A 47-year-old Stockbridge Avenue man was arrested on assault and other charges about 2 a.m. today for allegedly punching a 15-year-old neighbor boy as they argued in the victim’s home in the 400 block of the street several hours earlier. Lee Pope was also charged with child endangerment and harassment on the complaint of the victim’s mother.
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Man accused of punching boy in face
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Man charged with robbery near UB’s South Campus
A 25-year-old homeless man, found sleeping in his car at the University at Buffalo’s South Campus, was charged with robbing a woman last week, university police reported.
The robbery occurred at about 6 a.m. last Wednesday, as the woman was walking along Bailey Avenue on her way to work.
Police said a man approached her and, claiming he had a knife, threatened to kill her if she didn’t turn over her purse. He then fled toward Goodyear Road, where his car was parked, and drove toward Hayes Road.
Jonathan A. Huitt was arrested the next day, after he was found sleeping in his car with a 15-year-old girl who had been reported missing. Neither had any connection to the university, campus police said.
Huitt was charged with robbery and criminal possession of a weapon, as well as acting in a manner injurious to a child under age 17.
The robbery occurred at about 6 a.m. last Wednesday, as the woman was walking along Bailey Avenue on her way to work.
Police said a man approached her and, claiming he had a knife, threatened to kill her if she didn’t turn over her purse. He then fled toward Goodyear Road, where his car was parked, and drove toward Hayes Road.
Jonathan A. Huitt was arrested the next day, after he was found sleeping in his car with a 15-year-old girl who had been reported missing. Neither had any connection to the university, campus police said.
Huitt was charged with robbery and criminal possession of a weapon, as well as acting in a manner injurious to a child under age 17.
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Falls teen pleads guilty in murder of 5-year-old girl
LOCKPORT – John R. Freeman Jr. admitted in Niagara County Court today that he killed a 5-year-old girl he was babysitting last year.
Freeman, 17, of Sixth Street. Niagara Falls, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence for throwing the corpse of Isabella M. Tennant of Cheektowaga into a stolen garbage tote in Niagara Falls Aug. 26.
Niagara County Judge Matthew J. Murphy III agreed to sentence Freeman to a minimum of between 20 and 22 years in prison, with a maximum of life in prison. The sentence will be imposed Sept. 5.
Charges remain open against Freeman’s co-defendant, Tyler S. Best, 18, of Barnard Street, Buffalo. He was charged with a felony count of tampering with physical evidence after he told Niagara Falls police Aug. 27 that he had helped Freeman dispose of the girl’s body. His trial is scheduled for Aug. 19.
So was Freeman’s, until this morning.
Freeman was in court Wednesday morning as Murphy issued a decision allowing defense attorney Robert Viola to use a mental health defense at Freeman’s trial, a move prosecutors objected to because of Viola’s delays in giving them specifics about his claim of “extreme emotional distress.”
However, Murphy told the attorneys to return to court 90 minutes later to discuss scheduling. That’s when the plea was entered.
Deputy District Attorney Holly E. Sloma said a gag order issued by Murphy remains in effect, so she was unable to discuss the case.
Freeman had told police he used his hands on the girl’s neck when she wouldn’t stop crying. The babysitter was a family friend of the girl’s great-grandparents, Sharon and Hank Lascelle, who lived on Sixth Street and who went to bed, leaving the child in Freeman’s care.
The girl’s mother, Crystal Walker, had dropped her off on her way to work at a Niagara Falls bar.
Freeman, 17, of Sixth Street. Niagara Falls, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence for throwing the corpse of Isabella M. Tennant of Cheektowaga into a stolen garbage tote in Niagara Falls Aug. 26.
Niagara County Judge Matthew J. Murphy III agreed to sentence Freeman to a minimum of between 20 and 22 years in prison, with a maximum of life in prison. The sentence will be imposed Sept. 5.
Charges remain open against Freeman’s co-defendant, Tyler S. Best, 18, of Barnard Street, Buffalo. He was charged with a felony count of tampering with physical evidence after he told Niagara Falls police Aug. 27 that he had helped Freeman dispose of the girl’s body. His trial is scheduled for Aug. 19.
So was Freeman’s, until this morning.
Freeman was in court Wednesday morning as Murphy issued a decision allowing defense attorney Robert Viola to use a mental health defense at Freeman’s trial, a move prosecutors objected to because of Viola’s delays in giving them specifics about his claim of “extreme emotional distress.”
However, Murphy told the attorneys to return to court 90 minutes later to discuss scheduling. That’s when the plea was entered.
