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EXPLORING CHERRY VALLEY’s business, farm landscapes, page 2 VISIT www.ALLOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Volume 218, No. 14
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, April 2, 2026
Undocumented Man Arrested in Oneonta for Alleged Child Porn Possession, Distribution
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ONEONTA 20-year-old man is accused of possessing and posting online child sexual abuse material. According to the Otsego County Sheriff’s Office, Diego Jose Hernandez Martinez was arrested on March 26 on seven counts of Possessing an Obscene Sexual Performance by a Child and 32 counts of Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Child. The Sheriff’s Office said Martinez is an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador.
The Sheriff’s Office press release said that on February 4 their investigators were “assigned seven individual Cyber Tips that were received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The Electronic Service Providers of Google and X.AI reported to NCMEC that suspected Child Sexual Abuse Material had been uploaded to their servers.” “With the assistance of the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, investigators executed multiple search warrants which identified the defendant as the individual responsible for uploading the Child Sexual Continued on page 8
Mike Stalter To Seek Independent Line in November Race By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
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MILFORD ike Stalter, a former sheriff’s deputy who is challenging his old boss Sheriff Richard J. Devlin Jr. for Otsego County sheriff in the Republican primary in June, has told AllOtsego he also plans to pursue an independent candidacy in November. To date, no Democratic candidate has been announced. “I fully intend on having an independent campaign as well, regardless of what happens in the Republican primary,” Stalter said in an interview at a candidate meet and greet at the Cooperstown Cheese Company on Saturday, March 28. “I truly want my Republican brothers and sisters to get behind me and to support me. I am a Republican. Always have been, that’s just a fact, and I want their support.” Only registered Republicans can vote in the June 23 primary between Stalter and Devlin. The last day to register to vote in the primary is Saturday, June 13. Continued on page 8 INSIDE ► acreage protected, page 2 ► soccer season started, page 3 ► medical director welcomed, page 3 ► berkson vindicated, page 4 ► history celebrated, page 5 ► I-88 Travel interrupted, page 6 ► laurens mayor arrested, page 7 ► events listed, page 12 Follow Breaking News On
No Kings, No War
Photo by Teresa Winchester
ONEONTA—Gene Marner of Franklin was among those protesting at the March 28 No Kings rally, held on Market and Main streets in Oneonta. Marner has been present at many such gatherings since the 2024 presidential election, always focusing on his objections to U.S. Israeli/Palestinian policy.
Cooperstown Teacher To Appear on PBS Program By ERIC SANTOMAUROSTENZEL
COOPERSTOWN ebecca BurkSciallo, a decades long veteran teacher of Cooperstown Central School, is set to share a personal story on “Stories from the Stage,” a PBS program that “invites ordinary people from all walks of life, each with a unique life experience, on stage to share their extraordinary first-person experiences exploring everything from identity and representation to love and
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family,” according to the program’s website. Burk-Sciallo, an English teacher at the Junior-Senior High School, submitted a pitch, followed by a longer draft story and a recording of her performing it. She said she learned about the program from a friend’s Facebook post. “I’m incredibly honored” to be chosen, Burk-Sciallo said. “You know, as an English teacher, stories have played an important part of my life, but also my career. So to be able to write something, and to
Photo courtesy of CCS
REBECCA BURK-SCIALLO
be recognized, to then be able to perform, it is really exciting.” She said she was “defi-
nitely nervous, but this is something that I’m doing for myself, and it’s been healing during the journey.” While Burk-Sciallo told AllOtsego she would save the details for her live performance in front of a Boston live studio audience on Wednesday, April 15, she said the story “deals with my family and a particular part of my life where I had to make a really difficult decision” that led to “my nephew, who was 12 years old at the time, coming to live with my husband and with me.”
“I think that the topic is about truth,” BurkSciallo said when asked about the message she hopes to send. It’s also “a reminder that where we come from and our struggles and our traumas from our growing up can shape us in really beautiful ways as well, and that though they shape us, they don’t necessarily have to define our path forward.” A collaboration of WORLD and WGBHTV Boston, “Stories from the Stage” is in its ninth season. Continued on page 8
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S AWARD-WINNING WEEKLIES 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
BROOKS’ BBQ IS BACK TO BASICS!
We’re back to full table-side service!
The Family Restaurant for Over 75 Years I-88 Exit 16, Rt. 7 Oneonta • 607-432-1782 • brooksbbq.com