Dec. 29—Three years before he was accused of setting fire to a Niagara County Sheriff’s Office patrol car and threatening a deputy investigating the incident, Schuyler P. Johnson faced eviction from a Lockport mobile home park where management accused him of “increasingly annoying and dangerous” behaviors.

An eviction petition filed with the courts in 2020 by the management of the Woodlands on Transit Road accused Johnson of 20 lease violations, including one involving a videotape made by neighbors where Johnson could be heard threatening to “start killing people” and on another where Johnson is alleged to have told a New York State Trooper that he should shoot the trooper.

Niagara County Sheriff Mike Filicetti confirmed on Thursday that the Schuyler Johnson referenced in the court documents is the same man who was arrested on Saturday and is now facing charges amid allegations that he purposely set fire to a deputy’s patrol vehicle and threatened another deputy investigating the incident with a knife and a screwdriver.

Filicetti said Johnson has been involved in “numerous incidents” with sheriff’s deputies in recent years. He also confirmed that the Schuyler Johnson who was involved in the incident on Saturday with the sheriff’s deputies is the same person who was accused of the violations contained in the eviction petition filed by Woodlands management.

In response to questions about how a person with Johnson’s background found himself in a position to be involved in a violent incident like the one that happened on Saturday, Filicetti said, essentially, there’s only so much his office can do under such circumstances.

In a Facebook post this week, Filicetti called on the legal system to “take appropriate action,” with Johnson.

“We, as law enforcement, have used the tools available to us to deal with this individual,” Filicetti said. “We have the option to arrest when a criminal offense occurs or transport for a mental health evaluation. What happens after those options are used is really beyond our control. I would think some type of commitment would be appropriate to assist this individual with his mental health issues and keep others safe from his dangerous behavior.”

Records on file with the Niagara County Clerk’s Office indicate that Johnson was the subject of a 2020 eviction proceeding where Woodlands management accused him of violating the terms of his lease and sought the court’s assistance in having him removed from his lot located at 884 Birchwood Drive.

A copy of the petition obtained by the newspaper includes an initial list of 20 “persistent” lease violations Woodlands management accused Johnson of committing between Aug. 10, 2020 and Dec. 15, 2020. They included:

—A Dec. 15 removal from his home by state troopers due to “disruptive behavior.” The petition notes that “during the conversation, Mr. Johnson told the trooper that he should just shoot the trooper;”

—A Dec. 11 incident in which police were called to Johnson’s home amid complaints about him “blasting music around 7 p.m.” that “went on all night.” The eviction paperwork notes that residents had a video of the altercation where Johnson indicated that he was “going to start killing people;”

—Attacking and verbally threatening a U.S. Census taker;

—Numerous complaints about playing loud music and making noise overnight;

—A report of an incident in which the son of one of Johnson’s neighbors injured his ankle after being pushed off a porch by Johnson;

—Religious and political chants being blared from speakers placed in windows at his residence and

—Complaints about a boom that prompted staff to investigate and find Johnson “in his yard banging on something steel.”

The petition also makes note of 10 more violations between Dec. 17, 2020, and Dec. 28, 2020, after Johnson was served with a 10-day notice of eviction. Those incidents all involved various noise complaints, including incessant blowing of a truck horn, playing and “blaring” music and “political messaging.”

Records on file with the county clerk’s office indicate that Woodlands management ultimately succeeded in securing a default eviction in the case after Johnson failed to show up for several scheduled court appearances. The records show Judge Frank Sedita signed a warrant for eviction on March 15, 2021.

Johnson’s latest encounter with police came early Saturday after he was accused of crashing his vehicle into a Niagara County Sheriff’s Office patrol car on Mapleton Road in the Town of Wheatfield.

The sheriff’s office reported that Deputy Cody Sikora was driving down Mapleton Road at around 5 a.m. Saturday when a vehicle approaching from the opposite direction suddenly veered into his lane, striking the patrol vehicle head-on.

Sikora said the driver, later identified as Johnson, got out of his pickup and ran to the back to grab something. As Sikora took cover behind his patrol vehicle, Johnson emerged from the rear of his pickup with a gas can. He doused the front of the patrol vehicle and set it ablaze. Johnson got back into his vehicle and fled toward Shawnee Road.

Sikora was able to use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. He was not injured during the incident.

Police searched the area for the pickup and Sheriff’s Captain Matthew Grainge found it overturned off Shawnee Road after it was involved in another accident.

Grainge said as he approached Johnson, who was out of his vehicle, Johnson came toward him with a knife. Grainge used his Taser but it was unsuccessful in stopping the suspect. During the encounter, he dropped the knife, Grainge said, but grabbed a screwdriver and continued to approach the sheriff’s captain, who then successfully used a chemical spray to subdue the suspect.

Johnson has been charged with third-degree arson (a C felony), menacing a police officer, (a D felony) second-degree criminal mischief (a D felony) second-degree menacing, reckless driving and multiple traffic violations.