DELHI - Delaware County District Attorney Shawn J. Smith announced today that 48-year-old Justin T. Valk, of Davenport, New York, was convicted of Burglary in the Second Degree on Monday March 11, 2024, in Delaware County Court.
The defendant’s case was scheduled for a jury trial beginning March 19, 2024. On March 11, 2024, the defendant appeared for a pre-trial conference. At the conclusion of the conference, the defendant pleaded guilty to Burglary in the Second Degree, a Class C felony, and the most serious charge in the indictment.
Prior to pleading guilty, Valk admitted that between the 15th day of January 2022 and the 6th day of April 2022, he traveled to a seasonal home located at 226 County Route 30, Harpersfield, New York, with other co-defendants. Valk stated that he stayed in the car while his co-defendants entered the home and committed larceny. Although Valk did not go into the home, he admitted that he was aware of the reason that they went to the house and that he was involved and assisted with planning the burglary. Based upon those admissions, the Honorable Gary A. Rosa accepted the defendant’s guilty plea.
This plea was entered pursuant to a negotiated disposition whereby it is agreed that the defendant will be sentenced to 6 years in state prison, to be followed by 3 years of post-release supervision. The defendant was remanded to the Delaware County Correctional Facility pending sentencing. The defendant also faces a second indictment involving the death of his wife, and those charges are not included in this disposition.
District Attorney Shawn Smith thanked the State Police for their work on this case. “I commend State Police Investigators Leslie Burton, Mathew Burkert (retired), Brian Mackey (retired), and Brian Dengler (retired) for the detailed investigation they conducted in this burglary investigation. The significant state prison sentence will hold this defendant accountable for the roll he played in this burglary.”
As are all persons accused of a crime, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Shawn J. Smith
District Attorney
Delaware County
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