A 20-year-old Auburn man is facing two misdemeanor charges after Cayuga County Sheriff's deputies say he threw a television remote that nearly struck a one-year-old child and smashed a laptop that didn't belong to him during a domestic dispute at an Auburn residence last Monday night.
Jayden L. Sylvester was charged with criminal mischief in the fourth degree and endangering the welfare of a child following the incident, according to an official arrest release from the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office. Deputies were dispatched to the residence at 8:50 p.m. on September 28 after a reported domestic violence incident, and Sylvester was placed under arrest at approximately 10 p.m., per the sheriff's office. Sheriff Brian Schenck said the remote Sylvester threw at a wall broke and had come close to hitting the one-year-old child, as reported by Newport Dispatch. Sylvester also allegedly destroyed a laptop computer that did not belong to him during the same altercation, the outlet reported.
From the Public Safety Building to Centralized Arraignment
Sylvester was transported to the Public Safety Building for processing before being turned over to the Cayuga County Jail for centralized arraignment, Newport Dispatch's account states. That off-hour court process, known as the Centralized Arraignment Part, was launched at the jail in April 2020 specifically to guarantee defense counsel is present for defendants arrested evenings and weekends, according to The Citizen. An order of protection was issued during Sylvester's arraignment, and he was released on his own recognizance, the Newport Dispatch report says.
Sylvester was scheduled to appear in Auburn City Court on October 1 at 9:15 a.m., according to a separate account from Fingerlakes1.com, which also reported that the order of protection was issued at his jail arraignment. Finger Lakes Daily News reported a slightly different arrest timing, noting deputies took Sylvester into custody at approximately 9:10 p.m. on September 28, about 50 minutes earlier than the sheriff's office account.
What the Charges Carry Under New York Law
Criminal mischief in the fourth degree, charged under Penal Law § 145.00, is a Class A misdemeanor carrying up to one year in jail, up to three years of probation, and court-ordered restitution or fines up to $1,000, according to legal guidance from Saland Law. Endangering the welfare of a child under Penal Law § 260.10 is also a Class A misdemeanor, applying when someone knowingly acts in a way likely to harm the physical, mental, or moral welfare of a child under 17, with the same maximum of up to one year in jail or three years of probation, per the official statute published by NYS Open Legislation.
Beyond the criminal penalties, child endangerment charges in New York routinely trigger parallel investigations by child protective services and can lead to orders of protection barring a defendant from living with or contacting family members, according to legal analysis from the Law Office of Matthew Galluzzo, PLLC. It is not yet publicly known what, if anything, came of Sylvester's October 1 court appearance.
A Pattern of Calls Involving Children
The Auburn case is not the only recent domestic incident in Cayuga County involving a child. Fingerlakes1.com also reported that deputies arrested a Montezuma man in early October after he allegedly pushed a woman who was holding a 4-year-old child.
The arrest comes during the final stretch of Sheriff Brian Schenck's tenure leading the department that responded to both calls. Schenck announced in November 2025 that he will not seek a third term, according to Finger Lakes Daily News, and plans to retire at the end of December after nearly 30 years in law enforcement. The sheriff's office has asked anyone with additional information about the Auburn incident to call its non-emergency line at 315-253-1222 or submit a tip through the county's SaferWatch mobile app.
