Genesee County Sheriff’s Sergeant dead following incident at Batavia Downs, two people facing charges
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Sergeant with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office is dead following an incident at Batavia Downs Gaming & Hotel early Sunday morning, according to authorities.
According to police, Sergeant Thomas A. Sanfratello was on special assignment working at the hotel when he was notified of a verbal confrontation inside the hotel around 12:45 a.m.
Sergeant Sanfratello, 54, along with Batavia Downs security staff, began escorting two people, 33-year-old Michael J. Elmore and 39-year-old Lyndsey Jean Wilcox, out of the hotel. Wilcox was placed under arrest after a struggle, while Elmore also became combative. A fight ensued and Sergeant Sanfratello attempted to use a Taser on Elmore.
During the altercation, Sergeant Sanfratello, a 32-year veteran of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, suffered a “medical event” which resulted in his passing, according to the district attorney’s office.
Elmore and Wilcox are now both facing charges, police said. Elmore is charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter, aggravated assault upon a police officer and second-degree burglary. Wilcox is charged with second-degree burglary and second-degree attempted assault. Both will appear in court on Tuesday.
The hotel was evacuated and closed for a short time following the incident, but has since reopened.
Sergeant Sanfratello began his career as a dispatcher with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office in 1992, was appointed a Deputy Sheriff in 1996 and was then promoted to Sergeant in 2007.
“The Batavia Downs Family is extremely saddened by the loss of Sergeant SanFratello and send our very deepest condolences to his family. We rarely have incidents at our facility in large part due to the incredible efforts of people like Sergeant SanFratello,” Batavia Downs said in a statement Sunday. “While words cannot express our sorrow, our thoughts and prayers are with the SanFratello family and his extended first responder family.”
Authorities said that Sunday that no other information is being released at this time. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information or has video of the incident is asked to contact Batavia Police at 585-345-6311. Tips can also be submitted by clicking here.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.
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