Gardiner man loses offer of leniency

A Gardiner man is headed to state prison after getting arrested while awaiting sentencing on an unrelated charge.

Connor McManus, 20, was scheduled to be sentenced by Ulster County Judge Donald Williams to five years probation, with the first six months served in the Ulster County Jail, after pleading guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was initially arrested on Jan. 21, 2017, in New Paltz.

But before the sentencing date, McManus violated one of Williams’ admonishments — to not be charged with a new crime. McManus was arrested again and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance after police found him in an apartment in which there were 1,000 tabs of Xanax and four ounces of cocaine.

As a result, Williams rescinded his promise of leniency and instead on Wednesday sentenced McManus to 2 ½ years in state prison, the maximum sentence allowed for the charge.

“The leniency ends now with this court,” Williams told McManus. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to you. I truly hope you get it. You’re going to get a taste of state prison now. If that doesn’t wake you up, you’re going to end up dead.”

Also in Ulster County Court Wednesday:

• Rebekah Cavalaro, 26, of 161 Market St., Saugerties, pleaded guilty to one count of criminal sale of a controlled substance (heroin) in exchange for a promise of three years in state prison and two years of post-release supervision. She will be sentenced on March 8.

• James Martin, 59, of 310 Glenerie Blvd., Saugerties, pleaded guilty to drunken driving in exchange for a promised 1 ¼ to 4 years in state prison. Martin was charged with drunken driving on June 15, following a traffic stop on Elmendorf Street in Kingston. It was Martin’s third drunken driving arrest since 2008. He will be sentenced on March 21.

• Jonathan Torres, 26, of Bronx, pleaded guilty to attempted promotion of prison contraband, as part of a plea deal in which Williams will sentence Torres to the maximum sentence of 2 to 4 years in state prison. Torres, an inmate at Ulster Correctional Facility, admitted that on Aug. 16, he had an Exacto blade while in prison. He will be sentenced on Feb. 23.

• Wayne Harrison, 59, was sentenced to five years probation with the first six months in Ulster County Jail for drunken driving. “You’re a good man, Mr. Harrison, but this has to stop,” Williams said, noting that Harrison had been also been convicted of drunken driving in 1981 and 1996. “You’re 59, if you don’t get it this time, you’re going to kill yourself ... but worse, you might kill someone else. You get arrested again after you serve this time, I promise you, I’ll give you the maximum sentence allowed by law.