ELIZABETHTOWN — The man accused of holding up the Grover Hills Deli has admitted he went to the business with a stolen shotgun, hoping to steal the day’s proceeds.

William H. “Billy” Haran, 30, of Moriah entered guilty pleas in Essex County Court to felony third-degree attempted robbery and misdemeanor criminal possession of stolen property.

Haran admitted he went to the Grover Hills Deli in Moriah’s Mineville hamlet on Oct. 3, 2007, carrying a shotgun he’d stolen from a seasonal camp, and waited for the store to close. When owner Jody Sherman and clerk Casey Perry came out and walked toward their cars, he confronted them and demanded the day’s receipts.

Although his face was masked with a dark scarf, Sherman recognized his voice and said his name. Haran ran into the woods near the deli without taking the money.

He was arrested the next day, hiding near the Van Slooten Harbour Marina in Port Henry. He had missed a court appearance on another charge just days before the robbery and was living in the woods while being sought by authorities.

Haran is expected to receive a state prison term when he is sentenced April 14 as a second-felony offender.

County District Attorney Julie Garcia said Haran has a long arrest record.

“Mr. Haran is a career criminal who had been arrested approximately 20 times before 2006. When I came into office in 2006, we were able to convict him on a scheme-to-defraud charge.”

After the holdup, he went to state prison for the scheme-to-defraud conviction.

“He recently returned to Essex County Jail after completing a state prison sentence,” Garcia said. “Soon he will return to state prison to serve his sentence on the attempted-robbery conviction.”

She said Haran had been given numerous breaks but continued to commit crimes.

“It is unfortunate Mr. Haran has refused efforts to be rehabilitated. State prison is the only sentencing option available to him. This kind of criminal conduct should not and will not be tolerated.”

The weapon used in the attempted robbery has not been recovered.

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