Albion man who sexually abused disabled girl 2 decades ago will be released next month
James Powless assessed as level 3 sex offender
ALBION – An Albion man who sexually abused a 14-year-old disabled girl about two decades ago will be released from state prison next month.
James Powless, 63, has been in prison for the past 17 ½ years. He is currently an inmate at the Wyoming Correctional Facility in Attica. He will be released on Jan. 19 after serving most of a 20-year sentence for first-degree sodomoy.
Today there was a hearing to determine what level sex offender Powless will be on the Sex Offender Registration Act. Sara Sheldon, the acting Orleans County Court Judge, assessed Powless as a level 3 offender, the highest risk possible. He will also be a registered sex offender the rest of his life.
Powless declined to attend the hearing. The judge, in giving him the highest risk level, noted that Powless made video recordings of himself raping a girl on multiple occasions. Powless also has a history of alcohol abuse and has attended a substance abuse support group. The judge said Powless has accepted responsibility for the crime.
His address after he is released from prison isn’t known at this time.
