly stopped at an intersection in Livingston. Lopez was released on an appearance ticket and is due in Town of Livingston Court at a later date, according to police.
The charges are allegations. Lopez is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The account below is based on the State Police release; no independent witness account or defense response was available in the material reviewed.
How the Columbia County police pursuit unfolded
At about 1:48 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, State Police in Chatham attempted to stop a 2024 Volkswagen on State Route 9H in the Town of Kinderhook. The release describes the reason for the stop as a violation of New York’s Vehicle and Traffic Law. It does not identify the specific violation.
Police identified Lopez as the driver. They allege that she did not comply with the attempted stop and that troopers began a pursuit. The release provides the starting road and the intersection where the vehicle later stopped, but it does not describe the full route between those locations.
The Volkswagen came to a brief stop at State Route 9 and County Route 19 in the Town of Livingston, according to police. Troopers said Lopez then tried to leave and struck a State Police patrol vehicle with the Volkswagen.
“Lopez subsequently attempted to flee the scene,” the release states.
Police said she was taken into custody. They did not provide a detailed account of how the arrest was completed or describe what happened immediately after the alleged collision.
Key points in the police account
- Attempted stop: About 1:48 p.m. on Sept. 29, on Route 9H in Kinderhook.
- Pursuit: Troopers said the driver failed to comply with the stop.
- Brief stop: The vehicle stopped at Route 9 and County Route 19 in Livingston.
- Alleged collision: Police said the Volkswagen struck a patrol vehicle during another attempt to flee.
- Arrest and release: Lopez was charged and released with a future court appearance required.
What charges were announced?
The State Police release lists one felony charge and seven misdemeanor counts, including two counts of reckless endangerment. It also lists additional traffic violations without naming or counting them.
- Criminal mischief in the second degree: Class D felony.
- Unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle in the third degree: Class A misdemeanor.
- Reckless endangerment in the second degree: Two counts, each a Class A misdemeanor.
- Obstructing governmental administration in the second degree: Class A misdemeanor.
- Resisting arrest: Class A misdemeanor.
- Operating a motor vehicle while ability impaired by drugs: Unclassified misdemeanor.
- Reckless driving: Unclassified misdemeanor.
- Additional Vehicle and Traffic Law violations: The release does not specify them.
These are the charges as reported by State Police. Their inclusion in a police announcement does not establish that the alleged conduct occurred. The release also does not explain the evidence supporting each separate charge.
Understanding the felony property-damage charge
Under New York Penal Law Section 145.10, second-degree criminal mischief involves intentionally damaging another person’s property, without a right or reasonable basis to believe there is a right to do so, in an amount exceeding $1,500. The statute classifies the offense as a Class D felony.
That is the legal definition, not an independent finding about this incident. The police release does not provide a repair estimate for the patrol vehicle. It also does not describe the damage or present the evidence on which the felony charge rests.
What the drug-impaired driving charge does—and does not—tell readers
Police charged Lopez with operating a motor vehicle while ability impaired by drugs. The announcement does not identify a substance, describe testing, report test results or say whether drugs were recovered.
Those missing details matter. Readers should not infer a specific drug, a test result or a drug-possession charge from the impaired-driving allegation. None of those details appears in the release reviewed for this report.
What does release on an appearance ticket mean?
An appearance ticket is a written notice directing a person to appear in a designated local criminal court at a future time in connection with an alleged offense. That definition comes from New York Criminal Procedure Law Section 150.10.
State Police said Lopez was released on such a ticket and is scheduled to return to Town of Livingston Court. The release does not give the date or time of that appearance.
Release on an appearance ticket does not resolve the allegations. It is a step in the court process, rather than a finding of guilt or innocence. The announcement does not report a plea, a conviction or any final disposition of the charges.
Questions the release leaves unanswered
The announcement establishes what police allege and which charges they reported. It leaves several details unaddressed:
- The specific traffic violation that prompted the attempted stop.
- The pursuit’s duration, distance and speeds.
- Whether anyone was injured.
- The extent of damage to either vehicle.
- The evidence supporting the drug-impaired driving allegation.
- The names and number of additional traffic violations.
- The next court date and any response from Lopez or an attorney.
The absence of an injury report should not be read as confirmation that nobody was hurt. Likewise, the release’s brief account is not enough to draw conclusions about why the driver allegedly failed to stop or why the pursuit unfolded as described.
Follow the court process and verified updates
This report concerns an incident in Columbia County. The release does not identify a connection to Utica or Oneida County. Its relevance to readers following statewide public safety is the reported sequence of an attempted traffic stop, a pursuit, an alleged collision and pending charges.
For further information, the release lists the State Police Troop K public information office at 845-677-7430 and kpio@troopers.ny.gov. Readers following the case should look for a confirmed court date and subsequent official updates, while keeping the allegations separate from any eventual court findings.
