Judge Sentences Geneseo Ambulance Thief to Weekends in Jail

LIVINGSTON COUNTY – The court process is finally over for the SUNY Geneseo student who joyrode an ambulance through campus and the Village last December.

With seven friends and family members looking on, Livingston County Judge Robert Wiggins sentenced Colin Dahlberg, 22, to 3 months of weekends at the Livingston County Jail without work release eligibility and 3 years of probation, 200 hours of community service and $4,500 in court fees and fines.

“In my eyes, you are one of the luckiest people I know,” said Judge Wiggins. “I can’t stress enough how awful this could have been.”

Dahlberg is still enrolled at SUNY Geneseo, has been taking summer classes online and is scheduled to attend classes beginning next week.

“I am genuinely sorry,” said Dahlberg, who has awaited sentencing for the past week in jail. “I apologize and want to make this right. I want to make amends for this awful, awful experience.”

The sentence covers misdemeanor charges: Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, Obstructing Medical Services, Obstructing Governmental Administration, and Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated. He was acquitted at trial of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in the Second Degree, and Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, all of which are felonies.

Dahlberg’s attorney, Peter Skivington, asked the judge to sentence probation only, with no incarceration, and for the judge to grant Dahlberg a conditional license. He also made two legal arguments to the court before sentencing.

The first was to dismiss the Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle charge because the Judge did not notify counsel that this charge was being considered, as it was not part of the original indictment. Livingston County District Attorney Greg McCaffrey cited People v. Harvey, a previous Livingston County case, where a judge ruled that this procedural error in Criminal Procedure Law can be considered harmless.

Skivington’s second argument, however, seemed to hang Judge Wiggins up more. He argued that Dahlberg should not be convicted of both Obstructing Medical Services and Obstructing Governmental Administration because they charge the same conduct. McCaffrey disagreed, saying that Obstructing Medical Services was for removing the ambulance from an active medical call and that Obstructing Governmental Administration was for running from the police. After a long pause, Judge Wiggins denied Skivington’s application.

“As I indicated at the verdict, the indictment specifically identifies the ambulance drivers,” said Judge Wiggins. “I am going to uphold both convictions but give no additional penalties for Obstructing Governmental Administration.”

On probation, Dahlberg will not be able to drive without an ignition interlock device to periodically test the driver’s breath for alcohol. He cannot attend any parties or gatherings where alcoholic beverages are displayed or consumed. He must pay the $4,500 within 2 years. He will have to report to the Jail at 6 p.m. on Fridays and be held there until 6 a.m. the following Monday.

“This may seem restrictive,” said Judge Wiggins. “You’re in college, it’s a time in your life when you don’t like being restricted that much, but you bought it.”

Livingston County District Attorney Greg McCaffrey agreed that this is an appropriate sentence.

“I like the college, I think students are an asset to the community but I think that this sentence sends a message to the college community and the community in general that joyriding, screwing around and getting drunk every weekend is not appropriate conduct in Livingston County,” said McCaffrey. “It’s tough for Mr. Dahlberg. Think of how you go to work always looking forward to Friday, looking forward to your weekend, but now his weekends are spent in jail. It’s kind of a buzzkill. […] Even when we were only offering a plea deal to a felony, we wanted a split sentence with shock probation. We were never going to ask for state prison.”

Skivington said that now, Dahlberg’s biggest challenge is to get past this episode in his life.

“The chances of Mr. Dahlberg being a productive member of the community is very great,” said Skivington. “He made a terrible mistake. I’ve made mistakes, I’m sure Mr. McCaffrey has made mistakes.”