Woelfersheim sentenced to up to 12 years

Matthew Woelfersheim

GUILDERLAND — Matthew C. Woelfersheim, 37, of Guilderland, was sentenced to up to 12 years in prison on May 9, before Judge Stephen Herrick, in Albany County Court, for committing burglary and arson, according to a release from the Albany County District Attorney’s Office.

Woelfersheim, of Siver Road, pleaded guilty to two counts of felony burglary and one count of felony arson on March 21.

He stole over $1,000 from a business on West Street, in Albany, between July 25 and Sept. 1, 2012, and then also stole money from a business on Watervliet Avenue, in Albany, on Aug. 28 and Aug. 31, the release said.

Woelfersheim also intentionally started a fire in an unoccupied building on Carman Road in Guilderland on Sept. 30, 2013. The fire spread to a neighboring property and damaged a garage and vehicle.

Woelfersheim allegedly started two other fires in Guilderland, in a garage and a barn, for which he was arrested in October 2013, but charges for those fires are still pending.

He was sentenced to two to six years in prison for the two charges of burglary, to be served concurrently, for a total of four to 12 years in state prison. He was also sentenced to a concurrent four to 12 years in state prison for the arson charge, according to the release.

Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Cheryl Fowler is handling to prosecution of this case.

More Guilderland News

  • The board’s unanimous Feb. 4 vote overturned a building permit issued for a fence running along a shared driveway between the historic Norman Vale home and property at 3 Norman Vale Lane.

  • The town’s planner, Kenneth Kovalchik, recommended the PUD, citing ways in which the proposal follows recommendations of Guilderland’s recently updated comprehensive plan. Three people objecting to the proposal also cited the new comprehensive plan as they stated the importance of preserving the globally rare pine bush.

  • The board at its March 4 meeting unanimously approved the project as well as a variance request from the town zoning code that would require the new structures to be set back 100 feet from the single-family lots on either side of the property. 

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