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Former Frankfort Police Officer pleads guilty, again

By GARY LIBERATORE

Story Created: Jun 25, 2012 at 12:49 PM EDT

Story Updated: Jun 25, 2012 at 6:07 PM EDT

UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - 40 year old former Village of Frankfort Police Officer Daniel Herrman pleaded guilty Monday morning to his second felony in three days.

This time in Oneida County Court, Herrman pleaded guilty to criminal possession of stolen property. That property was a handgun belonging to the Village of Frankfort Police Department that he never turned back in to the department after being terminated.

Herrman had been terminated for illegally obtaining the cell phone records of fellow village police officer Sam Ameduri. Ameduri had been in a dispute with former Village of Frankfort Police Chief Steve Conley, claiming Conley assaulted him.

On Friday, Herrman pleaded guilty in Herkimer County Court to forgery for obtaining Ameduri's cell phone records illegally. As part of the plea deal in this case, Herrman is expected to receive five years probation and perform an unspecified number of hours of community service.

In court on Monday morning, Oneida County Court Judge Barry Donalty said the sentence will run concurrently with the five years probation on the forgery charge in Herkimer County.

Even though Herrman pleaded guilty Monday to illegally possessing the handgun, he told Judge Donalty he thought the gun was a gift from former chief Conley.

Herrman did not speak to reporters afterward, but his defense attorney, Michael Daley did.

"Mr. Herrman has always maintained that when he received that weapon from Chief Conley that, in fact, it was a gift from the chief to him," Daley said. "He was unaware of the fact that it belonged to the village. He became aware of it, subsequently, but only after this particular investigation had begun."

Also part of this plea deal, other pending charges in the Village of Yorkville will be dismissed.

Those charges include criminal possession of stolen property for allegedly having a police badge and police radio that he also never returned to the Village of Frankfort Police Department once he was terminated, and criminal contempt for an incident between Herrman and his wife.

Herrman is scheduled to be sentenced on the felony charge of criminal possession of stolen property in Oneida County Court on July 11.

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