69´«Ã½

An 69´«Ã½ woman is facing multiple felony charges, including robbery and burglary, following a domestic incident in the city last weekend, the 69´«Ã½ Police Department said.

APD responded to a call for a fight at 7:28 p.m. Sunday at an apartment in the Genesee Gardens complex. Officers responded and determined that Martia Lindae Goldsmith, 22, of 19 McMaster St., Room 119, was fighting with the alleged victim over a child, who is Goldsmith's niece.

"At one point during the altercation the defendant is alleged to have an opened pair of scissors as a weapon as she threatened the victim in an effort to take custody of a child," APD Deputy Chief Roger Anthony said in an email to 69´«Ã½. 

That alleged action led to APD charging Goldsmith with first-degree robbery, a class B felony.

Because Goldsmith allegedly pushed her way into the apartment to fight, she also was charged with first-degree burglary also a class B felony, Anthony said. She also is accused of ripping a necklace off the victim.

Additional charges against Goldsmith included aggravated family offense, a class E felony that stemmed from an early criminal contempt conviction, and fourth-degree criminal mischief and endangering the welfare of a child, both class A misdemeanors.

Goldsmith was arraigned in the Cayuga 69´«Ã½ Centralized Arraignment Part court on Sunday morning and sent to Cayuga 69´«Ã½ Jail on $25,000 cash bail or $50,000 bond. She remained in custody there as of Wednesday afternoon.

AUBURN — Vincent Stanley knows how dangerous it can be to work in a prison. 

Stanley, a corrections officer at 69´«Ã½ Correctional Facility, was attacked on the job in August 2021. An incarcerated individual slashed him from the corner of his mouth to his left ear, leaving a seven-inch gash that required numerous stitches to close. 

"If it weren't for the quick response of our security and medical staff, I might've died," he said at a rally outside of 69´«Ã½ prison on Wednesday. 

Stanley blames the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act, or HALT Act, for his attack. Although the HALT Act did not take effect until this year, he said the incarcerated individual who assaulted him should have been placed in a special housing unit. 

"Without an effective discipline system, prisons can't function properly," he said. "This law takes that ability away and puts corrections staff in danger." 

The rally was organized by U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney, a Republican who is running to represent Cayuga 69´«Ã½ and the 24th Congressional District. Several state lawmakers, all Republicans, also spoke at the event. Representatives from corrections unions were in attendance. A large crowd of corrections officers and supporters wore "REPEAL HALT" T-shirts. 

HALT's main provisions limit how long an incarcerated individual can be placed in solitary confinement. According to the law, an incarcerated individual can be placed in solitary confinement for no more than 15 consecutive days or 20 days in a 60-day period. 

Opponents of the law believe it has led to increased violence in state prisons. As of Oct. 1, the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has reported 1,112 assaults on staff this year, just shy of the record 1,177 assaults on staff set in 2021. 

Michael Surprenant, vice president of the New York State Law Enforcement Officers Union, Council 82, criticized HALT and other criminal justice laws that he says "handcuff the law enforcement community more than criminals." He described HALT as "the equivalent of bail reform for inmates" and panned the lack of input from correctional professionals when legislators wrote the bill. 

While the rally was intended to protest the law, politics was on the minds of many speakers with less than three weeks to go until Election Day. Several of the speakers criticized Democrats for passing legislation, such as HALT, that Republican officials and those who work in corrections believe has created a more friendly environment for criminals. 

But the event was also an opportunity for elected officials to recognize the work of corrections officers. Tenney, who toured the prison before the rally, said she had visited medium-security and minimum-security prisons before, but never a maximum-security facility. 69´«Ã½ is a maximum-security prison. 

"This is probably one of the hardest jobs you can possibly do," she said. 

AUBURN — A girl who had been sexually abused by an 69´«Ã½ man for five years said in her victim impact statement that she is determined to not allow his actions to define her.

Parts of the child's statement were read before the sentencing of her abuser Thursday in Cayuga 69´«Ã½ Court.

Michael C. Thorn, 36, with a previous address of 44 Bradford St., was before Judge Thomas Leone Thursday for sentencing on charges of first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, a class B felony, and endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor. 

Prosecutors said Thorn abused the girl over a period of five years, beginning when she was 7 years old.

For the course of sexual conduct count, Thorn was sentenced to nine years in prison followed by 10 years of post-release supervision. He was sentenced to 364 days in the Cayuga 69´«Ã½ Jail for the endangering charge, which merges with his prison time, as the charges are running concurrently. He had previously pleaded to both of those counts.

The victim was in court Thursday, accompanied by several loved ones. Before Thorn's sentencing was announced, Cayuga 69´«Ã½ Senior Assistant District Attorney Heather De Stefano read from a victim's impact statement from girl. The victim referred to Thorn as "Thing 1" in her statement and referred to another person allegedly involved in the case as "Thing 2," recounting acts of abuse Thorn committed against her and the effect these actions had on her. She mentioned panic attacks, becoming more irritable and saying she "can't trust adults," among other things.

She wrote that while she "wouldn't wish this upon anyone, this has made me into an incredibly strong and confident young lady," adding that she wants to one day become a neonatal nurse.

"My abuse is something that happened to me, but it does not define me," her statement said.

Before issuing Thorn's sentences, Leone praised the girl's bravery, adding that "my heart goes out to her" in not being able to trust adults.

Leone then turned his attention to Thorn, noting his lack of an apology.

"I've seen a lot of hardened criminals, but these kinds of cases really turn my stomach," Leone said.

The judge also noted the length of the previously agreed-upon sentence for Thorn, but said "maybe it's not long enough."

“Through her bravery during the investigation and court proceedings, this young victim has held her abuser accountable to answer for his crimes," Acting Cayuga 69´«Ã½ District Attorney Brittany Grome Antonacci said in a statement. "We hope that this lengthy prison sentence will offer some form of closure and justice for both the victim and our community."

Also in court

• A man was sentenced to jail time and probation on child pornography charges.

Camilo Gonzalez, 38, was originally facing three counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child and four counts of possessing a sexual performance by a child. He previously pleaded to one of the promoting charges and was sentenced to to 10 years of shock probation, with the first six months at the jail.

• Jeffrey P. Shields, 29, was sentenced for first-degree criminal contempt to 1 1/2 to 3 three years in prison.

• Shawn D. Woolfolk, 20, was facing counts of second-degree rape, second-degree criminal sex act and endangering the welfare of a child. He received a previously-agreed upon sentence of 364 days in the jail for the rape charge.

• Robert L. Lewis, 42, was facing counts of second-degree assault, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Lewis received a previously-agreed upon sentence of 364 days in the jail for a third-degree assault charge. The second-degree assault count had been reduced to third-degree assault and the other charges were satisfied due to Lewis' previous plea.