One by one, six cars from the Amity-based State Police barracks turned onto Willets Avenue in the village of Belmont Sunday night.
As a reporter from the Wellsville Sun arrived, it was evident the scene was not one for the public or reporters. Troopers, trying not to cause a disturbance or an incident, were dealing with a man they arrested earlier in the day. Under the state bail reform guidelines, he was released.
This time, on a quiet Sunday night, Troopers on foot calmly surrounded the man who had threatened to shoot up the state police barracks and allegedly had a long gun.
For the second time, alcohol charges were filed. This time, chanrges included possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle and making terroristic threats.
And once again, under the state bail reform laws, a man who allegedly had a loaded gun, was intoxicated and threatened to shoot at state police barracks, was released.
Here is the report from the state Police. At the end, see our video and story on another incident in Wellsville and reaction to the bail reform.
On December 11, 2021, SP Amity Troopers arrested Jacob R Sanford, 23, of Belmont, NY for Making a Terroristic Threat, Possessing a Loaded Firearm in a Vehicle, and two counts of Driving While Intoxicated.
On December 11, 2021, SP Amity Troopers investigating the report of an ATV being operated on State Route 244 in the town of Ward, determined that Sanford was operating the ATV. They observed that Sanford had the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath, slurred speech, glassy eyes and limited coordination.
Sanford refused all Standardized Field Sobriety Tests. They arrested Sanford and transported him to SP Amity for processing. Sanford provided a breath sample with a reportable value of .17% BAC. Sanford was issued an appearance ticket for the town of Ward court, where he is to appear later in December 2021.
Later in the evening, SP Amity Troopers responded to Willets Avenue in the village of Belmont for the report of a male operating a vehicle after making threats to shoot up up the State Police Barracks and reported to be in possession of a long gun.
They located Sanford operating his vehicle on Willets Avenue and conducted a traffic stop after observing multiple Vehicle and Traffic Law violations. They determined that Sanford was operating the vehicle. They observed the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath, slurred speech, and poor coordination. A battery of Standardized Field Sobriety tests indicated that he was intoxicated.
A prescreen breath test was positive for alcohol. Two long guns (one loaded) and extra ammunition were located in the vehicle and were secured. Sanford was arrested and transported to SP Amity for processing. Sanford provided a breath sample with a reportable value of .12 BAC. All offenses were determined to be non-bailable. Sanford was issued appearance tickets for the village of Belmont court, where he is to appear in January 2022.
Click HERE to see a story and video from an incident in Wellsville with the State Police and an interview on bail reform issues.
