LOCKPORT – A Niagara Falls man was recommended Thursday for the state prison system’s boot camp-like “shock incarceration” program as a penalty for possession of an illegal handgun and some marijuana.
Niagara County Judge Matthew J. Murphy III ruled that if Antonio Hawthorne can’t cut it in the six-month program, he will serve two to four years in a regular cell.
In an August nonjury trial, Murphy convicted Hawthorne, 32, of Townsend Place, on charges of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of marijuana. The gun was found in his basement when police raided the home Nov. 10, 2011, and found marijuana allegedly packaged for sale.
Townsend argued he didn’t know the gun was there, but Murphy said the discovery of ammunition in various locations in the home undercut that claim.
Niagara County Judge Matthew J. Murphy III ruled that if Antonio Hawthorne can’t cut it in the six-month program, he will serve two to four years in a regular cell.
In an August nonjury trial, Murphy convicted Hawthorne, 32, of Townsend Place, on charges of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of marijuana. The gun was found in his basement when police raided the home Nov. 10, 2011, and found marijuana allegedly packaged for sale.
Townsend argued he didn’t know the gun was there, but Murphy said the discovery of ammunition in various locations in the home undercut that claim.