Justin Haffa
MAYVILLE – The man facing charges for allegedly attacking a Chautauqua County Sheriff’s deputy last September appeared in Chautauqua County Court on Wednesday as part of a pretrial hearing.
The Jamestown Post-Journal says that during the hearing, witnesses from the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office testified that 22 year-old Justin Haffa reportedly told police he suffers from multiple mental conditions. They also said he may have been suicidal at the time of the incident.
Haffa appeared in County Court for a continuation of his Huntley Hearing, which has previously been adjourned on April 27. He faces multiple felony charges for allegedly attacking a female deputy in the early morning hours of Sept. 11, 2016, while a field sobriety test was being administered along Route 60 in Pomfret.
Following the incident and arrest, a criminal investigator with the sheriff’s office questioned Haffa and reported in his notes that the suspect may have been suicidal, although nowhere in his notes did it state that Haffa actually told him he was feeling suicidal.
Haffa also reportedly admitted he suffered from depression, anxiety and compulsiveness.
Following the hearing, District Attorney Patrick Swanson requested that Haffa be returned to the county jail without bail, which was granted by the court.
Public Defender Ned Barone said his client is pleading not guilty to all counts of the indictment.
A trial is scheduled for Aug. 22.
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