(WNY News Now) – A Forestville resident has been sentenced to seven years in prison following a series of burglaries that unsettled multiple neighborhoods last holiday season.
Mayville, N.Y. – On October 30, Judge Grace Hanlon sentenced 56-year-old Gary Lang of Forestville to a determinate seven-year prison term with an additional five years of post-release supervision for Attempted Burglary in the Second Degree, a class D violent felony. The conviction stemmed from a string of break-ins across Fredonia, Portland, and Pomfret neighborhoods over the week of Christmas 2023 through New Year’s 2024. Lang was found to have entered or attempted to enter vehicles, buildings, and homes in search of items to steal.
Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Criminal Investigation Division led the investigation, which resulted in Lang’s February indictment by a grand jury. The charges included Burglary in the Second Degree, Attempted Burglary in the Second Degree, Attempted Petit Larceny, and Trespass. On July 12, Lang pled guilty to the Attempted Burglary charge, covering all remaining charges.
District Attorney Jason Schmidt credited the Sheriff’s Criminal Investigation Division. The case was prosecuted by ADA Andrew Molitor.