A Pittsford man who admitted to shoving an autistic Syracuse teen at Cobb’s Hill Park has been sentenced.
Martin MacDonald was in court Monday afternoon, where he was sentenced to three years probation, 80 hours of community service and told not to contact Chase Coleman for at least five years.
MacDonald pleaded guilty in November to harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.
It was last October when 15-year-old Chase Coleman competing in a cross-country meet in the park when he got lost. Coleman approached MacDonald, who told police he thought the non-verbal autistic teenager was high on drugs and was trying to snatch his wife’s purse. He shoved Coleman to the ground and drove off.
His mother, Clarisse Coleman, says she forgives MacDonald but hopes he’ll reflect on whether he’s reading the situation right the next time he feels threatened.