NORTH GREENBUSH (NY)
Troy Record
By: Robert Cristo, The Record 04/26/2005
NORTH GREENBUSH - Former town Supervisor Daniel Borden was arrested Monday for allegedly threatening attorney John Aretakis, who represents numerous alleged victims of clergy sex abuse.
Borden, of Troy, was expected to turn himself in to North Greenbush Police Monday night on aggravated harassment charges for making statements to Aretakis that police characterized as "threatening."
Aretakis is a North Greenbush resident.
The often outspoken attorney says he was awakened by the phone around 3:25 a.m. Monday and heard the threatening message left on his answering machine.
North Greenbush Police confirmed the voice on the message was Borden's.
"He threatened my life. ... When someone calls you in the middle of the night, it shows that they don't care about anything, so I'm pretty concerned and frightened for me, my wife and kids," said Aretakis.
Borden, who was the North Greenbush town supervisor in the late 1980s, was allegedly caught on tape saying he would settle his dispute with Aretakis "in a different manner" when television cameras were not around.
Borden allegedly blasts Aretakis on tape for making nasty comments to him outside a church-related event on Sunday, but Aretakis claims Borden was actually arguing with someone else and that he never spoke with him.
"I'm sick and tired of you bashing the (expletive) out the Catholic church. ... If you ever say to me what you said, John, you are going to be spending some time in (a) medical facility," Borden was heard saying on the answering machine provided by Aretakis.