Canisteo Police Department Chief Kyle Amidon resigned Thursday after pleading guilty to one count of second-degree Offering a False Instrument for Filing following an investigation into allegations of official misconduct.
Amidon was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge by Judge Medeleine Seaman after pleading guilty to the charge, a class A misdemeanor. He was also ordered to pay the Village of Canisteo restitution totaling $13,378.57. Amidon paid the sum prior to being sentenced, State Police said.
An anonymous letter sent to then-Village of Canisteo Mayor Monica Recktenwald and the Board of Trustees spurred the investigation in April 2024, according to New York State Police and the Schuyler County District Attorney’s Office, which handled the case.
The New York State Police Special Investigations Unit in Rochester initiated an investigation following a referral from the Steuben County District Attorney. The investigation found potential misconduct involving falsified time sheets and irregularities tied to the Canisteo Police Club, which Amidon founded and managed, State Police said.
KYLE AMIDON
Schuyler County District Attorney Joseph Fazzary was appointed a special prosecutor due to a conflict of interest in the Steuben County District Attorney’s Office. Fazzary evaluated evidence and charges provided by SIU investigators connected to misconduct, financial impropriety and timekeeping fraud, police said.
The state Comptroller’s Office also provided assistance during the case, which was reviewed in consultation with the FBI and United States Attorney’s Office for potential federal prosecution.
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Amidon was put on paid administrative leave by the village effective May 28, 2024. Canisteo Police Sgt. James Giglio was then appointed the sergeant in charge of the five-member department until further notice.
Amidon is a 2006 Canisteo-Greenwood graduate. He had been with the Canisteo Police department since 2013 and became chief of police in 2017. Amidon has also served as the officer-in-charge for the North Hornell Police Department.
(This is a developing story that may be updated.)
This article originally appeared on The Evening Tribune: Canisteo Police Chief Kyle Amidon resigns, pleads guilty to one charge