Deputy District Attorney Holly E. Sloma said a gag order issued by Murphy remains in effect, so she was unable to discuss the case.
Freeman had told police he used his hands on the girl’s neck when she wouldn’t stop crying. The babysitter was a family friend of the girl’s great-grandparents, Sharon and Hank Lascelle, who lived on Sixth Street and who went to bed, leaving the child in Freeman’s care.
The girl’s mother, Crystal Walker, had dropped her off on her way to work at a Niagara Falls bar.
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Suspected marijuana dealer charged
NIAGARA FALLS – Following an investigation the Niagara Falls Narcotics Bureau charged a man who is suspected of dealing marijuana in the city.
Shawn R. Finitz, 38, of 61st Street was charged with third-degree criminal possession of marijuana and criminal use of drug paraphernalia after narcotics detective served a search warrant at his home in the 200 block of 61st Street just before 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Detectives recovered 9.7 ounces of marijuana and packaging materials in the raid.
Shawn R. Finitz, 38, of 61st Street was charged with third-degree criminal possession of marijuana and criminal use of drug paraphernalia after narcotics detective served a search warrant at his home in the 200 block of 61st Street just before 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Detectives recovered 9.7 ounces of marijuana and packaging materials in the raid.
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Customer helps foil bank robbery in Orleans County
ALBION – A serial bank robbery suspect was captured Tuesday after a customer followed him from a holdup, police said.
A robbery was reported shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday at Bank of America, 156 S. Main St., where a masked man threatened a clerk with what appeared to be an explosive device, village police said.
While the robbery was in progress, a bank employee signaled a drive-thru customer, who got out of his car and approached the bank’s main entrance. As the robber left the bank with $18,000 in cash, he confronted and threatened the customer, who followed him and saw him enter a vehicle driven by another person.
Albion police alerted surrounding law enforcement agencies, and the getaway car was spotted by Holley police.
Officers stopped the car in an apartment complex, where the two were taken into custody and turned over to police.
Jeremy J. Rothmund, 29, was identified as the man who had entered the bank. Police said the getaway car driver was Elyse A. Huffer, 22, who gave the same Rochester address as Rothmund.
Rothmund was involved in two recent bank robberies in the Town of Greece, police said, as well as a third elsewhere in Monroe County.
Both he and Huffer were charged Tuesday with felony counts of robbery, grand larceny and placing a false bomb or hazardous substance. The money was recovered, and the device was a fake, police said.
Following arraignment in Albion Town Court, Rothmund and Huffer were sent to Orleans County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail each.
email: citydesk@buffnews.com
A robbery was reported shortly after 4 p.m. Tuesday at Bank of America, 156 S. Main St., where a masked man threatened a clerk with what appeared to be an explosive device, village police said.
While the robbery was in progress, a bank employee signaled a drive-thru customer, who got out of his car and approached the bank’s main entrance. As the robber left the bank with $18,000 in cash, he confronted and threatened the customer, who followed him and saw him enter a vehicle driven by another person.
Albion police alerted surrounding law enforcement agencies, and the getaway car was spotted by Holley police.
Officers stopped the car in an apartment complex, where the two were taken into custody and turned over to police.
Jeremy J. Rothmund, 29, was identified as the man who had entered the bank. Police said the getaway car driver was Elyse A. Huffer, 22, who gave the same Rochester address as Rothmund.
Rothmund was involved in two recent bank robberies in the Town of Greece, police said, as well as a third elsewhere in Monroe County.
Both he and Huffer were charged Tuesday with felony counts of robbery, grand larceny and placing a false bomb or hazardous substance. The money was recovered, and the device was a fake, police said.
Following arraignment in Albion Town Court, Rothmund and Huffer were sent to Orleans County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail each.
email: citydesk@buffnews.com
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Freeman pleads guilty in 5-year-old’s murder
LOCKPORT – John R. Freeman Jr. admitted Wednesday in Niagara County Court that he killed a 5-year-old girl he was baby-sitting last year in a Niagara Falls home.
Freeman, 17, of Sixth Street, Niagara Falls, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence for killing Isabella M. Tennant, of Cheektowaga, and throwing her body into a garbage tote in Niagara Falls on Aug. 26.
Niagara County Judge Matthew J. Murphy III agreed to sentence Freeman to a maximum sentence of life in prison, with the minimum of 20 to 22 years before he is eligible for parole. The sentence will be imposed Sept. 5.
“He admitted that he initially said she wouldn’t go to sleep. Then he put her in a chokehold, eventually causing her death,” Niagara Falls Detective Lt. Michael Trane said at an afternoon news conference.
