The former treasurer of the Oxbow Fire Department, initially charged in a 45-count indictment with embezzling department funds, pleaded guilty Thursday in Jefferson County Court to a single count of petit larceny, a misdemeanor.

Christina M. Cunningham, 25, of 31540 County Route 194, Theresa, pleaded guilty using an Alford plea, meaning she did not admit to the allegations, but did not want to risk a stiffer punishment if found guilty at trial. A trial was scheduled for next week in the matter.

Prior to her plea Thursday, Judge Kim H. Martusewicz reduced the top count in the indictment from third-degree grand larceny to petit larceny, to which she pleaded guilty.

According to court documents, the judge amended the indictment after reviewing a transcript of grand jury proceedings. The remaining charges were dismissed upon her plea.

Mrs. Cunningham is expected to be sentenced June 30 to a period of probation supervision and ordered to pay $6,925 in restitution.

For more information about the case and a wrap-up of other court activity, see tomorrow's Watertown Daily Times.

State police arrested three South Jefferson High School students Tuesday on drug charges and more arrests may be forthcoming.

Troopers charged a 15-year-old male student, who was not named, with criminal sale of a controlled substance on school grounds, a felony. He is accused of selling Oxycodone pills to a fellow student.

Two students were charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance: Wallace H. Gibbs, 17, of 35 Wardell St. and Jerry C. Lambert, 16, of 5 S. Park St., both of Adams.

Both are to answer the charges in Adams Town Court.

The investigation is being conducted by Trooper Jeffrey Stevenson, the district’s school resource office, with assistance from the State Police in Watertown.

CANTON — Ronald M. O’Neill has been appointed SUNY Canton College Council chairman by Gov. David A. Paterson, the college announced Thursday.

Mr. O’Neill, a 1963 SUNY Canton graduate and Canton resident, previously served on the council from 1984 to 1999. He was the council’s chairman from 1992 to 1996.

“I’m really happy that I’ll be able to aid the college through this position again,” said Mr. O’Neill, married to June F., New York State Democratic Party chairwoman. “I’ve missed being a part of all of the wonderful development and expansion at the college.”

He takes over for Wesley L. Stitt, whose terms expires in June 2009.

ADAMS — State police arrested an Adams teenager Thursday for allegedly using his computer to share multiple child pornography files.

Troopers charged David J. Bowman, 19, of 12 S. Park St., with one count of possessing a sexual performance by a child less than 17 years old following a search warrant Tuesday at his house.

Mr. Bowman is accused of viewing and sharing multiple child pornography files; his actions were monitored by the state’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Investigator Thomas M. Guarasce said Mr. Bowman’s computer was seized and sent to a lab in Albany. He said it was unknown yet of Mr. Bowman had photos, videos or both types of media on his hard drive.

Mr. Bowman was released on an appearance ticket and ordered to appear in Adams Village Court.

ALBANY – Consumer confidence continues to slump across the Empire State and the nation as Americans are increasingly worried about soaring prices and the overall state of the economy.

In a survey released Thursday, the Siena Research Institute reports that upstate New York as a region has the least confidence in the economic future. While the national current consumer confidence index dropped a sharp 7.2 points to 77.0, upstaters registered a current consumer confidence index of 57.6.

Even bleaker is upstaters’ confidence index for the future, which came in at only 47.2 for April, is down from 49.6 in March and 71.0 in April 2007.

For the full story, see Friday’s edition of the Times.

A Watertown resident who was sentenced to prison in 1991 after he kidnapped two children and sodomized one was charged Thursday by St. Lawrence County sheriff’s deputies with failing to inform the state sex offender registry that he had moved to Watertown.

William J. Dempsey Jr., 49, formerly of 123 County Route 4, was charged with a misdemeanor charge of failing to register as a sex offender.

A Level 3 sex offender, Dempsey had been living in Watertown for the past several months and failed to register the address change with the state Sex Offender Registry, deputies said. He listed 249 Coffeen St., as his address in March when charged by Watertown police with cruelty to animals.

Dempsey was classified as a Level 3 sex offender as the result of his 1991 conviction for first-degree sodomy. Level 3 offenders are considered the greatest risk to repeat their crimes and are required to report all changes of address.

Dempsey pleaded guilty in St. Lawrence County Court in satisfaction of charges stemming from an August 1990 incident in which he abducted an 11-year-old boy and his 6-year-old sister from the parking lot of an Ogdensburg area convenience store. Their father had left the children in the family car while he was in the store.

Located by state police after a two hour search, Dempsey later admitted sodomizing the boy. The girl was not molested, police said. He was sentenced in May 1991 to 8 to 16 years in prison and was released on parole on May 16, 2006.

FORT DRUM - Army Secretary Peter Geren will visit Fort Drum May 9 to participate in an event to mark the support that the north country providesto 10th Mountain Division soldiers.

While here, Geren will visit wounded warriors from 3rd Battalion, 85th Infantry Regiment and families of deployed soldiers. Geren will also participate in a luncheon with Fort Drum spouses to mark the 2008 Military Spouse Appreciation Day celebrated that day.

This will be Geren's first visit to the north country while serving as Secretary of the Army.

The Antique Boat Museum Opening and Platoon Benefit will be webcasted live on Thursday, May 8 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The live World Wide Webcast can be seen at:

www.steveweedproductions.com/live

Clayton's sponsored platoon from the 10th Mountain Division is the 1st Platoon, 3rd Squadron of the 17th Calvary Regiment.

The Jim Burr Trio featuring Sam Hopkins will perform, and all proceeds from the $10 donations go to the adopted platoon.

The Thousand Island Antique Boat Museum is located at 750 Mary Street, Clayton.

Congratulations to our new Sugarland Concert ticket winners:

Jonathan J. Adams, Lisbon

Debbie A. Duprey, Ogdensburg

Marcia T. Hostetter, Canton

Leah M. Card, Gouveneur

Vicky A. Sharpe, Ogdensburg

The Sugarland Concert is part of the DealMaker/DPAO 2008 Summer Concert Series held at the Watertown Fairgrounds Baseball Diamond on June 8 at 4 p.m.

This is a Yellow Ribbon Event. Tickets will be mailed by the Watertown Daily Times to the winners.

Sugarland tickets are given away weekly so keep registering on WatertownDailyTimes.com to win.

General admission tickets are still available for $40