T H U R S D AY , J A N U A R Y 1 9 , 2 0 1 7
Probation sentence in
shoving of autistic teen
DAVID ANDREATTA
DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE
The Pittsford man con-
victed of harassing an au-
tistic teenage cross-coun-
try runner in Cobb’s Hill
Park in October was sen-
tenced in Rochester City
Court on Tuesday to three
years of probation and 80
hours of community ser-
vice.
Martin MacDonald,
57, had pleaded guilty to a
charge of second-degree
harassment, which is a vi-
olation, and a charge of
endangering the welfare
of a child, which is a mis-
demeanor punishable by
up to one year in jail.
His sentence was in
line with what the prose-
cution had requested and
included an order barring
him from contacting the
teenager, Chase Coleman,
or his family for five
years. MacDonald’s attor-
ney, Gary Gianforti,
asked that only communi-
ty service be imposed.
Prior to sentencing, a
tearful MacDonald read a
statement in which he
apologized to Coleman
and his family, who were
in the gallery, and said he
had been volunteering
with an autism advocacy
group to learn more about
the condition. MacDonald
said he had no idea that
Coleman was autistic and
revealed that he was once
a high school cross-coun-
try runner whose home
course was in Cobb’s Hill
Park.
“I hope you can find it
in your heart to forgive
me,” MacDonald said.
MacDonald encoun-
Man gets 12 years in heroin case
ANTHONY BORRELLI
ABORRELLI@PRESSCONNECTS.COM
A Binghamton man
who police found with
$12,000 worth of heroin
was sentenced Wednes-
day to 12 years in state
prison.
The sentence for Rash-
een D. Sanders, 37, of 173
Hawley St., was handed
down by Broome County
Court Judge Kevin Doo-
ley, three months after
the defendant was found
guilty at trial in connec-
tion with an April 26, 2016,
bust in Binghamton.
Sanders was convicted
of three felony counts of
third-degree criminal
possession of a controlled
substance, along with a
felony count of tamper-
ing with physical evi-
dence.
According to prosecu-
tors, Sanders had 19
grams of heroin — all of it
was packaged with intent
to sell — at the time of his
arrest. Sanders also was
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NY-0000792535
Chase Coleman, right, and
his father, Stan Coleman in
the courthouse.
tered 15-year-old Chase
Coleman in the park on
Oct. 14 as Coleman, who is
from Syracuse, was at-
tempting to finish a 3.1-
mile cross-country race.
Coleman was running
for his high school and
wearing a uniform and
bib number, but was lag-
ging far behind the rest of
the runners. His mother
said she believes her son,
who has difficulty com-
municating, got lost on
the route and turned to
MacDonald for help.
MacDonald has never
spoken publicly of the
confrontation, but police
reports indicated that he
acknowledged shoving
Coleman to the ground.
One police report —
there were two — showed
that MacDonald was un-
aware of Coleman’s dis-
ability and expressed re-
morse for the altercation.
That report suggested
Coleman approached
MacDonald and a woman
described as MacDon-
ald’s wife while they were
at their car, and that Mac-
Donald suspected Cole-
man was on drugs and
mocking him because “he
wasn’t acting right.”
Rasheen
Sanders
accused of tossing heroin
out the driver's side win-
dow of his vehicle when
police stopped him on
Main Street, prosecutors
said.
In addition to the her-
oin, police seized $744 in
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NY-0000792401
PRESS & SUN-BULLETIN • 7A
Police search in Vestal,
no news on remains
ANTHONY BORRELLI
ABORRELLI@PRESSCONNECTS.COM |
@PSBABORRELLI
along a section of Route
26 in Vestal, near the
Pennsylvania border, in
connection with the case.
about them,” Yacknin Authorities in two Shortly before mid-
Martin said. states are continuing day, officers ended their
MacDonald Outside the court- their investigation, a search after nothing was
room, Coleman’s mother, week after human found.
Clarise Coleman, said she remains were found in a Troopers in Pennsyl-
was satisfied with the wooded area of Choconut vania are leading the in-
sentence but that she be- Township in Susquehan- vestigation and officials
The confrontation lieved MacDonald had na County, Pennsylvania. have not released further
touched off nationwide acted on bias. On Wednesday, Penn- details of the case. The
debates about civility, tol- “I did appreciate his sylvania state troopers human remains were
erance of people with dis- letter,” she said of Mac- were assisted by New found Thursday, troop-
abilities, and racism, as Donald’s statement. “It York State Police and ers said.
MacDonald is white and was just a little too late.” Vestal police officers On Twitter: Follow
Coleman is black. DANDREATTA@ who conducted a search @PSBABorrelli
In accepting MacDon- Gannett.com for possible evidence
ald’s guilty plea in
November, Rochester
City Court Judge Ellen
Macy’s Oakdale Mall
Yacknin pledged to cap
his sentence at probation
or less and the order of
protection if she found
that MacDonald’s claims
about his criminal past
location only
Entire Store
were consistent with his
record. He claimed to
have had a clean record
with the exception of a
drunken-driving convic-
tion many years ago.
During sentencing,
Yacknin said a pre-sen-
tence investigation found
on SALE!
that MacDonald was a
“loving” man with a clean
record. But she sen-
tenced him to probation,
she explained, because,
she said to MacDonald,
“You could have walked
away.” She also pondered
aloud whether MacDon-
ald was acting on an “im-
plicit bias,” and ques-
tioned whether he would
HUGE SELECTION
have shoved a white teen-
ager who was displaying
the behavior of Coleman.
“It’s clear to me that
this whole situation is a
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prime example of how
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U.S. currency and a 2012
All Fine Jewelry
40-60
BMW 528i sedan when
taking Sanders into custo-
% %
dy.
Sanders was convicted
in October, and he faced,
at most, 19 years behind
bars. The 12-year prison
term he received
off
original
Wednesday will be fol- ticketed
lowed by three years of price
post-release supervision.
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On Monday This location only
January 30th
July, 25 th
|| 6:00
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Call to register
607.759.6995 601 Harry L. Drive,
BinghamtonHybridge.com
Johnson City
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