He commented, “We think it was a very strong case, (Freeman) pled to the indictment.” Trane latter added, “I think he should be granted no leniency whatsoever.”
Charges remain open against Freeman’s co-defendant, Tyler S. Best, 18, of Barnard Street, Buffalo. He was charged with a felony count of tampering with physical evidence after he told Niagara Falls police Aug. 27 that he had helped Freeman dispose of the girl’s body.
Trane said the girl’s body was found in a garbage tote in an alley between Third and Fourth streets, to which detectives were led by Best, who was called by Freeman after the girl died.
Trane said neither defendant had any criminal record before the murder.
Best’s next scheduled court appearance is July 26. His trial is scheduled for Aug. 19.
So was Freeman’s, until Wednesday morning.
In a brief court appearance for Freeman, Murphy issued a decision allowing defense attorney Robert Viola to use a mental health defense at Freeman’s trial. Prosecutors had objected to that because of Viola’s delays in giving them specifics about his claim of “extreme emotional disturbance” for Freeman.
In Murphy’s ruling, he wrote that Viola intended to use two mental health experts to testify about how Freeman’s fetal alcohol syndrome “caused him to have impaired decision-making abilities, presumably thereby rendering him unable to formulate the intent necessary for the two crimes with which he is charged.”
Fetal alcohol syndrome is a permanent brain injury caused by a mother’s heavy drinking during pregnancy. According to several health-related websites, it is regarded as the leading cause of preventable birth defects in the United States.
Murphy told the attorneys to return to court 90 minutes later to discuss scheduling. That’s when the plea was entered.
Deputy District Attorney Holly E. Sloma said a gag order imposed by Murphy on all attorneys in the case remains in effect, so she was unable to discuss the case. Viola did not return calls seeking comment.
Freeman was a neighbor of the girl’s great-grandparents, Sharon and Hank Lascelle, who lived on Sixth Street. They told police they went to bed, leaving the child in the care of Freeman.
The girl’s mother, Crystal Walker, had dropped her off on her way to work at a Niagara Falls bar.
“At the time, he was considered a family friend,” Trane said. “Everyone involved in this case was just crushed by what happened.”
Walker could not be reached Wednesday, but she gave a statement to YNN News saying, “The pain of losing my daughter will never subside. She was my best friend and my everything. I still feel as though I am living someone else’s life. I am glad he finally pleaded out instead of dragging this out any longer.”
email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
Freeman, 17, of Sixth Street, Niagara Falls, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence for killing Isabella M. Tennant, of Cheektowaga, and throwing her body into a garbage tote in Niagara Falls on Aug. 26.
Niagara County Judge Matthew J. Murphy III agreed to sentence Freeman to a maximum sentence of life in prison, with the minimum of 20 to 22 years before he is eligible for parole. The sentence will be imposed Sept. 5.
“He admitted that he initially said she wouldn’t go to sleep. Then he put her in a chokehold, eventually causing her death,” Niagara Falls Detective Lt. Michael Trane said at an afternoon news conference.
He commented, “We think it was a very strong case, (Freeman) pled to the indictment.” Trane latter added, “I think he should be granted no leniency whatsoever.”
Charges remain open against Freeman’s co-defendant, Tyler S. Best, 18, of Barnard Street, Buffalo. He was charged with a felony count of tampering with physical evidence after he told Niagara Falls police Aug. 27 that he had helped Freeman dispose of the girl’s body.
Trane said the girl’s body was found in a garbage tote in an alley between Third and Fourth streets, to which detectives were led by Best, who was called by Freeman after the girl died.
Trane said neither defendant had any criminal record before the murder.
Best’s next scheduled court appearance is July 26. His trial is scheduled for Aug. 19.
So was Freeman’s, until Wednesday morning.
In a brief court appearance for Freeman, Murphy issued a decision allowing defense attorney Robert Viola to use a mental health defense at Freeman’s trial. Prosecutors had objected to that because of Viola’s delays in giving them specifics about his claim of “extreme emotional disturbance” for Freeman.
In Murphy’s ruling, he wrote that Viola intended to use two mental health experts to testify about how Freeman’s fetal alcohol syndrome “caused him to have impaired decision-making abilities, presumably thereby rendering him unable to formulate the intent necessary for the two crimes with which he is charged.”
Fetal alcohol syndrome is a permanent brain injury caused by a mother’s heavy drinking during pregnancy. According to several health-related websites, it is regarded as the leading cause of preventable birth defects in the United States.
Murphy told the attorneys to return to court 90 minutes later to discuss scheduling. That’s when the plea was entered.
