Burglar is sentenced to 2 to 4 years in prison

ALBION – A man who broke into a convenience store in Medina last year and stole $350 was sentenced to 2 to 4 years in state prison on Monday.

Gregory Thompson, 48, of Medina was ordered to pay restitution, and Judge James Punch also issued an order of protection for the owner of the Stop N Shop on East Center Street.

Thompson has a lengthy criminal history. He apologized for the crime in court on Monday.

“He does have a long history of substance abuse,” said his attorney, Dominic Saraceno. “It has affected and it has been a contributing factor in his criminal conduct.”

Thompson requested he be sentenced to the Willard Drug Treatment Center in the state prison system. Thompson has spent the past nine months in the county jail, and he said he has used that time to reflect on his life and commit to a new way of living.

“I’m just trying to put myself back on track,” he told Punch. “I do need help.”

Punch said he has sentenced Thompson several times before, and Thompson was often “an angry, difficult defendant.” But the judge said he was willing to give Thompson a chance at Willard. If Thompson was unsuccessful there, he would complete his sentence in a regular state prison, Punch said.

“Your record is horrible, but this is your first time admitting fault,” Punch said. “I hope you get some help.”

In another case in County Court, a Rochester man pleaded guilty to selling cocaine to an undercover informant from Orleans County.

Alexander J. DeHoyos, 34, will face a maximum of 4 years in state prison. He admitted to selling the cocaine on May 19, 2015. He will be sentenced on Aug. 22 for attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree.

DeHoyos was admitted to the Elmira Correctional Facility in March after being sentenced in Monroe County for second-degree assault.