Hudson Valley Man Jailed For Over 20 Years For Nearly Killing Man

A Hudson Valley man is going to serve over 20 years in jail after he gruesomely beat two men with a padlock and chain.

On Friday in Orange County Court, 29-year-old Carlos Melendez of Newburgh was sentenced to 21 to 24 years in prison for assaulting two people.

In Jan., a jury trial found Melendez guilty of assault, attempted assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

At the trial, prosecutors argued that on May 20, 2017, near 478 Broadway, Melendez used a padlock and chain to strike two men in the head.

One of the men suffered life-threatening serious physical injuries as a result of the assault and required hospitalization, officials say.

“The community will be safer during the two decades this defendant is in prison,” Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said. “This defendant’s conduct could easily have resulted in the loss of life and is deserving of a lengthy sentence of incarceration.”

Videos that appeared on YouTube and Facebook, showing two men getting assaulted in Orange County, helped lead to Melendez’s arrest in May 2017.

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