A 16-year-old resident of Oak Street in Batavia accepted a plea deal this afternoon that could result in a term of one-and-a-third to four years in prison.
The Oklahoma native, who finished the 10th grade of high school, accepted responsibility in Genesee County Court this afternoon for injuring a 13-year-old victim who was slammed to the ground, face first, then struck in the face, twice; the injuries stemmed from contact with a "metal belt buckle and/or curb."
Zambito ordered a pre-sentencing investigation, and sentencing is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. on May 21. Meanwhile, Lionel remains in custody on $25,000 bail.
It was unclear if other charges initially filed in the case are still pending in Batavia City Court -- one count of harassment and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
Lionel's attorney, Michael Locicero, asked if the plea agreement would resolve any pending charges.
District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said he could not agree "sight unseen" that additional charges pending for Locicero's client would be satisfied by the plea agreement at hand. But the DA did pledge that the plea satisfies all charges for the defendant in this case, involving this victim, pertaining to the Nov. 28 incident.
Lionel -- handcuffed, wearing faded orangish sweat pants, a bright orange jail shirt, long-sleeved thermal undershirt, white socks and tan slides -- fidgeted as Zambito explained what the plea meant. Slightly built and about 5'7", he answered "yes," softly, when asked if he understood the terms.
