GOSHEN – Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler announced Wednesday, July 14, 2021, that Anthony Wilmot-Francis, age 26, of New Windsor, was sentenced to five years in state prison in connection with having assaulted an Orange County corrections officer in the Orange County Jail. Wilmot-Francis was also sentenced to state prison on two other felony charges.
On September 27, 2019, Wilmot-Francis was arrested by the Town of Newburgh Police Department. The arrest was in connection with allegations that Wilmot-Francis had hit a car with a shopping cart and when the driver of that car called the police, Wilmot-Francis broke into a car dealership, stole a car, and drove off almost hitting a school bus containing children before crashing into a telephone pole. On December 23, 2019, Wilmot-Francis pleaded guilty to Reckless Endangerment for that incident.
On January 27, 2020, Wilmot-Francis was arrested by the Town of Wallkill Police Department for Criminal Mischief for having damaged walls, cameras, phones, and alarms while he was being treated at Orange Regional Medical Center.
Wilmot-Francis continued his crime spree, according to Hoovler. On March 11, 2020, while Wilmot-Francis was an inmate in the Orange County Jail, he assaulted an Orange County Sheriff’s Office corrections officer by striking the officer in the face multiple times and throwing chairs at the officer. On April 20, 2021, Wilmot-Francis pleaded guilty to Criminal Mischief, in connection with the damaging of property at Orange Regional Medical Center, and the Assault charge for having assaulted the corrections officer.
On July 14, 2021, Wilmot-Francis was sentenced to five years in state prison and three years of post-release supervision on the Assault charge. He was also sentenced to one to three years in state prison for Criminal Mischief and two to six years in state prison for Reckless Endangerment. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently.
“This case underscores the dangerous and difficult job that we rely on our corrections officers to perform,” said Hoovler. “While outside of a correctional facility this defendant endangered others, including children and innocent motorists, and purposely destroyed property, even of those who were trying to help him. He became no less dangerous when he was incarcerated in the jail and savagely attacked an Orange County Sheriff’s Office corrections officer. Correction officers deserve our admiration, thanks, and support. They generally work in settings where they are outnumbered by inmates and without weapons. They risk their lives and safety to protect us, each other, and the inmates in their care. Those who assault corrections officers deserve severely enhanced sentences.”