Deputy District Attorney Holly E. Sloma said a gag order imposed by Murphy on all attorneys in the case remains in effect, so she was unable to discuss the case. Viola did not return calls seeking comment.
Freeman was a neighbor of the girl’s great-grandparents, Sharon and Hank Lascelle, who lived on Sixth Street. They told police they went to bed, leaving the child in the care of Freeman.
The girl’s mother, Crystal Walker, had dropped her off on her way to work at a Niagara Falls bar.
“At the time, he was considered a family friend,” Trane said. “Everyone involved in this case was just crushed by what happened.”
Walker could not be reached Wednesday, but she gave a statement to YNN News saying, “The pain of losing my daughter will never subside. She was my best friend and my everything. I still feel as though I am living someone else’s life. I am glad he finally pleaded out instead of dragging this out any longer.”
email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
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99 arrested at Darien Lake concert
DARIEN – Concertgoers kept deputies busy at Wednesday’s Dave Matthews Band show at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.
The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office reported 99 arrests for rowdiness, drug possession and underage drinking.
Eighty-one of the arrests were for underage possession of alcohol, and four more for unlawful possession of marijuana.
Most of those arrested came from the Rochester area, but deputies arrested some Buffalo-area fans, too.
ToniMarie Gigante, 39, of Hallam Road, Buffalo, was charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly causing a disturbance and refusing to leave the concert venue. She was arraigned in Darien Town Court and jailed in lieu of $250 bail.
Rachel M. Sanchez, 24, of Lake Street, Angola, was charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly using obscene language and causing a disturbance while leaving the concert.
An 18-year-old from Hamburg was charged with third-degree criminal trespass for allegedly jumping a fence into the concert venue after previously being ejected from the concert.
A 17-year-old from Buffalo was arrested for trespassing after allegedly jumping a fence into a restricted area of the venue.
Another 17-year-old from East Amherst was charged with trespass after allegedly entering the venue without a ticket.
email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
The Genesee County Sheriff’s Office reported 99 arrests for rowdiness, drug possession and underage drinking.
Eighty-one of the arrests were for underage possession of alcohol, and four more for unlawful possession of marijuana.
Most of those arrested came from the Rochester area, but deputies arrested some Buffalo-area fans, too.
ToniMarie Gigante, 39, of Hallam Road, Buffalo, was charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly causing a disturbance and refusing to leave the concert venue. She was arraigned in Darien Town Court and jailed in lieu of $250 bail.
Rachel M. Sanchez, 24, of Lake Street, Angola, was charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly using obscene language and causing a disturbance while leaving the concert.
An 18-year-old from Hamburg was charged with third-degree criminal trespass for allegedly jumping a fence into the concert venue after previously being ejected from the concert.
A 17-year-old from Buffalo was arrested for trespassing after allegedly jumping a fence into a restricted area of the venue.
Another 17-year-old from East Amherst was charged with trespass after allegedly entering the venue without a ticket.
email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
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Coast Guard rescues six from sinking boat off City of Tonawanda
The U.S. Coast Guard, assisted by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office patrol boat, rescued six people from a 16-foot motorboat that was taking on water in the Niagara River off the City of Tonawanda late Wednesday night.
The rescued included a 2-month-old baby and a 9-year-old boy, the Coast Guard said. Their names were not released. No one was hurt.
A woman phoned the Coast Guard at about 10:30 p.m., reporting that she heard a boat strike something in the river near Mississippi Mudds, a restaurant on Niagara Street in the City of Tonawanda. The street is separated from the riverbank by Niawanda Park.
The boat was believed to have struck a submerged object, the Coast Guard said.
A 25-foot response boat from the Buffalo Coast Guard station already was nearby, making law enforcement boardings of pleasure craft. Its crew soon saw a bright SOS signal launched from the damaged vessel.
One of the men on the struggling boat had downloaded an SOS appl to his smartphone when he saw the rescue boat approaching.
“We would have had a hard time locating this boat because of the darkness and location without the SOS signal,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Tyler Benson, coxswain of the rescue boat, in a Coast Guard news release.
“As soon as we arrived on scene, we pulled alongside the boat to converse with the people on the boat, and the next thing we knew a woman was handing us her 2-month-old baby through the boat’s window, saying, ‘Save my baby,’ ” Benson said.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Weil helped the 9-year-old boy and the women board the rescue boat; the men followed.
The Coast Guard crew pumped the water out of the stricken craft and towed it to a dock at Niawanda Park.
email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
The rescued included a 2-month-old baby and a 9-year-old boy, the Coast Guard said. Their names were not released. No one was hurt.
