During the wee hours of Wednesday, March 21, a few hours past the Spring Equinox, an unidentified Bloomingburg man, age 27, entered the 24-hour Quickway Diner, and collapsed with a gunshot wound to the head. Thus began a tale that still has many unanswered questions.

The victim was airlifted to Westchester Medical Center. Several days later, the hospital released him. "He's got some serious issues, because he has bullet fragments in his spine," said Sullivan County District Attorney Stephen Lungen. "Our information is he was shot once in the face."

State Police investigators learned the assault took place at the Whispering Pines mobile home park, just north of Village of Bloomingburg, off Burlingham Road. "It was in one of the homes there," Lungen indicated. Neighbors reported a crime scene taped off at Birch Drive. "It appears to be a shooting that may have drug related overtones," the prosecutor noted. Lungen declined to provide further details.

Raids took place on Sunday, March 25. Felony quantities of marijuana were allegedly recovered from a trailer occupied by Timothy A. Finnegan, of 45 Redwood Loop. Finnegan, age 21, was later arrested with another Whispering Pines youth, Christopher Pelliccia, also 21. "Both of them were charged with the shooting," stated Lungen, first degree assault, and second degree criminal possession of a weapon, felonies. "They're not charged with attempted murder."

Policemen found the pair partying at the James Motel in Monroe, with another teenager from Pine Bush, Johnathan White, 18, along with an underage girl, drugs, and paraphernalia. It is not clear whether the alleged perpetrators were hiding out at the motel, or how the handgun found there was linked to the March 21 incident. Sources say the victim was actually shot twice, once in the spine, and then in the jaw; the victim was said to have spit out the second bullet.

Many believe the victim was dropped off at the diner by his assailants. However Lungen says the victim drove himself to find help, probably traveling one exit down Route 17. "He was in the vehicle, after the shooting he took off."

Finnegan and White both pleaded not guilty at a local arraignment. Neither has yet been indicted as of Monday, April 2. Lungen said that, originally, both were represented by a public defender, but later switched counsel. "I'm not sure who is representing who now. There's been a little bit of a change in the last couple of days, I'm waiting to see where the dust is this morning."

At least one of the suspects has a prior arrest record. Tim Finnegan made headlines last October, when police apprehended him in connection with an altercation on Route 17M in Middletown. The victim in that case, Christopher Romaine, was stabbed in the chest, resulting in a collapsed lung and fractured sternum, according to reports. Finnegan's cohort, 19-year old Richard Vandemark of Bloomingburg, was charged with first degree assault. In July 2005, Finnegan allegedly broke into a Bloomingburg residence and assaulted a 22-year old resident, leading to his arrest the next month. The outcome of those two prior cases are not known. Currently, Finnegan and his codefendant Christopher Pelliccia are being held in the Sullivan County Jail without bail, awaiting trial.

Meanwhile, residents remain concerned about crime in local trailer parks. Some area trailer parks are proactive about deciding who may or may not live there by performing criminal background checks � Whispering Pines is one that engages in such a practice.

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