4 are sentenced to jail/prison for crimes in Orleans
ALBION – Four people will spend time in either the Orleans County Jail or state prison for crimes in Orleans County, Judge James Punch decided today in County Court.
A Medina man was given 1 ½ to 3 years in state prison for attempted assault in the second degree. Michael B. Collier Jr., 23, of East Oak Orchard Street admitted in a previous court appearance to using a knife to stab a 16-year-old on Oct. 24. The teen has recovered from the attack.
Collier is a second felony offender, which made a state prison sentence mandatory, Punch said in court.
The charge of attempted assault in the second degree normally carries a maximum sentence of 2 to 4 years in state prison. As part of a plea deal, Collier faced 1 ½ to 3 years in prison. The judge gave Collier the maximum in the plea deal.
Collier’s attorney Michael O’Keefe said Collier has drug and alcohol problems that were a factor in the crime. O’Keefe asked that Collier be sentenced to the Willard drug treatment program for state inmates. Punch declined that request.
“This is a violent crime, a serious crime and you have a serious criminal history,” the judge said.
Collier also was ordered to pay a $325 court surcharge and $50 DNA fee.
In other cases:
A Brockport man was sentenced to 2 ½ years in state prison on drug charges. Jerry Walls, 46, was arrested in December 2014 with two others following a five-month investigation into the sale and distribution of prescription narcotics in the Village of Albion, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force reported on Dec. 4, 2014.
Walls is a second felony offender, previously convicted of grand larceny in the fourth degree in Orleans County Court on July 20, 2009.
In addition to the state prison time, Walls was sentenced to three years of post-release supervision, had his license suspended for six months, and ordered to pay a $325 court surcharge and $50 DNA fee.
A Waterport woman was sentenced to a year in jail for attempted burglary in the second degree.
Mary Golding, 51, of Harris Road in Waterport admitted in a previous court appearance she went to a neighbor’s house on Harris Road on Nov. 8 and stole a jewelry box so she could feed her heroin addiction. Golding said she has since been in rehab.
The charge normally carries a maximum of 2 to 7 years in state prison. As part of a plea deal, Golding faced a maximum of a year in the county jail. Punch said documented mental health issues for Golding convinced him not to send her to state prison.
The judge declined to sentence her to probation, because she has been on probation before but was unsuccessful.
“You have a long history of petty crimes and refusing to cooperate on probation,” the judge said.
He also ordered her to pay the $325 court surcharge and $50 DNA fee. He also issued an order of protection for the victim of the crime.
A Holley woman was sentenced to six months in jail attempted promotion of prison contraband in the first degree.
Stephanie M. Rauch, 27, of North Main Street admitted in a previous court appearance to bringing a controlled substance into the Orleans County Jail on Oct. 1. Rauch tried to bring suboxone into the jail to give to an inmate. She was stopped at the jail gate. The substance was tested at the Niagara County Sheriff’s Department lab and found to a controlled substance and narcotic, District Attorney Joe Cardone told Judge Punch.
Rauch could have faced up to 4 years in state prison. Her attorney, Michael O’Keefe, asked the judge to sentence her to probation.
“I’m sorry and please give me a chance to prove I’m better than I’ve done,” she told the judge.
Punch noted she hadn’t been on probation before. In addition to six months in jail, he sentenced her to five years on probation.
“You need to stay sober and stop committing these petty crimes,” Punch told Rauch at sentencing. “You’re looking at state prison if you screw up again.”
