Press Release, United States Attorney Michael DiGiacomo, Western District of New York

BUFFALO – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Norman Kelly, 69, of Albion, who was convicted of receipt of child pornography, was sentenced to serve 144 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Maeve E. Huggins, who handled the case, stated that on October 20, 2023, Kelly arrived at the Port of Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan, on a flight from Incheon, South Korea.

During an inspection of his baggage, Kelly removed a cellular phone from his pocket, and had a computer bag, which contained a laptop computer, and four USB thumb drives. Due to a lack of eye contact during questioning, inconsistencies in his travel story, and nervous behavior, the devices were authorized to be examined.

A Customs and Border Protection officer examined the cell phone, laptop and one of the thumb drives and discovered what appeared to be suspected child pornography. Subsequent investigation determined that between March 12 and September 20, 2023, Kelly used his laptop computer to entice minors to engage in sexually explicit behavior for the purpose of producing images, which he would receive via the internet.

On March 12, 2023, Kelly received a sexually explicit image of a female child, approximately 10-12 years old. On July 20, 2023, he received a sexually explicit video file of an infant female, approximately 1.5 to three years old.

Kelly possessed approximately 475 image files and 377 video files of child sexual abuse material. Some of the images included depictions of violence against children.

The sentencing is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan. Additional assistance was provided by Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations in Detroit, Michigan.

Harriger was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2015 after being convicted in trial

File photo by Tom Rivers: Roy Harriger, a former local pastor, walks to Orleans County Court on April 6, 2015, when he was sentenced to 15 years in state prison.

ALDEN – Roy Harriger, a former prominent local pastor serving a 15-year prison sentence for sexually abusing children, died on March 26 at Wende Correctional Facility. He was 82.

Harriger was convicted by a jury in 2015 of child molestation. During his sentencing on April 6, 2015, Harriger was called “a wolf in shepherd’s clothing,” by then Orleans County Court Judge James Punch.

Harriger was pastor of the Ashwood Wesleyan Church in Lyndonville for 12 years before he was terminated by the church in 2009 after a falling out with denomination leaders. He was accused of abusing his grandchildren in 2002 and 2001.

After the falling out at Ashwood, Harriger started a new church, Community Fellowship Church in Johnson Creek, which is in Niagara County. Many of members of Community Fellowship attended his trial and court dates in 2015 in support of their pastor, who denied any wrongdoing.

Three of his grandchildren testified during his trial in January 2015 that he had molested them.

“He’s had a tremendous impact on the people he has victimized,” Joe Cardone, the district attorney then, said at sentencing. “It’s made this entire family dysfunctional.”

Harriger could have faced a 25-year sentence for his crimes. Judge Punch gave him 15 years total in prison plus another 10 years of post-release supervision.

Harriger’s son George and Harriger’s sister Nona also told reporters them were sexually abused by Harriger when they were children. His sister said his crimes go back 60 years.

Judge Punch said Harriger used his position as a pastor, as a leader in his family and the community, to try to silence the victims.

“The bullying, the use of charisma, the power of your personality were all brought forward to victimize these children and keep them quiet,” Punch said.

He said it was a breach of trust to Harriger’s family, friends, the church and the grandchildren.

Harriger was convicted again in a Pennsylvania court in February 2017 for sexually molesting his niece when she was 6 to 11 years old. Those crimes occurred when Harriger was leading the Mercer Community Church of the Nazarene in Mercer County, Pa. He was pastor there from 1991 to 1997.

He was charged with rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault. Harriger was sentenced to 2 to 5 years in prison for the crimes in Pennsylvania, with the sentence to be served concurrently with the New York sentence.

Daniel Martuscello III, commissioner of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, advised in a Feb. 25 letter to Orleans County DA Susan Howard that Harriger was suffering from a terminal condition and would be eligible for medical parole.

Howard, in a letter to the DOCCS commissioner on March 13, opposed the release from prison. She urged the Board of Parole not to grant the medical parole. She said she spoke with Harriger’s victims and they were “horrified” about him getting out of prison early, saying he could abuse other children.

The victims told Howard that Harriger planned to fake a stroke if he was ever sent to prison.

“The crimes of this man shook our small community to its core,” Howard wrote in her letter. “In addition to that of his own family, he violated the trust of many, many people who attended his church. He did not take responsibility for his actions, and dragged our office, his victims and the community through a trial. He showed no remorse for his actions. The lives he destroyed far outweigh the years he has left, which should be lived out incarcerated in prison.”

