AUBURN - A Harford man who was caught with 25 stolen catalytic converters in the back seat and trunk of his Hyundai Elantra during a traffic stop pleaded guilty in Cayuga County Court Tuesday to fourth-degree felony grand larceny.
Craig Gleason, 31, of 533 Liddington Road, said he helped a friend, David R. Keener steal the catalytic converters, worth approximately $115 each, from Pick-N-Pull in Sennett on April 30, 2008.
Gleason said he did not actually enter the business and that he was involved because he drove his friend and the converters from Pick-N-Pull to a nearby scrap yard. Gleason said his friend paid him $400 for his help.
The converters were discovered by a Cayuga County sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop in Genoa, but they had not been reported stolen at that time, Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann previously said. The deputy took photos of the converters and logged the identification information of Gleason and his friend.
Gleason was arrested several days later when Pick-N-Pull reported the theft.
Cayuga County Chief Assistant District Attorney Christopher Valdina said Keener was also arrested and charged with fourth-degree felony criminal possession of stolen property. The status of those charges was unknown.
Catalytic converters are often stolen from cars because they have platinum inside of them, which can be sold to scrap dealers at a high price, Valdina said.
In exchange for a sentence of no harsher than shock probation, Gleason will have to make $2,875 in restitution by Oct. 1.
Also in court:
• A 19-year-old Butler man will spend 2.5 years in prison for sexually abusing a 16-year-old Port Byron resident while she was asleep on June 18, 2008.
Jeremy Stanley, of Route 89, was also sentenced to 10 years of post-release supervision and will have to register as a sex offender for his first-degree felony sex abuse conviction.
• An 18-year-old Auburn resident faces a shock-eligible prison term after he pleaded guilty to stealing video game equipment for an Xbox on May 19.
Kenneth Lafler, of 114 Janet St., admitted that he committed third-degree felony burglary when he broke into a Sheridan Street home to steal a memory card, a game controller and a hard drive.
Lafler has a prior youthful offender conviction for grand larceny.
Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 11.
• A Groton teenager was granted youthful offender status for selling prescription drugs to another student on a bus traveling from the Moravia High School to the Summit School in Auburn.
On June 22, the defendant admitted he sold $4 worth of Adderall to a female student. Adderall is used to treat attention deficit disorder.
The female student combined the medication with drugs she obtained from other students, causing her to get sick.
• Walter Leonard, 29, of 26 Barber St., Auburn, was sentenced to two years in prison with two years of post-release supervision for fourth-degree criminal possession of a narcotic drug.
Leonard was convicted for 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
Gleason said he did not actually enter the business and that he was involved because he drove his friend and the converters from Pick-N-Pull to a nearby scrap yard. Gleason said his friend paid him $400 for his help.
The converters were discovered by a Cayuga County sheriff's deputy during a traffic stop in Genoa, but they had not been reported stolen at that time, Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann previously said. The deputy took photos of the converters and logged the identification information of Gleason and his friend.
Gleason was arrested several days later when Pick-N-Pull reported the theft.
Cayuga County Chief Assistant District Attorney Christopher Valdina said Keener was also arrested and charged with fourth-degree felony criminal possession of stolen property. The status of those charges was unknown.
Catalytic converters are often stolen from cars because they have platinum inside of them, which can be sold to scrap dealers at a high price, Valdina said.
In exchange for a sentence of no harsher than shock probation, Gleason will have to make $2,875 in restitution by Oct. 1.
Also in court:
• A 19-year-old Butler man will spend 2.5 years in prison for sexually abusing a 16-year-old Port Byron resident while she was asleep on June 18, 2008.
Jeremy Stanley, of Route 89, was also sentenced to 10 years of post-release supervision and will have to register as a sex offender for his first-degree felony sex abuse conviction.
• An 18-year-old Auburn resident faces a shock-eligible prison term after he pleaded guilty to stealing video game equipment for an Xbox on May 19.
Kenneth Lafler, of 114 Janet St., admitted that he committed third-degree felony burglary when he broke into a Sheridan Street home to steal a memory card, a game controller and a hard drive.
Lafler has a prior youthful offender conviction for grand larceny.
Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 11.
• A Groton teenager was granted youthful offender status for selling prescription drugs to another student on a bus traveling from the Moravia High School to the Summit School in Auburn.
On June 22, the defendant admitted he sold $4 worth of Adderall to a female student. Adderall is used to treat attention deficit disorder.
The female student combined the medication with drugs she obtained from other students, causing her to get sick.
• Walter Leonard, 29, of 26 Barber St., Auburn, was sentenced to two years in prison with two years of post-release supervision for fourth-degree criminal possession of a narcotic drug.
Leonard was convicted for 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
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Catlock wrote on Jul 1, 2009 5:10 PM:
jane doe wrote on Jul 1, 2009 11:42 AM:
Thought it was "sealed" information. "