District Attorney Jim Farrell announced today that William Roach, age 25, of Monticello, N.Y, was sentenced today to 7 years in state prison and 5 years of post release supervision for Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 2nd Degree, a class C violent felony. Roach admitted to possessing a loaded 38 caliber handgun on March 4, 2011 on High Street in the Village of Monticello.

Roach was arrested after an investigation by the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Farrell said that Roach had a prior felony conviction for Attempted Robbery in the 2nd Degree in Brooklyn in 2004 and was sentenced as a second violent felony offender.

“The sentence here makes clear my intent to rid our streets of those individuals who illegally and unlawfully possess loaded firearms, all too often these firearms, possessed by violent felons, are used in violent crimes with tragic results”, Farrell said.