Several plead guilty in Orleans County Court

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 22 July 2021 at 2:43 pm

ALBION – Several people pleaded guilty in Orleans County Court on Wednesday in crimes that included drug possession, driving while intoxicated, sex abuse, grand larceny and promoting prison contraband.

The guilty pleas included:

Michael Russell, 50, of Hamlin who pleaded guilty to sex abuse in the second degree. He admitted to sexual contact with his hand with a girl under age 14 between July 2007 and July 2011.

He faced more serious charges of three counts of first-degree sex abuse, but the victim agreed to reduced charge in the plea agreement that will have Russell spending up to 364 days in the Orleans County Jail. He could also be sentenced to six years of probation and will be required to be registered as a sex offender.

He will be sentenced on Oct. 20.

Jason Kuczynski, 31, a former inmate at the Orleans Correctional Facility pleaded guilty to attempted promoting prison contraband in the first degree for possessing fentanyl in the prison. That is a controlled narcotic and it is against prison rules to have it.

Kuczynski, who is now at the Wyoming Correctional Facility in Attica, faces up to an additional 1 ½ to 3 years in state prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 29.

Jacob Harbaugh, 31, of the Niagara Falls was due to go on trial on Monday. He instead pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the fourth degree and faces up to 1 ½ to 3 years in state prison when he is sentenced on Oct. 13.

He maintained his innocence and entered an Alford plea where he doesn’t admit guilt. But Harbaugh said he was concerned he could be found guilty at trial of more serious burglary and larceny charges.

He is one of three defendants who allegedly stole three dirt bikes from a Ridgeway garage on Oct. 16, 2018. The other two co-defendants have all been sentenced and said Harbaugh was part of the crime, including its planning and then the disposal of the motorcycles, District Attorney Joe Cardone told County Court Judge Sanford Church.

Harbaugh also was stopped by police in Middleport and was in the same vehicle as the other two co-defendants, Cardone said.

The motorcycles were taken from a detached garage on Countyline Road in Ridgeway. Harbaugh was seen at the location of the crime. However, Harbaugh said he didn’t know the codefendants intended to take the motorcycles.

Cardone said two of the flat-track motorcycles have been recovered. Two of the motorcycles are valued at about $5,000 each and the third one is worth about $8,000, Cardone said.

Matthew Daugherty, 26, of Lockport pleaded guilty to criminal possession of controlled substance in the fifth and seventh degrees.

Judge Church accepted him into a treatment court program. He will be on interim probation. If he completes the treatment court in about a year, the felony charge will be removed and he will be sentenced on the misdemeanor and won’t face any time in jail.

Kayla Hodgins, 29, of Medina also pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth and seventh degree. She was accepted into the treatment court program. She will be on interim probation. If she completes the treatment court in about a year, the felony charge will be removed and she will be sentenced on the misdemeanor and won’t face time in jail.

Jason Perry, 40, of Albion pleaded guilty to felony driving while intoxicated and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree. He faces up to 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison when he is sentenced on Sept. 29.