Johnny McCray Breaks the Nose of Yonkers Cop -Had 13 Prior Convictions -Will He Appear for Next Appearance? County Court Judge Maurice Williams Made Decision
Johnny McCray
Westchester County Court Judge Maurice Williams
The men and women of the Yonkers Police Benevolent Association are outraged by the horrendous decision of Westchester County Court Judge Maurice D. Williams to release without bail a violent criminal who viciously assaulted a Yonkers police officer.
On September 6th, 2023, Yonkers Police Officers responded to Yonkers Avenue in the area of Cypress Street on a report of a medical call for “a male down on the sidewalk.” The Officers located this male, confirmed he was breathing, and assisted him into an ambulance for required further treatment. A short time later, this male, identified as 39-year-old Johnny McCray, attempted to exit the ambulance. The Officers and medical staff exercised great patience to convince McCray to remain in the ambulance.
Completely unprovoked, McCray then delivered a sucker punch to a Police Officer’s face, breaking his nose. The Officers pulled McCray to the ground, where he was handcuffed. McCray was charged with Assault 2nd on a Police Officer, a Felony, among other charges. He was appropriately remanded in Yonkers Criminal Court to the County Jail at his arraignment, pending a bail application hearing.
The Westchester County District Attorney’s Office requested a significant amount of bail for McCray for this assault on a Police Officer. Incredibly, Westchester County Court Judge Maurice D. Williams ignored this request and recklessly released McCray on his own recognizance.
McCray is currently on Parole through 2027 for an Attempted Robbery conviction from 2017, in which he served most of his 5-year prison sentence. McCray is a repeat violent offender who, aside from punching a uniformed Police Officer in the face, has a lengthy record of 13 total Criminal Convictions (6 Felonies and 7 Misdemeanors) dating back over 20 years and has a history of not making his court appearances.
“The people of Westchester should be outraged by Judge Williams’ decision to release McCray without bail” stated Yonkers PBA President and President of the Affiliated Police Associations of Westchester Det. Keith Olson. “Johnny McCray has led a life of violent crime, mostly terrorizing the unfortunate people in his own community. In this case, McCray violently attacked a uniformed police officer when that same officer was trying to help him. Judge Williams’ decision to release this menace to society without bail is appalling. Both McCray and Judge Williams must be held accountable for their actions.”
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said, “This situation involving the assault on one of our Yonkers Police Officers is the very definition of insanity. The justice system is consistently bailing out criminal offenders. This Officer is now out on leave and not able to do his job, while this offender is able to continue to make a living. How can any reasonable person expect that we can protect the public if we can’t even protect our Police Officers? We need to step up and re-commit to keep those proven to hurt and plague the community in jail where they belong. Period.”
According to the Yonkers Police Department statement McCray convinced Judge Williams to release him by “issuing a simple apology and mentioning an upcoming job interview.”
Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza stated, “Every day, we ask our Police Officers to put their lives on the line to protect our community. All we ask is that the justice system stands up for our Officers and all victims of crime with the punishments imposed in court. Criminal acts cannot come without repercussions. If we continue to tell offenders that crime, especially violent crime, is not taken seriously by the decisions made in our courts, we can be sure that judges’ inaction and gentle approach to punishing repeat felons will severely undermine and limit the effectiveness of any crime-fighting strategy.”
The video from Police bodycam footage shows the officer and the EMT calmly trying to get McCray to go to the hospital before he punches the officer. https://www.facebook.com/YonkersPD/videos/1787836821660204
Judge Williams ran unopposed for County Court Judge in 2022, and was elected to a 10-year term.
“Background: Williams has served the Westchester community for over 16 years as a litigator in criminal and family courts with a focus on criminal, family, and immigration law. His most notable work includes representing youths charged with criminal offenses, earning him a seat on the Raise-the-Age Panel for Westchester County Courts in 2018,” wrote The Purchase Phoenix.
County Legislator James Nolan stated, “I’m outraged to hear that County Court Judge Maurice Williams released Johnny McCray without bail despite the Westchester District Attorney Office requesting he be held with bail. Last week, Johnny McCray cowardly suckered punched a police officer while being helped into an ambulance. The officer is out on medical leave while McCray is allowed to freely walk the streets. Our pro-criminal Justice System is complete nonsense and we can no longer protect citizens. We need radical changes to our Criminal Justice laws or situation like these will continue to become more and more common. Enough is enough, we demand change! I stand with Yonkers Police and all law enforcement. I will continue to push for changes to not only protect constituents but law enforcement officers.”
