Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announces that a jury has found 38-year-old Sergio J. Brooks of Buffalo guilty of one count of Burglary in the Third Degree (Class “D” felony) and one count of Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree (Class “E” felony). Jurors rendered their decision yesterday afternoon after less than four hours of deliberation following a one-day trial, convicting the defendant of both counts in the indictment.
On Thursday, February 16, 2023, at approximately 3:45 a.m., the defendant knowingly and unlawfully entered a construction site with the intent to commit a larceny. A building, located on Best Street near Michigan Avenue in the City of Buffalo, was partially completed at the time of the crime.
A security monitoring system alerted the Buffalo Police Department. Responding officers located the defendant, who was in possession of two bags, nearby. The defendant dropped the stolen property and ran, but was quickly apprehended by police. Police found pipes, circuit breakers, valves, copper, and other metal construction materials inside of the bags.
Brooks faces a maximum of 7 years in prison when he is sentenced on Friday, August 23, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. He was held without bail pending sentence.
Acting DA Keane commends the Buffalo Police Department for their work in this investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Anthony F. Perna of the Narcotics/Intelligence Bureau and Assistant District Attorney Jia-Chir Chiu of the Felony Trials Bureau.