ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Tyquan Rivera, the Rochester man who shot a police officer as a 14-year-old in 2009 and is now facing drug charges, was indicted by a Monroe County Grand Jury Tuesday.
Rivera, 25, is charged with six counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree, five counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, and one count of conspiracy in the fourth degree for allegedly selling Fentanyl to undercover officers on multiple occasions.
Last week, Rivera was released from custody due to New York state’s new bail reform laws.
“Our hands are certainly tied. This is someone who’s previously been convicted of shooting a police officer, who has a prior violent felony conviction on his record, who is currently facing allegations of selling Fentanyl to an undercover police officer, who faces a minimum of six years and a maximum of 15 years if he’s convicted of these new drug charges,” said assistant district attorney Matt Schwartz said. “And it’s rather disturbing that someone in that situation is automatically released by virtue of this new law.”
Rivera was forced to surrender his passport and will be forced to wear an ankle monitor.
Rivera was sentenced to a maximum of ten years in prison for shooting Rochester police officer Anthony DiPonzio and was previously denied parole three separate times before being released earlier this year.