A woman phoned the Coast Guard at about 10:30 p.m., reporting that she heard a boat strike something in the river near Mississippi Mudds, a restaurant on Niagara Street in the City of Tonawanda. The street is separated from the riverbank by Niawanda Park.
The boat was believed to have struck a submerged object, the Coast Guard said.
A 25-foot response boat from the Buffalo Coast Guard station already was nearby, making law enforcement boardings of pleasure craft. Its crew soon saw a bright SOS signal launched from the damaged vessel.
One of the men on the struggling boat had downloaded an SOS appl to his smartphone when he saw the rescue boat approaching.
“We would have had a hard time locating this boat because of the darkness and location without the SOS signal,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Tyler Benson, coxswain of the rescue boat, in a Coast Guard news release.
“As soon as we arrived on scene, we pulled alongside the boat to converse with the people on the boat, and the next thing we knew a woman was handing us her 2-month-old baby through the boat’s window, saying, ‘Save my baby,’ ” Benson said.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Weil helped the 9-year-old boy and the women board the rescue boat; the men followed.
The Coast Guard crew pumped the water out of the stricken craft and towed it to a dock at Niawanda Park.
email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
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Woman robbed and beaten, man arrested
Northeast District police arrested a Kerns Avenue man Wednesday night and charged him with beating a woman June 27 and robbing the same woman at knifepoint Wednesday.
Melvin Bell, 47, was charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, second-degree menacing, fourth-degree grand larceny, aggravated criminal contempt and second-degree harassment.
The woman, who had obtained a restraining order against Bell, told police that Bell allegedly kicked her in the face and stomach with a steel-toed boot June 27, causing a concussion.
Wednesday, Bell allegedly pulled a 5-inch knife on her and stole the woman’s purse, which contained a credit card.
Melvin Bell, 47, was charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, second-degree menacing, fourth-degree grand larceny, aggravated criminal contempt and second-degree harassment.
The woman, who had obtained a restraining order against Bell, told police that Bell allegedly kicked her in the face and stomach with a steel-toed boot June 27, causing a concussion.
Wednesday, Bell allegedly pulled a 5-inch knife on her and stole the woman’s purse, which contained a credit card.
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Man arrested after Riverside fight
Northwest District police said they arrested a man who allegedly was wielding a knife in a fight on Tonawanda Street about 8:45 p.m. Wednesday.
Theodore Hill, 18, of Condon Avenue, ran from the scene but was chased down a block away on Baxter Street. Police said Hill had 10 small bags of marijuana in his possession when he was caught.
Hill was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of marijuana, disorderly conduct and second-degree obstructing governmental administration.
Theodore Hill, 18, of Condon Avenue, ran from the scene but was chased down a block away on Baxter Street. Police said Hill had 10 small bags of marijuana in his possession when he was caught.
Hill was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of marijuana, disorderly conduct and second-degree obstructing governmental administration.
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Man shot, woman stabbed in East Side incidents
A man was shot in the neck and a woman stabbed in the arm in separate incidents two blocks and 20 minutes apart late Wednesday, Ferry-Fillmore District police said.
A man identified as Willie Garner, no address available, told officers he heard a shot and was struck in the neck while driving down Zelmer Street at 11 p.m. Garner was unwilling to answer further questions, according to police.
Garner, 31, was listed in fair condition at Erie County Medical Center, a police spokesman said.
On Peace Street about 20 minutes later, Selena M. Williams, no age or address available, said she argued with a man, whom she identified for police. Williams said as she got into her car to drive away, the man threw a knife at her and struck her in the left arm. She drove herself to Erie County Medical Center for treatment.
A man identified as Willie Garner, no address available, told officers he heard a shot and was struck in the neck while driving down Zelmer Street at 11 p.m. Garner was unwilling to answer further questions, according to police.
Garner, 31, was listed in fair condition at Erie County Medical Center, a police spokesman said.
On Peace Street about 20 minutes later, Selena M. Williams, no age or address available, said she argued with a man, whom she identified for police. Williams said as she got into her car to drive away, the man threw a knife at her and struck her in the left arm. She drove herself to Erie County Medical Center for treatment.
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Two arrested under Lockport garbage picking ban
LOCKPORT – Two High Street residents were arrested Wednesday night and charged with violating a ban on garbage picking.
Mayor Michael W. Tucker announced the ban Tuesday in the wake of the flash flood that spilled water into an estimated 600 basements Friday.
Brenda Marello, 55, and Frank W. Hermanson II, 38, were picked up at 10 p.m. Wednesday on Cottage Street. They were charged with illegal scavenging.
