Deerpark Man Accused of Strangling Ex, Found With Meth and Air Pistol

Joseph A. Conklin, 40, of Huguenot was arrested after police say he assaulted and strangled his former intimate partner at a Deerpark residence, with the case expanding to reveal four outstanding Pennsylvania warrants and a home search that turned up methamphetamine and what appeared to be a realistic air gun pistol.

Officers responded to a reported altercation in Deerpark on Saturday, March 14, and authorities allege the incident escalated into violence, with Conklin accused of strangling and assaulting the victim along with other offenses. The Town of Deerpark Police Department announced the arrest in a March 17 release to the Port Jervis Daily.

As the investigation developed, detectives learned Conklin was also wanted in Pennsylvania on four bench warrants for failure to appear. Separately, investigators developed information suggesting possible drug activity and the presence of a weapon at his home, prompting a search warrant. Members of the Orange County Sheriff's Office Special Operations Group, working alongside Deerpark police, executed that warrant and took Conklin into custody outside his residence without incident.

Inside the home, investigators recovered about two grams of methamphetamine and what appeared to be a realistic air gun pistol, according to authorities.

Conklin now faces charges stemming from both the domestic incident and the search, including second-degree strangulation and criminal possession of a controlled substance, both felonies, along with several misdemeanor counts. He was arraigned and ordered held without bail at the Orange County Jail, with his prior felony history cited as the basis for the detention decision. He is also being held pending extradition to Pennsylvania to answer the outstanding bench warrants.