Niagara County District Attorney Brian Seaman released a statement today saying that he was clearing the officers involved in the case of Daniel J. Granville’s traffic incident from April of 2024.
Granville, the Erie County Sheriff’s chief of narcotics, last April, allegedly crashed his county-owned pickup truck into at least seven parked cars on Buffalo’s West Side.
Seaman had been appointed as a special prosecutor for the case to avoid potential conflicts of interest — or the appearance of them — from within Erie County’s law enforcement community.
Today, Seaman released a statement saying he found inconclusive evidence to charge the officers involved in the case.
“After a thorough investigation into the events of April 11, 2024, and careful review of all of the information at my disposal, I have determined that there is insufficient evidence from which to charge any of the responding police officers or Lt. Lucia Esquilin with violations of criminal law,” the statement said. “This determination is not an endorsement of their conduct or an exoneration from wrongdoing. It is simply a determination that there is insufficient evidence to sustain criminal charges.”
The statement continued, “My file is now closed and I view my involvement in this matter to have reached its conclusion. Any other agency responsible for oversight or investigating and making employment related decisions is free to do so.”
In August, Granville pleaded guilty to Reckless Driving and Leaving the Scene of a Property Damage Only Accident after he crashed into seven parked cars on Buffalo’s West Side in April 2024. He was sentenced to 50 hours of community service, fined $700, and subsequently suspended from his job for 30 days without pay.
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