Indiana man with arrest warrants taken into custody on way to Erie County Fair
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — An Indiana man with multiple arrest warrants for child molestation was taken into custody Tuesday following a traffic stop while he was on his way to the Erie County Fairgrounds, West Seneca Police announced Wednesday.
Police said Michael Wayne Gordon was driving a Ford F350 pulling a carnival ride Tuesday on I-90 westbound when he was pulled over for a passenger not wearing a seatbelt and a cracked windshield.
Gordon allegedly stated that he was on his way to the Erie County Fairgrounds and that he could not provide a driver’s license, according to police. Instead, police said he handed over a carnival company ride operator ID card printed with the name “James Davis.”
West Seneca Police Captain James Unger said they cannot confirm whether the ID was fake or if Gordon found the ID from somewhere else.
“He mysteriously gave a date of birth and his zodiac sign,” Unger said. “The zodiac sign didn’t match up with the date of birth, so that was a clue for our officers.”
According to Unger, Gordon is not the owner of the truck he was driving, which was registered in Florida.
It has since been learned that Gordon is not an employee of The Erie County Fair, but was hired as an independent contractor to transport the ride to the fair, according to an Erie County Fair statement.
“The Erie County Agricultural Society takes issues like this extremely seriously,” the statement said. “Safety is our top priority on the Fairgrounds. Prior to employment, we verify that Erie County Fair employees are not on the National Sex Offender Registry and require the same of our major vendors on the grounds, including the carnival ride operator for the Fair.”
WIVB News 4 is working to learn who hired Gordon.
“There are some concerns about the vetting process that, you know, it may be second, third, fourth tier personnel that are working for these companies,” Unger said.
At an off-site DOT inspection station, Gordon allegedly gave officials a false date of birth, police said. Further investigation determined him to be Michael Wayne Gordon from Kokomo, Indiana.
Records show Gordon was convicted of child molesting in Indiana in 1994. Four years later, he was convicted in another child molestation case and required to register as a sex offender, police said. In March 2004, he was convicted of failing to register.
“We’re getting a career criminal off the streets and behind bars, someone who is very dangerous and could be dangerous to the public,” Unger said.
In Feb. 2021, a child molesting case was filed against Gordon and he failed to show up for the hearing in March 2023.
He is currently being held at the Erie County Holding Center to await extradition.
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