QUEENSBURY, N.Y. – Westchester County legislator and Yonkers resident Gordon Burrows pleaded guilty this morning to disorderly conduct related to a Feb. 5 arrest for suspected cocaine possession.

Glens Falls attorney Joseph Brennan entered the plea on behalf of Burrows, 52, and his mechanic friend and fellow Yonkers resident Timothy Cacace, 50.

Both men were originally charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor.

The charges were lessened after lawyers "worked out an agreement with the district attorney," according to Town Justice Robert McNally, who presided over the hearing this morning at 9:20 a.m. in Queensbury Town Court, about 50 miles north of Albany.

The complete details of the plea entered by Burrows and Cacace were not available at the time of this story's publication and were not available by the court clerk's office at the end of the work day today – Patch will update this story tomorrow.

The men, traveling to Killington, VT with friends for a ski weekend, were charged with possession of a controlled substance and disorderly conduct, a violation. Each was charged a fee of $250 – along with a county surcharge of $125.

When Brennan read Burrows' plea he noted, he "pleads guilty disorderly conduct and for essentially the same term," of one year, as Cacace. However, for treatment of drug abuse or charges, Brennan said, an evaluation resulted in no determination of a problem.

"They've recommended there is no treatment that is required," he said.

"I will accept this plea of guilty to the reduced charge," said the judge, noting it was for "disobeying a local, state and federal law to a term of one year." 

The incident took place early Feb. 5 outside the Jolley Mobil Station on Route 9 in Queensbury, less than one mile from the Warren County Sheriff's Department.

David Wurzberger, the district manager for the retailer, said he was not present for the broad-daylight arrest, but noted that two employees who witnessed the incident were. 

"A person walked out there - outside - and noticed two people in a vehicle, and it looked like they were doing lines of cocaine," he said. He would not say if the person who contacted police was an employee of the store.

"That person thought it was odd, so they decided to call the sheriff's department," he said. "When the sheriff's department arrived they searched the vehicle and found a little of the substance in there."

When asked if he was surprised at the reduced sentencing, Wurzberger shook his head and said, "Of course. It's a state official. That's sad. Any other person would be prosecuted or needs to do community service, at least." 

According to local law enforcement, the charge of possession would have been classified as a felony as little as five or six years ago, but since state legislature changed the law, this level of cocaine possession has been considered a misdemeanor.

Scarsdale Patch was able to obtain exclusive photographs of the Mobile-Jolley station outside of which the men were arrested – taken from inside the Warren County Sheriff's Department. The station is within clear view of the law enforcement agency.

"They just didn't use plain common sense," said the source.