Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Erie County Sheriff John Garcia appeared Thursday afternoon before the Erie County Legislature’s Public Safety Committee to answer questions about his Chief of Narcotics D.J. Granville and a hit-and-run incident that occurred more than a year-and-a-half ago.
Garcia says the Sheriff’s Office did not cover up any details related to the incident, and that a special investigator’s review supports that conclusion. He outlined the events leading up to the night of April 11, 2024, when the incident took place.
The Sheriff maintained that his office has been transparent throughout the investigation, and that standard procedures were followed. Garcia added if anyone else had experienced a similar medical emergency while driving like Granville did, they would not have faced the same level of public scrutiny.
According to Garcia, Granville contacted Undersheriff William Cooley the following morning to report what had happened. The Buffalo Police Department then followed up with the Sheriff’s Office shortly afterward regarding the incident.
Garcia adds Granville has since returned to work after serving a 30-day working suspension without pay for his pleading guilty to the misdemeanors against him in August. He believes this was an isolated incident that occurred not just with Granville, but of anyone during his time in office as Erie County Sheriff.