A Steuben County jury needed just over two hours to convict 40-year-old Bath resident Fredrick C. Valkenburgh of felony assault on a police officer, stemming from a September 2025 confrontation that left a Bath officer significantly injured. Valkenburgh now sits in the Steuben County Jail without bail, awaiting a November sentencing hearing that could send him to state prison for years.
The case traces back to September 5, 2025, when Village of Bath police officers responded to East Morris Street after receiving reports of a pedestrian blocking traffic and creating a safety hazard, according to Newport Dispatch. Chief Donald Lewis and Officer Taylor Waite responded to the scene, where Valkenburgh was walking in the middle of the roadway, stopping traffic and creating a hazard to himself and drivers. Officers made multiple verbal requests for him to leave the roadway before attempting to take him into custody, the outlet reported.
When officers tried to place him in custody, Valkenburgh refused and physically resisted arrest, causing significant physical injury to Officer Waite in the process. The jury ultimately convicted him of second-degree assault, a Class D violent felony, along with misdemeanor counts of obstructing governmental administration in the second degree and resisting arrest, each carrying up to a year in local jail. He was also found guilty of disorderly conduct, a non-criminal violation, per the same report.
What the Assault Charge Means Under New York Law
Under New York Penal Law § 120.05(3), a person commits second-degree assault when, with intent to prevent a police officer from performing a lawful duty, they cause physical injury to that officer — a Class D violent felony punishable by two to seven years in state prison, according to The Fast Law Firm, P.C. Notably, the statute does not require a weapon; physical injury sustained during the lawful performance of duty is enough to elevate the charge from a misdemeanor to a violent felony.
District Attorney Brooks Baker addressed the verdict directly, stating that Bath police officers showed professionalism and compassion during the encounter by exhausting their options to resolve the situation without an arrest before Valkenburgh escalated his resistance and injured Officer Waite, according to AM 1480 WLEA News. Baker emphasized that it was Valkenburgh's choice to resist that directly led to the officer's injuries.
Prosecution and Defense Teams
Deputy District Attorney Joan Merry led the prosecution, joined by District Attorney Baker and Senior Assistant District Attorney Jake Rood, Newport Dispatch reported. Valkenburgh was defended by Senior Assistant Public Defender Travis Barry of the Steuben County Public Defender's Office, which represented him throughout the proceedings.
Following the guilty verdict on October 1, New York State Supreme Court Justice Thomas Moran ordered Valkenburgh remanded without bail to the Steuben County Jail, according to Fingerlakes1.com. He is scheduled to appear for sentencing on November 24, where he faces up to seven years in prison on the felony count. It remains unknown exactly what sentence Justice Moran will impose, or whether Valkenburgh's defense team intends to appeal the conviction.
The Injured Officer's Record of Service
Officer Taylor Waite, who sustained significant physical injury in the arrest, has a record of public service beyond Bath. She previously served with the Hornell Police Department, where the Hornell Board of Public Safety awarded her a formal letter of commendation in January 2025 for providing life-saving medical care to a resident before EMS arrived, the Wellsville Sun reported. Waite transferred to Hornell in late 2024 after more than a year with the Norwich Police Department.
Chief Donald Lewis, who responded alongside Waite during the arrest, took over leadership of Bath's 10-officer department in March 2025 after a 27-year law enforcement career that included work as a criminal investigator and assistant SWAT commander for the Steuben County Sheriff's Office, according to Fingerlakes1.com. Lewis had also served as a part-time Bath officer between 2003 and 2008.
A Small County Seat Handling a Heavy Caseload
The Village of Bath, the Steuben County seat located in the Finger Lakes region, recorded a population of 5,571 residents in the 2020 U.S. Census. The Steuben County District Attorney's Office, headquartered in Bath, prosecutes more than 5,000 misdemeanor cases and roughly 1,000 felony cases annually across 1,397 square miles and more than 50 local courts, with 11 assistant district attorneys serving a population of nearly 100,000 residents, per the county government.
