MEDINA – Two Pearl Street residents in the village have been charged with selling drugs in Medina.

Derrick Adams

The Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force and Medina Police Department on Friday executed a search warrant at 214 Pearl St., Apartment 3. That is the residence of the couple facing drug charges.

Derrick Adams, 29, and Catherine J. Medina, 27, have been charged following an investigation in the sale and distribution of cocaine in Medina, the Task Force reported.

Catherine Medina

Adams has been charged with 4 counts each of criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, which  are Class B felonies.

He was arraigned by Ridgeway Town Justice Dawn Keppler, who sent him to the Orleans County Jail on $50,000 bail. He was scheduled to return to court this morning at 9 a.m.

Catherine J. Medina was charged with one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, and two counts of criminally using drug paraphernalia in the second degree.

She was arraigned by Judge Keppler and sent to jail on $1,000 bail. She also was scheduled to appear in court at 9 this morning.

The Medina Police Department K9 Unit and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office also assisted the Task Force. This investigation is ongoing, and further charges and arrests are pending, said Joe Sacco, supervising investigator.

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ALBION – Orleans County Court Judge James Punch arraigned four people in County Court on Monday for grand larceny charges.

• Shane S. Woolston, 26, of Waterport is charged with five counts of fourth-degree grand larceny and six counts of petit larceny.

Judge Punch set bail at $25,000 for Woolston, who allegedly stole a car as well as several credit and debit cards, using them to make numerous purchases. Woolston has previous criminal convictions, District Attorney Joe Cardone said during the arraignment.

“He has an extremely serious heroin problem,” Cardone told Judge Punch.

• Jason M. Hirtreiter, 29, of Medina is charged with grand larceny in the fourth degree, petit larceny and obstruction of governmental administration.

The judge bail at $25,000 for Hirtreiter, who has previous criminal convictions and was on parole with the latest charges. He also has failed to appear during some previous court appearances.

• David L. Timmer III, 38, of Medina is charged with burglary in the third degree, grand larceny in the fourth degree and criminal possession of stolen property. He is accused of burglarizing Tim Horton’s in Medina and taking money from the business.

The judge set bail at $10,000.

• Kenya L. Yawn of Rochester is charged with fourth-degree grand larceny for allegedly stealing from the WalMart in Albion. The judge set bail at $10,000.

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ALBION – Orleans County Court was busy this afternoon with several arraignments for people accused of drug crimes in the county.

The arraignments include:

• Lamar L. Nelson, 28, of Monroe Avenue in Rochester. On approximately May 1, he sold cocaine and had it in his possession, according to the indictment.

He faces multiple charges of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree and criminal possession in the fourth degree as well as criminally using drug paraphernalia.

County Court Judges James Punch set bail at $50,000, citing Nelson’s previous criminal and a failure to appear in court.

Nelson was arrested on May 1 with two codefendants following an investigation in the sale of crack cocaine from Rochester to Albion.

One of the other codefendants, Virginia A. Rivera, 36, of West Avenue in Albion also was arraigned in court for criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree.

Rivera doesn’t have a prior criminal record, but Punch said she was actively involved in the drug sales in Albion.

He set bail at $10,000 for her.

Another codefendant, Shanya Beasley, 38, of Kingston Street in Rochester is expected to be arraigned in County Court later this month.

Andrew Coley, 19, of Platt Street in Albion was arraigned on multiple drug charges for allegedly selling crack cocaine in Orleans County. He was arraigned on criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance  in the third degree, as well as criminal sale in the fifth.

Judge Punch set bail at $10,000.

Coley is awaiting sentencing on a different charge for endangering the welfare of a child. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 26 and could face a year in jail for that charge.

A mother and son are both facing drug charges after the mother allegedly tried to introduce the narcotic Soboxone into the Orleans County Jail.

Joshua Grosskopf, 26, faces 2 counts of first-degree promoting prison contraband and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Grosskopf is serving a 6-month sentence for petit larceny.

Judge Punch said Grosskopf has two prior felonies. The judge set bail at $50,000.

Grosskopf’s mother, Mary Walton, 58, of Albion is expected to be arraigned later this month for promoting prison contraband by allegedly bringing the narcotic into the jail.

