FALLSBURG – Dressed casually in a navy blue sweater, Tom Nolan looked calm as he sat with his attorney, John Ingrassia, in the front row of the Town of Fallsburg court on Monday. Among them in the 40-person capacity courtroom were residents waiting to argue down speeding tickets or other violations, while Nolan and Ingrassia were there to address the charges leveled against him when he was arrested last Thursday for third degree rape, to which the defendant has pled 'not guilty.'

Before court was brought to order, Ingrassia, of the Newburgh-based law firm Larkin, Axelrod, Ingrassia & Tetenbaum, LLP, chatted with Sullivan County Assistant District Attorney Joe Drillings, who is prosecuting the case. When the day's court session began, Nolan's case was called first. Drillings said that he was looking to have the case tried in county court, but in the meantime he agreed to the adjournment sought by Ingrassia.

The case was adjourned until Monday, December 7, 1 p.m., in Fallsburg Town Court.

Ingrassia spoke outside of the courthouse after the adjournment was granted by Town Justice Bart Resnick, but made clear at the outset that he had no comment about the case.

"There'll be further discussions at the December 7 court date," said Ingrassia. "There'll be further discussions between my office and the district attorney's office, between now and then and then we'll see what happens on December 7."