AUBURN — An Auburn man pleaded guilty Tuesday in Cayuga County Court to an illegal drug sale charge, and avoided possibly being sentenced to the maximum of nine years in prison.
In court on Tuesday, Piedmont said he sold cocaine on March 30, 2018, in the area of North Street in Auburn. He pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, a class B felony, in satisfaction of the second identical charge.
In exchange, he will likely be sentenced to three years of incarceration with an order to participate in a shock camp program. Piedmont is also required to pay $100 in restitution and serve two years of post-release supervision.
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His sentencing is scheduled for March 24.
Also in court:
• An Auburn man who is being held in Cayuga County Jail on pending drug possession and paraphernalia charges was ordered to be released from custody on Dec. 27 under the Bail Elimination Act of 2019.
Christian Rivera, 34, of 7 Woodruff Place, Apt. 1, is charged with third-degree criminal possession of a narcotic drug, a class B felony, and three misdemeanors: fourth-degree criminal possession of marijuana and two counts of second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia.
Cayuga County District Attorney Jon Budelmann requested that Judge Mark Fandrich postpone an immediate release for Rivera. "I think it would be imprudent to release him earlier than we have to," he said, citing flight risk and prior conviction history.
Rivera's defense attorney, Thomas Turturo, said it had been 13 years since his client's last conviction. "I think it would simply be malicious" to hold Rivera for the holidays, Turturo said.
Fandrich ultimately continued the bail on Rivera, which was set at $10,000 cash or $20,000 bond, until his release on Dec. 27.Â
Mary Catalfamo's 5 most memorable stories of 2019
I joined ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» as a courts and public safety reporter in June. I'm fortunate to have the beat I do, as well as the opportunity to explore totally different topics through feature writing. I picked stories that I found rewarding and made a good collective representation of the journalistic experience I've had so far. See links below for the full stories.
Police chief: Auburn murder result of illegal narcotics 'scourge': The first murder in Auburn to occur outside the prison since 2013 is an inherently memorable story. Writing this article on the arraignments of three co-defendants required a blend of most of what I've done at ÈËÊÞÐÔ½» so far: court reporting, breaking news and feature writing.
The first murder in Auburn to occur outside the prison since 2013 is an inherently memorable story. Writing this article on the arraignments o…
Fred Horning's story of how he raises service dogs for children with autism is uplifting, but I was privileged to tell a deeper story about hi…
Doing the work for this story was a great way to dive into a new beat of courts and public safety. It's always fascinating to take a close loo…
I did a lot of counting for this one. And it was worth it to give insight into how police investigations are done in a digital world. It was a…
Cayuga Veterinary Services didn't overhaul its building; it created a brand new one just for the non-human residents of the area. It was enlig…
Staff writer Mary Catalfamo can be reached at (315) 282-2244 or mary.catalfamo@lee.net. Find her on Twitter @mrycatalfamo.
Mary Catalfamo
Crime/courts reporter
