3 are sentenced in County Court
Rochester man apologizes for bringing drugs to Orleans County
ALBION – Three people were sentenced in Orleans County Court on Monday, including a Rochester man who will spend three years in state prison after admitting to bringing drugs in Orleans County.
Dale M. Jones, 47, of Rochester pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree. As a second felony offender, the charge carries a maximum of 4 years in prison. As part of a plea deal, Jones faced up to 3 years in prison when he was sentenced on Monday.
Sara Sheldon, acting County Court judge, gave him the maximum as part of the plea agreement.
“I apologize for bringing drugs to this county, to the Town of Albion and the Town of Clarendon,” Jones said during sentencing. “I made a bad choice. I’m not a bad person.”
Jones has a long history of substance abuse, his attorney told the judge. Sheldon agreed the sentence for Jones will include the drug treatment program at Willard, which is run by the NYS Department of Correctional Services and Community Supervision.
His sentence includes paying $150 in restitution to the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force.
• Jason M. Hirtreiter, 29, of Medina was sentenced to a year in jail for obstruction of governmental administration in the second degree.
Hirtreiter admitted in court that on May 13 he pulled a witness away from two Medina police officers who were trying to interview the person.
Hirtreiter also refused to be finger-printed, refused to get out of a the patrol car and be arraigned and was aggressive with the police, Sheldon said during sentencing.
He has already been in jail for about 7 ½ months. He also needs to pay $250 in court surcharges, including a DNA fee.
• A 17-year-old girl from Rochester who pleaded guilty to promoting prison contraband in the second degree won’t have to spend any time in jail.
The girl, who was given youthful offender status, will serve three years on probation. She admitted to trying to pass heroin and Alprazolam (also known as Xanax) to two inmates at the Albion Correctional Facility, a women’s prison, on March 26.
The girl could have faced a maximum of a year in jail. District Attorney Joe Cardone said the girl was taken advantage of by the inmates, including her mother who is incarcerated. Cardone described the girl’s family situation as “horrible.”
Cardone agreed to the youthful offender status, which means the crime won’t go on the girl’s record and her name shouldn’t be made public.
The girl is on the honor roll and told the judge she hopes to become a math teacher.
“I wish the world for her,” Sheldon said during sentencing.
In another case, an 18-year-old from Albion pleaded guilty to third-degree burglary after stealing cigars from a gas station.
Prince Wilson of Platt Street was accepted into a judicial diversion program. If he completes that program, the felony charge will be reduced to a misdemeanor and he will avoid state prison and instead spend three years on probation.
Wilson will be on the diversion program for 18 to 24 months and needs to not break any laws and complete his GED. If he fails at the diversion program, he could be sentenced to a maximum of 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison.
