Man says jail is a death sentence

AUBURN - A local man suffering from advanced emphysema said he received a death sentence in Cayuga County Court Tuesday.

Gary Bell, 53, of 1 Madison Ave, apartment 1, Auburn, was ordered to report to Cayuga County Jail Wednesday to begin serving a sentence for drug possession, but Bell said that his health has deteriorated to the point where the court should have sentenced him to home confinement.

Bell was originally sentenced to six months in jail with five years probation on July 29 after he pleaded guilty to possessing 19 ounces of marijuana, a felony, and 90 pills of Oxycontin, a misdemeanor.