The city has long had a ban on garbage picking, but it has not been enforced. Tucker ordered police to do so after reports that people were picking through piles of property hauled out of flooded basements and scattered onto lawns.
Mayor Michael W. Tucker announced the ban Tuesday in the wake of the flash flood that spilled water into an estimated 600 basements Friday.
Brenda Marello, 55, and Frank W. Hermanson II, 38, were picked up at 10 p.m. Wednesday on Cottage Street. They were charged with illegal scavenging.
The city has long had a ban on garbage picking, but it has not been enforced. Tucker ordered police to do so after reports that people were picking through piles of property hauled out of flooded basements and scattered onto lawns.
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Three Delaware Avenue stores targeted in break-ins
A cellphone store, a shoe store and a dollar store were burglarized overnight, Northwest District police said Thursday.
The T-Mobile cellphone store at 2730 Delaware Ave., just south of Kenmore Avenue, police said. The intruder smashed the front window and stole eight phones of various brands worth $4,540. Four other phones, all Samsung models, valued at $2,150, were damaged.
A few blocks to the south, The Shoe Department, 2164 Delaware Ave., also was burglarized early Thursday. Someone entered through the ceiling and stole a locked box containing about $500, police said.
At the Dollar Tree store, 2176 Delaware, burglars entered through the ventilation system on the roof and broke through the ceiling tiles, said police, adding that they tried to break open a safe, leaving a hammer and other hand tools behind. The video camera unit was stolen and the alarm wires were cut, police added.
The T-Mobile cellphone store at 2730 Delaware Ave., just south of Kenmore Avenue, police said. The intruder smashed the front window and stole eight phones of various brands worth $4,540. Four other phones, all Samsung models, valued at $2,150, were damaged.
A few blocks to the south, The Shoe Department, 2164 Delaware Ave., also was burglarized early Thursday. Someone entered through the ceiling and stole a locked box containing about $500, police said.
At the Dollar Tree store, 2176 Delaware, burglars entered through the ventilation system on the roof and broke through the ceiling tiles, said police, adding that they tried to break open a safe, leaving a hammer and other hand tools behind. The video camera unit was stolen and the alarm wires were cut, police added.
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Four arrested in Perry Street beating
South District police arrested four men on assault charges Thursday morning, after a man was beaten on Perry Street.
Juan Rodriguez was hit in the face, opening a 2-inch cut, and also was knocked down and repeatedly kicked by the assailants about 6:40 a.m. near the Tyson Foods plant, police said. Rodriguez was treated in Mercy Hospital.
The suspects were identified as Jorge Bracero, 42, of Riley Street; Carlos Velazquez, 22, of Grote Street; Christian Velazquez, 19, of Smith Street; and Louis Flores, no age listed, of Niagara Street.
The victim said an unidentified fifth man also took part in the attack.
Juan Rodriguez was hit in the face, opening a 2-inch cut, and also was knocked down and repeatedly kicked by the assailants about 6:40 a.m. near the Tyson Foods plant, police said. Rodriguez was treated in Mercy Hospital.
The suspects were identified as Jorge Bracero, 42, of Riley Street; Carlos Velazquez, 22, of Grote Street; Christian Velazquez, 19, of Smith Street; and Louis Flores, no age listed, of Niagara Street.
The victim said an unidentified fifth man also took part in the attack.
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One man treated after fire chases residents of Linwood Avenue home
One resident was treated for smoke inhalation in Erie County Medical Center after a fire routed the occupants of a Linwood Avenue apartment house about 3 a.m. Thursday.
Spokesman Michael DeGeorge said the two-alarm fire did $50,000 damage to the building at 175 Linwood. The cause appears to have been careless smoking, he said. The injured person was identified only as a man in his 30s.
Spokesman Michael DeGeorge said the two-alarm fire did $50,000 damage to the building at 175 Linwood. The cause appears to have been careless smoking, he said. The injured person was identified only as a man in his 30s.
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West Seneca mother hails crackdown on distracted driving
A July Fourth holiday crackdown on distracted driving was cheered Thursday by the mother of a West Seneca man who was killed in a texting-related crash in 2007.
“Isn’t it awesome?” asked Kelly Cline of West Seneca. “I think it’s fabulous. I love when they do that on holiday weekends.”
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced the crackdown this week, saying that up to $1 million was to be spent between last Saturday and this Sunday on increased patrols, primarily by officers in unmarked sport utility vehicles, targeting texting while driving.
The local impact seems slight so far.
