NORWICH – A Greene woman who allegedly burned down her own home, is headed to trial today after her attorney objected on Friday stating she didn't have time to review documents.
Anna Santiago, 51, of Greene was charged with third-degree arson, a class C felony, after fire investigators said she purposefully burned down her own home on August 3, 2017.
Santiago's previous attorney, Benjamin Bergman, said her decision to reject a plea from the District Attorney's Office was made against his advice, as was her intent to testify at trial.
On Friday, her new attorney, Debra Gelson, said she'd be asking for sanctions against Chenango County District Attorney Joseph McBride and a dismissal of Santiago's indictment because the district attorney's office provided 3,000 pages of documents to her three days before trial.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Chenango County Judge Frank Revoir, Jr., agreed with McBride, rejected the motion for sanctions, and told the attorneys, "I'm inclined to keep this trial dated for Monday."
According to Gelson, she has been practicing criminal law for 30 years, and she believes to "receive 3,000 pages on a Dvd on the eve of trial is horrific."
