Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 48-year-old Michael J. Cremen of Franklinville was arraigned this morning before State Supreme Court Justice M. William Boller on an indictment charging him with one count of Menacing in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime (Class “E” felony) and one count of Harassment in the Second Degree (violation).
It is alleged that on Friday, August 28, 2020, at approximately 6:30 p.m., the defendant threatened protesters with a knife during a demonstration on Hertel Avenue near Parkside Avenue in the City of Buffalo. He is accused of pushing and threatening one protester. It is further alleged that the defendant used racial slurs during the incident.
Cremen is scheduled to return on July 19 at 10:00 a.m. for a pre-trial conference. He has been released on his own recognizance.
