Her husband has forgiven her for shooting him in the knee and dozens of friends and family members sent letters of support to Judge Robert C. Noonan, but a 52-year-old Corfu resident will still spend three years in state prison.
The sentence is what Patricia Hardesty agreed to when she entered a guilty plea Sept. 22 to assault, 2nd, and it was the minimum sentence available to Noonan under the state's sentencing guidelines.
"This is kind of a sad case," Noonan said. "Everybody who has had any input to the court has said, 'please be merciful,' 'please don't send her to jail,' 'don't send her to prison,' 'send her to counseling or back to her family.' But I can't do any of that. I have no power to do any of that."
Hardesty shot her husband in the knee Aug. 1, 2010, during an argument at their home on County Line Road.
Typically in assault cases, Noonan is asked to sign an order protecting a victim for a period of time, but in this case, there was no request for such an order.
"It should have become clear to you before this event, and it should certainly be clear to you now, that you should never drink alcoholic beverages," Noonan said before Hardesty left the court room. "Whatever you do to stay away from alcoholic beverages, whether in prison or out of prison, that should be a very important thing for you to do."
