Former Franklinville man sentenced to 1 year in jail for threatening protestors in North Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- An Arkansas man, formerly of Cattaraugus County, was sentenced to one year in jail Thursday for threatening protestors with a knife in North Buffalo, the Erie County District Attorney's Office announced.

Officials said 51-year-old Michael J. Cremen used racial slurs and brandished a knife while threatening protestors during an August 2020 demonstration on Hertel Avenue. He also pushed a protestor during the incident.

After being released on his recognizance following the hate crime-related case, Cremen repeatedly failed to appear in court, and a bench warrant was issued. He was taken into custody in December 2022 in Arkansas and later extradited back to Western New York, where he was then held without bail.

Cremen pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree menacing as a hate crime and one count of second-degree bail jumping in November.