NYSP provides update on November Whitestown accident

VERONA, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) — New York State Police provided an update Tuesday, July 30, on the car crash in the town of Whitestown that left one person dead last November.

New York State Police responded to a traffic stop on State Route 365 near Blackmans Corners Road in the town of Verona. The suspect – Harold Griswold of Utica – drove away while being questioned by officers.

Griswold then allegedly led state police officers on a chase through the towns of Verona and Whitestown before crashing into a tree on State Route 233. The vehicle came to rest in the front yard of a nearby home. Griswold was taken to Rome Health Hospital for serious internal injuries and then to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.

Griswold’s passenger, 22-year-old Shana Reahoo Chourb of Utica, was taken to Rome Health Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Further investigation by the New York State Police led to the indictment of Griswold by an Oneida County grand jury on Thursday, May 16. According to a statement from the New York State Police, Griswold – who is currently incarcerated in New Jersey on murder charges stemming from an unrelated incident – was arrested and arraigned on a warrant issued by the Oneida County Court on Friday, July 12.

The following charges are filed against Griswold in Oneida County:

• Criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, a class B felony,
• Second degree manslaughter, a class C felony,
• Second degree manslaughter, a class D felony,
• first degree evading a police officer, a class D felony,
• Obstruction of governmental administration in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor, and
• Multiple violations of New York State vehicle and traffic laws.

The New York State Attorney General’s Office is investigating the incident in conjunction with the New York State Police and the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office. According to the New York State Police, the victim’s family has been notified of the charges filed against Griswold.