WARSAW, N.Y. — A Castile man accused of trying to kill the Wyoming County Sheriff in December of 2018 has pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the second degree.
Lynn Michael Hall made the plea Wednesday in Wyoming County Court. He faces 20 to 25 years in prison, which would be followed by up to five years of post-release supervision.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 17. Hall is being held at the Niagara County Jail without bail.
Hall had been ruled unfit to stand trial in January of 2019 . He had been given two psychiatric exams by different doctors who ruled that, "(Hall) is incapacitated and thus unable to assist in his defense or able to understand the nature of the proceedings."
That changed in June of 2019, however, after treatment by physicians. Court proceeding got underway in September, though two different trial dates had been postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Police say Hall was tailgating and flashing his lights at Wyoming County Sheriff Gregory Rudolph on State Route 238, as he was on his way to work in December 2018.
When Sheriff Rudolph pulled over to see if Hall needed help, that is when Hall pulled in front and blocked him.
Police say Hall got out of his car, met Sheriff Rudolph at the door of his police vehicle, and started a physical altercation. Hall allegedly tried to get Sheriff Rudolph's gun, as they both continued to struggle to the ground at the side of the road. Hall ended up on top of the Sheriff with a knife threatening to kill him.
"If not for the actions of civilian John Harzynski and Trooper Ron Ensminger during the early morning hours of December 11th, the result could have been grave," District Attorney Donald O’Geen said in a statement.
Ensminger is the New York State Trooper who was injured when he was run over by a vehicle during a June 1 protest on Bailey Avenue in Buffalo. He is still in the hospital recovering from his injuries.
“Today, Sheriff Rudolph and his family received justice and peace knowing that Mr. Hall will be sentenced to a lengthy prison sentence," O’Geen said. "This case is a true example of the fact that police officers risk their lives every day to protect the public."
