NORWICH – Twelve individuals appeared in county court Monday afternoon, many for the purposes of arraignment, including an alleged marijuana dealer believed to be the largest bust of its kind in the history of Chenango County.
• Robert R. Reynolds, 52, of 476 Pleasant Valley Road, was arraigned in county court after being indicted on May 27 for criminal possession of a controlled substance, a class B felony; third degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a class B felony; and first degree criminal possession of marijuana, a class C felony – and was subsequently remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $50,000 bail to await further pre-trial proceedings.
It is alleged that Reynolds, on or about April 11, 2013, was found to be in possession of an assortment of controlled substances following the execution of a search warrant at his 476 Pleasant Valley Road home, including 75 round white tablets containing the narcotic drug Oxycodone with an aggregate weight of 34.11 grams, as well as 34 clear plastic bags containing marijuana with an aggregate weight greater than 10 pounds.
Represented by attorney Scott Clippinger, Reynolds entered a plea of not guilty on all three counts for which he has been indicted.
Said District Attorney Joseph McBride on the subject of bail, “He had almost 100 pounds of marijuana after he had already gone to state prison for the same crime … he is also a flight risk because of all the cash he has received from marijuana sales.”
After considering both the prosecutor’s request for bail to be set at $20,000 and counsel’s request for it to be set at a lesser amount, Judge Frank B. Revoir Jr. set bail at $50,000.
• Martin W. Nowalk, 50, Greene, pleaded not guilty to all six counts for which he has been indicted and was remanded to the Chenango County Correctional Facility on $50,000 cash bail.
Nowalk has been indicted on charges of predatory sexual assault against a child, a class A-II felony; first degree rape, a class B felony; first degree criminal sexual act, a class B felony; first degree sexual conduct against a child, a class B felony; second degree sexual conduct against a child, a class D felony; and endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor.
It’s alleged that the defendant, being over the age of 18, did rape a female under the age of 13 on or about May 7, 2013, in the Town of Smithville. It is also alleged that during the month of November, 2012, in the Town of Smithville, the defendant did engage in a number of sexual acts with a person under the age of 13. Furthermore, Nowalk is accused of having repeatedly subjected another person to a series of sexual acts while said person was less than 13 years old between the time period of 2008 and May 7, 2013.
Considering the nature of the charges, which carry up to life in prison if convicted, he is a flight risk, argued McBride before requesting that bail be set at $200,000.
In response, Chenango County Public Defender James Cameron stated, “I think it’s an excessive amount, the defendant has told me he is not going to make bail no matter what.”
Bail was subsequently set at $50,000 cash and a second order of protection was issued for the victim.
