Indiana man with arrest warrants taken into custody on way to Erie County Fair

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- An Indiana man with multiple arrest warrants for child molestation was taken into custody Tuesday following a traffic stop while he was on his way to the Erie County Fairgrounds, West Seneca Police announced Wednesday.

Police said Michael Wayne Gordon was driving a Ford F350 pulling a carnival ride Tuesday on I-90 westbound when he was pulled over for a passenger not wearing a seatbelt and a cracked windshield.

Gordon allegedly stated that he was on his way to the Erie County Fairgrounds and that he could not provide a driver's license, according to police. Instead, police said he handed over a carnival company ride operator ID card printed with the name "James Davis."

It has since been learned that Gordon is not an employee of The Erie County Fair, but was hired as an independent contractor to transport the ride to the fair.

At an off-site DOT inspection station, Gordon allegedly gave officials a false date of birth, police said. Further investigation determined him to be Michael Wayne Gordon from Kokomo, Indiana.

Records show Gordon was convicted of child molesting in Indiana in 1994. Four years later, he was convicted in another child molestation case and required to register as a sex offender, police said. In March 2004, he was convicted of failing to register.

In Feb. 2021, a child molesting case was filed against Gordon and he failed to show up for the hearing in March 2023.

He is currently being held at the Erie County Holding Center to await extradition.