BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — An Arkansas man formerly of Cattaraugus County pleaded guilty Thursday to bail jumping and a hate crime for threatening protestors with a knife in North Buffalo, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Officials said Michael J. Cremen, 51, used racial slurs and had a knife while threatening protestors during an August 2020 demonstration on Hertel Avenue.
After being released on his own recognizance following the hate crime, Cremen repeatedly failed to appear in court and a bench warrant was issued, according to officials. Cremen was later taken into custody in December 2022 in Arkansas for bail jumping before being extradited to Western New York.
Cremen was charged with one count of second-degree menacing as a hate crime and one count of second-degree bail jumping. He faces a maximum of four years in prison when he is sentenced on Jan. 12.
Adam Gorski is a Buffalo native who joined the News 4 team in 2022. You can find more of his work here.