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Sharon Davis had first of string of DWIs in Barre, with BAC of .26%

Sharon Davis

ALBION – A Livingston County woman was arraigned in Orleans County Court this afternoon for the first of her four driving while intoxicated arrests – all in the past three months.

Sharon Davis, 54, of Geneseo was arrested on April 21 in Barre and registered a 0.26 percent Blood Alcohol Content.

She was arrested for DWI in Batavia on May 15, and then on June 24 in Geneseo, and a day later in Lakeville, Livingston County.

The judges set bail at $5,000 each in Batavia, and the two courts in Livingston County.

James Punch, Orleans County Court judge, this afternoon set bail at $20,000.

“I’m very concerned about the set of circumstances,” Punch said in setting bail for Davis.

She appeared in court today wearing the inmate-issued clothing from the Livingston County Jail.

District Attorney Joe Cardone said Davis has a prior DWI felony in Monroe County in 2008.

Davis’s attorney, Kevin McKain, said she doesn’t have a prior criminal history outside of the “drinking-related offenses.”

She is due back in Orleans County Court on July 26 for a conference.

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Harold Hill Jr.

ALBION – A Lockport man was sentenced to the maximum of 5 years in prison today as part of a plea deal for having cocaine.

Harold D. Hill Jr., 39, of Pine Street in Lockport has been in the county jail since last July, when he was arrested at Salt Works Road in Medina.

Hill had the cocaine, which weighed 0.65 ounces, concealed in his mouth. He pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, which normally carries a maximum of 8 years in state prison.

He pleaded guilty on May 1 and faced a maximum of 5 years in state prison. Judge James Punch gave Hill the maximum as part of the plea, despite a request from Hill’s attorney for leniency and a sentence that included drug addiction treatment in prison.

Hill is a second felony offender. His criminal history is connected to his struggles with drug addiction, his attorney told the judge in court today.

“You have had many, many opportunities to address one of your core problems – drug addiction,” Punch said.

Hill hasn’t addressed his drug problems, Punch said. A drug treatment program as part of the sentence wasn’t “a realistic expectation” given Hill’s criminal history, the judge said.

“This problem with drugs is a cancer in our society and you’re spreading it into our community,” Punch said.

In addition to five years incarceration, Hill will have two years of post-release supervision.

In other cases today:

• A Medina man was sentenced to six months in the county jail after getting his third arrest for drunk driving or driving while ability impaired.

Edgar L. Rosario, 30, of Medina was sentenced today for felony DWI. He was arrested on Sept. 25 after he was allegedly driving drunk with a BAC of 0.18 percent and struck a house on Eagle Harbor Road.

In addition to six months in jail, Rosario will be on probation for five years.

“I’m sorry to my family and everyone,” Rosario said during sentencing.

The judge said Rosario is fortunate the sentence was the county jail and not state prison.

“People are entitled to a mistake, but you’ve had three,” Punch told Rosario. “I don’t think you’ve graduated to the state prison system, but you’re very close.”

• A Holley resident was arraigned on first-degree sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.

David L. Durbano, 32, of Ridge Road allegedly had sexual contact with a 9-year-old girl. The judge set bail at $20,000.

• Jacob T. Marks, 28, of Densmore Street in Albion was arraigned for third-degree grand larceny and petit larceny. He allegedly took a credit card and jewelry from the victim in the crime and spent $38,000 in unauthorized purchases from September 2016 to April 2017.

The judge set bail for Marks at $10,000.

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ALBION – Two people have been arrested for allegedly selling crack cocaine in Albion, the Orleans County Major Felony Crime Task Force is reporting.

Wayne F. Mormino

The arrests were made on Wednesday and today following an investigation into the sale and distribution of crack cocaine from Rochester to Albion.

The Task Force and Albion Police Department the following on numerous felony drug charges:

• Wayne F. Mormino, 57, of 431 West State St., Lot 17, Albion. He is charged with one count of each of criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (both Class B felonies), and one county of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree (Class D felony).

Dale M. Jones

Mormino was arraigned in Gaines Town Court by Town Justice Bruce Schmidt and committed to the Orleans County Jail on $25,000 bail. He is to return to Albion Town Court on June 29 at 9 a.m.

