The owner of the property where the body of Matthew Straton was found, is accused of hiding the body there, along with drug charges. (The official court documents outlining these charges are at the end of the story)
Rochester Police say William Lewek removed Straton's body from a third floor bedroom at 27 Rowley Street on October 29, 2013, placed it in the backyard, and hid it with dirt, grass and a patio chair.
Straton's body was found on Wednesday evening by police, ending a three-month long search for the missing man. Thursday, police found 17 small bags of crack cocaine stuffed into a sneaker in Lewek's bedroom.
Lewek was arraigned Friday morning on felony drug charges, along with tampering with physical evidence, which is also a felony. Bail was set at $500,000 cash or bond. A not guilty plea was entered on Lewek's behalf since he doesn't have a lawyer yet.
Police are continuing their investigation. Kym Straton, Matthew's mother, was at the arraignment.
"I'm very happy that this part of nightmare is over, at least we know where Matt is, now it's on to the next nightmare of finding out what happened to him," she told reporters after the court appearance.
The prosecutor asked for one million dollars bail, but the judge set bail at $500,000. An automatic not guilty plea was entered since Lewek has not yet hired a lawyer.