A 22-year-old Le Roy resident who broke into a friend's house and stole a PS3 game system has 30 days to show Judge Robert C. Noonan he "gets it."
Eric Bratcher, of 7 ½ North St., Le Roy, entered a guilty plea to third-degree burglary after originally being charged with burglary, 2nd, and offered a chance at a "split sentence" (possibly six months in jail and five years probation).
After his guilty plea, he was released under supervision of Genesee Justice with certain requirements for his conduct, including no drug use.
The next time Bratcher came before Noonan, he was accused of smoking marijuana while out of jail under supervision, so Noonan sent him back to jail to await his sentencing.
At that hearing, according to Noonan, Bratcher "editorialized" that he didn't see why it was a big deal. "It was just a little weed," according to Noonan.
Since that time, while in jail, Bratcher has reportedly been going through some rehabilitation programs and making progress.
Rather than sentence him today, Noonan gave Bratcher 30 more days to show what sort of progress he can make. He remains jailed without bail.
Noonan could send Bratcher to state prison.
"I'm not certain it won’t come around to the point where a split sentence could be possible," Noonan said. "I’m going to have to be shown something that Mr. Bratcher gets it and I just haven’t seen it yet."
Noonan expressed concern that Bratcher doesn't understand he committed a serious crime.
"You haven't shown me that you understand that you went into somebody's house and -- even though it was a friend and even though it was just a PS3 that was stolen -- the statement he gave on the condition of his residence before he had any idea it was you (was) 'it looks like a burglary,' " Noonan said. "It doesn't look like a friend who just happened to wander into a friend's house."
