BUFFALO, N.Y. — A former Erie County Sheriff's Correction Officer has admitted to sneaking a cell phone to an inmate inside the Erie County Jail.
Jason C. Stachowski, 48, of Buffalo appeared in Buffalo City Court Tuesday morning and pleaded guilty to one felony count of Promoting Prison Contraband in the First Degree.
Investigators say the Erie County Sheriff's Office received an anonymous tip in December 2021 about an inmate who was in possession of a phone at the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden.
The sheriff's office says deputies searched the jail and found a phone and charger. Their investigation found Stachowski, while working as a corrections officer for the county, knowingly and unlawfully brought in the phone and provided it to the inmate.
The case remains pending in Buffalo Veterans Court, where Stachowski can complete a program to have the charge reduced to a misdemeanor.
Stachowski remains released on his own recognizance.
