A 29-year-old Whitesboro man is facing burglary, criminal contempt, unlawful imprisonment and harassment charges after New Hartford police say he broke into a bedroom on Compton Road, fought with a man inside the home, and fled before officers arrived. Ryan Shannon was eventually tracked down and arrested at his own residence with help from a federal fugitive task force.
According to WKTV, New Hartford police responded to the Compton Road home at about 4:30 a.m. Friday, October 2, for a reported domestic dispute. A woman told officers she woke up to find an intruder in her bedroom, and that intruder then got into a physical fight with another man who was inside the house, per the outlet's reporting. The man inside the home sustained minor injuries during the altercation, the station reports.
The intruder ran off before officers reached the scene, but the outlet's report notes that a second man who had arrived at the house alongside him was located and detained nearby as the initial investigation unfolded. Investigators later obtained an arrest warrant for Shannon in connection with the incident, the station's report states.
Charges Reflect Felony-Level Break-In Allegations
Shannon was charged with burglary, criminal contempt, unlawful imprisonment, and two counts of harassment, according to the same account. Under New York Penal Law, unlawfully entering a residential dwelling with intent to commit a crime can constitute felony burglary, escalating to Burglary in the Second Degree — a Class C felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison — when a dwelling is entered or physical injury occurs, and to Burglary in the First Degree, a Class B felony carrying up to 25 years, when the additional aggravating circumstances required for that degree are present, including entry into a dwelling along with physical injury, according to The Law Offices of Jeffrey Lichtman.
The criminal contempt charge typically points to a violation of an active court-issued order of protection. Per Saland Law, violating such an order in New York constitutes Criminal Contempt, charged as a Class A misdemeanor under Penal Law § 215.50(3) with up to a year in jail, though it can rise to felony First Degree or Aggravated Criminal Contempt if physical injury or repeated violations are involved. Shannon also faces an unlawful imprisonment charge.
Federal Task Force Tracks Suspect to Whitesboro
Shannon was ultimately found and arrested in Whitesboro with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, the station's report indicates. In this case, the task force helped locate Shannon.
Shannon was arrested in Whitesboro, while the incident took place in New Hartford. The New Hartford Police Department's Warrants Officer serves as a U.S. Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force officer, according to the Town of New Hartford.
Booking and Pending Court Appearance
Following his arrest, Shannon was taken to the New Hartford Police Department for processing before being transferred to the Oneida County Jail in Oriskany, where he is being held pending arraignment, per the station's reporting. In Shannon's case, he was processed at police headquarters and transferred to the Oneida County Correctional Facility ahead of arraignment.
It remains unclear whether an order of protection had previously been served on Shannon, what specific degree of burglary his warrant charges, or the current condition of the man injured in the Compton Road struggle.
