Newark, NY – A Wayne County Sheriff’s Deputy pleaded guilty Tuesday just as his trial was set to begin.
His plea deal allows him to avoid jail time.
Sergeant Joseph Ayotte, also of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office, was indicted on related charges. His trial is still scheduled for September.
Hall and Ayotte were both accused of illegally entering an East Peral Street home in the Village of Newark last November.
Hall was accused of harassing a person inside. It took a 911 call for both officers to leave the apartment.
The most serious charge facing Sergeant Jonathan Hall carried a possible seven years in prison.
Both were indicted on perjury Hall and Ayotte alledegly lied to a grand jury, sayng they were given permission to enter that home.
The prosecution’s theory was that a tenant at the apartment was texting Sergeant Hall’s girlfriend with threats or romantic advances.
Hall and Ayotte were then accused of carrying out these crimes in retaliation.
Hall’s plea deal sentences him to 3 years probation and forces him to resign from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office in the next two weeks.
Both Hall's lawyer and the prosecution feel that the deal is fair. There has been no talk of a deal for Sergeant Ayotte yet.
