AUBURN - The case of a man accused of accidentally shooting his nephew will be heard by a Cayuga County grand jury.
Michael Hall Sr., 49, of 1306 Salt Road, Moravia, opted not to enter a guilty plea Thursday at Cayuga County Court to a felony charge of criminally negligent homicide. The case was adjourned and will be sent to the grand jury, who will decide whether to indict him on the charge.
Authorities accused Hall of shooting Ricky Huffman, 33, on Nov. 16, 2007, during a hunting accident. Huffman died from the injury. According to the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office, Hall thought Huffman was a deer when he allegedly fired a 12-gauge shotgun and hit him in the abdomen.
Authorities said the two were hunting on family property a day before deer season began.
District Attorney Jon Budelmann said a date has not been set to convene the grand jury, but he expects it to happen in February.
Also in court:
• An Auburn woman who was scheduled for sentencing was arraigned on a separate, previously-sealed indictment for drug charges. Eugena Morris, 28, of 84 Wall St., pleaded not guilty to two counts each of criminal sale of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Morris is accused of selling drugs in January 2007.
Morris was scheduled to be sentenced on misdemeanor charges of reporting a false incident and criminal possession of a controlled substance when she was indicted. The sentencing on those charges was adjourned indefinitely.
Morris was remanded to Cayuga County Jail on bail of $5,000 cash and $10,000 bail. Motions are scheduled to be heard April 3.
• Doreen Woodford waived prosecution by indictment before pleading guilty to fourth-degree grand larceny. Woodford, of 1855 County Route 15, Odessa, admitted that she knowingly wrote a bad check for $1,609.90 to Clark's Transmission in Locke.
Judge Thomas Leone told Woodford he would sentence her to five years of probation for the plea, pending a pre-sentence investigation. Leone also authorized Woodford's release from county jail, where she had been for 60 days. He warned Woodford that he would impose a greater punishment if she did not appear for sentencing on March 27.
• Leone continued to allow Shaquille Manners, 16, of 141 Park Place, to be released on his own recognizance while he faces multiple drug-related felonies. Manners is charged with two counts each of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a narcotic.
Budelmann requested that Leone raise bail $10,000 cash and $20,000 bond because Manners was arrested last week on a separate assault charge. Manners' attorney, Charles Marangola, said that Manners has been obeying the conditions of his release, which include in-house detention and regular attendance at school. Marangola also said Manners is denying the assault charges, which allege that he stabbed a teenage girl in the leg with a pen.
Manners is scheduled to appear in court on the drug charges Feb. 28, after a pre-plea investigation is conducted.
• Phillip Seaton, of 9757 Bonta Bridge Road, Jordan, will register as a level-three sex offender, which makes him a high-risk offender. Seaton was sentenced in July 2007 to one year in Cayuga County Jail for the felony of second-degree attempted rape. He attempted to have sex with a 15-year-old girl.
• Cheryl Oliver, 22, of Auburn, entered a plea of not guilty to a probation violation. She is accused of pleading guilty at Auburn City Court to second-degree criminal contempt and third-degree assault.
Oliver was sentenced in May 2006 at county court to five years of probation for criminal sale of marijuana. Her next scheduled court appearance is Feb. 21.
• James Scott, 24, of 144 Van Anden St., Auburn, will go to trial on felony charges of second-degree assault and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. According to his attorney, Joseph Sapio, Scott was offered a sentence of five years in prison and a term of post-release supervision if he entered a guilty plea to second-degree assault. The plea would have satisfied the charges for which he was appearing in court, as well as another pending assault charge, Sapio said.
Sapio said Scott, who is accused of slicing the face of a 17-year-old in March 2007, would not accept the offer. The trial is scheduled to begin April 21.
• Leone denied a motion to dismiss robbery charges against Morris Bowman. Sapio, Bowman's attorney, said in court that the defendant had wished to testify in front of the grand jury that indicted him, but he was not given proper notice.
Budelmann said that Bowman was at the indictment hearing, and chose not to testify.
“He was provided an opportunity,” Budelmann said.