The Rev. Dr. Ashley Casanova is pastor of the Family of God, a church in Middleport. She also is Harriger’s niece who was sexually abused by him in Pennsylvania.

She said today is hopeful Harriger’s death can help the family “completely heal.”

Harriger’s victims were contacted about a month ago about a possible early medical release. Casanova opposed his release. In a letter to Martuscello on March 13, she asked that Harriger stay in prison, and cited the “heinous acts he committed against me.”

She said he violated trust, faith and safety of family and friends.

“The impact of what he did has been devastating, profound, and far-reaching. It has affected every area of my life and every part of who I am,” she said in her letter. “Releasing Roy Harriger would reopen wounds that many of us have spent years and I mean years trying to heal. It would send a painful message that the lifelong suffering of victims carries less weight than the remaining years of the person who caused it. I fear the emotional harm his release would cause and the potential risk to others, especially children.”

Casanova said she wants to be involved in a prison ministry where she can connect with women in prison who have been sexually abused, and help them find God’s healing in the process. Many victims will often turn to drugs and crime due to the violations and betrayals of trust they’ve suffered, she said.

Her Christian faith led her through the devastation she experienced from her uncle.

“I’m a walking, breathing testimony,” she said. “It is by God’s grace and mercy that I am where I am today. I want our family to know that this chapter and this season of our life is over and we can move on to the next chapter God has for us.”

Harriger sued the state in 2019 and won, and was awarded $2 million by the NYS Court of Appeals after being injured by corrections officers at Attica Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison. He was hit in the back of the head with a baton, leaving him unconscious. The court ruled Harriger was assaulted and the unwarranted use of  excessive force at Attica Correctional caused his injuries.

Casanova said Harriger didn’t receive that money and there is a dispute within the family on who is entitled to it.

ALBION – An incarcerated man at the Orleans Correctional Facility had 2 to 4 years added to his sentence in Orleans County Court today.

Callin LeMon, 36, was sentenced for promoting prison contraband and criminal possession of a weapon.

LeMon on April 29, 2025 had a black ceramic razor blade and a leafy substance. He is currently serving an 8- to 10-year sentence for criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a weapon. He is from Ulster County.

County Court Judge Sanford Church gave LeMon the agreed upon sentence as part of a plea agreement.

In other cases in County Court today:

• Chantel Savage, a former inmate at Albion Correctional Facility, was arraigned for allegedly having a piece of iron and striking a corrections officer with it in the head on Jan. 1, 2025.

Savage was arraigned for assault in the second degree, promoting prison contraband and criminal possession of a weapon.

Her attorney asked for a competency exam and Judge Church agreed to have her assessed for whether she is mentally competent to aid in her own defense.

• Elizabeth Jackson, 31, an inmate at Albion Correctional Facility, was arraigned for promoting prison contraband and criminal possession of a controlled substance for allegedly having 20 pills of meth that were disguised to look like Flintstone vitamins.

Jackson is from Broome County and in prison for grand larceny in the third degree on a sentence of 3 ½ to 7 years.

• Jose Casiano, 69, of Gaines was scheduled to be sentenced to up to six months in the county jail plus probation after pleading guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree and driving while ability impaired.

But Casiano has been arrested twice in the past week. A stipulation of his plea agreement on Jan. 7 was not to have any additional arrests.

Casiano on March 20 was charged with criminal possession of a controlled in the seventh degree and on March 24 was charged with operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs.

Judge Church will have an Outley hearing on Friday with Casiano, a hearing for someone who is arrested after a plea agreement has been reached. Church said Casiano could be sentenced to up to 2 ½ years in state prison.

Judge orders restitution to be paid after theft

ALBION – For the first six months last year, a Batavia man stole nearly $50,000 in lottery tickets from Van’s Pit Stop, a gas station and convenience store in Clarendon.

Zachary C. Johnson, 35, of Batavia worked at Van’s for about two years. Van’s owner Jeremy Van Ameron noticed the scratch-off tickets were going fast, but yet the revenue wasn’t there to match the tickets that were out of the machine. He put in a security camera and saw an employee was taking the tickets.