• Dale M. Jones, 47, of 108 Burrows St., Rochester. He was charged with one count each of criminal sale and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree (Class B felonies).

Jones was arraigned in Albion Town Court by Town Justice Joe Fuller. Jones was committed to the County Jail on $75,000 bail. He is due back in Albion Town Court on June 28 at 9 a.m.

This investigation is ongoing and more charges and arrests are pending, the Task Force said.

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ALBION – A Holley man admitted in Orleans County Court on Monday to selling drugs while he was living at the Holley Hotel.

Mathew P. Stearns, 34, was arrested on April for allegedly selling heroin. He pleaded guilty to attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree and faces up to 3 ½ years in state prison when he is sentenced on Aug. 7.

The charge normally carries a maximum of up to 8 years in prison. He also faces 1 ½ to 3 years of post-release supervision.

Judge James Punch also set bail at $25,000 on Monday.

In another guilty plea on Monday, Luis Ramos-Perez of Albion pleaded guilty to violating probation and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

He was arrested for driving while intoxicated on April 29 by the state police.

He has two prior felonies. One term of his probation was not to drink alcohol.

Ramos-Perez is in the country on a Green Card. Judge Punch said the guilty plea for the latest charge could result in Ramos-Perez being deported after incarceration.

Ramos-Perez is being held without bail until the sentencing on Aug. 7.

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Lucas Porter will likely face additional prison time on July 3 for assault

ALBION – A Medina teen was sentenced today to 1 to 3 years in state prison for violating probation. Lucas Porter, 18, could face more time when he is sentenced on July 3 for assault.

Porter has been on probation after being charged with a burglary in Albion in March 2015.

He admitted to stabbing a Buffalo man near his heart and lung at a house party on Nov. 6 in Ridgeway.

In addition to stabbing the man, Porter also allegedly stabbed a 2013 Honda car with a large knife as friends of the victim were attempting to leave the scene and transport the victim to the hospital.

District Attorney Joe Cardone today requested $26,225 in restitution for medical bills and $2,099 in insurance reimbursements for the damaged car. Judge James Punch set a restitution hearing for 2 p.m. on July 3. Punch wants to know if insurance or other government programs will pay for the medical costs.

Porter, during an April 10 court appearance, admitted to stabbing the Buffalo man who did not have a weapon.

Porter just missed stabbing the man in his heart, but did puncture his lungs. The victim was hospitalized in intensive care for 10 days. He has recovered enough to have the charges downgraded from first-degree to second-degree assault.

Porter accepted a plea deal in Orleans County Court on April 10. Second-degree assault normally carries a maximum of 7 years in state prison. Porter, as part of the plea deal, will face up to 4 years in state prison when he is sentenced July 3.

“This was a mistake,” Porter during sentencing this afternoon for the probation violation. “I won’t make a lifetime habit out of it.”

Punch said Porter didn’t take probation seriously and needs to spend some time in prison.

“You already have a serious criminal history,” Punch said.

In another sentencing today:

A Webster teen-age girl was sentenced to 30 days in jail and three years of probation.

The teen was granted youthful offender so her name shouldn’t be published.

She was arrested at an Albion motel on Oct. 6 after being found with cocaine. She pleaded guilty to endangering the welfare of a child and faced a maximum of a year in jail.

Her attorney, Brian Degnan, asked for no jail and probation only.

But Judge Punch said the teen needed to go jail.

“You have a lot of problems,” the judge said. “You are hanging around with bad people and doing bad things.”

A codefendant in that case, Andrew L. Coley, 19, of Albion is being held without bail after missing a presentencing interview. Coley is to be sentenced on July 26 and could face a year in jail for endangering the welfare of a child.

He also faces felony drug charges after being arrested last month for allegedly selling crack cocaine. That case is separate from the endangering the welfare of a child charge.

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ALBION – Two people were sentenced to either jail or state prison today in Orleans County Court.

A Holley man was sentenced to 1 ½ years in prison for second-degree rape and two counts of criminal sexual act in the second degree.

Anthony Roe, 22, of Holley has already served a six-month sentence in the county jail when he allegedly had sex with a 14-year-old girl in July 2015. Before he was in jail, he allegedly had sex with a different underage girl, resulting in the current charges.

