Alleged Incident at Yorktown Sober Home Alarms Neighbors
Yorktown Police Chief Daniel McMahon said Friday an investigation into an alleged case of sexual abuse at a sober home on Underhill Avenue has been closed and no charges are being brought.
A small group of neighbors of the Constellations Recovery facility at 482 Underhill Avenue requested to meet with the Yorktown Town Board to get details about what occurred on October 27 when two police cars were seen in the driveway of the home.
McMahon reported Friday during a special gathering set up by Supervisor Michael Grace at Town Hall that police received a call October 27 at 4:16 p.m. from a male subject who claimed his mother had been sexually abused a few weeks earlier by an employee at the sober home. Police later learned three separate incidents allegedly occurred between September 15 and 30.
After further investigation, which involved phone records and interviews with witnesses, McMahon said “none of it collaborated what the victim had said,” and the Westchester District Attorney’s Office declined to press charges.
“We investigated it thoroughly. There were several deficiencies in this case,” McMahon said. “There was no evidence to substantiate a crime other than statements of the victim. Both of the subjects were consenting adults. The facts did not prove her side and they did not prove his side.”
One of the owners of the sober home, Thomas McCrossan, and his son, Devin, founder of Constellations Recovery, vehemently objected to the case being aired in public and stormed out of the meeting prior to McMahon’s briefing, but later returned and listened intently from the back.
“This is a police matter, not a neighborhood matter,” Thomas McCrossan contended. “It’s very hard for us not to be upset. We don’t bother anyone.”
McCrossan noted the resident who made the allegation voluntarily left the facility, but the employee who he said had 30 years of experience working with people in recovery still worked at Constellations Recovery.
Grace said he called the meeting as a courtesy to neighbors who the board promised they would keep abreast of activities at the sober home.
“It’s not uncommon to do this when there is a concern in a neighborhood,” Grace said. “It’s protection for you and your operation and protection for our citizens. You have to accept it. It’s the nature of the beast. It’s not unusual in a small town like this.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/