A Rockland County marijuana dealer was sentenced yesterday to 17 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to several charges connected to a brutal beating and robbery of a victim in New City three years ago. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, says 38 year-old Hawthorne resident, Wayne Hicks, also known as “Weez,” directed two separate acts of violence to support his drug business. In one of them, Williams says Hicks had his brother beat up a man in a New City home, directing the beating over a video chat. The victim was forced to strip naked, his stuff was stolen, and he was then beaten with a baseball bat, belts, and slashed and stabbed with a large knife. In addition to the 17 years in prison, Hicks got five years of supervised release.
Local Story #3
New York state lawmakers have punted yet again, buying more time to work out the details of the late state budget. The state legislature yesterday passed a second extender bill moving the deadline to Monday. The budget was originally due on April first.