Syracuse, NY - A Syracuse man was sentenced today to eight years in state prison for possessing a loaded handgun and injuring a city police officer during a traffic stop last summer. Donell Stepney, 31, of Columbus Avenue, continued to maintain his innocence despite a County Court jury verdict finding him guilty of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and...
Syracuse, NY - A Syracuse man was sentenced today to eight years in state prison for possessing a loaded handgun and injuring a city police officer during a traffic stop last summer.
Donell Stepney, 31, of Columbus Avenue, continued to maintain his innocence despite a County Court jury verdict finding him guilty of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree assault.
Assistant District Attorney Kari Armstrong said Syracuse police Officer Matthew Erwin suffered a broken leg when Stepney tried to pull away from him after the officer found what appeared to be several bullets in the defendant’s pocket during a pat-down search. The items turned out to be blanks for a blank 8 mm gun found along with a loaded 9 mm handgun under the passenger seat where Stepney had been sitting, the prosecutor said.
According to Armstrong, Stepney was a passenger in a car driven by Angel Viczrrondo when the vehicle was stopped by police Aug. 27 for having a loud muffler and because the plates on the vehicle appeared to belong to another vehicle. Viczrrondo turned out to be driving without a valid license, the prosecutor said.
When police asked Stepney to step out of the vehicle, the defendant kept trying to put his hands in his pockets, the prosecutor said. Erwin was trying to get Stepney to keep his hands on the roof of the vehicle so he could be searched when the officer found what appeared to be bullets in the passenger’s pocket, Armstrong said.
Erwin suffered a twist fracture of his knee when Stepney tried to break away, the prosecutor said. Officer Shawn Hauck assisted Erwin in taking Stepney into custody.
The officers then found the loaded handgun and the blank pistol – that looked like a real gun – in the car, Armstrong said.
Armstrong today asked County Judge Anthony Aloi to sentence Stepney to 14 years in prison. When Aloi noted the prosecution had previously sought a seven-year sentence, Armstrong noted that was during pre-trial negotiations and before all the facts of the case were spelled out at a recent trial.
Viczrrondo, 27, of E. Fayette St., pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and is to be sentenced to serve 3 ½ years in prison, the prosecutor said.