AUBURN - Jan Ripley sniffled. Ripley said she would be lying if she admitted to selling the manmade stimulant methamphetamine while she awaited sentencing for cooking meth.
“I don't remember doing it,” said Ripley, 58, of 5426 Murphy Hill Road, Moravia. “But these guys say I did so I guess I have to say I did.”
Cayuga County Judge Thomas Leone did not believe Ripley at first as she looked down at the defendant's table Thursday.
“Are you pleading guilty to get this over with or did you sell at least 1.7 grams to an individual?” Leone asked.
After a long break outside of the courtroom with her attorney and off-the-record conferences in chambers between Leone, Ripley's attorney Eric Smith and Chief Assistant District Attorney Jon Budelmann, Ripley finally - with tears still flowing - admitted selling 1.7 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant April 4 at her residence.
“Guilty, I guess,” was Ripley's reluctant answer to the judge's query of her plea to the felony of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. “Ms. Ripley, it's either guilty or not,” Leone said.
She looked at her attorney. “Guilty,” she said.
Leone said he believed Ripley had sold meth after hearing her admit she ingested meth in April.
Ripley previously pleaded guilty to the felony of unlawful manufacture of methamphetamine. She admitted to possessing ingredients for cooking the drug, including a partially filled 120-gallon tank of anhydrous ammonia, pseudophedrine, sulfuric acid and lithium from a battery.
Ripley is in treatment in Cortland County. The district attorney's office will seek for Ripley to pay $3,800 in restitution toward the cost of cleaning up the meth lab at her home. She will be sentenced to a promised three years in state prison and two years post-release supervision at her July 12 sentencing.
Her bail was reset at $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond. Codefendant Michael Hagin, 44 of 2446 Rockefeller Road, Moravia, previously was sentenced to one year in state prison and one year of post-release supervision for the felony of third-degree unlawful manufacture of methamphetamine.
Also in court:
* Leone reserved on motion arguments made in the case of Clarence Brown, 55, of Sodus, who is accused of profiting from sexual favors from migrant workers, some of them from Guatemala, in exchange for money, and robbing the workers while they were preoccupied. He also is accused of unlawfully entering homes on Justin Drive in Fleming and Saxton Road in Venice Dec. 31, 2005. Brown faces the felonies of second-degree robbery and two counts of second-degree burglary and the misdemeanors of fourth-degree promoting prostitution and second-degree unlawful imprisonment. Two women charged in the case have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors.
* Matthew Destefano, 20, of 5373 Brockway Road, Moravia, was arraigned with an attorney present on the felony of third-degree rape and the misdemeanor of third-degree sexual abuse. He is accused of raping and sexually abusing an 18-year-old woman. Motion arguments are scheduled in his case for Aug. 23.
* Motion arguments were held in the case of Kevin Henry, 37, of Rochester, who has entered a not guilty plea to the felony of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Henry is accused of possessing illegal drugs.
* Patricia Lafler, 34, of 14 Steel St., Auburn, was restored to probation after violating her probation for the felony of fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance by the conviction of aggravated unlicensed operation.
* Timothy Mack, 21, of 124 Wall St., Auburn, pleaded guilty to the felony of third-degree criminal sale of marijuana. Mack admitted selling marijuana in November 2006. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 16. Mack's sentencing recommendation involves nothing harsher than probation with a short jail term, $560 restitution and forfeiture of the Honda Civic he drove while dealing.
* The attorney for Michael Milczakowskyj, 49, of 13 Canoga St., made the motion argument that two of the charges should be reduced or dismissed because he alleged his client pointing an unloaded BB gun at a female victim would not result in exposure to serious physical injury or death. Dennis Sedor also sought a judicial subpoena for medical records that might show an alleged female victim had an injury that caused her to have preexisting rib injuries.
Milczakowskyj is accused of pointing a .177-caliber gun at a woman April 12 while imprisoning her at his home April 10 to 12. He is also accused of slamming the woman to the floor and jumping on her, causing rib fractures April 10. He is also accused of breaking some of her ribs in March and striking her in the face April 12.
Leone reserved on most of the issues, but he did reduce Milczakowskyj's bail by $5,000 cash to $15,000 cash bail.
