BUFFALO – Giovanni Salmonson, 26, of Olean has been sentenced to 188 months in prison after being convicted of possession with intent to distribute heroin and being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara.
On Jan. 1, 2015, Olean Police responded to a trespassing complaint near the 200-block of North First Street. Upon arrival, an officer spotted the defendant and asked Salmonson to step out of the roadway and onto the curb. The defendant ran. While Salmonson was running away, the officer noticed that Salmonson was wearing a black Nike backpack/drawstring bag. A foot chase ensued and the defendant entered a backyard after throwing the black Nike bag over a fence into another yard. An officer ordered Salmonson to the ground, and he complied.
Officers recovered a .22-caliber revolver from inside. Subsequently, officers also recovered 14 bags of heroin, six suboxone pills and $851 dollars in cash, Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Astorga, who handled the case, said.
The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by the Olean Police Department, under the direction of Chief Jeff Rowley; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ashan Benedict of the New York Field Division.