A 33-year-old Batavia man with multiple prior arrests is accused of intending to cause serious physical injury to a law enforcement officer and that his attack on the officer resulted in the death of the officer.
At 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, Sgt. Thomas A. Sanfratello, 54, a 32-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office, died after a struggle with the suspect inside Batavia Downs.
Michael J. Elmore is charged with aggravated manslaughter in the first degree, a Class B felony, aggravated assault upon a police officer, a Class B felony, and burglary in the second degree.
Elmore is accused of leaving the casino and returning after being told not to return, and that he returned with the intent to commit a crime in the casino. He then allegedly attacked Sanfrantello with the intent to cause a serious injury to him.
According to an earlier press release, Sanfratello was working a special detail early Sunday morning at Batavia Downs when he and security officers received a report of a disturbance at 34 Rush.
Sanfratello and the security officers encountered Lyndsey Jean Wilcox, 39, of Batavia, and she was ordered to leave the premises. While being escorted out, Wilcox allegedly became combative with Sanfratello.
Sanfratello and the security officers were able to subdue her and place her in custody.
It was then that Elmore allegedly attacked Sanfratello. Security officers and civilians reportedly attempted to assist Sanfratello. Sanfratello attempted to use his taser to subdue Elmore, but Elmore reportedly kept fighting. During the struggle, Sanfratello became unresponsive, and CPR was attempted.
Wilcox is charged with burglary in the second degree, a Class C felony and attempted assault in the second degree, a Class E felony.
She is accused of remaining inside Batavia Downs after being told to leave and did so with the intent to commit a crime inside the casino.
Both were arraigned on Sunday evening. Elmore is being held on $100,000 bail, $200,000 bond, and $500,000 partially secured bond. Wilcox is being held on $50,000 bail, $100,000 bond, or $200,000 partially secured bond.
Both are scheduled to appear again in Town of Batavia Court on March 12.
The Batavia Police Department is handling the investigation.
"We would like to thank all those who came forward with information to assist the investigation and those who assisted at the scene," said Chief Shawn Heubusch. "We ask that you keep the family and friends of Sgt. Sanfratello in your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time."
Sanfratello began his law enforcement career as a dispatcher on Feb. 29, 1992. He was appointed deputy in 1996 and promoted to sergeant in 2007.
Elmore has a lengthy arrest recording. In 2009, he was accused of shooting a teen with a BB gun at the former skate park in Batavia. In 2012, he was charged with disorderly conduct following a fight on State Street. He was charged with a burglary at Sherwin-Williams in 2013. In 2015, he was accused of sending threatening texts to another person. He also has a prior history of tangling with law enforcement. He was charged with obstructing governmental administration during an incident in 2022 at the former Days Inn. In 2022, he was also accused of slashing tires on vehicles.
In an interview with The Batavian, Henry Wojtaszek, CEO of Western Regional OTB, said that Batavia Downs began contracting with the Sheriff's Office four or five months ago to provide a security detail to the casino on Friday and Saturday nights. He said the arrangement is similar to what Batavia Downs does with Batavia PD and the Sheriff's Office during the summer concert series and that the agencies are compensated for the officers' time.
In a written statement released to all media, Wojtaszek said, "The Batavia Downs Family is extremely saddened by the loss of Sergeant Sanfratello and we send our very deepest condolences to his family. We rarely have incidents at our facility in large part due to the incredible efforts of people like Sergeant Sanfratello. While words cannot express our sorrow, our thoughts and prayers are with the SanFratello family and his extended first responder family."
Previously: Sheriff's Office sergeant dies in the line of duty while trying to make arrest at Batavia Downs
