AUBURN - A 29-year-old Syracuse man pleaded not guilty in Cayuga County Court Tuesday to three felony drug charges that he sold $200 worth of cocaine to an undercover state trooper in Auburn last fall.

After Shawn Brumfield, also known as “Ears,” formerly of 148 Ballantyne Road, was arraigned on two counts of criminal possession of a narcotic drug and one count of criminal sale of a narcotic drug, Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann said he wanted an order of protection for any witnesses involved in Brumfield's case.

Budelmann said he was worried that Brumfield, who is associated with the Brighton Street Brigade gang, or one of his associates would attempt to threaten or harass any potential witnesses if the case goes to trial.

Brumfield's attorney, Norman Chirco, said that because there is no official witness list, there is no way to enforce the order of protection. Chirco added that felony witness tampering charges would be more appropriate if a situation were to arise.

With bail set at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond, Cayuga County Judge Mark Fandrich said he would address the issue if Brumfield gets released from the Cayuga County Jail.

Also in court:

#&149; An Auburn drug dealer was sentenced to three years in prison with two years of post-release supervision for selling $110 worth of cocaine to an undercover informant.

Clinton Gamlen, 41, of 30 Hockeborn Ave., pleaded guilty to felony sale of a narcotic drug on Dec. 2, satisfying two other cocaine and marijuana possession charges that stemmed from the investigation into the Oct. 13 sale.

Budelmann said Gamlen, who has two drug related convictions from 1992 and 1996, is described by the Finger Lakes Drug Task Force as a high-end drug dealer.

“When police executed a search warrant on his property, they found a rolled-up dollar bill with cocaine residue in the center console of his vehicle and he had a pipe in his pocket,” Budelmann said. “They also found two digital weighs in his house and four bags with marijuana residue locked in a safe in his son's bedroom.”

When given an opportunity to address the court, Gamlen said he knew he made mistakes throughout his life but asked to receive the minimum one-year prison sentence instead of three years of incarceration.

“I guarantee that none of this will ever happen again,” Gamlen said. “I am old enough to should have known better, and I did make mistakes.”

Fandrich denied the request citing Gamlen's criminal history.

#&149; An Auburn woman was sentenced to shock probation after she returned $5,850 that she stole in unemployment in 2007.

Melissa Whyte, 39, of 7 Arlington Ave., admitted on Sept. 30 that she was still working as a bus driver when she lost her second job and filed for unemployment.

Whyte faced up to seven years in prison if she failed to make full restitution by her sentencing date, but will spend her weekends for the next four months in jail and will be placed on five years probation instead.

Budelmann said Whyte was previously convicted of defrauding the welfare system out of $30,000 in 2005.

#&149; A 19-year-old Butler man pleaded not guilty to charges that he sexually abused a 16-year-old Port Byron girl while she was asleep.

Jeremy Stanley, of Route 89, is charged with two counts of felony aggravated sex abuse in the second degree, two counts of felony sex abuse in the first-degree and acting in a manner to injure a child, a misdemeanor.

#&149; Walter Leonard, 29, of 26 Barber St., Auburn pleaded not guilty to two counts of criminal possession of a narcotic drug.

Leonard is accused of smuggling cocaine from Syracuse into Auburn for distribution.

Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net