American Military News by Thomas J. Prohaska 12/21/2019
Timothy A. Payne sent a scare through North Tonawanda City Hall in June, and when police discovered an unregistered handgun in his van in the parking lot, he was arrested and charged with a felony.
Payne, 37, who lost both his legs as an Army sergeant in a 2011 bomb blast in Afghanistan, pleaded guilty Thursday to criminal possession of a firearm, a felony carrying a maximum four-year prison sentence.
Normally, those who plead guilty in Veterans Court are offered a reduction to a misdemeanor charge and are not sentenced to jail if they succeed in treatment.
In Payne’s case, Assistant District Attorney Peter M. Wydysh offered a dismissal of the felony charge.
“Peter’s never offered that before,†Sheldon told Payne.
More:
https://americanmilitarynews.com/2019/12/veteran-frustrated-with-felony-gun-plea-but-gets-rare-chance-for-dismissal/