Johnson on June 30, 2025 was charged with third-degree grand larceny by the State Police. He was sentenced today in Orleans County Court by Judge Sanford Church. Johnson needs to pay back $49,000 in restitution for the stolen lottery tickets. He will spend four months doing weekends in the county jail and also will be on probation for five years.

He needs to pay at least $400 a week in restitution to Van’s Pit Stop.

Jeremy Van Ameron, owner of the business the past six years, said the theft hurt the finances of the locally owned business and has shaken his trust in people.

Johnson, speaking at his sentencing, apologized to the Van Ameron family.

He pleaded guilty to fourth-degree grand larceny in a previous court appearance.

With weekends in jail, he will be able to work full-time and pay towards the restitution. The judge gave him until April 1, 2030 to make full restitution. There is a 5 percent surcharge on each payment, which goes to probation and then will be directed to Van’s. If Johnson pays the $400 each week, he should have the restitution paid off in less than three years.

In another case in county court today, Michael White, 22, of Albion pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree.

White was charged on Sept. 16 after he allegedly had a 20-round magazine in his backpack and pulled his hands away when law enforcement attempted to handcuff him. He also allegedly tried to strike an officer with his elbows.

White admitted in court today to having the large-capacity device that could hold more than 20 rounds.

He faces a split sentence of jail and probation when he is sentenced on May 20.

ALBION – Two people were sentenced to incarceration today in Orleans County Court.

Reginald Lucas, 37, of Albion was given a 1- to 3-year in state prison after he committed several probation violations.

Judge Sanford Church revoked probation for Lucas, who was on probation for third-degree burglary. He admitted to failing to report to probation four times, not maintaining gainful employment, not going to substance abuse counseling or completing anger management counseling through a certified provider.

Lucas has already been in the jail for 240 days. His attorney, public defender Joanne Best, asked the judge consider time served as the sentence or up to a year in the county jail. She said Lucas has completed classes in the jail and has been working to better himself.

“I apologize for my actions that got me here,” Lucas told the judge. “I’m deeply ashamed. I take responsibility for my actions. I’m working very hard at change.”

Judge Church gave Lucas a state prison sentence, saying he did very little to meet the terms of being on probation.

• In other cases, Austin Buzard, 27, of Carlton was sentenced to up to 364 days in the county jail for probation violations. Buzard was on probation after being convicted of second-degree attempted assault. He admitted to using cocaine, consuming THC, not being truthful with probation, being dismissed from two domestic violence counseling programs, and other violations.

“I’m sorry,” Buzard told the judge during sentencing. “I’m trying to do better in my life.”

• Richard Neal, 36, of Medina was arraigned for felony driving while intoxicated and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. He was charged by State Police on Aug. 25 after allegedly driving a motorcycle on Route 31 in Ridgeway while intoxicated and without a license.

• The judge issued a warrant for Devon A. Robinson, 32, of Rochester who was scheduled to be sentenced but didn’t show up in court.

Robinson faced up to five years in state prison for criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree. He admitted in a prior court appearance to having an ATV valued at more than $3,000 that he knew was stolen. The Arctic Cat ATV was taken from Hulberton Road in Holley on July 26, 2024.

Melissa Ierlan

ALBION – Melissa Ierlan was offered a plea deal today where she would not face any jail or prison time in a felony grand larceny case. She would need to pay full restitution, a figure determined to be $102,752 by the state comptroller’s office.

Ierlan, who worked many years as the Clarendon code enforcement officer and cemetery administrator, also has been president of the Clarendon Historical Society. In the Historical Society role she is alleged to have falsified records to steal $102,752.

On Dec. 30, she was charged with first-degree and second-degree grand larceny with property value exceeding $50,000. The most serious charge carries a maximum of 5 to 15 years in state prison.

As part of a plea offer today, if she pleads guilty to one count of fourth-degree grand larceny, she would not face incarceration. The offer was presented by Assistant District Attorney Daniel Punch.

Ierlan appeared in court with her attorney, George Muscato. He asked for time to consider the offer. Ierlan wasn’t given a date for her next court appearance.

Ierlan appeared this morning before County Court Judge Sanford Church, who is serving as acting town court judge because the Clarendon Town Justice Thomas DiFante recused himself.

The case remains at the local court level and not at County Court. If Ierlan declines the plea offer, the case is expected to go to the grand jury which could issue an indictment and put the case at the county court level.