Roe will also be on 10 years of post-release supervision after the prison sentence.

In another sentencing today, a Holley man was sentenced to a year in the county jail for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree and driving while ability impaired.

William Tuttle Jr., 36, of West Albion Road in Holley admitted in a previous court appearance to drinking hard liquor on Oct. 29, before he was stopped in Barre and charged with driving while impaired and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

He had his driver’s license suspended after he was found guilty previously of driving while impaired due to drugs.

Tuttle did not take a breathalyzer to measure his Blood Alcohol Content on Oct. 29, and he also passed a field sobriety test. He had about 2 ounces of hard liquor about an hour before he was pulled over in Barre, Tuttle told Orleans County Court Judge James Punch in a March court appearance.

The judge asked Tuttle if his ability to drive was “impaired by some degree” and Tuttle agreed it was.

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Victim in critical condition with severe head injuries

Wesley Askew Jr.

ALBION – An Albion man has been charged with attempted murder after an altercation Friday at about 1:45 a.m.

The Albion Police Department and COVA Ambulance were dispatched to the apartment building located at 175 North Main Street for a report person injured following a physical altercation, Police Chief Roland Nenni said.

Albion police officers arrived on scene and found a 53-year-old male with severe head injuries. The victim was transported to the Medina Memorial Hospital by COVA Ambulance and then transferred to Buffalo General Hospital by Mercy Flight.

The Albion Police Department investigation indicated that the victim was assaulted by Wesley Askew Jr., 49, who is an acquaintance of the victim. Both Askew and the victim reside at 175 North Main St.

The victim is currently listed in critical condition. His name is being withheld pending family notification, Nenni said.

Askew is charged with attempted murder, first-degree assault and second-degree assault.

He is currently in the Orleans County Jail on $250,000 bail. Askew is to return to the Town of Albion Court on June 14 at 9 a.m. for a preliminary hearing.

Askew is a level 3 sex offender, the highest possible risk for re-offending. He was released from prison in late 2015 after being convicted in May 2009 for second-degree rape.

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ALBION – A Ridgeway man accused of holding a women against her will for several weeks, while physically and sexually assaulting her, has been offered a deal to plead guilty and face a maximum of 7 to 15 years in state prison.

Gerardo Quiros, 30, has until next month to decide if he wants to accept the deal presented Monday by District Attorney Joe Cardone.

Quiros is facing 36 counts including seven counts of first-degree rape, 23 counts of first-degree criminal sexual act, third and fifth degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, endangering the welfare of a child, unlawful dealing with a child and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Cardone said in court on Monday that Quiros met the woman at Buffalo club and was providing her with drugs.

Cardone said Quiros committed “a series of physical and sexual abuses” to the woman. “It’s a long, extensive story.”

Quiros entered a not guilty plea during arraignment on May 22. He was initially held without bail by Judge James Punch, but when Quiros made a court appearance with his lawyer, Scott Reardon, Punch set bail at $250,000.

Quiros has posted bail and remains free.

He was subject of a manhunt after a report on April 29 that he attacked a woman in his house. Quiros fled before police arrived, leading to a massive police search of the area and a stay-in-place order for nearby residents.

The search was called off after several hours when police determined Quiros was no longer in the area. He was arrested two days later in Lockport.

Quiros is accused of repeatedly raping and sodomizing the victim, and having drugs with a child present in the house.

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ALBION – A Medina man admitted in Orleans County Court to a criminal sex act when he was 21 and the victim was a 14-year-old girl.

Peter C. Jones, 22, of North Avenue in Medina allegedly had an ongoing sexual relationship with a girl who was 13 and then turned 14.

He faced a 74-count indictment. On Monday, he pleaded guilty to one count of criminal sexual act in the third degree and could face 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison when he is sentenced on July 17.

In other cases:

• Shawna N. Weis, 29, of Holley admitted to selling heroin on Feb. 6 when she was a resident of the Holley Hotel.

She pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree and could face a maximum of 1 ½ to 4 years in state prison when she is sentenced on July 26.

Weis has a prior felony and two misdemeanors. Her sentence may include a drug treatment program in prison.

