Three Syracuse-area men have pleaded guilty to grand larceny charges, while a fourth man will plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge, in connection with the May 2015 theft of seven riding lawnmowers from Cazenovia Equipment on Route 20, according to the Madison County district attorney.
Willie Lawrence, 36, of Syracuse, William Vinson, 40, of Kirkville, Richard Goodnow, 33, of Syracuse, and James Otts, 56, of Liverpool, were part of an “ongoing conspiracy” to steal large equipment items from stores in Madison, Jefferson and Onondaga counties, said Madison County District Attorney Bill Gabor. Three of the men will be spending time in state prison while a fourth will pay full restitution for the Cazenovia Equipment thefts, Gabor said.
While the four men’s cases have been completed in Madison County, some or all of the men have outstanding charges in other counties, he said.
The Cazenovia Equipment thefts occurred sometime between 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, and 7 a.m. Thursday, May 21, when seven riding lawn mowers were stolen from the back parking lot of the Route 20 store, according to police. The subsequent investigation uncovered similar burglaries had occurred at equipment stores in Cicero and LaFayette “at least,” and showed an “ongoing conspiracy” of actions, Gabor said.
Investigators then discovered a plan to commit a burglary in the Watertown area, during which attempt the store alarm was tripped and Vinson and Goodnow were discovered by police leaving the scene of the crime, Gabor said.
The investigation revealed that Vinson, Goodnow and Lawrence would rent a U-Haul truck, case out a store and then perform the equipment thefts overnight, Gabor said. Ott was not personally involved in the burglaries, but instead acted as more of a Syracuse-area fence for the stolen goods, Gabor said.
Lawrence, Vinson and Otts were arrested on June 22 and Goodnow was arrested on Sept. 22 in connection with the Madison County burglary, Gabor said. Goodnow pleaded guilty on Nov. 23 to grand larceny in the third degree and will be sentenced to 2-to-4 years in state prison in early 2016, Gabor said. On Dec. 22, Vinson took the same plea and received the same sentence, while Lawrence pleaded to the same charge but received 1-to-3 years in state prison. Gabor said. The difference in sentences was because Goodnow and Vinson both had been convicted of a felony within the past 10 years, which enhanced their sentences, Gabor said.
Otts will be permitted to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge in the case because he was not personally involved in the burglaries, Gabor said. But first, Otts must pay full restitution of $16,302 for the thefts, Gabor said.
Gabor said the closure of the case was the result “clearly [of] the excellent law enforcement work, giving particular attention to State Police Oneida BCI Investigator Dennis Dougherty, and cooperation of the New York State Police, Jefferson County and Onondaga County sheriff’s offices.”
At least three of the four men in the Madison County case have charges pending against them in Onondaga and Jefferson counties, but calls to the Jefferson and Onondaga county district attorney’s offices to discover the charges had not been returned as of press time.
Public records, however, show that Otts and Goodnow both were arrested previously by the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office; Otts was charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree and Goodnow with conspiracy in the fifth degree, criminal mischief in the third degree, grand larceny in the third degree and burglary in the third degree.
Lawrence and Vinson both were charged by state police on June 22 with felony counts of third-degree burglary and fourth-degree grand larceny in connection with the Watertown burglary.
Lawrence was arrested Oct. 2 by the Cicero Police Department and charged with grand larceny in the fourth degree, criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree and criminal mischief in the fourth degree.
