NORWICH – In the early morning hours of Sunday, Aug. 31, 2014, a resident of Mitchell St. in the City of Norwich called the Norwich Police to report a young boy crying alone in the street.
Following the response of NPD officers and an ensuing investigation, three men were arrested for felony possession of marijuana, a class C felony, and one male is facing the additional charge of endangering the welfare of a child.
Per a release from the NPD, “Officers responded to Mitchell St. between State St. and Silver St. and located a young male on the sidewalk yelling for his father.”
Authorities said the young boy told the officers that he was left alone in a parked car but was able to get out and when he did so, he began to search for his father.
“Officers located the parked car at the rear of a residence on Mitchell St.,” read the release.
It was reported that while officers were searching the area, the boy’s father was spotted exiting the basement of a residence.
According to the release, it was following further investigation of the circumstances that patrol officers discovered the boy’s father and two other men were “processing a large volume of marijuana in the basement of the home.”
“Police officers seized a large amount of marijuana in various stages of processing. I know the weight is in excess of ten pounds,” said Norwich Police Chief Joseph Angelino. “Some of the vegetation was still on stalks, some was in bud form, and some was bagged.”
The young child was taken to the police station and was turned over to a family member.
The three arrested were:
• Wilson J. Hatton Sr., 34, Sidney, who was charged with criminal possession of marijuana in the first degree, with a weight of more than ten pounds, a class C felony; and endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor.
• Heath P. Oakes, 30, Cincinnatus, charged with criminal possession of marijuana in the first, with a weight of more than 10 pounds, a class C felony.
• Wayne E. Church, 32, Norwich, charged with criminal possession of marijuana in the first degree, with a weight of more than 10 pounds, a class C felony.
During the investigation, it was determined that Church is a parolee who was released from prison on May 7, 2014, and according to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, he is a level two sex offender.
All three men were arraigned in the Norwich City Court.
Because of Church’s parole status, he is being held at the Chenango County Correctional Facility without bail.
Hatton and Oakes have been remanded to the correctional facility in lieu of $20,000 cash bail.
The three are to appear in court again at a later date.