Medina man admits to arson at Bates Road apartment duplex
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.
