ALBION — The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, working closely with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, has arrested and charged a Monroe County man in connection with a fatal incident on the Erie Canal.
On the evening of Sept. 2, deputies from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office attempted to stop a U-Haul box truck, operated by Ryan S. Armstrong, 43, following reports that Armstrong and his passenger stole merchandise from a Walgreens in Brockport.
Armstrong drove recklessly when he refused to stop, leading law enforcement on a dangerous pursuit that reached speeds of over 85 miles per hour.
Armstrong drove onto an Erie Canal service road where he abruptly drove the truck into the canal in an attempt to evade police.
Armstrong was able to escape the vehicle and swim across the canal, but his passenger was unable to do so and tragically drowned.
Following a coordinated perimeter search on the north side of the canal and the deployment of drone technology, Armstrong was located and taken into custody.
As a result of the joint investigation between the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, Armstrong has been charged in Orleans County with Manslaughter in the Second Degree.
He was arraigned during Orleans County central arraignment court Tuesday morning and is currently being held in the Orleans County Jail without bail.
Armstrong has had multiple law enforcement contacts in Monroe County dating back to May 2000.
A bail hearing for Armstrong is set in Orleans County Court for Sept. 4.
