Submitted by Dan Degear, DeRuyter Town Supervisor
(DeRuyter, NY – Feb. 2015) The Town of DeRuyter is thankful to the many agencies responding to the hostage situation occurring on Best Road in the Town of DeRuyter the evening of Jan. 28, 2015. A total of 13 agencies responded providing both police support and background support to those actively involved with the situation.
The incident involving a young man, Eric Duncan, 26, of DeRuyter and female victim began in the Town of Cuyler (Cortland County) where Duncan reportedly took his victim against her will and traveled on foot to a seasonal home on Best Road in the Town of DeRuyter. Duncan’s victim escaped during a stand-off with police. Police later found Duncan deceased in the residence. DeRuyter Town Supervisor Dan Degear states, “Regardless of the circumstances, it is always tragic to lose a young life. Our community is extremely fortunate, however, that Mr. Duncan’s victim made it out safely and that no other lives were lost as a result of this situation.”
Agencies involved either directly on the scene or through background support include: Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Cortland County Sheriff’s Office, Chenango County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office Air One, Cazenovia Police Department, Smith’s Ambulance, DeRuyter Fire Department, DeRuyter Fire Ladies Auxiliary, Madison County Highway Department, Town of DeRuyter Highway Department, Town of DeRuyter Clerk’s Office, and DeRuyter Central School. “The DeRuyter community is thankful to all who worked tirelessly in frigid conditions in an effort to protect us from harm and to bring the situation to an end,” says Degear, “I also want to thank those who assisted by supporting those on the scene by important actions, such as preparing coffee and food or refueling vehicles. This was a team effort by many agencies and the entire DeRuyter community thanks you all.”
A work-group consisting of leaders from the towns of DeRuyter, Cuyler, and Lincklaen along with leaders from Village of DeRuyter, DeRuyter Central School, and local fire departments have met periodically in recent years to better prepare for emergency situations. The work-group recognizes that rural communities are not exempt from emergency situations and works to keep lines of communication open between their respective organizations.
Degear and his family was at DeRuyter Central School on Wednesday evening when the building went into lock-down as the situation unfolded. Together Degear and School Superintendent, Charles Walters, immediately began working with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office and were in communication with Village of DeRuyter Mayor Nancy Parkhurst and DeRuyter Fire Chief Ed Coon.
Degear attributes open dialog and cooperation between the local agencies to the efforts of the work-group. The work-group will meet in the coming weeks to debrief on the incident.