Jackson Going To Prison For Break-in Attack
By PAUL MITCHELL
CANTON - A 23-year-old Massena man charged with breaking into an acquaintance's residence and attacking the man with a two-foot metal pipe and a beer bottle will be sentenced to 3 1/2 years in state prison May 3.
Torrey R. Jackson, 257 Reed Drive, pleaded guilty under superior court information Tuesday in St. Lawrence County Court to second-degree burglary, a Class C violent felony. The plea satisfies all pending charges including a violation of probation.
Mr. Jackson admitted in court Tuesday he unlawfully entered the 20 Cornell Ave. residence of Matthew M. Buckshot, 23, and Angelina C. Frost around 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 29 and repeatedly struck Mr. Buckshot on the back of the head with a metal pipe and a beer bottle.
His arrest came just two days after Judge Jerome J. Richards had placed Mr. Jackson on probation for five years for a fourth-degree grand larceny conviction after he had successfully completed a year on interim probation.
Mr. Buckshot was treated at Massena Memorial Hospital for several contusions to the back of his head and severe swelling to his left hand, reportedly from the defensive tactics he employed during the attack. He was released following treatment Sunday morning.
Mr. Buckshot, in his statement to police, said he was watching a movie in his bedroom with his girlfriend at approximately 4:30 a.m. when he heard his two-year-old daughter start crying. He said his three children, all pre-school age, and two other children were having a sleepover on the first floor of his residence.
"I went downstairs to see what was going on with my daughter. Once downstairs, I bent down and picked up my daughter off the floor. As I went to place her on the couch, I was struck on the back of my head with a piece of metal," he noted in his statement to police.
"After the second time I was struck in the head, it dazed me and knocked me to the floor. I tried to cover up my head with my left hand, but the person kept hitting me. It felt as if he was hitting me with a metal pipe in one hand and a beer bottle in the other," Mr. Buckshot noted in his statement to police.
He said he was eventually able to grab his assailant's jacket and pull him to the ground during the altercation. The assailant, whom Mr. Buckshot identified to police as Mr. Jackson, got up and attempted to leave the apartment.
Ms. Frost, who told police she had been sleeping, said she was awakened by a banging noise and had gone downstairs to investigate. She said she standing near the doorway when her boyfriend's assailant approached her.
She told police the man made a motion like he was going to punch her, but then fled the area when he saw that Mr. Buckshot had gotten off the floor and was approaching the doorway. Ms. Frost said her boyfriend threw something at the man as he fled the area, but she said the object did not strike the individual identified as Mr. Jackson.
Mr. Jackson was remanded pending sentencing. He is represented by St. Lawrence County Public Defender Mary E. Rain.
In other county court action Tuesday:
* Bradley S. Phillips, 18, of 9B Island Road, Edwards, had his conviction of attempted first-degree cemetery desecration vacated, adjudicated youthful offender status, and given a one-year conditional discharge by County Court Judge Jerome J. Richards.
Mr. Phillips had confessed to damaging several headstones May 15 in Riverside Cemetery in Edwards. He paid $1,200 in restitution Tuesday and was ordered to pay a $500 fine. Mr. Phillips is represented by attorney Thomas C. Finnerty.
* Roland Prosser, 51, of 461 Belmont Courts, Ogdensburg, was sentenced to 300 days in county jail for failing to register as a sex offender, a felony. He admitted on Jan. 11 to not informing authorities about moving on Dec. 15, 2008, to 137 Lincoln Ave. in Waddington. Prosser is a Level 2 sex offender. Surcharges are fees totaling $375 were also imposed.
* Robert C. Young, 49, Heuvelton, was sentenced to three years in state prison with his conviction of first-degree sexual abuse, a Class D violent felony. He admitted to having sex with a then 16-year-old girl against her will in Feb. 5, 2009 in the town of Hammond.
The sentence included three years of post-release supervision and $1,425 in fees and surcharges. He is represented by Public Defender Rain.
* John Barr, 43 of 12 Heuvelton St., Rensselaer Falls, was sentenced to five years probation for his conviction of a felony count of driving while intoxicated. Surcharges, fines and fees totaling $2,020 were also imposed. Mr. Barr is represented by attorney John K. Collins.
* Arthur F. Bennett, 35, Ogdensburg, was sentenced to 150 days in county jail for not complying with sobriety tests ordered by the probation department.
