Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 20-year-old Devonte Ridgeway of Buffalo has been sentenced by Erie County Court Judge Michael Pietruszka to 3 ½ years in prison plus five years post-release supervision. 

In April, the defendant pleaded guilty to Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree. 

On January 23, 2017, at Baker Hall School in Lackawanna, Ridgeway brought a loaded handgun onto school grounds concealed in a backpack.  School staff, upon searching the backpack after a metal detector alarm was triggered, found a loaded .22 caliber handgun tucked in a sneaker.  Ridgeway escaped from school, but was apprehended later by Lackawanna Police in Holy Cross Cemetery.  

The judge also issued an order of protection preventing the defendant from having any contact with school employees until July 28, 2028. 

DA Flynn commends the staff at Baker Hall School for finding the concealed weapon and Lackawanna Police Officer John-Paul Figlewski, Detective Michael Pienta, and Lt. Chris Lalka for their work on the case.

Assistant District Attorney Rachel L. Newton prosecuted the case.