Staff writer Amaris Elliott-Engel can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or at amaris.elliot-engel@lee.net
Cayuga County Judge Thomas Leone did not believe Ripley at first as she looked down at the defendant's table Thursday.
“Are you pleading guilty to get this over with or did you sell at least 1.7 grams to an individual?” Leone asked.
After a long break outside of the courtroom with her attorney and off-the-record conferences in chambers between Leone, Ripley's attorney Eric Smith and Chief Assistant District Attorney Jon Budelmann, Ripley finally - with tears still flowing - admitted selling 1.7 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant April 4 at her residence.
“Guilty, I guess,” was Ripley's reluctant answer to the judge's query of her plea to the felony of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance. “Ms. Ripley, it's either guilty or not,” Leone said.
She looked at her attorney. “Guilty,” she said.
Leone said he believed Ripley had sold meth after hearing her admit she ingested meth in April.
Ripley previously pleaded guilty to the felony of unlawful manufacture of methamphetamine. She admitted to possessing ingredients for cooking the drug, including a partially filled 120-gallon tank of anhydrous ammonia, pseudophedrine, sulfuric acid and lithium from a battery.
Ripley is in treatment in Cortland County. The district attorney's office will seek for Ripley to pay $3,800 in restitution toward the cost of cleaning up the meth lab at her home. She will be sentenced to a promised three years in state prison and two years post-release supervision at her July 12 sentencing.
Her bail was reset at $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond. Codefendant Michael Hagin, 44 of 2446 Rockefeller Road, Moravia, previously was sentenced to one year in state prison and one year of post-release supervision for the felony of third-degree unlawful manufacture of methamphetamine.
Also in court:
* Leone reserved on motion arguments made in the case of Clarence Brown, 55, of Sodus, who is accused of profiting from sexual favors from migrant workers, some of them from Guatemala, in exchange for money, and robbing the workers while they were preoccupied. He also is accused of unlawfully entering homes on Justin Drive in Fleming and Saxton Road in Venice Dec. 31, 2005. Brown faces the felonies of second-degree robbery and two counts of second-degree burglary and the misdemeanors of fourth-degree promoting prostitution and second-degree unlawful imprisonment. Two women charged in the case have pleaded guilty to misdemeanors.
* Matthew Destefano, 20, of 5373 Brockway Road, Moravia, was arraigned with an attorney present on the felony of third-degree rape and the misdemeanor of third-degree sexual abuse. He is accused of raping and sexually abusing an 18-year-old woman. Motion arguments are scheduled in his case for Aug. 23.
* Motion arguments were held in the case of Kevin Henry, 37, of Rochester, who has entered a not guilty plea to the felony of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Henry is accused of possessing illegal drugs.
* Patricia Lafler, 34, of 14 Steel St., Auburn, was restored to probation after violating her probation for the felony of fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance by the conviction of aggravated unlicensed operation.
* Timothy Mack, 21, of 124 Wall St., Auburn, pleaded guilty to the felony of third-degree criminal sale of marijuana. Mack admitted selling marijuana in November 2006. His sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 16. Mack's sentencing recommendation involves nothing harsher than probation with a short jail term, $560 restitution and forfeiture of the Honda Civic he drove while dealing.
* The attorney for Michael Milczakowskyj, 49, of 13 Canoga St., made the motion argument that two of the charges should be reduced or dismissed because he alleged his client pointing an unloaded BB gun at a female victim would not result in exposure to serious physical injury or death. Dennis Sedor also sought a judicial subpoena for medical records that might show an alleged female victim had an injury that caused her to have preexisting rib injuries.
Milczakowskyj is accused of pointing a .177-caliber gun at a woman April 12 while imprisoning her at his home April 10 to 12. He is also accused of slamming the woman to the floor and jumping on her, causing rib fractures April 10. He is also accused of breaking some of her ribs in March and striking her in the face April 12.
Leone reserved on most of the issues, but he did reduce Milczakowskyj's bail by $5,000 cash to $15,000 cash bail.
Staff writer Amaris Elliott-Engel can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or at amaris.elliot-engel@lee.net
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