AUBURN - An Auburn man entered a plea of not guilty during his arraignment on burglary and other charges in Cayuga County Court Tuesday.

Donald Richardson, 30, whose last known address is 5 Church St., is charged with two counts of second-degree burglary and one count each of third-degree grand larceny and third-degree criminal possession of stolen property. Richardson is accused of being involved in a May home invasion, during which musical and audio equipment, compact discs, batteries and other objects were taken from an Auburn apartment.

Richardson's co-defendant, Leo McGrail Jr., pleaded guilty Oct. 30 to third-degree burglary. McGrail, 28, was sentenced to six months in Cayuga County Jail and five years of probation.

James Leone, Richardson's attorney, also requested in court that Judge Mark Fandrich allow bail to stay at $300, which Richardson posted after his arrest. Leone said the defendant has been working for a local business and has made all of his court appearances, showing that he is not a flight risk.

Chief Assistant District Attorney Jon Budelmann, who is prosecuting the case, recommended that bail be set between $5,000 and $10,000 because he said Richardson is charged with two separate violent felonies.

Fandrich reset bail at $2,500 cash and $5,000 bond.

Also in court:

• Fandrich allowed Mary Ann Tillman-Wilson to attend a 28-day rehabilitation program after she admitted to violating her probation. Tillman-Wilson, 54, of 37 Sheridan St., Auburn, will then be sentenced for the violation upon completion of the program, Fandrich said.

Tillman-Wilson was sentenced to five years probation in 2005 for the felony charge of criminal sale of a controlled substance. She sold crack cocaine Feb. 28, 2003, within city limits.

Tillman-Wilson's sentence was imposed under the condition that she enter a substance abuse rehabilitation program, which she failed to do. She is scheduled to re-appear in court Jan. 15, 2008.

• Motions in the case of Reginald Lawson were adjourned after Lawson failed to appear in court. Lawson's attorney, Anthony Pendegrass, requested that Fandrich not issue a warrant for Lawson's arrest after he failed to appear. Pendegrass said that Lawson, who lives in Rochester, had confused the court date with another one he had scheduled in Auburn City Court.

Lawson, 49, pleaded not guilty on Oct. 2 to several felony and misdemeanor drug charges, as well as misdemeanor charges of criminal use of drug paraphernalia and endangering the welfare of a child. He is scheduled to reappear in county court Dec. 20.

• Fandrich reserved a decision on assigning a risk level to Rodney Singletary until more information on his history can be obtained. Singletary, 42, is serving a prison sentence at Cayuga Correctional Facility in Moravia for second-degree burglary, a felony.

After an evaluation, Singletary was assessed to be at a moderate risk level. But Budelmann asked Fandrich for time to look into his “extensive criminal history” and investigate the possibility of a higher risk level.

Singletary is scheduled to re-appear in court Jan. 7, 2008.

Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net