BUFFALO, N.Y. — A former Cattaraugus County man was sentenced to one year in jail for threatening protesters with a knife.
Michael J. Cremen, 51, of Mountain Home, Arkansas was sentenced Thursday in State Supreme Court. Cremen, who previously lived in Franklinville, has already served his sentence due to his time in custody prior to his trial.
Cremen admitted to using racial slurs and using a knife while threatening protesters during a protest on Hertel Avenue in Buffalo in August 2020.
The incident was caught on cellphone video.
A warrant had to be issued for Cremen's arrested in the incident because he failed to appear for court in February 2022 and failed to appear a second time in March 2022.
Cremen was taken into custody in December 2022 by police in Arkansas. He was extradited back to Buffalo by the US Marshals Service to await prosecution.
Cremen pleaded guilty to one count of Menacing in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime and one count of Bail Jumping in the Second Degree. As part of his plea, the judge agreed to sentence Cremen to one year in jail.
Following his sentence in court, Cremen was taken to be processed and will be released.