Former Davenport town justice candidate sentenced to jail

Mar. 20—Delaware County District Attorney Shawn J. Smith announced in a media release that George Sydlar, 74, of Davenport, was sentenced to 30 days in jail on March 19.

A jury convicted George Sydlar Jan. 19, of falsely reporting an incident to 911, a class A misdemeanor, on July 6, 2023. It was alleged that Sydlar called 911 and reported that his neighbor committed a crime, despite knowing that his neighbor had not committed a crime. He did this approximately two dozen times, after being told by the police that any dispute he had with his neighbor was civil and not criminal.

The trial was held in Kortright after Davenport Town Justice Michael Shea recused himself from the case. Sydlar was running against Shea for the justice position, the release said.

After the verdict, Judge Yvonne J. Pagillo ordered that a pre-sentence investigation be completed, and the case was adjourned until March 19. However, during the past two months, Sydlar refused to cooperate with the Probation Department and declared he was innocent of all charges, the release said. First Assistant District Attorney Schuyler Kinneman requested Sydlar be sentenced to six months in jail. Pagillo sentenced Sydlar to 30 days instead.