ALLEGED ASSAULT: Wilson teens offered pleas

By April Amadon<br><a href="mailto:amadona@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail April</a>
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

WILSON July 25, 2008 02:26 am

— The Niagara County District Attorney’s office has extended a plea offer to the three teens charged in connection with an alleged assault on a Wilson school bus.
Colton J. Sherman and Christopher A. Sidote, both 16, and Geoffrey A. Seefeldt, 18, were set to appear in Wilson Town Court on Thursday, but their cases were adjourned until Aug. 28 after their attorneys each received a letter Wednesday detailing a possible plea offer.
Sidote’s attorney, Andrew Vona, said he could not go into details about the plea offer because he had not had time to discuss it with his client.
“We adjourned the court case for tonight so we’d have the opportunity to sit down and talk with our clients about it,” Vona said. “(The letter) was unsolicited. We didn’t expect it.”
Vona said he and Kevin P. Shelby, who represents Sherman, and Mark Gugliani, who represents Seefeldt, will discuss the possible resolution with their clients in the coming days.
As it stands, the offer may not be acceptable, he added.
“At this point in time, I don’t think it’s something we would recommend, but it certainly doesn’t mean ... we wouldn’t continue to discuss the case with the DA’s office,” he said. “These are preliminary discussions.”
The teens are set for another appearance in Wilson Town Court on Aug. 28.
Sherman, Sidote and Seefeldt are accused of assaulting at least two junior varsity baseball players during an April 17 bus trip back to Wilson from Niagara Falls.
They were arrested April 25 after an investigation by state police.
According to court documents, the teens are accused of “(inserting) a foreign object into the rectum of a male while he was being held down on the floor of the school bus.”
Seefeldt is charged with three counts of third-degree aggravated sexual abuse and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.
Sherman and Sidote are charged with one count each of third-degree aggravated sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.
Two coaches who were on the bus, William Atlas and Thomas Baia, have been charged with endangering the welfare of a child. They have been suspended from their coaching and teaching duties with the school district.
Atlas and Baia are also scheduled to appear in Wilson Town Court on Aug. 28.
Vona said everyone involved would like to see a speedy resolution to the case.
“I think everybody wants to see this behind them,” he said. “It’s certainly been a very emotional situation for the whole community. But it still needs to be the right resolution. You can’t rush to get it done.”
Contact reporter April Amadon at 439-9222, ext. 6251.