Port Jervis Man Sentenced Ten Years for Cocaine Possession

Orange County Court on December 17, 2025 imposed an aggregate prison term of ten years on Joshua Conklin, age 39 of Port Jervis, to be followed by three years of post release supervision. The sentence resolved two guilty pleas to Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree, and was handed down by Judge Hyun Chin Kim with the terms ordered to run concurrently.

Prosecutors say the case grew from separate incidents beginning with a traffic stop on December 18, 2024 in the Town of Newburgh where officers located two bags of crack cocaine concealed on Conklin. Court filings state one bag contained more than one half ounce of cocaine and the other contained more than one eighth ounce. That matter was presented to an Orange County Grand Jury.

Investigators then executed search warrants on April 1, 2025 as part of a broader inquiry into alleged narcotics dealing in Port Jervis and Deerpark. At a Deerpark residence on Bolten Basin Road officers observed Conklin discard a bundle believed to contain fentanyl and a suspected crack pipe. Officers recovered approximately 24 grams of crack cocaine and a scale in the room where Conklin was present. A separate search at Conklin’s Ball Street residence in the City of Port Jervis recovered multiple scales.

District Attorney David M. Hoovler acknowledged the contribution of local agencies to the investigation and thanked the City of Port Jervis Police Department, the Town of Newburgh Police Department, the Town of Deerpark Police Department and the Orange County Drug Task Force. "We are truly fortunate in Orange County that our law enforcement agencies cooperate with each other and are steadfast in their united efforts to stop the flow of illegal narcotics," said Hoovler. "Narcotics continue to devastate too many lives in our communities and those who possess large quantities of drugs are generally the same ones who cynically seek to profit from others’ addictions. I hope that the decade that this defendant will serve in prison will be a reminder to him, and to others tempted to engage in the drug trade, that possession of large quantities of drugs in Orange County will simply not be tolerated."

The cases were prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Alexis Gregory. A criminal charge is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed a violation of the criminal law, and it is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the State of New York's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Local residents may see the sentence as part of broader efforts to reduce drug related harm and reinforce public safety across Orange County communities.