3 are sentenced at County Court
ALBION – Three people were sentenced in Orleans County Court on Monday, and two others had their sentencings pushed back.
Joseph Piedmont, 52, of South Clinton Street was sentenced to six months in Orleans County jail, plus five years of probation.
Piedmont admitted to taking a debit card. Part of his sentence includes paying restitution of $14,321 to KeyBank. Once he’s out of jail, Piedmont needs to start paying $250 monthly in restitution over 60 months.
Piedmont’s attorney Nathan Pace said Piedmont’s drug and alcohol abuse fueled the crime.
• A Rochester man was sentenced to five years of probation for promoting prison contraband. Ashanti E. Kellum, 23, of Adams Street in Rochester was part of a group that tried to bring heroin and Alprazolam into the Albion Correctional Facility, a women’s prison. Alprazolam (also known as Xanax) is a prescription drug used to treat anxiety.
Kellum has no prior criminal history. The Orleans County Probation Department recommended probation instead of incarceration.
• A 17-year-old was sentenced to probation for disseminating indecent material to a minor. The boy sent “extremely graphic images to an underage female,” District Attorney Joe Cardone said.
The boy was granted youthful offender status so his name shouldn’t be made public. The crime also won’t be on his record.
He was in jail for several months while officials tried to find housing for him. He has since reunited with his mother and is enrolled at a school in Niagara County. He hopes to play sports.
Sara Sheldon, the interim County Court judge, told the boy she would be checking his progress and making sure he attends school and keeps his grades up. He also can’t send any sexually explicit texts to other people as part of his probation. The judge told the boy he has lots of potential to live a productive life.
“Consider for now on that you have two mothers,” Judge Sheldon said. “I’m going to be watching you.”
• Frank Ranallo, 47, of Medina was to be sentenced but it was pushed back until Feb. 26 so probation could complete a pre-sentencing report. Ranallo was late for court on Monday and also missed another recent court date. His father attended court both times and said his son had medical issues.
Sheldon said she suspected Ranallo was causing self-inflicted injuries to delay incarceration.
Ranallo could spend up to a year in the county jail for violating his probation by not attending substance abuse and mental health counseling appointments. He also was using drugs, and committed another crime of attempted burglary.
He will be sentenced on Feb. 5. Judge Sheldon set bail at $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond.
• A Medina man could have been sentenced to four years in prison on Monday for attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.
Russell E. Sargent, 52, of West Avenue admitted in a previous court appearance to having cocaine with the intention of selling it on May 18.
His attorney, Nathan Pace, asked for an adjournment so probation could complete a full pre-sentencing report. Pace apologized on behalf of Sargent for not understanding what probation wanted so the report could be completed.
Sheldon agreed to delay sentencing until March 26, but said Sargent would be held in the county jail until then.
• In another case, Amanda C. Laraby, 37, of Middleport will be screened for a judicial diversion program. If she is accepted and passes the program, a felony charge would be reduced to a misdemeanor and she would avoid going to jail.
Laraby, in court on Monday, said she has battled an opiate addiction daily for five years.
She was charged last month with selling prescription opiate drugs.
• Judge Sheldon also set March 20 as the start of a trial against Darren Marker, 32, of Medina. He has been charged with first-degree robbery. He allegedly was in a vehicle on Main Street in Medina at 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 8 when he pulled out a knife and threatened a victim. Marker allegedly already owed the victim $110 after borrowing money with no intention of paying it back, the District Attorney’s Office said.
Marker also allegedly stole cellular phone power banks from Crosby’s. He also faces charges of second-degree menacing, criminal possession of a weapon, two counts of petit larceny, and criminal mischief in the fifth degree.
He has been in jail with bail set at $100,000 cash and $200,000 property bond.
