Orange County District Attorney David M. Hoovler announced that on Thursday, January 19, 2017, Sean Leath, 35 of Middletown, was sentenced by Orange County Court Judge Craig Stephen Brown to twenty years in state prison, and five years post release supervision for having forced his way into an apartment on North Street in the City of Middletown on April 23, 2016, and displaying what appeared to be a pistol.  On December 2, 2016, Leath had pleaded guilty to Burglary in the First Degree. 

Leath was also sentence to two to four years in state prison for having attempted to bribe a witness in the burglary case. After jury selection had commenced in the burglary case on November 30, 2016, prosecutors became aware that Leath had caused a witness in the case to be paid $2,500 in exchange for changing his testimony and not identifying Leath as a perpetrator of burglary. On December 5, 2016, Leath plead guilty to the felony of Attempted Bribing a Witness.  The two prison sentences were order to run concurrently. The District Attorney’s Office has commenced an investigation into whether other individuals may have been involved in an attempt to bribe the witness.

District Attorney Hoovler thanked the City of Middletown Police Department for their arrest and investigation of the case.  District Attorney Hoovler also thanked the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in the investigation into the bribing of the witness.

“The community will be safer during the two decades that this defendant will be in prison,” said District Attorney Hoovler. “This defendant admitted invading a home with what appeared to be a pistol.  Such violent conduct, particularly in an area where everyone deserves to feel safe, is clearly deserving of a lengthy state prison sentence.  The bribing or tampering of a witness is a crime which strikes directly to the heart of the criminal justice system and my office, along with our law enforcement partners, will seek to bring to justice anyone criminally involved in such schemes.  I am pleased that this attempt to illegally influence a witness’ testimony was thwarted, and our investigation into this matter will not conclude with this defendant’s plea of guilty.”

District Attorney Hoovler highly commended Senior Assistant District Attorney Leah Canton and Assistant District Attorney Theresa Cayton for their prosecution of the case.