CHENANGO COUNTY – The next Chenango County Grand Jury may face a high profile responsibility as two infamous cases have the potential of appearing before them.
The next grand jury is scheduled to appear July 25.
One case that may appear is George Ford Jr., 42, of Piscataway, N.J., who has been arrested for first degree reckless endangerment following an investigation by the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office into an incident that left Shyanne A. Somers, 12, South Otselic, dead.
“There is great anticipation that he will be indicted on several other counts, the family has told me that police have consulted with them and display an intent to file for murder charges,” said Ford’s Attorney Randel Scharf yesterday.
Peter M. Wlasiuk, 38, also represented by Sharf is scheduled to appear for grand jury indictment this month as a result of the court throwing out his prior indictment.
Broome County Court Judge Martin E. Smith dismissed the original grand jury indictment from 2002. In the decision the court stated, the indictment was overturned as a result of the prosecution’s bringing forth an alleged history of Wlasiuk’s domestic violence in the proceedings.
Much of the court’s objections to the Grand Jury indictment echoed those based on the appeal received over the jury trial. Wlasuik, 38, was found guilty of second degree murder and given the maximum sentence of 25 years to life for allegedly murdering his wife Patricia and staging a vehicle accident at Guilford Lake to cover it up in 2002. The New York Supreme Court of Appeals declared Wlasiuk’s first trial unfair last August, citing a number of procedural shortcomings.
