WILSON: Closed trial resumes Monday

Local News

June 27, 2009

By Bill Wolcott The Niagara Gazette Sat Jun 27, 2009, 11:36 PM EDT

WILSON — Witnesses for the prosecution took the stand Saturday at Wilson Town Court in the alleged hazing case, and more witnesses are expected when the closed trial for two 18-year-old defendants resumes Monday.

Meanwhile, a counselor for a public relations firm that specializes in rescuing reputations was in the wings, hoping to salvage the reputations of baseball coaches William M. Atlas and Thomas J. Baia. Atlas and Baia go on trial July 6 before Town Justice Town Justice George R. Berger. The coaches are charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child in the alleged hazing.

Witnesses for the defense may be called Monday, according to Andrew Vona, the attorney for Christopher Sidote, and Kevin P. Shelby, the attorney for Colton Sherman. The third defendant, Geoffrey A. Seefeldt, 19, pleaded guilty on a plea deal.

Sherman and Sidote, have been charged with forcible touching and first- and second-degree hazing. Whatever the decision of Berger, the record will be sealed. The defendants will not have a criminal record.

“I thought it went very well for the defense, but I don’t want to get into specifics, especially closed court,” Shelby said.

Mike Paul is president of MGP & Associates, a New York City firm specializing in crisis public relations and reputation management.

“This is not a hazing case,” Paul said. “It should never have been a hazing case, and that’s the sad part about this case. A lot of reputations have been damaged as a result of these labels, and those labels started back in April of last year, and it started with law enforcement.”

Paul cited a news conference a week after the April 17, 2008, incident where a major with the state police was quoted as saying, “This is the worst case of sexual hazing that has happened in my career,” according to Paul. Paul claimed there has only been one case of sexual hazing in New York state in the past year, and it was not in Western New York.

The state police are investigating their own investigation, which began after the alleged incident on a school bus returning from a game in Niagara Falls.

“Be careful with your words. They hurt people,” Paul said.

Paul attended SUNY Cortland with Atlas and is also friends with Baia. “The reason I’m here is because I’m trying to help a friend, but it’s beyond the coaches. Sadly, the entire Town of Wilson has been affected,” Paul said. “This beautiful lakeside town has been labeled a sexual hazing town.”

The case has drawn national attention and was featured on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines.”

Paul feels the state police used inaccurate, inappropriate and “toxic” terms. “There was never anything sexual that happened in this case. We have also nothing to be able to define hazing in this case,” Paul said.

Youthful offender status is automatically afforded to teens under age 19 who have not been convicted of a crime.

Several witnesses were called Saturday, and Assistant District Robert Zucco is expected to call more witnesses for the prosecution at 6 p.m. Monday.

“If we decide to call witnesses, we can,” Vona said. “It depends on whether we need to call them.” Shelby said the defense has seven or eight witnesses ready.

A civil suit is expected to follow at the end of July in Niagara County Court. Buffalo attorney Terrence M. Connors is representing one of the boys who said he was assaulted.

Contact reporter Bill Wolcott

at 439-9222, ext. 6246.

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