Demetrius Ware Previously Pled Guilty to Three Felony Drug Offenses
Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that Demetrius Ware, 42, of Poughkeepsie, was sentenced in Orange County Court to an aggregate term of ten (10) years in prison to be followed by two (2) years of post-release supervision relative to his previous guilty pleas to three (3) counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Third Degree.
As alleged in documents filed and statements made in court, on September 13, 2024, police were dispatched to an area in the City of Newburgh for a report of two males fighting, one of whom might have a gun. Upon arriving at the scene, the police interviewed Ware who was found to have an active warrant for his arrest. When Ware is searched, the police recovered cocaine, empty glassine envelopes and United States currency from his person. Additional cocaine and fentanyl, as well as a digital scale, was recovered from a vehicle nearby that was later connected to Ware.
While out on release for the above arrest, on January 23, 2025, members of the Orange County Drug Task Force and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office executed a judicially authorized search warrant at a residence in the City of Newburgh associated with Ware. During the search warrant execution, law enforcement recovered over an eighth of an ounce of cocaine, United States currency and a digital scale used to weigh narcotics.
At plea proceedings on October 17, 2025, Ware admitted to possessing narcotics with the intent to sell on September 13, 2024 and January 23, 2025. While pending sentence on those two matters, on February 17, 2026, detectives with the City of Newburgh Police Department observed Ware conduct a hand-to-hand drug transaction at a location in the City of Newburgh. The police later recovered fentanyl, cocaine and United States currency from Ware when he was arrested. At plea proceedings on April 23, 2026, Ware further admitted to possessing narcotics with the intent to sell on February 17, 2026.
District Attorney Hoovler thanked the Orange County Drug Task Force, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the City of Newburgh Police Department for their investigations which led to the arrests of the defendant.
“This repeat offender has finally met a sentence that ensures he is no longer free to spread poison in our community,” said District Attorney David M. Hoovler. “While bail reform laws often tie the hands of judges, drug dealers should know that police and prosecutors will nonetheless doggedly pursue them and we will not rest until they are held accountable. It remains a top priority of my office to identify, prosecute, and incarcerate those who profit from addiction and human suffering.”
The cases are being 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.
