Niagara County DA brings charges against Erie County Sheriff's narcotics unit chief
LOCKPORT — The chief of the Erie County Sheriff's Office narcotics unit has been charged with three vehicle and traffic law violations in connection with an accident that occurred one year ago in Buffalo.
The charges were issued by Buffalo Police at the direction of Niagara County District Attorney Brian Seaman, who has been appointed a special prosecutor overseeing the crash investigation.
'Today, at my office's request, the Buffalo Police Department issued three vehicle and traffic citations to Daniel J. Granville for incidents occurring on April 11, 2024. Mr. Granville is charged with three counts of leaving the scene of a property damage accident without reporting,' Seaman said in a statement released Friday afternoon.
Seaman said his office 'continues to investigate this matter.' But, he said, 'There will be no further comment at this time.'
Shortly after Granville was charged, Buffalo police announced that five of their officers had been placed on administrative leave in connection with an internal departmental investigation into their handling of Granville's accident. Granville's sister-in-law, Buffalo Police Lt. Lucia Esquilin, was reportedly called from outside her patrol zone to the crash scene and signed off on some of the officer reports of the incident.
Granville, known in the sheriff's office as 'D.J.,' was driving an Erie County-owned pickup when he slammed into six parked vehicles, and damaged a seventh vehicle, at 11:38 p.m. April 11, 2024 on Buffalo's West Side. WIVB-TV has reported that Granville was on duty at the time of the crashes, which stretched over two separate streets.
At that time, Buffalo Police officers investigating the crash issued Granville a ticket for driving the wrong way on a one-way street. That charge was later reduced by Buffalo city prosecutors to a jaywalking violation.
Erie County Court Judge Sheila DiTullio tapped Seaman as a special prosecutor for the case because a relative of Granville is employed by the Erie County District Attorney's Office. Buffalo police have said they are 'cooperating with Seaman's office.'
In a statement released by Buffalo Police Commissioner Alphonso Wright, the department said placing the five officers on leave 'does not imply guilt or wrongdoing by any of the officers.'
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