ORLEANS COUNTY
Deputy accused of harassment
A 15-year veteran sheriff’s deputy in Orleans County is on the other side of the law after state police charged him Wednesday with aggravated harassment for allegedly threatening a criminal suspect by text message, authorities said.
Deputy Jason M. Silleman, 35, was suspended by Orleans County Sheriff Scott D. Hess following his arrest on the misdemeanor charge. Silleman is accused of sending the threatening text message to a warrant suspect April 21.
Police said Silleman was involved in a vehicle pursuit in the Town of Shelby on April 15, when the driver eluded capture. Police, however, knew his identity, and Silleman obtained a warrant for his arrest.
The warrant charged the suspect — identified in published reports as Anthony Larabee of Medina — with unlawfully fleeing a police officer, obstructing governmental administration, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and numerous vehicle and traffic charges.
Less than a week later, Silleman sent the text message to the suspect’s cell phone in an apparent effort to locate and arrest him, authorities said.
“The suspect perceived the text message as threatening in nature and filed a complaint with the state police the next day,” according to a statement from Hess on Thursday.
Silleman, who was issued an appearance ticket for second-degree aggravated harassment, a misdemeanor, is scheduled to appear Monday in Medina Village Court.
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Reader comments