Rooseveltown Man Pleads Not Guilty To Sex Charge

By DAVID WINTERS

CANTON — A Rooseveltown man is accused of having repeated sexual contact with a young girl.

Aristide Rojas,38, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in St. Lawrence County Court before Judge Jerome J. Richards to first-degree course of sexual conduct against a child, a felony, and child endangerment.

He is accused of having sexual contact with a then 8-year-old girl from fall 2004 to summer 2006 in the city of Ogdensburg and town of Massena, the indictment alleges.

In other court proceedings, a state inmate claims he didn't attack a corrections officer in October 2008 at Gouverneur Correctional Facility.

Jonathan Sanchez, 20, was charged last May with second-degree assault in an unsealed indictment. He is accused of hitting corrections officer Mack R. Helvie Jr. on Oct. 18, 2008.

Mr. Sanchez was expected to accept a plea agreement Tuesday that called for him to serve a prison sentence of 11/2 to 3 years on an attempted second-degree assault charge. The sentence would be served consecutively to his current prison term.

When Judge Richards asked him if he attacked the corrections officer, Mr. Sanchez said through a court-appointed Spanish interpreter, "I only stole from him, I only stole something that he had."

No trial date was set.

Mr. Sanchez is serving a five-year prison sentence on a first- and second-degree robbery conviction from Queens County, according to state Department of Correctional Services records. He is serving the sentence at Five Points Correctional Facility, Romulus.

On Monday, a Tompkins County woman admitted to possessing nearly 11 pounds of marijuana.

Roberta Marinos,36, Brooktondale, pleaded guilty before Judge Richards to third-degree criminal possession of marijuana. She could receive five years' probation when sentenced June 7.

She confessed to having 10.9 pounds of marijuana when stopped Feb. 26, 2009, in the town of Louisville. She pleaded innocent in October to first-degree criminal possession of marijuana and three counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Ms. Marinos also reportedly was found in possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine and fentanyl.