2 plead guilty to crimes and could be sentenced to state prison

ALBION – An Albion woman pleaded guilty to attempted arson in the second degree, a charge that carries a possible sentence of 3 ½ to 15 years in state prison.

Crystal McGuire, 22, of West Lee Road admitted in court today she set a fire inside the dryer of a house on Beaver Street on Aug. 16, 2013. She told Orleans County Court Judge James Punch she knew there was at least one person inside when she started the fire.

She was charged with second-degree arson and fourth-degree criminal mischief. She pleaded guilty to a lesser charge today and will avoid a trial.

Her attorney considered a possible defense that she was too intoxicated at the time of the crime, but that wasn’t found to be a sufficient defense.

“Were you so drunk that night that you didn’t know what you were doing?” Punch asked her in court today.

“No,” McGuire responded, saying she was aware of her actions.

She was also examined by a psychiatrist who found she did not have a mental disease or defect.

She will be sentenced on Feb. 15.

In another case in court today, a Holley resident pleaded guilty to second-degree vehicular assault and driving while ability impaired in the fourth degree.

William O. Kuyal, 54, faces a possible punishment of 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison when he is sentenced on March 2.

He was arrested on June 18 after a car accident on Route 237 and Powerline Road in the town of Clarendon. Kuyal allegedly drove through a stop sign while going westbound on Powerline Road, crossing into Route 237. Kuyal and three other people were injured in the crash.

Kuyal has an extensive criminal record with 25 prior arrests and 13 convictions, according to the District Attorney’s Office.