BY JOE MAHONEY
THE DAILY STAR
COOPERSTOWN — A third judge has taken over the case of local teenager Anthony Pacherille Jr., the former Cooperstown High School student serving an 11-year prison term after shooting an African-American classmate in April 2010. Pacherille’s attorney, Frank Policelli of Utica, is pressing to have his client resentenced as a youthful offender.
The lawyer has argued in court papers that Otsego County Court Judge Brian Burns, the initial judge in the case, should have disclosed that he felt intimidated by a letter sent to him last June by the youth’s father, Anthony Pacherille Sr. The sentencing took place the following month.
Burns recused himself from the case in October, ruling that it was “important that the public have confidence in the integrity of the justice system” and noting he wanted to “avoid even the appearance of impropriety.”
Court officials said Wednesday the case has been transferred to Broome County Judge Joseph F. Cawley.
Officials said Administrative Judge Robert C. Mulvey of the 6th Judicial District ordered the transfer after Broome County Judge Martin E. Smith recused himself from the case.
Smith had taken charge of the case after Burns stepped aside When Burns recused himself, he noted that the plea agreement between prosecutors and Pacherille Jr.’s then lawyer required the teen to be sentenced as an adult and precluded the possibility that he would receive youthful offender treatment.
The judge said the 11-year sentence was “not related to factors extraneous to the case.”
If Policelli is successful in convincing Cawley to resentence Pacherille Jr. as a youthful offender, the maximum penalty that could be imposed on the teenager is 1½ to four years in state prison.
Convicted of seconddegree attempted murder, Pacherille Jr., who will turn 18 next month, is being held in maximum security Wende Corrrectional Facility in Alden, 221 miles west of Cooperstown. The sentence grew out of the shooting of his classmate, Wesley Lippitt, who was struck once in the arm by gunfire after Pacherille Jr. chased him into the front hallway of the Cooperstown Village Police station.
Pacherille then turned the .22-caliber rifle on himself, with that shot striking him in the chin. Both youths recovered from their wounds.
Local News
Third judge to oversee Pacherille Jr.’s shooting case
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Public hearing gives one last look at proposed budget
A handful of people gathered in the Cooperstown Middle/High School cafeteria for a public hearing on the district’s proposed budget. The district is proposing a $16,772,080 spending plan for the 2012-13 school year. Although this is a decrease of $140,907 (.83 percent), it was upped by nearly $58,000 before being adopted on April 4 by the school board.
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Six candidates vie for four seats on BOE
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Top four students named at CCS
On Sunday, June 24, 85 Cooperstown Central School seniors will put on caps and gowns to conclude one phase in their lives and prepare to embark on another.
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Not many attend Main Street meeting
Few people attended a meeting last week to learn more about a proposed project that would give Main Street a facelift. The board of trustees scheduled the town hall-style meeting in an effort to gauge public opinion about some design elements and material selections for the project.
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CCS graduate receives recognition
Cooperstown Central School graduate Phil Pohl has been shining on and off the field. He is among 10 finalist in the Lowe’s Senior Class Award, and Clemson University announced Friday that the College Sports Information Directors of America named Pohl First-Team Academic All-District IV for the second year in a row.
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Relay for Life cancer awareness event to focus on caregivers
The Cooperstown/Northern Otsego County Relay for Life is coming soon. The event, now in its 14th year, has raised more than $1 million to help the American Cancer Society create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.
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County hires firms for tax sale
Otsego County lawmakers agreed Wednesday to farm out the county’s annual auction of tax-delinquent properties to private firms already handling the same task for numerous other upstate counties.
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Cider Mill to host brochure exchange
On Thursday, May 17, the regional tourism industry will gather at the Fly Creek Cider Mill and Orchard to participate in a brochure exchange followed by a networking dinner, according to a media release from the mill.
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Character Education committee to propose programs
The Cooperstown Central School Character Education Research Committee is proposing two programs for consideration of the board of education. The two programs are Haptitudes and A World of Difference. A public presentation is scheduled for the June 13 board meeting.
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Exhibit to focus on Stewart’s photography
The New York State Historical Association Research Library and The Cooperstown Graduate Program announce the opening of a exhibition celebrating the late Milo Stewart’s work, titled “Reflections of Home: Photography by Milo Stewart,” according to a media release from NYSHA.
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BVA walk set for May 13
The Butternut Valley Alliance invites its members and the general public to participate in a wildflower walk to be held Sunday, May 13, according to a media release from the organization. The walk will take place at 1:30 p.m. at Elmwood, 133 Peet Road, approximately one mile south of Morris. Reservations are requested by calling Jack Maier at 263- 5411.
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CCS to present ‘Messiah’
The Catskill Choral Society, under the direction of G. Roberts Kolb, will present Handel’s Messiah May 11 and 12, according to a media release from the society.
Continued ... - Thursday, May 3, 2012
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Village committee asks for no spraying
The village’s environmental conservation committee will recommend to the board of trustees that the village halt the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides on village property.
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Opera is not purely entertainment
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New Orleans trip is full of surprises
The Cooperstown Central School jazz band director said he would like to take his students on another trip to New Orleans some day, but is afraid he could never re-create the same experience. “It was really a charmed trip,” Tim Iversen said after returning from the birthplace of jazz.
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HOF employee tests baseball IQ
The MLB Network now has its first game show called “Baseball IQ. “ The show debuted Jan. 24 and wrapped up with a season championship at the end of February. Among those who competed in the recall-based trivia show was National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Director of Communications Craig Muder.
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Towns invited to decorate with purple
The Cooperstown/Northern Otsego County Relay For Life committee announced that Mayor Jeff Katz of Cooperstown and Mayor Ron Frohne of Richfield Springs have proclaimed Friday, May 11, as “Paint The Town Purple Day” in their villages. Purple balloons will festoon the Main Street in both communities.
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BFS volunteer divers declare Otsego Lake open
The Biological Field Station Volunteer Dive Team removed the no-wake zone buoys from their winter storage location and installed them in Otsego on Lake Saturday, according to a media release from Paul Lord.
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Otsego Regional Cycling sets Bike to Work day
Otsego Regional Cycling Advocates, a committee of the Otsego County Conservation Association, is planning its fourth annual Bike to Work Day for Wednesday, May 16.
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Hanford Mills to host Woodsmen’s Show
Hanford Mills Museum will bring 200 years of logging, sawing and woodworking history to life at the Woodsmen’s Show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 5, according to a media release from the museum.
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Public hearing gives one last look at proposed budget
