Rochester, N.Y. — A former officer for the Ogden Police Department was sentenced Thursday to serve one year in jail, according to the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office.
Steven Ploof, now 48, of Greece pleaded guilty Jan. 9 to reckless endangerment at the county level for driving his car toward Greece police officers who were trying to conduct a mental hygiene arrest Sept. 15 at his home on Squareview Lane, prosecutors said. Ploof then tried to set the officers on fire using a spray can and lighter before approaching them with a machete. He was tasered and detained at the scene.
Earlier that same day, Ploof left a threatening sign on an FBI agent’s porch in Ogden, according to court paperwork. One of the messages read “Corrupt FBI agent” and another included a graphic statement about the victim’s children.
Greece police also found a message in Ploof’s bedroom while searching his home that read “F*** the FBI.”
BACKGROUND: ‘F*** the FBI’: Graphic threats led to ex-Ogden police officer’s arrest, complaint says
Ploof was charged at the federal level with threatening to assault a member of the immediate family of a federal law enforcement officer, which he pleaded guilty to Feb. 18, prosecutors said. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on that charge June 18 and faces up to six years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of post-release supervision.
Following his arrest Sept. 15, Ploof was taken to Rochester General Hospital, where he escaped the next day, prompting a two-hour lockdown, police said. He was found and arrested on Joseph Avenue in Rochester later that morning.
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Ploof served with the Ogden Police Department from 2005 to 2021. Chief Travis Gray said his departure was on good terms. Ploof then transferred to the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office. The complaint says he resigned in 2023 after being placed on administrative leave due to suspected drug use.