Sergeant Vincent S. Spinelli, Sr.

Vincent S. Spinelli, Sr.

Sergeant Vincent Spinelli suffered a fatal heart attack after being struck in the chest by a disorderly inmate at the jail dormitory located at the Cayuga County Public Safety Building on County House Road in Auburn.

The inmate was upset about receiving the wrong sandwich at meal time. He assaulted Sergeant Spinelli and two other officers in the jail's dormitory before being subdued. Sergeant Spinelli collapsed and died approximately two hours later.

The inmate was acquitted of manslaughter but convicted of assaulting two other officers.

Sergeant Spinelli was a United States Maine Corps Vietnam War veteran and served with the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office for eight years. He was survived by his wife and two children.