The criminal complaint against Ierlan says she took more than $50,000 from the Clarendon Historical Society between Dec. 16, 2020 and Sept. 27, 2025 while acting as president and financial controller.

Ierlan is accused of falsifying meeting minutes in order to collect on a $102,752 life insurance policy of a community member who died.

Steven Ploof

ROCHESTER – Steven Ploof, who briefly was chief deputy of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office in 2023, could be sentenced to up to six years in prison and fined up to $250,000.

Ploof on Thursday in federal court pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Meredith A. Vacca to threatening to assault a member of the immediate family of a federal law enforcement officer. Ploof did so with intent to impede with the law enforcement officer while engaged in the performance of official duties, or with intent to retaliate against such law enforcement officer on account of the performance of official duties, said U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo of the Western District of New York.

Ploof, who worked 16 years for the Ogden Police Department, resigned from the Orleans County in June 2023 after being put on administrative leave relating to suspected drug use, according to Channel 10 News in Rochester. As chief deputy he was tasked with providing oversight of the Civil Division and the numerous local, state and federal grants managed by the Sheriff’s Office.

Ploof on September 15, 2025, went to the Ogden residence of an FBI special agent and his family. When he arrived at the house, Ploof placed two posterboard signs on the front porch. One sign read “Corrupt FBI AGENT!” and the other sign read “I Want To (expletive) Your Kids!” Video of Ploof placing the two signs on the front porch was obtained from a residential security system, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Everardo A. Rodriguez, who is handling the case.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Greece Police Department, Ogden Police Department and the Orleans County Sherriff’s Office.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 18 before Judge Vacca.

ALBION – A Medina man currently in state prison pleaded guilty in Orleans County Court on Wednesday to attempted assault, an E felony, to two jail corrections officers.

Patrick Casanova, 32, is currently serving a 2- to 4-year sentence in state prison at Five Points Correctional facility in Romulus, Seneca County. His earliest release date is listed as May 27, 2027.

His plea on Wednesday could add another 1 ½ to 3 years in state prison. Casanova was in the county jail on June 13, 2025 when he allegedly refused to move and stiffed up. That required two corrections officers to try to move him. A scuffle then ensued.

Casanova is currently in prison after pleaded guilty in 2023 to second-degree assault. He admitted to punching a woman in the face, which fractured her orbital bone and damaged her sinus.

In other cases in County Court on Wednesday:

• A Medina man was arraigned on second- and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon after being charged for having a loaded “ghost” gun.

Reginald Kendrick, 50, was charged after law enforcement on Nov. 12 seized a loaded unbranded polymer “ghost” semi-automatic 9 mm pistol with an extended 30-round magazine.

Kendrick is a prior felon after being convicted of selling cocaine in October 2016.

He pleaded not guilty to the new charges in court on Wednesday. He has posted $1,000 bail.

• Daniel Fritz III, 37, of Clarendon was assessed as a level 3 sex offender by Orleans County Judge Sanford Church.

Fritz is currently at the Mohawk Correctional Facility  in Rome, Oneida County, serving a 2- to 4-year sentence for grand larceny. He and a co-defendant were convicted of taking a safe from a Clarendon home that had cash and jewelry inside.

Fritz also pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct. The judge assessed Fritz as level 3, the highest level, and he will need to be monitored when he is released from prison.

MEDINA – Two men from Medina were sentenced to state prison today by Orleans County Court Judge Sanford Church.

Nasir Shine, 23, of Medina was sentenced to five years in prison plus five years of post-release supervision for possessing a weapon while on federal probation.

Shine allegedly had a Glock-style pistol with 21 bullets on Aug. 25, 2025. Medina police were dispatched to 751 Church St. that day after a caller reported a man had pulled a gun and threatened multiple individuals. Medina police detained Shine, who had the Glock-style pistol with an extended magazine in a backpack.

Shine was probation after being convicted in 2022 for being part of a fentanyl distribution network with his mother Ebony Shine and his brother Emmanual Taylor.

Another Medina man was sentenced to 1 ½ to 3 years in prison for assault after allegedly stabbing another person on Nov. 7, 2024.

Deante Johnson, 22, was allegedly in a fight in the parking lots outside Cusimano’s Pizzeria and the Medina Inn on Maple Ridge Road. Johnson allegedly stabbed another person in the side who was transported by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. That victim was treated and released.

