Unit Serves 16 Warrants to 12 Subjects, Highest Number of Arrests during Sweep

Buffalo, NY – Erie County Sheriff Timothy B. Howard announces Deputies assigned to the Civil Enforcement Division’s Family Court Warrant and Child Support Enforcement Unit arrested twelve individuals today in a countywide sweep.

The Family Court warrant sweep was conducted on Wednesday, June 13, 2018.  Deputies searched the City of Buffalo, as well as towns and villages in Erie County for individuals wanted on active Family Court warrants.  The Sheriff’s Office has focused its attention on warrant sweeps as an important tool to combat crime and concentrate on persons wanted for various Family Court Act violations, including those who are not paying child support.

Twelve subjects, with a combined sixteen warrants, were taken into custody: 

60-year-old Roy Allen of Buffalo on a Family Court Paternity Warrant. 

33-year-old Smith J. Morris, III of Buffalo on a Family Court Child Support Warrant.

35-year-old Jamar Hightower of Buffalo on a Family Court Child Support Warrant.

27-year-old Marcus Jones of Buffalo on a Family Court Child Support Warrant.

36-year-old William Officer of Buffalo on a Family Court Child Support Warrant.

26-year-old Laura Ricotta of Williamsville on a Family Court Child Support Warrant and a City of Buffalo Warrant for 11 vehicle and traffic charges.

19-year-old Benjamin Rodriguez of Buffalo on a Family Court Child Neglect Warrant.

23-year-old Jonathan Schmidt of Hamburg on a Family Court Child Support Warrant.

56-year-old James O’Grady of Angola on a Family Court Child Support Warrant.

46-year-old Tammy Marini of West Seneca on a Family Court Child Neglect Warrant.

27-year-old Antonio King of Tonawanda on two Family Court Paternity Warrants.

34-year-old Richard Crull, Jr. of Lawtons on two Family Court Child Neglect Warrants and a City of Buffalo Warrant for drug-related charges.

The subjects were either taken to the Erie County Holding Center or Family Court lockup.

Deputies are confident that intelligence gathered during the sweep will lead to several more arrests in the following days and weeks.