Super Sleuths Solve Two-Year-Old Mystery in Pleasant Valley

A mystery that's been puzzling residents in and around the Pleasant Valley area since 2019 has finally been solved.

On Thursday, two New York State Troopers were credited with cracking a case that has been puzzling law enforcement for over two years. It was early spring and the global pandemic was still almost a year away when troopers were dispatched on April 30, 2019 to the  Mobil Service Station on Route 44. Law enforcement was informed that there was a robbery in progress at the town of Pleasant Valley gas station. The perpetrator was brandishing a weapon and injured the store clerk.

Security images of the robber were terrifying. He was wearing a jumpsuit with long work gloves and pointing a gun at the worker. His head was covered in an orange ski mask that appeared to be covering a pair of dark glasses. From the photos, it was almost impossible to know what this person looked like, what race they were or even if they were male or female.

It seemed as though the person who was responsible for the violent robbery would never be caught, but this week there was finally a crack in the case. The New York State Police announced that after a lengthy two-year investigation an arrest was made.

Patrick A. Simmons was arraigned in Milan Town Court and sent to the Dutchess County Jail. He's being held with a bail set at $50,000 cash, $100,000 bond, or $150,000 partially secured bond.

The New York State Police congratulated two of the investigators on social media. The unnamed officers were featured in a photo that exclaimed "They solved the case." Looking very much like Mulder and Scully from the "X-Files, the image of the crime-fighting duo elicited many thanks and congratulations from local residents who say they can now sleep easier knowing that there has been a break in the case.

The two-year investigation was conducted with help from the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office and New York State Police Forensic Intelligence Center.