Spring Valley man charged with murdering firefighter

BY KATHY KAHN 

Jauntae Brown, 20-years-old, of Spring Valley, NY was arrested December 8 and charged with second-degree murder in the death of a young volunteer firefighter.

A 2015 New Year’s Eve party in Orange County’s Crawford turned tragic when 20-year old Justin Speights died of knife wounds received while trying to break up a fight. The upscale home was packed with over 200 party-goers when things turned ugly aftermidnight.

Speights-a member of the Silver Lake Fire Department-died at Orange Regional Medical Center. Speights’ fire company offered a $10,000, later upped to $20,000 with an assist by the Police Benevolent Assn. and the NYS Correction Officers.

By September, two party guests had been picked up: Spring Valley resident Rasso Chambers and Orange resident Robert Lemmount. Both were accused of tampering with evidence on their cell phones.

On December 8, Jauntae Brown was arrested and charged with manslaughter. Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said the investigation, which involved interviewing over 200 people, also was slowed by the need to dissect information from dozens of electronic devices.

Brown remains in Orange County Jail without bail.