The Erie County Sheriff's Office has announced the arrest of one of its own, following a probe into contraband found at the Alden Correctional Facility.
The Sheriff said Officer Jason Stachowski was stopped by deputies along the Niagara Thruway near Clinton Street at around 6:20 p.m. Tuesday, and was taken into custody after becoming confrontational.
The Sheriff's Narcotics and Intelligence Units, Jail Management supervisors, the Professional Standards Division and the Erie County District Attorney's Office began an investigation in mid-December after the discovery of a cell phone, a phone charger and a quantity of marijuana at the Alden facility.
Stachowski is alleged to be the person who smuggled the contraband.
He has been charged with a felony count of introducing dangerous contraband into a prison and misdemeanor counts of obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest. He remains suspended without pay.
If convicted of all charges, Stachowski faces a maximum of seven years in prison. Released on his own recognizance after arraignment Wednesday in Alden Town Court, he is due back for a felony hearing on Feb. 1.
