Buffalo man who left halfway house charged with escape

BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Walter Stewart, 33, of Buffalo, NY, was arrested and charged by criminal complaint with escape from custody, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey E. Intravatola, who is handling the case, stated that on September 15, 2022, Stewart was sentenced to serve 58 months in prison after being convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. On May 20, 2024, the Bureau of Prisons furlough transferred Stewart from the Ray Brook Federal Correctional Institution, in Ray Brook, New York, to a community-based placement at CRJ Lighthouse Residential Reentry Center in Buffalo, where he was directed to serve the remainder of his sentence with a projected release date of August 10, 2024. On June 26, 2024, the U.S. Marshals Service was notified by the Bureau of Prisons that Stewart left the center without authorization. Stewart was taken into custody on August 30, 2024.

The complaint is the culmination of an investigation by the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.     

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