WJFF - The Local Edition - Special Report

A new Times Union investigation is shedding light on a troubling security lapse inside the Sullivan County Jail. Reporter Brendan J. Lyons uncovered that a man entered the jail in August with a loaded .22-caliber handgun — a weapon that went undetected through multiple searches, including an interrogation and a court appearance.

Lyons joined The Local Edition to talk about how the incident happened, what the sheriff’s office is saying, and why critics are calling it a “gross incompetence” that could have led to tragedy.
Read the full Times Union story here.

According to Lyons, the case began with a traffic stop in Monticello, where sheriff’s deputies had been increasing patrols after a string of summer shootings.
“They stopped a car with three individuals,” he said, “and recovered a loaded handgun in the seatback. None of the men claimed it, so they brought all three in for questioning.”

During that process, one of the suspects — who had already been frisked at least twice — still had another gun concealed in his coat pocket. He went through interrogation, arraignment before a village judge, and jail intake without anyone discovering it.

“It’s remarkable,” Lyons said. “This man was inside a secure facility, behind bars, wearing that same coat — and the gun wasn’t found until another inmate overheard him bragging about it and alerted staff.”

When the weapon was finally recovered, Lyons says it wasn’t logged as evidence. Instead, it was locked away in an administrative safe — untested and unreported.

“There was no incident report. No notice to the state Commission of Correction, which oversees jails,” Lyons said. “That report only went in nearly two months later — and only after a civilian tipped off the state agency.”

Sheriff Michael Schiff told the Times Union the gun remains in that safe and defended his department’s handling of the matter, calling it “sloppy police work” but denying any cover-up. Schiff also said prosecutors advised that a search warrant might have been required to seize the weapon — a claim multiple legal experts disputed.

“There’s no expectation of privacy in jail,” Lyons explained. “Prosecutors and judges we spoke with called that reasoning laughable.”

The sheriff’s office has not filed additional charges against the suspect, and the weapon still hasn’t been tested for DNA or ballistics. That’s especially concerning, Lyons said, because some recent unsolved shootings in Monticello involved a .22-caliber firearm.

“The sheriff said the gun was inoperable,” Lyons added, “but other law enforcement sources told me that’s not a reason to skip testing — you can still check for DNA or ballistics matches.”

Schiff, who’s up for re-election, has suggested the story’s resurfacing is politically motivated — pointing to his write-in challenger, retired State Police investigator Timothy Dymond. Lyons, however, says the facts speak for themselves.

“Whatever the politics,” he said, “there were protocol violations here that need to be addressed.”