Joshua M. Sandford conviction overturned, read court document
Michael T. Baldwin Reports,
A State Appellate Court has thrown out the conviction of a Steuben County man. In 2021, 41-year-old Joshua M. Sandford was found guilty of felony first-degree criminal contempt by a county court judge in Bath. In a two-page decision, the Appellate Court ruled “It is hereby ORDERED that the judgment so appealed from is unanimously reversed as a matter of discretion in the interest of justice and on the law, the plea is vacated, and the matter is remitted to Steuben County Court for further proceedings on the superior court information.” Sanford had been sentenced to serve up to four years in the Groveland Correctional facility. As of Friday, state records showed he remained incarcerated.
Sanford’s original arrest was in 2019 by the Steuben County Sheriff:
“July 8, 2019 Criminal Contempt, Endangering the Welfare of a Child and Burglary Arrest
Steuben County Sheriff Jim Allard reports that on July 3rd, 2019, deputies of the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office arrested Joshua M. Sanford, age 37, of Hornby Road, Corning, New York. Deputies responded to a residence on East William Street, Bath, New York to investigate a reported violation of an order of protection. It is alleged that Mr. Sanford entered or remained unlawfully in the residence in violation of a duly served and active order of protection. It is further alleged that Mr. Sanford acted in a manner likely to be injurious to the welfare of a child at that residence. Mr. Sanford was charged with Criminal Contempt in the First Degree, a class E Felony, Burglary in the Second Degree, a Class C Felony and Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a Misdemeanor. Mr. Sanford was arraigned in the Steuben County Centralized Arraignment Court and held in lieu of $10,000 bail, to appear in Steuben Count Court at a later date.”
The full decision from the Appellate court:
