Altamont mechanic gets more time to consider felony plea deal

ALTAMONT — Kevin Willsey, an Altamont mechanic, indicted on three felony counts relating to stolen vehicles, asked on Wednesday for more time to consider a plea offer from prosecutors in the case.

A new court date for the case has been scheduled for Sept. 5.

Police began investigating Willsey in Dec. 2011 and say he was in possession of two stolen vehicles including parts of a rebuilt tow truck and a $28,000 skid-steer loader taken from the town of Worcester in Otsego county.

Altamont’s police chief, Todd Pucci, said Willsey wasn’t charged with stealing the vehicles but that he was aware they were illicit and benefited from them.

“He was a customer, not the business,” said Pucci at the time of Willsey’s arrest.  “He would remark to certain persons, ‘Hey, I could sure use a skid steer.’ He was aware of what he was doing.”

Though prosecutors would not confirm it, Pucci said Willsey was being offered six months of prison time with five years of probation. He also said Willsey had no prior arrests.

However, Pucci did note that Willsey had since been arrested by Altamont Police for a violation and will appear in Altamont Village Court for that charge. Willsey was arrested on June 24 for harassment; the arrest report says that, on June 16, in the Stewart’s parking lot, he harassed another man.

Willsey, 31, lives on Main Street in the village, across from the auto-repair garage where he had worked. That garage burned to the ground on June 5.

The District Attorney’s Office said an investigation into the fire is continuing.

Willsey was indicted in July on three felony counts — two for criminal possession of stolen property and one for illegal possession of a vehicle identification number.

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