Sherrill, NY -- Less than a month after an independent attorney cleared him of any wrongdoing in connection with his 6-year-old grandson’s drug overdose, Sherrill Police Chief James Hastings has been suspended without pay. Hastings took a paid leave of absence late in March as state police investigated the incident. He was reinstated April 29 after a review of the...
Sherrill, NY -- Less than a month after an independent attorney cleared him of any wrongdoing in connection with his 6-year-old grandson’s drug overdose, Sherrill Police Chief James Hastings has been suspended without pay.
Hastings took a paid leave of absence late in March as state police investigated the incident. He was reinstated April 29 after a review of the matter by an independent attorney hired by the Sherrill City Commission.
City officials would not comment on the suspension Wednesday. They leveled charges related to New York State Civil Service Law, a city press release said.
The Hastings family has been the center of investigation since Hastings’ grandson was hospitalized Feb. 15, after waking in the night with hallucinations of spiders. He had spent the day at the Hastings home in Sherrill and later tested positive for amphetamines and methamphetamine, medical and court records show.
The chief’s son, Jason Hastings, was arrested May 5 by Drug Enforcement Administration agents on charges of violating the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 by purchasing more than nine grams of pseudoephedrine or ephedrine within a 30-day period. The drugs are the main components used to manufacture methamphetamine.
The following day, Jason Hastings surrendered to local law enforcement officials after a warrant was issued for his arrest for violation of probation.
He was released Tuesday from Oneida County Jail for time served, Oneida County Sheriff’s deputies said.
Court records show the 6-year-old was with Jason Hastings on the day of the overdose.
In March, an Oneida County Family Court Judge banned Jason Hastings from having any contact his nephew, barred the child from visiting the chief’s home and ordered that all visits with his grandparents be supervised. Jason Hastings was living with his parents at the time of the child’s overdose.
The boy’s father, Stephen Sgarlata, said he did not understand why Jason Hastings would have been released from jail.
“It’s sickening,” he said when reached Wednesday at his Canastota home.
James Hastings has headed the city’s police force since 2001. The Sherrill Police Department is comprised of three full-time officers, including Hastings, and a pool of 7 to 10 part-time officers, the city website says.