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JoAnn B. Schields

Age : 52

Gender : Female

Race : White

Date : 10/29/2021

Location : State Route 52 near Old Town Road

City : Montgomery

County : Orange

State : New York

Agency : Town of Montgomery Police Department, Village of Walden Police Department

Officer(s) :Not disclosed

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Driver killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
At approximately 10:25 p.m., police received a 911 call reporting an erratic driver traveling north on State Route 52 in the Town of Newburgh. Witness Lynn Conklin reported seeing the Jeep traveling below the speed limit, repeatedly crossing from its lane toward the opposite side of the roadway and nearly striking at least five vehicles. Walden Police located the Jeep on Main Street and conducted a traffic stop; Town of Montgomery Police arrived to assist.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 10/29/2021, at approximately 10:25 p.m., Walden Police stopped a 2018 Jeep Wrangler driven by 52-year-old Joann B. Schields after the 911 report of erratic driving. As Walden and Montgomery officers approached the stopped Jeep, Schields drove away westbound on Route 52 and police escalated a pursuit.
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The pursuit continued only a short distance before the Jeep crossed the centerline and struck an eastbound 2013 Toyota RAV4 head-on near Old Town Road. Thirty-five-year-old Elizabeth Bello was driving the Toyota with two of her children, ages 16 and 6, riding with her. Bello was pronounced dead at the scene. Both children were transported to Garnet Health Medical Center with injuries; later reporting described them as suffering broken bones and said they were expected to survive. Schields was transported to a hospital and also died.
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Bello had celebrated her 35th birthday only eight days before she was killed. She was a mother of three and a well-known KeyBank manager who had worked at several branches in Orange County. Friends and coworkers described her as particularly committed to helping other people succeed professionally and personally. She was proud of her Mexican heritage and was remembered as an uplifting and encouraging presence in the lives of her family, coworkers and friends.
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Her husband, Jose Martinez, described Elizabeth as a loving and protective mother whose three children were her central motivation in life. Two of those children were physically injured in the same police pursuit crash that killed their mother.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
2 Fatalities, 2 Injuries.
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EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Witness Lynn Conklin was the person who initially called 911 after seeing Schields driving erratically and nearly striking multiple vehicles before police caught up with her. Elizabeth's husband, Jose Martinez, subsequently described his wife as an uplifting, supportive and caring mother devoted to protecting and providing for their three children.
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DISPOSITION:
New York State Police investigated the collision, and the New York Attorney General's Office of Special Investigation opened an investigation because the two deaths occurred during a police pursuit. OSI subsequently closed its investigation with the determination that an officer did not cause the deaths. No officer was criminally charged for the officer's role in initiating or continuing the pursuit.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
The Village of Walden and Town of Montgomery officers involved in the traffic stop and pursuit were not publicly identified in the records located.
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LITIGATION:
None found.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.recordonline.com/news/walden-fatal-crash-during-pursuit/
https://www.timesunion.com/projects/2024/police-pursuits/
https://hudsonvalley.news12.com/2-killed-2-injured-in-walden-police-chase-crash
https://hudsonvalleypress.com/2021/11/03/state-police-are-investigating-a-double-fatal-accident/
https://patch.com/new-york/midhudsonvalley/2-killed-orange-county-crash
https://hudsonvalleypost.com/2-dead-2-injured-in-head-on-crash-in-hudson-valley-on-ny-52/
https://fatalencounters.org/view/person/victim/9e8b749d/
https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/media/publications/New_York_State_Office_of_the_Attorney_General-Second_Annual_Report__Oct._2022.pdf
GoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/helping-the-martinezbello-family