Police arrest suspect in home invasion assault

TOWN OF NEWBURGH – Town Police in Newburgh Tuesday evening arrested a Newburgh man as a suspect in a serious burglary that occurred early that morning.

Sterling Banks, 55, of Liberty Street in the City of Newburgh, was stopped by officers near route 9W and the city line just after 9 p.m. after they noticed he fit the description of a burglary suspect from that morning.

Banks, a prison parolee, was found in possession of credit cards and identification stolen during the burglary that occurred around 6 a.m. on Grand Avenue. A female resident came face to face with the burglar and was assaulted before the suspect fled with cash, a wallet and other items. She was treated for head injuries and later released from St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital.

On Wednesday morning, police executed a search warrant at Bank’s home and recovered evidence and items stolen during the burglary. He was initially charged after allegedly using the stolen credit cards to make purchases on Tuesday. Police charged him with five counts of criminal possession of stolen property, one count of criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree, and two counts each of petit larceny, forgery and attempted petit larceny.

He was not charged with the actual burglary. The investigation is continuing. Banks was arraigned and remanded to the Orange County Jail on $50,000 bail.