MONTICELLO – After rejecting
two previous motions to dismiss the indictment against former Monticello
building inspector and code enforcement officer James Snowden, State Supreme
Court Justice Stephan Schick granted the third motion and dismissed the
charges in their entirety.
Snowden had been indicted along with former Mayor Gordon Jenkins in connection
with the demolition of the Village of Monticello’s old justice building.
Jenkins pled guilty to three misdemeanors in full satisfaction of his
indictment and paid restitution as part of that plea.
In his January 26, 2017 decision, Justice Schick wrote there was a “void
of facts or implicating Defendant Snowden of the bribe receiving or conspiracy
charges in the indictment” when Jenkins’ allocuted to misdemeanor
charges to which he pled guilty.
Snowden’s third motion for dismissal of charges against him cited
“in the interest of justice.”
In granting the motion to dismiss the full indictment, the judge noted
that Snowden has no criminal history or any other type of misconduct and
there were no allegations of misconduct on the part of the officers investigating
the case.
Schick wrote if Snowden were convicted of the charges, imposing a sentence
“would serve absolutely no purpose.” Since Jenkins already
pled guilty, there is no justification for the court to find Snowden guilty
and impose a sentence since he has no criminal history “and has
already suffered termination from his employment,”
