BUFFALO, N.Y. — A man from Monroe County has been charged with being a felon-in-possession of firearms.
U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. says that Stephen Reed Pattison, 31, of Hilton, NY, was arrested in Western New York in October after a warrant was posted for Pattison when he fled to avoid arrest from a 2016 conviction that he had in the State of Missouri for Domestic Assault in the Second Degree.
It is alleged that before his arrest, Pattison, "aggressively and sometimes violently," expressed his disagreement with local protests relating to the deaths of George Floyd and Daniel Prude in a series of Facebook posts.
It is also alleged that Pattison expressed his support of white supremacist groups and is believed to be associated with a “Blood and Honour” group in the Rochester area.
The group is a white supremacist group that is affiliated with a neo-Nazi organization known as “Combat 18.”
Following his arrest, investigators obtained search warrants for his cell phone as well as his home on Church Road, in Hilton. Authorities then found evidence suggesting his involvement with white supremacist organizations was developed and various firearms were seized from the residence.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
