Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 35-year-old Lemuele T. Jackson of Buffalo pleaded guilty yesterday morning before Erie County Court Judge Suzanne Maxwell Barnes to one count of Attempted Assault in the Second Degree (Class “E” felony). The defendant pleaded guilty on the day jury selection was scheduled to begin in his trial.

On January 23, 2019, at approximately 10:30 a.m., the defendant, while in custody at the Erie County Holding Center, assaulted an Erie County Sheriff’s Office deputy. The deputy was attempting to intervene in a dispute between the defendant and another inmate in the library of the Holding Center when he was shoved by the defendant. The deputy fell backward onto the floor and suffered a torn Achilles tendon, which required surgery. The victim was able to return to work approximately 10 months after the assault.

Jackson faces a maximum of 4 years in prison when he is sentenced on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. The defendant, who is currently serving 32 years to life in prison for his conviction in a separate criminal case, continues to be held without bail.   

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Rachel Kranitz McPhee of the Special Victims/Domestic Violence Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Ryan A. Emmerling of the Raise the Age/ERPO Bureau.