Kingston man indicted for Ulster Co. Jail contraband

KINGSTON, N.Y. ( NEWS10 )– A Kingston man was indicted for allegedly smuggling drugs into Ulster County Jail on Thursday, June 13. The Ulster County District Attorney’s Office said Peter Bonavita, 49, on the same day of his sentence to four and a half years in prison for drug dealing, was also sentenced to one to three years for conspiracy to distribute drugs in Ulster County Jail.

Bonavita pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and fourth-degree conspiracy in March. Before being sent to state prison, while in Ulster County Jail, correctional officers concealed contraband inside his body, and he was put on one-on-watch.

After four days, police recovered the contraband, which was a synthetic cannabinoid. Bonavita was arraigned Wednesday, June 26, on charges of first-degree promoting prison contraband and faces an additional three and a half to seven years in prison.

Ulster County Corrections Superintendent Anthony Maggio said anyone who brings contraband into the jail will be treated with the utmost seriousness to the fullest extent of the law. “The smuggling of any contraband, drugs and/or synthetic cannabinoid is not considered just a minor infraction within our facility’s walls—it is extremely dangerous, which must be taken seriously to protect the security and well-being of all incarcerated individuals and staff,” he said.

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