‘Violent’ burglar sentenced to 6 years

ALBION – A Brockport man was sentenced on Monday to six years in state prison for possession of a weapon and attempted burglary.

Mitchell Hamlin, 21, was charged with third-degree attempted burglary after allegedly breaking into several cars in Clarendon on Aug. 9. A second felony offender, he was sentenced to four years in state prison for the burglary crimes.

His more serious crime allegedly occurred Feb. 22 when he was carrying a loaded handgun without a license. He was stopped in the town of Barre and had the gun in his pants. Orleans County Court Judge James Punch sentenced Hamlin to six years in prison for weapons charge, which runs concurrently with the attempted burglary sentence.

“Before you kill somebody I’m going to have to lock you up for a while,” Punch told Hamlin during the sentencing.

Hamlin has recently completed his GED. He said he wants to be a productive member of society.

“I’d like to apologize to the victims,” Hamlin told the court. “I realize what I did was wrong.”

Assistant District Attorney Susan Howard asked for a long sentence for Hamlin.

“It’s obvious, your honor, that’s he’s dangerous,” Howard told Punch. “He’s violent.”

Punch said Hamlin has a “toxic combination of crimes with drugs, weapons and other crimes, including this burglary.”