An 18-year-old from Syracuse stole a vehicle and other items in the Weedsport area before fleeing from authorities on the Thruway, according to the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office.
In a news release Tuesday, the sheriff's office said deputies on patrol found an unoccupied vehicle left running Aug. 5 in the village of Weedsport. An investigation by the sheriff's office determined that Deantae Simmons, 18, of Syracuse, had stolen the vehicle from the city and left it just prior to deputies discovering it.聽
Deantae Simmons
Upon seeing deputies near the vehicle, Simmons fled the area and began entering unlocked vehicles in Weedsport and stealing items, the sheriff's office said. He then entered an occupied residence in the town of Brutus, stole the keys to the homeowner's vehicle and fled in it. Deputies quickly identified Simmons through video surveillance and put out a "be on the lookout" alert for the vehicle.
Simmons headed west on the Thruway, and used credit cards he stole from vehicles in the Buffalo area, the sheriff's office said. He was pulled over on the Thruway in the Rochester area that afternoon with the assistance of New York State Police, and turned over to members of the sheriff's office.
Simmons was charged with second-degree burglary (a Class C felony), third-degree grand larceny (a Class D felony), criminal possession of stolen property (a Class D felony) and two counts of fourth-degree grand larceny (a Class E felony). He was arraigned at the county's CAP court and remanded to the Cayuga County Jail on $20,000 cash or $40,000 bond.聽
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the sheriff's office at (315) 253-1222 or leave a tip at or using the SaferWatch app.
A recent report by Mapping Police Violence, an organization focused on police-related deaths in the U.S., has revealed startling details about police brutality in the country.聽
