Mine manager convicted of involvement in fatal crane accident

TROY, NY (NEWS10) — The mine manager of a local quarry must serve a six-month prison sentence after one of his co-workers died in an accident nearly two years ago. Anthony Valente was sentenced Friday after agreeing to a plea deal.

He was charged in the death of Darren Miller, who was struck by a falling piece of equipment at RJ Valente Gravel in Grafton in October 2022. Prosecutors said Valente ignored safety precautions on a crane, which then broke and struck Miller.

In the victim’s statement read by the prosecution, Miller’s wife described the pain his death had caused.

“I ask you: Can you imagine how it would feel to find out that the person you love most is simply gone? I never had the chance to say goodbye. I never dreamed of being a widow at 30.”

Miller’s family asked the court to reconsider the deal, saying a six-month sentence was not long enough. Prosecutors said it was a complicated case and decided a deal was the best option.

“We knew it was going to be an uphill battle to charge this as homicide, and we felt the top priority here was to hold someone accountable,” said Rensselaer County District Attorney Mary Pat Donnelly.

Valente read a brief statement before the verdict and apologized to Miller’s family. He was also sentenced to five years probation.