A 34-year-old man is facing a stack of violent felony charges after police say he forced his way into a Seneca Falls home last month and choked a victim while two children looked on. Brandon Brock was arrested Monday morning during a traffic stop in Waterloo, nearly four weeks after the alleged attack.
According to FingerLakes1.com, the Seneca Falls Police Department charged Brock with first-degree burglary, second-degree assault, second-degree strangulation, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Police allege Brock forced entry into a residence and choked a victim in front of two children on September 11, as reported by 13WHAM-TV. The two children were present during the assault and strangulation, according to police.
A Monthlong Search Ends in a Coordinated Traffic Stop
Law enforcement apprehended Brock at approximately 10:15 a.m. Monday during a coordinated traffic stop in Waterloo. The operation involved the Seneca Falls Police Department along with assistance from the Waterloo Police Department, the Seneca County Sheriff's Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service, per the same account. The arrest warrant was executed nearly a month after the alleged September 11 incident.
Brock was taken to the Seneca County Jail, according to 13WHAM-TV. The facility, located inside the Law Enforcement Center on State Route 96 in Romulus, is managed by the Seneca County Sheriff's Office and is described as a 118-bed facility, according to Jail Exchange. Defendants arrested on felony warrants in Seneca County awaiting arraignment are typically held there and processed through the Seneca County Centralized Arraignment Part Court, per the Seneca County Sheriff's Office. Brock is awaiting arraignment, according to police.
What the Top Charge Could Mean for Brock
The most serious count Brock faces, first-degree burglary, is classified under New York Penal Law Section 140.30 as a Class B violent felony. The statute carries a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 25 years in state prison upon conviction, according to Tilem & Associates. The charge requires entering or remaining unlawfully in a dwelling with intent to commit a crime, plus a specified aggravating circumstance such as physical injury or a weapon-related condition.
The strangulation charge carries its own weight. Second-degree strangulation is a Class D violent felony punishable by two to seven years in state prison when a person intentionally obstructs breathing or blood circulation, causing stupor, loss of consciousness, or physical injury, according to David Mejia Colgan Esq. New York's Strangulation Prevention Act of 2010 created standalone felony strangulation crimes.
Child-Endangerment Counts
Brock also faces two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
It remains unclear what bail was set, whether the victim or children required medical treatment, or the exact relationship between Brock and the alleged victim.
Brock faces charges. The Seneca Falls Police Department was involved in the case.
