COLONIE, N.Y. (WNYT) – A man from Georgia is in custody after he allegedly had a gun in his car at Siena University.

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According to Colonie Police, officers responded to Siena University on May 1 for reports of a suspicious vehicle. Police say an unauthorized vehicle had been on campus and that someone in the vehicle had displayed a rifle.

Upon arrival, police determined the vehicle was no longer on campus. After interviewing witnesses, police say that a rifle was spotted but not displayed in a threatening or menacing manner. Police add there was no threat made to any Siena student or the campus community.

After an investigation, police located the vehicle parked and unoccupied at the LaQuinta Inn and Suites at 833 Loudon Road. Police say an AR-15 style rifle was in plain view in the front seat. Both the rifle and the attached magazine are illegal to possess under state law, according to the department.

According to Colonie Police, three suspects were located inside the hotel and taken into custody. After conducting interviews, police say Michael Sanchez, 20, from Forest Park, GA, possessed the rifle.

Sanchez was arrested and charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a weapon on school grounds, and criminal possession of a firearm. He was sent to the Albany County Correctional Facility with bail set at $25,000 cash.

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The two other occupants of the vehicle were not charged with crimes.

Siena University also sent a statement to NewsChannel 13 regarding the incident:
“Following a report Friday night to Siena Public Safety of a suspicious vehicle on campus, Public Safety and Colonie Police acted immediately to identify and apprehend the individuals involved. A suspect was taken into custody off campus by the Colonie Police.

At no point during the incident was any threat made to any Siena student, or to the Siena University campus. Public Safety kept the campus updated throughout the incident in real time via the Siena Alert System.

Siena University’s Public Safety thanks the Colonie Police and the Capital District Crime Analysis Center for their swift response and assistance during this incident.”

An elderly man offered a smirk for his mugshot after being arrested in a caught-on-camera hit-and-run involving a cyclist group.

Jerry Wayne Ross, 72, faces charges for an alleged hit-and-run with his Honda Pilot, all caught on video, on April 23 in Cherokee County, Georgia, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.

The North Georgia Cycling Association was on its weekly Thursday night ride when the driver was accused of driving up on the group in a suspected road rage incident.

One rider, identified as Richard Collins, the leader of the group, told Fox 5 Atlanta the black SUV tailed the group and laid down the horn.

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“Just excessive,” he told the outlet. “Didn’t let off the horn.”

The incident was caught on camera as the black Honda Pilot allegedly struck the cyclists after the driver honked at them.

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The group of cyclists, who fell after the clash, collided into the side of the SUV and fell onto the pavement.

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“I turned to my left to see it at that moment that vehicle was on my left leg,” Collins said.

In the video, the vehicle speeds away.

Collins said he sustained road rash on his shoulder, elbow and knee and was treated by paramedics who were called. He later visited an orthopedist who discovered a fracture of his lower spine.

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Cherokee County Sheriff’s officials arrested Ross at a neighbor’s house nearby. Ross faces six charges, including hit-and-run, aggressive driving and failing to maintain a safe distance from a bicycle.

“I just hope this experience will raise awareness to the rules of the road for cyclists and how drivers should allow for the 3 feet distance in safe passing,” Collins said.

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In a statement, the North Georgia Cycling Association thanked law enforcement and emergency services for “their swift response and professionalism.”

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“We encourage all road users to follow the rules of the road, stay alert and respect one another. Sharing the road responsibly helps keep everyone safe,” the group said. 

“We also encourage everyone to treat one another with care, patience and kindness — on and off the road. Most importantly, we are thankful that those involved made it home safely to their loved ones.”

To better serve county employees and streamline processes, the DeKalb County, Ga. Human Resources and Merit System (DeKalb HR) moved its quarterly policy council meetings online. The shift to digital has boosted attendance and made the meetings more efficient by enabling chat-based Q&A and real-time issue tracking, according to Jadia Haynes, the DeKalb County interim Human Resources director. 

Since the DeKalb County Department of Human Resources and Merit System-led policy council moved online, there has been a 50% reduction in grievances, a 67% increase in meeting participation and a 50% improvement in Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) processing efficiency for 6,600 employees, according to county data. 

DeKalb County has 45 departments, with more than 200 locations across the county where staff work, so many people who would otherwise want to attend the meetings when they were in-person were unable to, according to Katherine Furlong, interim deputy director, DeKalb County Human Resources Information Systems Division. 

Between the length of the actual meeting and the time it took to commute there and back, it could take up to three hours out of some people’s days, noted Haynes. 

County survey feedback shows 88% of department liaisons feel more informed and aligned with human resource policies after participating in a policy council meeting. Since shifting the meetings online, attendance has increased from an average of 75 people to 126.

“This gives the employees a lot more flexibility,” Haynes said. “So now the time commitment is a lot less, and more people can participate.”

The meetings are much more efficient and interactive now, as people can submit questions through Zoom’s chat feature, said Furlong. 

People share more often with the comment feature, which Haynes attributes to people feeling more comfortable typing a message vs. speaking up in-person or on camera. 

Policy council participants include directors, deputy directors, managers and department administrators. Utilizing Zoom enables the human resources department to review meetings to better inform the process and make improvements moving forward, Haynes said. 

“We can go back and check the chat too, and see what types of questions people ask, so we can make sure we can follow up to ensure that we’ve addressed them,” Furlong said. “If we don’t address them verbally in the meeting, we say, ‘OK, we’ll take that as an action item and come back and make sure we give that back to the team.’”

Human Resources has received “rave reviews” from county employees regarding the shift to virtual, Haynes noted. 

According to Kevin Buford, DeKalb County Parks and Recreation’s deputy director, the new structure has been “so valuable and useful.”

“We would be totally lost without this policy council,” said Debra DeBerry, DeKalb County Clerk of Superior Court.