• A Holley woman pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the fourth degree but Judge James Punch didn’t accept the plea because he wasn’t convinced of her wrongdoing.

Jade Fayko, 21, of Hulberton Road in Holley was with two other people when someone broke into a truck in Clarendon and stole $8,000 in cash.

One of the codefendants said Fayko broke into the truck and took the money, but Fayko said she was a passenger in a vehicle with the two other codefendants. Fayko said she didn’t leave that vehicle and instead the two other codefendants broke into the truck and took the money. One of the codefendants handed Fayko $200, Fayko told the judge.

“Your mere presence at the scene of the crime doesn’t make you guilty of the crime,” Punch said. The case was adjourned with Fayko due to appear back in court on Monday.

• Kevin Lampman, 43, of Holley was sentenced to 1 to 3 years for violating probation after he was charged with drunk driving. Lampman has been on probation from Genesee County for criminal contempt.

Punch told Lampman during sentencing that he didn’t take probation seriously.

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Luis Alberto Sanchez-Garza

ALBION – A man who was arrested about a year ago for bringing a kilo of cocaine to Orleans County was sentenced to 5 years in state prison today by Orleans County Court Judge James Punch.

Luis Alberto Sanchez-Garza, 32, of Mexico has been in jail for nearly a year on $500,000 bail.

He has no prior criminal history. He was charged last June 17, along with a Houston, Texas man for trying to smuggle a kilo of cocaine from Texas into Orleans County. It was the largest cocaine seizure in Orleans County history.

Daniel Guzman, 29, the codefendant in the case was sentenced on May 1 to 7 years in state prison, the maximum as part of a plea deal.

Guzman, who has at least one prior felony, and Sanchez-Garza both pleaded guilty to criminal possession of controlled substance in the second degree.

Sanchez-Garza didn’t get the 7-year maximum. Judge Punch gave him 5 years, citing no criminal history for Sanchez-Garza.

The defendant apologized during sentencing this afternoon, and asked with leniency with the sentence.

Sanchez-Garza said he has two young children and is battling a heart condition.

“I can tell you how much he regrets the actions he took,” his attorney Roger Asmar told the judge.

The judge gave Sanchez-Garza a break from the maximum but said the five years in prison were still warranted “for bringing a large quantity of poison into the community.”

Police, including the Albion K9, searched a vehicle that was stopped on East Avenue in Albion last June 17 and found 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cocaine hidden in the engine compartment.

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Press Release, Orleans County Undersheriff Chris Bourke

ALBION – Two Orleans County Jail inmates and a relative of one of the inmates were charged today with criminally attempting to introduce the narcotic Soboxone into the jail.

The two-month criminal investigation was conducted by the Sheriff’s Correction Division along with support from department’s Criminal Investigative Division.

Joshua Grosskopf, 26, was charged with 2 counts of 1st Degree Promoting Prison Contraband, a class D felony. Inmate Grosskopf is serving a 6-month sentence for petit larceny.

Michael Borrero, 18, was charged with Attempted 1st Degree Promoting Prison Contraband, a class E Felony. Inmate Borrero is serving a one-year sentence for 3rd Degree Burglary.

Mary Walton, 58, of Albion, was charged with 2 counts of 1st Degree Promoting Prison Contraband, a class D felony and two counts of Conspiracy 5th degree, a class A misdemeanor.

Jail Superintendent Scott Wilson states that it is the corrections officers who are at the forefront of preventing dangerous contraband from entering the jail and their efforts have played a major role in the criminal investigation.

Sheriff Randall Bower would like assure the public that this type of criminal activity will not be tolerated in the jail and will continue to provide the necessary resources to prevent and deter contraband from entering the facility.

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Press Release, United States Attorney’s Office, Western District of New York

ROCHESTER, N.Y.—Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Steven Choi, 42, of Rochester, a former Holley English teacher, was sentenced to time served and 15 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany H. Lee, who handled the case, stated that the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force identified the defendant accessing child pornography online. A forensic examination of that computer recovered sexually explicit photographs of prepubescent girls. Choi is no longer an English teacher with the Holley Central School District.

He was convicted of possession of child pornography. The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by Special Agents of Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Adam S. Cohen.

The Task Force includes the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the Rochester Police Department, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations, and the Greece Police Department.

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