State Police stations in Western New York, surveyed by The Buffalo News on Thursday, reported little about results from the stepped-up enforcement.
Sgt. Richard Kota of the Jamestown station said using an unmarked vehicle for such details was common.
“We have them nonstop,” Kota said. “We use them exclusively to look for distracted and aggressive drivers.”
The undercover cars are not assigned to every station.
“Usually, they’ll be assigned to a zone,” Kota said.
Western New York, which is covered by Troop A of the State Police, is divided into four zones, each containing several stations.
The unmarked SUVs being used in the enforcement effort are called Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement, or CITE, vehicles. They are built on a higher-than-normal chassis, giving the trooper on patrol a better-than-average view of what’s going on inside other vehicles.
The CITE vehicles are painted a variety of colors, but they all have hidden high-intensity emergency lights.
Two years ago, Cuomo signed the law making texting while driving a primary offense, allowing police to pull over a driver just for texting. Before that, a driver had to be committing some other violation, such as speeding, to be cited for texting.
Cuomo signed bills this year increasing the penalty for distracted driving from three points to five points on a driver’s license and lengthening the license suspension and revocation periods for young and newly licensed drivers caught texting.
For Cline, who pushed for laws against texting at the wheel following the death of her 20-year-old son, A.J. Larson, all this is great news.
She credits Cuomo.
“He’s just improved and built on the original law, and I think it’s wonderful,” she said.
“Gov. Cuomo rightly recognizes that texting while driving is an epidemic on our roads,” said John Corlett, chairman of the legislative committee for AAA. He said this crackdown “will send a message to all drivers to put their phones down and keep their eyes on the road.”
Cline called for more education on the dangers of texting behind the wheel.
She suggested that drivers caught texting be sent to a victim-impact panel, similar to those attended by drunken drivers, where drivers hear from survivors about how DWI crashes affected them.
“I think something like that would really send it home, put a face on what could happen,” Cline said.
State figures attribute one of every five auto accidents to some form of distracted driving.
Last year, there were 30,000 tickets issued for texting while driving, a 234 percent increase over the 2011 total.
State officials express concern that texting while driving continues to increase, to a level rivaling drunken driving.
There were nearly 44,000 arrests statewide for drunken or impaired driving last year.
During the 2012 Independence Day holiday period, state troopers gave out 84 tickets statewide for distracted driving. They issued 1,132 speeding tickets during the same period.
Using a cellphone while driving is much more common than texting, though state statistics show that the number of arrests for that violation is not keeping up with last year’s pace.
In 2012, state and local patrol officers issued 216,706 tickets for illegal cellphone use. During the first five months of this year, the statewide total was 69,970.
In Erie County, figures for January through May showed 1,989 tickets for driving while using a cellphone. The total for all of 2012 was 7,055. It’s the largest figure in the state outside the New York City metropolitan area.
In Niagara County, 516 tickets were issued for cellphone use during the first five months of this year, compared with 1,561 for all of 2012.
Most local State Police stations checked by The News said that enforcement of the cellphone law is left to regular patrols.
email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
“Isn’t it awesome?” asked Kelly Cline of West Seneca. “I think it’s fabulous. I love when they do that on holiday weekends.”
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced the crackdown this week, saying that up to $1 million was to be spent between last Saturday and this Sunday on increased patrols, primarily by officers in unmarked sport utility vehicles, targeting texting while driving.
The local impact seems slight so far.
State Police stations in Western New York, surveyed by The Buffalo News on Thursday, reported little about results from the stepped-up enforcement.
Sgt. Richard Kota of the Jamestown station said using an unmarked vehicle for such details was common.
“We have them nonstop,” Kota said. “We use them exclusively to look for distracted and aggressive drivers.”
The undercover cars are not assigned to every station.
“Usually, they’ll be assigned to a zone,” Kota said.
Western New York, which is covered by Troop A of the State Police, is divided into four zones, each containing several stations.
The unmarked SUVs being used in the enforcement effort are called Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement, or CITE, vehicles. They are built on a higher-than-normal chassis, giving the trooper on patrol a better-than-average view of what’s going on inside other vehicles.
The CITE vehicles are painted a variety of colors, but they all have hidden high-intensity emergency lights.
Two years ago, Cuomo signed the law making texting while driving a primary offense, allowing police to pull over a driver just for texting. Before that, a driver had to be committing some other violation, such as speeding, to be cited for texting.
Cuomo signed bills this year increasing the penalty for distracted driving from three points to five points on a driver’s license and lengthening the license suspension and revocation periods for young and newly licensed drivers caught texting.
