Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announces that 28-year-old Deshawna A. Taylor of Buffalo was sentenced this morning before State Supreme Court Justice Paul B. Wojtaszek to three years of probation.

On August 31, 2021, at approximately 4:00 p.m., the defendant entered a medical office on Main Street near Humboldt Parkway in the City of Buffalo. The defendant left the building after she was asked by an employee to comply with the face mask requirement. A few minutes later, the defendant entered the office again and reached underneath the glass partition while holding a can of pepper spray. The defendant, with the intent to cause injury to another person, pepper sprayed the employee. The victim received medical treatment for her injuries.

Taylor pleaded guilty to one count of Assault in the Third Degree (Class “A” misdemeanor) on Friday, February 4, 2022. 

A final no-contact order of protection, issued on behalf of the victim that prohibits the defendant from being near the medical office, remains in effect for the next three years.

DA Flynn commends the Buffalo Police Department for their work in the investigation.  

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Peter M. Pinelli of the Felony Trials Bureau.