Johnson’s case has been slowed in the court system after he spent 261 days in the Rochester Psychiatric Center after a psychiatric evaluation in January 2025 said he was incompetent to stand trial. He also has spent more than 200 days in the Orleans County Jail.

His attorney, Public Defender Joanne Best, asked Judge Church to give Johnson time served in the case and not have him go into the state prison system.

She said Johnson’s mental health is much improved, and he would stay on his medication and get counseling if he allowed to be in the community and not face additional incarceration

Judge Church said the state prison sentence of 1 ½ to 3 years was the minimum he could do given Johnson’s prior felony history for attempted assault in 2022.

The judge also revoked Johnson’s probation and sentenced him to 364 days in the county jail for violating probation. That sentence can be served concurrently with the state prison sentence. The judge said the time at the county jail and psychiatric center can count towards the sentence if that is deemed appropriate by the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.

Ryan Armstrong facing up to 4 to 8 years in prison

Ryan Armstrong

ALBION – The driver of a U-Haul truck that plunged into the Erie canal, leading to death of his passenger, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in Orleans County Court this morning.

Ryan A. Armstrong, 43, admitted to reckless conduct that resulted in the death of Reginald Russell, 56, on Sept. 2.

That day Armstrong was driver a U-Haul truck in a high-speed chase that ended in the Erie Canal in the Town of Murray, east of Holley and Bennetts Corners Road.

Armstrong is accused of stealing items from the Walgreens in Brockport at about 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 2. He and his passenger were putting merchandise in a U-Haul truck when law enforcement were called, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office after Armstrong’s arrest.

Monroe County Sheriff’s deputies and Brockport police officers attempted to stop the vehicle once it was on the move but Armstrong refused, leading law enforcement on a pursuit throughout the west side of Monroe County and into Orleans County.

Armstrong eventually drove onto the Erie Canal path in the Town of Murray and suddenly veered the vehicle into the canal.

“Were you aware that your conduct could result in someone’s death?” Orleans County Court Judge Sanford Church asked Armstrong in court today.

“Yes sir,” he responded.

The judge said the charge of second-degree manslaughter is a C felony where someone’s gross deviation of what a normal person would do results in another person’s death.

Judge Church asked Armstrong if he wanted to plead guilty to the charge, noting his conduct in a high-speed chase and driving into the canal.

Armstrong responded yes, and will face up to 4 to 8 years in state prison when he is sentenced at 9:30 a.m. on April 15. The charge would normally have a maximum of 7 ½ to 15 years in state prison. Armstrong has served three previous prison sentences for other felonies.

He has been in the Orleans County Jail since his arrest with bail at $100,000 cash, $200,000 insurance bond or $500,000 partially secured bond at 10 percent.

Russell was seen exiting the U-Haul on Sept. 2 but went under in the murky water and drown.

Two of Reginald Russell’s siblings attended the court appearance today. Astin Benton said his older brother is deeply missed by his family.

“He was a loving brother, a loving uncle and a caring father,” Benton said.

He would like to see Armstrong get the maximum sentence on April 15, and would have preferred even more time than in the plea agreement.

“My brother was free spirited,” Benton said. “He was the oldest brother and he left bigger shoes that I can’t fit or wear.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: Astin Benton shows the back of a sweatshirt showing his older brother, Reggie Russell at far right, with his family members.

Aaron D’Angelo

ALBION – A Medina man was arraigned by Orleans County Court Judge Sanford Church today for second-degree murder and attempted murder in the second-degree after one man was stabbed to death on Saturday and his brother seriously injured.

Aaron D’Angelo, 36, appeared before Judge Church at 11 a.m. to be arraigned. D’Angelo entered not guilty pleas and will be held in the county jail without bail. He is scheduled to appear in Shelby Town Court at 4 p.m. on March 3.

D’Angelo allegedly caused the death of Dale R. Lang, 65, who was pronounced deceased at his home, 4643 South Gravel Road (Route 63). His brother, John Lang, also was stabbed about 20 times. He is currently on a ventilator at Erie County Medical Center.

Orleans County District Attorney Susan Howard said the three men were at Dale Lang’s home when an argument started, and quickly escalated.

D’Angelo has no prior felonies. In November he was charged with strangulation, and then was charged with three counts of criminal contempt for violating an order of protection for the victim. Before November, he didn’t have a criminal history, Howard said.

