Man acquitted of kidnapping charges sentenced to a year in prison

Jeremy Flowers, right, was sentenced to a year in prison this past Thursday in Cortland County for his conviction of larceny and assault. Flowers was acquitted of a handful of charges, including two counts of second-degree kidnapping, in a trial by jury this past October. (Photo Source: Kevin L. Smith of The Cortland Voice).

A man acquitted of kidnapping charges was sentenced to a year in state prison this past Thursday in Cortland County Court, following his conviction of petit larceny and third-degree assault (criminal negligence by causing injury with a weapon).

The conviction and sentencing for Jeremy L. Flowers, 35, comes after the former Jefferson County resident was acquitted of all his felony charges in a trial by jury, including two counts of second-degree kidnapping, and some misdemeanor charges in October of last year.

Flowers was arrested in 2021 in connection to accusations of kidnapping and threatening to kill a woman and an 18-month old girl.

A breakdown of Flowers’ arrest report in 2021 can be seen here, and details on his conviction in October is here.

The other charges that Flowers was acquitted of included third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, fourth-degree grand larceny, second-degree menacing and endangering the welfare of a child.

Flowers declined to comment on his sentencing and plans to appeal it.

This past Thursday in court, Cortland County judge Julie Campbell noted Flowers’ pre-sentencing investigation (PSI) report with the Jefferson County Probation Department was not completed. This was due to Flowers moving to the state of Georgia and finding no interest in attending a PSI interview. Campbell added that Flowers ended a phone conversation with the JC probation officer “with an obscene comment.”

Hardesty mentioned that Flowers’ lack of an appearance for the PSI interview was mainly due to him working a full-time job in another state.

“He was not physically able to be present at the PSI interview,” she added.

Hardesty argued that Flowers’ 364 days in state prison was unneeded, due in part to her client being acquitted of most of his charges and spending over 500 days in Cortland County jail.

“Given the fact that Mr. Flowers’ jail time credit exceeds the maximum you can be sentenced on a misdemeanor conviction, we’re requesting the court sentence him to time served,” Hardesty said. 

In spite of Hardesty’s request, the sentencing was made official on Thursday. Details on Flower’s sentencing appeal remain to be seen.