Man arraigned in County Court for first-degree robbery in Medina
ALBION – A Rochester man who used to live in Medina was arraigned in Orleans County Court today for first-degree robbery and grand larceny in the fourth degree, which are felonies.
Jason Wills, 33, also faces misdemeanor charges of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and menacing in the second degree.
He was picked up on a warrant on May 1 in Albion by local law enforcement. Wills had been wanted since failing to show up at a court appearance on Nov. 20, 2017, when he was indicted for robbery in the first degree.
Wills was arrested by the Medina Police Department on June 4, 2017 for an alleged knifepoint robbery where cash was stolen.
District Attorney Joe Cardone requested bail of at least $100,000 after Wills failed to appear in November 2017. Judge Charles Zambito agreed and set bail at $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond.
Cardone also offered a plea deal for Wills where he would plead guilty to attempted robbery in the first degree and face a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Wills can consider that offer in the next month before he appears in County Court again for a conference with his attorney, Public Defender Joanne Best.
In other cases in County Court today:
• A former inmate at the Orleans Correctional Facility was sentenced to 1 ½ to 3 years in state prison for assaulting a corrections officer in 2017.
Raheem Sumler pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted assault.
• An Albion woman was sentenced to six months in the county jail and five years of probation for a felony drug charge.
Virginia Rivera, 38, had nearly completed a judicial diversion program until a recent drug relapse. If she had been successful, she would have instead been sentenced to a misdemeanor and avoided jail.
“I just want to apologize,” she told the judge. “I made a huge mistake. I really regret it.”
Judge Zambito declined to send Rivera to state prison. He wanted the local supervision through probation.
