Chaumont teen given 8 years for her role in armed robbery

A Chaumont teenager was sentenced Monday in Jefferson County Court to eight years in state prison for her role in an armed home invasion robbery of a Cooper Street apartment.

Sara N. Rodrigues,16, Old Town Springs Road, also will have to undergo five years of additional supervision upon her release from prison after being convicted at trial Oct. 24 of 34 counts related to the Jan. 5 robbery at 554 Cooper St., Apt. 7.

Before sentencing, she also pleaded guilty to third-degree intimidating a witness. She was indicted on the charge in October for threatening to physically injure a witness after learning the woman had talked to police about the robbery.

Prosecutors maintained at trial that Miss Rodrigues masterminded the robbery at the apartment of Travis Vulgamore. She was inside the apartment when two Fort Drum soldiers entered the apartment displaying handguns and tied up two men with duct tape before robbing several of the people there.

She left the apartment with her accomplices, causing police initially to believe she had been kidnapped, although she never reported the kidnapping and refused to cooperate with an investigation into the robbery, according to trial testimony.

Two accomplices,Kristopher W. Brown,24, andTyrell K. Frater,23, pleaded guilty before Miss Rodrigues's trial to second-degree robbery and were each sentenced Oct. 27 to four years in prison. A third man, Lorenzo D. Best, 24, also a soldier, has pleaded guilty second-degree attempted robbery and is due to be sentenced Jan. 12. It had been alleged he waited in a vehicle outside the apartment.

In other court activity Monday:

Maricela Ornelas,29, Syracuse, was sentenced to six months in the Metro-Jefferson Public Safety Building and five years' probation for a Sept. 5 guilty plea to third-degree attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance.

She and her brother,Jose A. Ornelas,were accused of having more than 200 grams of cocaine in her vehicle during a Dec. 18 traffic stop on Route 37 in the town of Alexandria. Mr. Ornelas, 23, also of Syracuse, pleaded guilty April 23 to third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced June 30 to time served and five years' probation. The siblings' probation supervision was transferred to Onondaga County.

David Bradford III,21, of 10110 N. Riva Ridge Loop, Fort Drum, pleaded guilty to third-degree attempted robbery. Sentencing was set for Dec. 22.

He andJonathan F. Crays,19, same address, were accused of the strong-arm robbery of a woman as she made a night deposit Aug. 23 at Key Bank on Arsenal Street. It was alleged that Mr. Bradford took the bank bag containing about $250 while Mr. Crays waited in a vehicle. Mr. Crays pleaded guilty Nov. 14 to third-degree attempted robbery and is also due to be sentenced Dec. 22.

Joseph Carmoega,21, address not available, was arraigned on charges of fourth-degree conspiracy and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The charges were contained in a grand jury indictment unsealed in court.

It is alleged that in the summer of 2006 he agreed with others to have and sell drugs in Watertown. It is further alleged that on Aug. 14, 2006, he possessed what appeared to be a handgun with the intent to use it against another person.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges and was sent to the PSB on $15,000 bail.