A trial date of June 27 has been set for two of the three former Wilson Central School varsity baseball players charged in connection with an alleged hazing incident.
Colton Sherman, 18; and Christopher Sidote, 18, will have their cases go to trial, while Geoffrey A. Seefeldt, 19, will have his charges replaced with a youthful offender status plea. All three had been facing charges of first- and second-degree hazing and forcible touching. The charges are misdemeanors except second degree hazing, which is a violation.
Sherman and Sidote have youthful offender status but their case will continue to trial. Because of their status, the trial will be held in a closed-door courtroom in front of Town Justice George Berger.
Mark Guglielmi, who represents Seefeldt, said his client was relieved for the case to near a conclusion. There will be no criminal record and further details concerning Seefeldt’s case will be determined later.
“It (the sexual abuse) didn’t happen,” Guglielmi said. “It’s an acceptable resolution.”
Andrew Vona, who represents Sidote, and Kevin Shelby, who is representing Sherman, said they were confident their clients would be acquitted once the trial concludes.
“If the truth comes out,” Vona said.
“We are very confident they will be exonerated,” Shelby said.
State police had alleged in April 2008 the three teens, while members of the Wilson varsity baseball team, had sexually abused members of the school’s junior varsity team in a hazing incident during a bus ride home from a game in Niagara Falls. The three had been facing charges that have been reduced.
A trial date has been set for July 6 for former Wilson baseball coaches William Atlas and Thomas Baia, who are charged in connection with the alleged hazing incident. The coaches are charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Courts
WILSON: Trial date set for two teens in hazing case
- Courts
-
-
Davis will not seek Murphy removal
Lawyers for accused killer Matthew “Bones” Davis say their client will not ask to have Niagara County Court Judge Matthew J. Murphy III removed from his case.
-
Man charged in Casal attack says Falls boxer was the aggressor
An assault charge filed against a Town of Niagara man accused of attacking Niagara Falls boxer Nick Casal is heading to the grand jury.
-
Falls teen reaches agreement in shooting death of student
A Niagara Falls teenager has accepted a plea agreement in the shooting death of a Niagara University student who was killed in a “robbery gone bad” late last year.
-
Judge may step down in murder case
Lawyers for accused killer Matthew "Bones" Davis will have 10 days to decide whether or not they will ask Niagara County Court Judge Matthew J. Murphy III to step down from the case.
-
NT drug dealer gets 92-month sentence
The North Tonawanda man guilty of helping run a cocaine ring stretching from the Town of Tonawanda to Niagara Falls will spend nearly the next eight years behind bars.
-
Lewiston jet boat suit tossed
The second of two lawsuits brought against the Village of Lewiston and Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours has been dismissed.
-
Matthew Davis arraigned in Bradberry homicide case
When Robert Bradberry walked into a Niagara County courtroom Tuesday afternoon, he was surprised by the man he saw in shackles and an orange jumpsuit.
-
Sixth delay granted in Toohey case
Sentencing in federal court for a disbarred Lewiston lawyer has now been postponed for the sixth time.
-
Ten-year term for former Falls sub who had sex with a student
His victim’s mother called him “a monster.”
She also told John Summerson, that if should ever “have children”, she hoped “he never has to feel what I feel.” -
Former coroner, fire chief fined, to perform community service
Former Fourth District Coroner Russell Jackman and soon-to-be-former Cambria Volunteer Fire Co. Chief Vincent Salerno will each pay a fine totaling $1,000 and perform 100 hours of community service for their improper handling of human remains after a traffic fatality last month.
- More Courts Headlines
-
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