In addition to the murder and attempted murder charges, D’Angelo also was arraigned for assault in the first degree, menacing a police officer and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.

The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office responded to a reported 911 disturbance at Dale Lang’s house on Route 63 on Saturday. John Lang made a 911 call at 11:55 a.m.

Upon arrival, a Sheriff’s deputy encountered D’Angelo, who was armed with a knife and confronted the deputy, Sheriff Chris Bourke said. The deputy deployed a Taser, successfully subduing D’Angelo, who was then taken into custody.

As additional personnel arrived on scene, Dale Lang and John Lang were discovered inside the residence with multiple stab wounds.

Zachary Natale could be sentenced to up to 13 years in state prison

ALBION – A Medina man admitted in Orleans County Court this morning to setting a fire on Dec. 17, 2024 at 207 Bates Rd.

Zachary Natale, 32, pleaded guilty to attempted arson in the second degree, a class C felony. The charge carries a sentence of a minimum of years in prison and a maximum of 15. As part of a plea deal today, he will up to 13 years in state prison when he is sentenced on April 1.

Natale also faces $270,000 in restitution for the fire that damaged a duplex apartment and forced a mother and her 9-year-old son to evacuate.

Natale also could be fined $5,000 when he is sentenced.

Natale was charged with second-degree arson, second-degree burglary and two counts of reckless endangerment in the first degree. The most serious charge carries a maximum of 25 years in prison.

Assistant District Attorney Daniel Punch said Natale should have “reasonably known” people were inside the apartment when he started the fire, putting them at risk.

In other cases in County Court today:

• Colton Palmer, 31, of Clarendon was sentenced to six months in the county jail and five years of probation for attempted criminal sale of a firearm in the third.

Palmer admitted in a previous court appearance that on Sept. 30, 2018 he gave a Kimber Micro 380 pistol that wasn’t his to another person. He didn’t have a license to possess or sell the pistol. Palmer needed to be extradited from Montana to resolve the case.

Judge Sanford Church said it was “truly troubling” that Palmer had a handgun without a permit and then gave it to another person. Palmer then fought extradition to Orleans County, the judge said. Palmer also was fined $1,000 by the judge.

• Mitchell Gardner, an incarcerated person, was due to appear in court for aggravated harassment of a prison employee. However, Gardner lied down on the hallway in the basement of the courthouse and urinated on the floor.

Judge Church said he didn’t want Gardner in the courtroom after that incident.

Punch, the assistant DA, presented an offer to Joanne Best, the public defender, where Gardner would face 1 ½ to 3 years if he pleaded guilty to the aggravated harassment of a prison employee. Best said she would present that offer to Gardner.

ALBION – A Lockport man pleaded guilty in Orleans County Court today to first degree attempted sexual abuse that occurred in the town of Yates.

Carl Ostrander, 42, admitted that between November 2018 and March 2019 he attempted to have sexual contact with a female under age 13 by touching her in the private parts. Ostrander formerly lived on Murdock Road in Yates.

Ostrander would face up to four years in state prison, but as part of a plea deal he will spend no more than 1 ½ years in prison. He also will have 3 to 10 years of post-release supervision and will be on the sex offender registry. He will be sentenced on April 22 by County Court Judge Sanford Church.

In other cases in County Court today:

Cody Sharlau, 36, of Medina was sentenced to 364 days for violating his probation. He was on probation after being sentenced in March 2024 for criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree.

Reginald Lucas, 37, of Albion admitted to several probation violations and will face up to 1 to 3 years in state prison when he is sentenced on Feb. 25.

Lucas is on probation for third-degree burglary. He admitted to failing to report to probation four times, not maintaining gainful employment, not going to substance abuse counseling or completing anger management counseling through a certified provider.

Michael White, 22, of Albion was arraigned for criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree and resisting arrest.

White was charged on Sept. 16 after he allegedly had a 20-round magazine in his backpack and pulled his hands away when law enforcement attempted to handcuff him. He also allegedly tried to strike an officer with his elbows.

White has been released on his own recognizance.

Allan Bieber, 22, was classified as a level one sex offender, the lowest of three levels, during a hearing before Judge Church. Bieber is on probation for 10 years for third-degree rape for having sex with a 15-year-old girl at St. Joseph’s Park on South Clinton Street on April 25. Bieber is a first-time offender.

