A 33-year-old Endicott man is facing a long list of felony and misdemeanor charges after Cortland police say he tracked down a woman he's separated from, despite an active order of protection, and held her against her will at a Tompkins Street residence on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Travis M. Bismark turned himself in to Endicott police the next day and was taken into custody on charges that include first-degree rape.
According to WBNG, Cortland police responded to 212 Tompkins Street at approximately 10 a.m. on Sept. 29 for a reported domestic violence incident. Investigators allege Bismark had followed the woman — from whom he is separated and who has an active order of protection against him — to Cortland, according to Cortland Voice. That protection order stemmed from a prior domestic incident between the two, per the Newport Dispatch.
Police allege the encounter began as a verbal altercation at the Tompkins Street address before escalating. Bismark allegedly prevented the woman from leaving, then threatened her with a knife and injured her with it, according to the same Cortland Voice account. Police said he also sexually assaulted her and took her phone so she could not call for help, the outlet reported. Investigators determined the incident constituted violations of the existing order of protection.
Suspect Turned Himself In the Next Day
Bismark turned himself in to the Endicott Police Department at approximately 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30, and was taken into custody following his surrender, per the same account. He was then charged by the Cortland Police Department with a substantial roster of offenses: first-degree rape, a class B felony; second-degree unlawful imprisonment, a class A misdemeanor; two counts of first-degree criminal contempt, class E felonies; aggravated criminal contempt, a class D felony; third-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a class D felony; second-degree assault, a class D felony; fourth-degree criminal mischief, a class A misdemeanor; second-degree menacing, a class A misdemeanor; and fourth-degree stalking, a class B misdemeanor.
New York's first-degree criminal contempt statute, under Section 215.51 of the state Penal Law, can apply when a person intentionally places someone protected by an order in reasonable fear of death or imminent serious physical injury through physical menace, among other conduct described in the statute.
Arraignment and Next Court Date
Bismark was arraigned in Cortland City Court, remanded to the Cortland County Jail, and had bail set, the report notes. He is due back in Cortland City Court on Oct. 16 at 10 a.m. No information about the outcome of the charges has been reported, and the case remains pending.
