AUBURN - An 18-year-old Auburn resident pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree felony sex abuse for inappropriately touching a 9-year-old boy while they were both in foster care last year.

Chester Morabito, of 84 Lansing St., admitted to touching the boy over his clothing while at a doctor's office and at a residence.

Douglas Bates, Morabito's attorney, said his client has an IQ of approximately 68 and that he wants Morabito to be placed in the George Junior Republic facility as opposed to serving jail time. The facility provides services for troubled youths.

If Morabito is not enrolled into the facility, he faces a shock-probation jail sentence.

Morabito received care from the state Department of Health and Human Services for most of his life until he turned 18, as well as support from the Seneca-Cayuga ARC.

Cayuga County Chief Assistant District Attorney Christopher Valdina said he would oppose a youthful offender sentencing because he wants Morabito to register as a sex offender.

Morabito remains free on his own recognizance.

Also in court:

• A 29-year-old Kirkville man received a five-year straight probation sentence for selling cocaine after the judge noted the defendant had no criminal history

“To be quite honest, if I can't give you straight probation based off of this (pre-sentence investigation), I don't know who I would give it to,” Cayuga County Judge Thomas Leone told Gerard Bledsoe.

Bledsoe, who pleaded guilty to one count of fifth-degree felony criminal sale of a controlled substance for driving a friend into Auburn to sell cocaine, apologized and said the incident was the stupidest mistake he ever made.

Bledsoe's attorney, David Elkovitch, said his client did not receive anything for driving his friend.

“He never touched the drugs, he never got money for selling the drugs, he didn't even get $20 for driving the guy in,” Elkovitch said.

Bledsoe's co-defendant, Tawayn Wright, still faces charges for third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, all felonies.

• A Weedsport man was sentenced to one year in the Cayuga County Jail for violating the terms of probation for his 2007 driving while intoxicated conviction.

John Fitzgerald, 46, 2789 Tanner Road, admitted he violated his probation when he had a .07 blood alcohol content during a house check.

Under the terms of his probation, Fitzgerald was to abstain from all alcoholic beverages.

• Francisco Mendrell, 25, will be extradited to Philadelphia County, Pa., to face charges of possessing, manufacturing and distributing drugs.

Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net