Erie County Sheriffs Deputy Pleads Guilty

A saga that has captivated residents and taxpayers in Western New York for months, and caused thousands of dollars in damage, is coming closer to an end after some recent activity in court has brought us a bit closer to a resolution.

It was just a few months ago when we found out about an Erie County Sheriff's Deputy who had allegedly crashed his taxpayer-owned police vehicle into multiple cars on Buffalo's west side.

In Buffalo City Court on Friday, August 15, 2025, the Chief of Narcotics for the Erie County Sheriff's Office, Daniel "D.J." Granville, pled guilty to reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. In court, Granville admitted to crashing into multiple parked vehicles in the late-night hours on Thursday, April 11, 2024.

Erie County Sheriff's Deputy Pleads Guilty to Reckless Driving

It took more than a year for these charges to come to bear, and it only happened after one of the victims filed a lawsuit against Erie County, which finally brought this situation to light.

In court Niagara County District Attorney Brian Seaman, who was assigned as Special Prosecutor due to Granville's relationships in the Erie County Distort Attorney's office, noted that Granville was impaired by some sort of substance, but he could not prove what that was and that led to why they could not charge Granville with DUI (Driving While Intoxicated) or DWAI (Driving While Ability Impaired).

According to the Buffalo News, Granville will have to pay a total fine of $726 and will need to give 50 hours of community service.

The tickets that Granville was issued and pleaded guilty to are traffic violations and are not criminal charges. Once the guilty plea was accepted by the court, Granville was suspended without pay by the Sheriff's Office. There is no word on any other disciple, if any, Granville will receive from the Sheriff's Office.