Woman must repay $14,847 in county welfare-fraud case

A Canton woman is ordered to pay restitution of $14,847 to the Jefferson County Department of Social Services after pleading guilty to misdemeanor welfare fraud.

Heather A. Duvall Perkins,30, was sentenced Monday in Jefferson County Court to a one-year conditional discharge. Among her conditions is the payment of restitution.

She was originally charged with felony misuse of food stamps, grand larceny and eight counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for receiving energy assistance and day-care benefits to which she was not entitled.

Also in County Court:

A West Virginia man's case involving Internet pornography was closed. Chad E. Lawson, 32, Elizabeth, W.Va., was sentenced to five years probation, to be served in his home state, as a result of his guilty plea to disseminating indecent materials to a minor. He admitted sending indecent photos of himself to a 16-year-old town of LeRay girl via the Internet.

Emil Nunez-Ruiz,21, of 320 Howk St., pleaded guilty to third-degree counts of assault and forgery and was sentenced to time already served in jail. He admitted using a forged resident-alien green card and to punching his roommate, Jose L. Orellana Pineda, 28, in the face several times.

Joshua C. Walters,19, Natural Bridge, admitted to violating probation and was sentenced to 10 months in jail. He was sentenced in March 2008 in Lewis County Court to three years' probation for fourth-degree criminal mischief, and supervision had been transferred to the Jefferson County Probation Department.

John W. Wynn III,27, who was at Fort Drum when charged by Watertown police on May 1 with fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, pleaded guilty by mail to seventh-degree possession for having Ecstasy pills. He was fined $1,000 and given a one-year conditional discharge.