Green Island man sentenced to nine years for gun charge
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Albany County District Attorney's Office announced on Monday that 34-year-old Hector Balls of Green Island was sentenced to nine years in state prison in an Albany firearm case. Balls pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
On November 30, 2024, Albany Police took Balls into custody after finding him drunk and asleep in the driver seat of his car after he crashed into a street sign near Shaker Park Drive. As part of his plea, Balls admitted to having a loaded Smith & Wesson handgun with him at the time of his arrest, despite being barred from owning a firearm due to a 2014 weapon conviction.
Judge Andra Ackerman additionally ordered Balls to serve five years of probation following his release from prison. Assistant District Attorney and Street Crimes Unit Bureau Chief Bryanne Brucato prosecuted the case.