Austin Buzzard, 27, of Carlton pleaded guilty to probation violations and could be sentenced to up to a year in the county jail on Feb. 25.

He is on probation after being convicted of second-degree attempted assault. He admitted to using cocaine, consuming THC, not being truthful with probation, being dismissed from two domestic violence counseling programs, and other violations.

Steven Ploof

ROCHESTER – Steven Ploof, who briefly was chief deputy of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office in 2023, pleaded guilty last Thursday to reckless endangerment in Monroe County. He allegedly threatened an FBI agent.

Ploof, 48, on Sept. 15 also was charged with attempted aggravated assault on a police officer, two counts of menacing a police officer, three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree obstruction of governmental administration, and resisting arrest.

Ploof, who worked 16 years for the Ogden Police Department, resigned from the Orleans County after being put on administrative leave relating to suspected drug use, according to Channel 10 News in Rochester. As chief deputy he was tasked with providing oversight of the Civil Division and the numerous local, state and federal grants managed by the Sheriff’s Office.

Ploof was accused of threatening an FBI agent after he allegedly left posters with threatening messages on the porch of an FBI agent assigned to FBI’s Rochester Resident Agency, Channel 10 reported.

While executing a state search warrant, Greece Police officers also found a threatening message towards the FBI written on Ploof’s bedroom wall.

Greece officers saw Ploof on Sept. 15 when they were doing a welfare check on him. Ploof then tried to hit them with his car, and attempted to turn a spray can into a makeshift torch, and had a machete.

The officers tased Ploof, detained him, and brought him to Rochester General Hospital. The next day, Ploof had escaped from the hospital, which prompted a lockdown.

Ploof also threatened his own family members, and made threats at his apartment complex, Channel 10 reported.

Ploof is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 5.

ALBION – A Medina man who pleaded guilty to third-degree rape was sentenced today to two years in state prison.

Joseph Reamer, 53, also will have three years of post-release supervision.

Reamer in a previous court appearance admitted to sexual contact without the other person’s consent in April 2025. He was initially arraigned on first-degree rape, forcible touching and unlawful imprisonment in the second degree.

In other cases in County Court today:

• Michael Savage, 37, of the town of Murray was arraigned on charges of course of conduct against a child, two counts of sexual abuse in the first degree for contact in the vaginal of a girl between the ages of 5 and 9, two counts of forcible touching and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. The crimes allegedly occurred between 2020 and March 2025, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Savage is released after posting $5,000 cash bail.

• Seanna Corwin-Bradley, 42, of Barker appeared in court on felony driving while intoxicated. Corwin-Bradley, the former mayor of Barker, was charged on July 22 with a BAC at .193, more than twice the legal limit.

She was in a car accident on Ridge Road in Ridgeway, where she allegedly crossed the center line and sideswiped a camper that was being pulled by a truck. She has a previous DWI conviction in Erie County in September 2024.

She may be considered for a judicial diversion program but would need to first plead guilty and be screened to see if she is a good fit for the program. That diversion program could be handled in Niagara County.

• Dejanay Canteen, 37, pleaded guilty to aggravated harassment of an employee by an inmate. Canteen is incarcerated at the Albion Correctional Facility.

On Feb. 19, 2025, Canteen admitted to throwing urine that hit two corrections officers. Canteen said the urine was intended to hit another inmate, not the COs.

Dan Punch, assistant DA, said there is video showing Canteen throwing the urine.

Canteen faces another 1 ½ to 3 years in state prison. Canteen is currently serving a 7-year sentence for a robbery in Staten Island.

• Jose Casiano, 69, of Gaines pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree and driving while ability impaired.

He could face up to six months in the county jail plus probation when he is sentenced on March 11.

Casiano had 4.3 grams of cocaine when he was stopped by police on Aug. 1.

• Erica Davis, 37, of Medina was sentenced to 90 days in the county for violating her probation. Davis has already served 66 of those days.

She also pleaded guilty to a new charge of attempted promoting prison contraband in the first degree for sneaking cocaine into the jail through her boot.

She could get 1 to 3 years in state prison when she is sentenced on April 8.

“I’m apologetic,” Davis said in court today. “Addiction has taken a toll on my life. Sobriety is my goal going forward.”