Webster and DuBois talk after conference

NEW YORK – Orange County Sheriff Carl DuBois told federal and state homeland security officials that the Hudson Valley is no place to hold trials of suspected 9/11 terrorists.

DuBois attended a meeting of the Homeland Security Advisory Council in Manhattan on Wednesday and afterwards spoke with council Chairman Judge William Webster and top level state homeland security officials.

He told all of them that the Hudson Valley should not host any such trials, but they should instead be held in secure military facilities.

“They were non-committal but the tone of their voice in responding and speaking to back and forth, I think they were somewhat in agreement, of not having it in any densely populated area,” he said.

The whole issue of moving to the Hudson Valley came to light when a member of an advisory group suggested that if the trials were to be moved from New York City, they could be held at the White Plains federal courthouse, Stewart Air National Guard Base, West Point or Otisville federal prison. That prompted Newburgh Mayor Nicholas Valentine to invite the feds to hold the trials in his city.

Orange County Executive Edward Diana has since led a large number of officials, all opposed to any such idea. He said he would fight tooth and nail to keep the trials out of his county.