Bowman, whose last known address is 145 Park Place, is accused of stealing sneakers Nov. 27, 2007, from a person while threatening the person with a knife. Pre-trial motions are scheduled to be heard March 28.
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.
Authorities accused Hall of shooting Ricky Huffman, 33, on Nov. 16, 2007, during a hunting accident. Huffman died from the injury. According to the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office, Hall thought Huffman was a deer when he allegedly fired a 12-gauge shotgun and hit him in the abdomen.
Authorities said the two were hunting on family property a day before deer season began.
District Attorney Jon Budelmann said a date has not been set to convene the grand jury, but he expects it to happen in February.
Also in court:
• An Auburn woman who was scheduled for sentencing was arraigned on a separate, previously-sealed indictment for drug charges. Eugena Morris, 28, of 84 Wall St., pleaded not guilty to two counts each of criminal sale of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a controlled substance. Morris is accused of selling drugs in January 2007.
Morris was scheduled to be sentenced on misdemeanor charges of reporting a false incident and criminal possession of a controlled substance when she was indicted. The sentencing on those charges was adjourned indefinitely.
Morris was remanded to Cayuga County Jail on bail of $5,000 cash and $10,000 bail. Motions are scheduled to be heard April 3.
• Doreen Woodford waived prosecution by indictment before pleading guilty to fourth-degree grand larceny. Woodford, of 1855 County Route 15, Odessa, admitted that she knowingly wrote a bad check for $1,609.90 to Clark's Transmission in Locke.
Judge Thomas Leone told Woodford he would sentence her to five years of probation for the plea, pending a pre-sentence investigation. Leone also authorized Woodford's release from county jail, where she had been for 60 days. He warned Woodford that he would impose a greater punishment if she did not appear for sentencing on March 27.
• Leone continued to allow Shaquille Manners, 16, of 141 Park Place, to be released on his own recognizance while he faces multiple drug-related felonies. Manners is charged with two counts each of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a narcotic.
Budelmann requested that Leone raise bail $10,000 cash and $20,000 bond because Manners was arrested last week on a separate assault charge. Manners' attorney, Charles Marangola, said that Manners has been obeying the conditions of his release, which include in-house detention and regular attendance at school. Marangola also said Manners is denying the assault charges, which allege that he stabbed a teenage girl in the leg with a pen.
Manners is scheduled to appear in court on the drug charges Feb. 28, after a pre-plea investigation is conducted.
• Phillip Seaton, of 9757 Bonta Bridge Road, Jordan, will register as a level-three sex offender, which makes him a high-risk offender. Seaton was sentenced in July 2007 to one year in Cayuga County Jail for the felony of second-degree attempted rape. He attempted to have sex with a 15-year-old girl.
• Cheryl Oliver, 22, of Auburn, entered a plea of not guilty to a probation violation. She is accused of pleading guilty at Auburn City Court to second-degree criminal contempt and third-degree assault.
Oliver was sentenced in May 2006 at county court to five years of probation for criminal sale of marijuana. Her next scheduled court appearance is Feb. 21.
• James Scott, 24, of 144 Van Anden St., Auburn, will go to trial on felony charges of second-degree assault and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. According to his attorney, Joseph Sapio, Scott was offered a sentence of five years in prison and a term of post-release supervision if he entered a guilty plea to second-degree assault. The plea would have satisfied the charges for which he was appearing in court, as well as another pending assault charge, Sapio said.
Sapio said Scott, who is accused of slicing the face of a 17-year-old in March 2007, would not accept the offer. The trial is scheduled to begin April 21.
• Leone denied a motion to dismiss robbery charges against Morris Bowman. Sapio, Bowman's attorney, said in court that the defendant had wished to testify in front of the grand jury that indicted him, but he was not given proper notice.
Budelmann said that Bowman was at the indictment hearing, and chose not to testify.
“He was provided an opportunity,” Budelmann said.
Bowman, whose last known address is 145 Park Place, is accused of stealing sneakers Nov. 27, 2007, from a person while threatening the person with a knife. Pre-trial motions are scheduled to be heard March 28.
Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.
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