Ulster man loses appeal in series of domestic incidents

KINGSTON – A man, who pled guilty in Ulster County Court to criminal contempt and tampering with a witness as a result of a series of domestic incidents in the Town of Wawarsing in June 2011 and March 2012, had his appeal rejected by the Appellate Division of State Supreme Court.
Josue Gonzalez entered the guilty plea in connection with the incident that involved two separate victims. In exchange for his plea, the court agreed to a sentence of six months in jail and five years of probation, but after he violated the terms of his probationary sentence by being arrested on new charges, the county court imposed a new sentence of consecutive prison terms of one and one-third to four years.
On appeal, Gonzalez maintained he had ineffective defense counsel and that his plea was not knowingly, voluntarily or intelligently made.
The Appellate Division rejected those claims.