A former corrections officer was found not guilty of attempted murder as a hate crime by a judge in Chenango County Court. Wayne Spratley of Greene was charged with the non-fatal shooting a black man during a 3 AM bar fight in Norwich. Judge Frank Revoir found that the District Attorney was unable to provide the burden of proof necessary for a conviction. In reading his verdict, the judge had harsh words for Spratley, calling his behavior the night of the incident, beyond reprehensible, reckless, and certainly dangerous. The judge acknowledged that Spratley was drunk and impersonating a police officer that night. Spratley was suspended as a corrections officer at the Cayuga Correctional Facility. State records now indicate he is no longer a corrections officer.
