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Animal rescue pilot and dog killed in plane crash in the Catskill Mountains; 2 dogs survive
A pilot and a rescue dog he was transporting to an animal shelter were killed when a small plane crashed in the snowy woods of the Catskill Mountains, though two other dogs were later found to have survived, authorities said.
Seuk Kim, 49, was flying from Maryland to Albany, New York, when the plane crashed Sunday evening in a remote area of Windham, about 35 miles southwest of Albany, officials said.
A preliminary investigation indicates the pilot died from the impact, Greene County Sheriff Peter Kusminsky said. The flight was carrying three dogs and was associated with a not-for-profit group that transports rescue animals with help from volunteer pilots, the sheriff said.
Two dogs survived the crash: A Labrador-mix puppy that suffered broken bones, and another dog that had only minor injuries.
“It was pretty scared and it was dug down into the snow,” Kusminsky said of the puppy with broken bones.
That dog, named Whiskey, was taken to a veterinary hospital in Middleton, Connecticut, according to the nonprofit Kim was delivering the dogs to, the Animal Shelter of Schoharie County. The other dog found safe was a 18-month-old yorkie terrier mix named Pluto.
The sheriff’s office posted photos of the surviving dogs on social media.
Tributes to Kim, who was from Springfield, Virginia, poured into an online memorial Monday, with fellow dog rescuers thanking him for flying flights and coordinating pilots across the country.
“Over the years, Seuk helped to save the lives of hundreds of animals who would have otherwise been euthanized due to overcrowding at animal shelters,” Maggie Pryor, director of the Animal Shelter of Schoharie County, said in a statement.
Animal shelter “Forever Changed Animal Rescue” said on social media that Kim was part of its “Pilots N Paws” program.
“The sky will never be the same without you. We’re so thankful to have met you and for all of the countless hours you flew to help animals have a new life, including our most memorable one; Connie the Container Dog.” the group said in the social media post.
Connie was found trapped inside a shipping container at the Port Houston’s Bayport Container Terminal earlier this year, CBS affiliate WUSA-TV reported. Kim flew down to Houston to bring Connie to Virginia where she had puppies.
Cathay West, who operates the Kuddles & Kisses K9 Rescue in Baltimore, Maryland, said she last saw Kim in October at a nearby airport as he handed over to her a dog that had only days before been on a list to be euthanized at an overcrowded shelter in Tennessee.
“He was bringing me a momma dog and five puppies,” West said. “He was so involved in trying to get the word out to volunteer, to other pilots. That this is a good thing to save these dogs so that they don’t die in shelters.”
A statement from Kim’s family said he was originally from South Korea and “came to this country with little but a dream, and through hard work and perseverance, he built a life of meaning and generosity.”
“He was a kind, selfless individual who always went out of his way to help others, no matter the circumstances,” the statement said. “His legacy will live on in the countless lives he touched, both human and animal,” it added.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating the crash.
Visibility was poor on Sunday and Kim sought permission to change his altitude due to turbulence before the crash, Kusminsky said.
The plane crashed in woods a couple of miles from the nearest road. Rescuers located the wreckage before midnight in woods covered by about a foot of snow, according to the sheriff.
A special agent at the Federal Bureau of Investigation has been charged with sexually assaulting two women, according to police and court records. The agent, Eduardo Valdivia, was previously acquitted of attempted murder for shooting a man on a Metro subway train near Washington, D.C., four years ago. He was arrested in Maryland on Monday.
Valdivia has been suspended by the FBI, pending the conclusion of a police investigation in Montgomery County, Maryland, a bureau spokesperson said.
“The FBI takes allegations of criminal violations and misconduct very seriously. We are aware of the matter involving the recent arrest of an FBI employee and are fully cooperating with the Montgomery County Police Department. Because this is an ongoing investigation, the FBI cannot comment further,” the FBI said in a statement to CBS affiliate WUSA.
MarcusBonsib, LLC via AP
Valdivia previously was charged and acquitted in 2022 of attempted second-degree murder and other charges, including first-degree assault and reckless endangerment, in the off-duty shooting of another man while aboard a moving Metro train near Washington, D.C. The agent eventually turned himself in to local authorities at a county jail, and a judge soon after agreed to release him on personal recognizance, without objection from the prosecution.
A Maryland jury found Valdivia not guilty of the murder or related charges, after the agent claimed he acted in self-defense. Those charges stemmed from an apparent verbal confrontation with the other man on that Metro train. Police for the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority said about a week after the shooting that the injured man was in stable condition.
Online court records show Valdivia now faces felony and misdemeanor charges, including two counts of second-degree rape. The dates of the alleged offenses are in May 2024 and September 2024.
Defense attorney Robert Bonsib, who represented Valdivia in the shooting case, confirmed that his client was arrested Monday on sexual assault charges.
“We don’t accept at first blush any of the allegations until all of the evidence is in,” Bonsib said.
A spokesperson for the Montgomery County Police Department identified Valdivia as the arrested FBI agent without commenting on his connection to the shooting.
Police detectives believe there may be additional victims, and they’re planning a news conference on Tuesday “to encourage them to come forward,” the department said in a statement. Police didn’t immediately release any other information about the charges.
Valdivia, 40, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, was ordered held in custody after his initial court appearance on Monday, Bonsib said. Valdivia is scheduled to return to court Tuesday for a bond hearing before a judge, Bonsib said.
Bonsib has said Valdivia joined the FBI in 2011 and was promoted to supervisory special agent at the FBI headquarters in 2019. The attorney said Valdivia had been working as an FBI agent since his acquittal.
On Dec. 15, 2020, a confrontation between Valdivia and an unarmed passenger swiftly escalated from a testy exchange of words to a shooting on a train approaching the Medical Center station in Bethesda, Maryland.
Valdivia shot and wounded the man from a distance of roughly 2 to 3 feet after repeatedly telling the man to back up, county prosecutor Robert Hill said in court. The wounded man had part or all of his spleen, colon and pancreas removed during surgery after the shooting, Hill said.
Bonsib has said Valdivia acted in self-defense as the man approached him at the rear of a train car.
“The law does not require that you wait to be struck before you take action. Had this resulted in a hands-on fight and a struggle for Agent Valdivia’s gun, only God knows what could have happened,” Bonsib said after Valdivia was charged.
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