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  Report of Threat Leads to Arrest

By Robert Cristo
Troy Record [North Greenbush NY]
April 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.

"Shut your mouth, calm your rhetoric, or you are going to meet me or one of my friends, and it's going to be a very sad day for you," he added on the tape.

The two-minute tirade stems from an incident on Sunday when Borden allegedly showed up at the Franklin Plaza banquet hall where protesters were outside picketing against Albany Bishop Howard Hubbard's handling of clergy sex abuse cases.

Hubbard was on hand to receive an award.

Borden allegedly got into an argument with one of the protesters and then left.

"He (Borden) started screaming at the protester, but we didn't give it much thought at the time," said Aretakis. "But when the guy calls me up with threats in the middle of the night, it shows you how unstable he is, and it starts making you worry about your family."

Messages left on Borden's cell phone voice mail were not returned for comment.

Borden was to be arraigned in North Greenbush Town Court. North Greenbush Police would not comment on the incident but did issue a press release that supported Aretakis' claims.