Man admits to 2020 protest incident, assaulting deputies in jail

Gary Craig, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
·1 min read

A Rochester man who was arrested after the 2020 local protests then later assaulted two sheriff's deputies in jail has admitted his crimes in federal court.

JohnMichael Santiago, 24, pleaded guilty, admitting that he threw fireworks at police during the September protests. The protests were spurred by the death of Daniel Prude, who died of asphyxiation and other causes a week after he was restrained by Rochester police.

While in Livingston County jail, Santiago assaulted two deputies. Santiago was restrained with the use of a Taser.

One of the deputies suffered a concussion, court records show. The second suffered a back injury.

Federal sentencing guidelines, which are recommendations for judges, call for a sentence between 33 and 41 months for Santiago.

Santiago's court proceedings were delayed in part by questions of his competency to stand trial, should there be one, and to understand the legal proceedings. A decision was made earlier this year that he was competent, records show.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: JohnMichael Santiago admits to protest incident, assaulting deputies