HEADLINES: 6 charged with sex trafficking, man rescued from mine, Poughkeepsie schools open

Here are some stories making headlines across the Hudson Valley.

News 12 Staff

Dec 15, 2021, 11:29 AM

Updated 1,034 days ago

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Here are some stories making headlines across the Hudson Valley.
Six people, including a 48-year-old Brewster village police officer, face federal charges in a sex trafficking and bribery scheme, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn. Wayne Pfeiffer, of Highland, allegedly accepted free sexual services in exchange for protecting members of a sex trafficking organization from arrest by law enforcement. The Queens-based organization has allegedly been engaged in the sex trafficking of young women and minor girls since 2002. Messages left with the Brewster Village Police Department on Pfeiffer's status have not been returned
Crews in Dutchess County responded to a call about someone trapped in a mine in Wingdale on Tuesday. Officials say they were told a boulder dislodged from the mine's wall, landing on machinery the victim had been using. Once rescued, the 40-year-old was airlifted to Westchester Medical Center with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Students are back in class today after a power outage at the middle school in Poughkeepsie led to a false report of shots fired on campus on Tuesday. Parents and grandparents that were picking up their kids from Poughkeepsie Middle School told News 12 that they were relieved to find out there wasn't a school shooting. A large area of the city, including the middle and high school, was impacted by the outage. School administrators say a middle school student called his parents shortly before 1:30 p.m. as this was going on, afraid because he thought he heard gunshots inside the building. The parent then alerted police. As a result, police agencies from the area investigated and found that a shooting did not happen. Police helped with dismissal as parents and other family members waited to bring their kids home. This incident comes after gunfire rang out outside of the high school last month, which led to the school being closed for a few days as administrators worked to create a safe learning environment for all.