Lockport man sentenced to 5 years in prison for having cocaine in Orleans
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.
