A 33-year-old Batavia man who was on the Batavia PD wanted list for more than a year before being captured by U.S. Marshals in December appeared in Genesee County Court on Friday morning and turned down a plea offer.
The details of the plea offer were not discussed in court.
Nathan L. Royse was arrested in December and charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, stemming from an incident on April 15, 2023, in Williams Park, where he allegedly attempted to stab another person during a fight during a basketball game.
On June 2, 2023, Batavia City Court issued a warrant for his arrest on a criminal possession of a weapon charge. No information is available on the status of that charge. The police issued a "wanted" press release for the first time in September 2023.
His attorney, Fred Rarick, informed Judge Melissa Lightcap Cianfrini that Royce turned down the plea offer because there was no guarantee that his time for the charge could be served concurrently with any other charge.
At the time of the search, Royse was also on parole for burglary in the second degree and had an active parole warrant.
NOTE: This story has been modified to correct the timeline of events and location of the incident.
