CITY OF LOCKPORT
Pot case mom faces new charges
LOCKPORT — The mother accused of sending her child to preschool with marijuana in his shoe is now also facing charges of violating probation because of a previous drug and child endangerment case.
Sherry A. Sanney, 27, of Washburn Street, is accused of sending her 4-yearold son to the Niagara County Head Start program in Grace Episcopal Church on June 18 with small plastic bags of the drug in his sneaker.
School officials called in police to investigate after they saw the boy walking strangely and complaining of pain, then found the pot.
Sanney and Joshua Bryant, 21, of Harvest Ridge Way, were arrested in Sanney’s apartment and both charged with endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of marijuana.
When Sanney showed up for court Monday on those charges, she also was charged with violating probation because of a previous drug-related case.
As a result, she was handcuffed just prior to the court appearance before City Judge William Watson.
Sanney, who has two children, the 4- year-old son and a younger child, was charged Sept. 20, 2007, with a more serious fifth-degree criminal possession of marijuana count, as well as endangering the welfare of child.
In that case, she was allowed to plead to attempted fifth-degree criminal possession of marijuana. She was sentenced to probation Jan. 9 in City Court.
Watson set bail at $500 cash or $1,000 bond for the probation violation.
Bryant’s attorney, Barry Nelson Covert of the criminal law firm of Lipsitz, Green, Scime and Cambria of Buffalo, said his firm was no longer representing Sanney. She is now being represented by Public Defender David J. Farrugia.
Pretrial motions will continue Monday in cases against both Bryant and Sanney.
Covert continues to represent Bryant and would not discuss the relationship his client and Sanney may have been having and called Bryant “a great kid with a good education and a good family. “Several friends appeared in court Monday to support Sanney, who sat slumped and looking dejected while in handcuffs.
One longtime girlfriend, Jessie Ackroyd, called the charges ridiculous.
“I’m here to support her,” Ackroyd said. “She’s not doing too well. She’s a great mom.”