For Cline, who pushed for laws against texting at the wheel following the death of her 20-year-old son, A.J. Larson, all this is great news.
She credits Cuomo.
“He’s just improved and built on the original law, and I think it’s wonderful,” she said.
“Gov. Cuomo rightly recognizes that texting while driving is an epidemic on our roads,” said John Corlett, chairman of the legislative committee for AAA. He said this crackdown “will send a message to all drivers to put their phones down and keep their eyes on the road.”
Cline called for more education on the dangers of texting behind the wheel.
She suggested that drivers caught texting be sent to a victim-impact panel, similar to those attended by drunken drivers, where drivers hear from survivors about how DWI crashes affected them.
“I think something like that would really send it home, put a face on what could happen,” Cline said.
State figures attribute one of every five auto accidents to some form of distracted driving.
Last year, there were 30,000 tickets issued for texting while driving, a 234 percent increase over the 2011 total.
State officials express concern that texting while driving continues to increase, to a level rivaling drunken driving.
There were nearly 44,000 arrests statewide for drunken or impaired driving last year.
During the 2012 Independence Day holiday period, state troopers gave out 84 tickets statewide for distracted driving. They issued 1,132 speeding tickets during the same period.
Using a cellphone while driving is much more common than texting, though state statistics show that the number of arrests for that violation is not keeping up with last year’s pace.
In 2012, state and local patrol officers issued 216,706 tickets for illegal cellphone use. During the first five months of this year, the statewide total was 69,970.
In Erie County, figures for January through May showed 1,989 tickets for driving while using a cellphone. The total for all of 2012 was 7,055. It’s the largest figure in the state outside the New York City metropolitan area.
In Niagara County, 516 tickets were issued for cellphone use during the first five months of this year, compared with 1,561 for all of 2012.
Most local State Police stations checked by The News said that enforcement of the cellphone law is left to regular patrols.
email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
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Ricin case an outgrowth of Elma native’s bean sales
Ross C. Miller had a very unusual story to tell family members during a visit this week to his hometown of Elma.
It is a story involving the FBI, government intrigue and an alleged attempt to poison the president of the United States.
Earlier this year, the 44-year-old artist and small-businessman assisted the FBI as a witness in a case involving letters that were poisoned with a deadly substance called ricin and mailed to President Obama, a judge and a Republican senator, Roger F. Wicker of Mississippi.
Miller provided key evidence leading to the arrest in late April of James E. Dutschke, 41, a former martial arts instructor in Tupelo, Miss., according to Miller’s Buffalo attorney, Barry N. Covert. Dutschke is accused of sending threatening, ricin-laced letters to Obama, Wicker and a Mississippi judge, Sadie Holland.
The whole story, though, starts with beans.
Authorities strongly believe that the ricin was made from castor beans that Miller and his wife, Colleen, sold to Dutschke through their Internet sales company, Covert said.
Miller said he and his wife mainly use their website, bearcreekwoodcrafts.com, to sell artistic creations, including wood sculptures of bears, eagles and other creatures. They also sell homemade quilts that are used to decorate barns. And they have also sold some gardening products, including castor beans, which can be made into castor oil or grown into tall, multicolored decorative plants.
Miller, who has been visiting loved ones in East Aurora and Elma this week, said he was shocked and upset to learn that someone may have used beans he sold to make a substance intended to hurt or kill public officials.
“We were very upset. It was irritating and nerve-racking. I found it offensive that somebody would use a bean product that we sold them to try to kill someone,” Miller told The Buffalo News.
Covert said Miller’s cooperation with the FBI and U.S. Justice Department helped expose a dangerous anti-government plot.
“From the first moment, the Millers wanted to do the right thing, contact the government and help with the investigation,” Covert said. “The information they provided was very important to the government’s case, because Mr. Dutschke had told the FBI that he had never, ever purchased castor beans from anyone. The Millers had records proving that he did buy them from their company.”
The Millers moved from Elma to a small farm near Knoxville, Tenn., four years ago and opened their small business. They still have many friends and relatives in southern Erie County.
“We’re probably two of the most boring people on Planet Earth,” said Miller, a Marine Corps veteran. “We’d never expect to be caught up in something like this.”
Here’s how it happened.
On April 17, days after the ricin letters were delivered, FBI agents near Oxford, Miss., arrested Paul K. Curtis, a 45-year-old Elvis Presley impersonator with a history of complaints against the government. Agents accused him of sending the ricin letters to Obama, Wicker and Holland. Curtis vehemently denied the allegations.
Five days later, after investigating further and conducting a search of Curtis’ home, federal officials dropped the charges against Curtis. It was disclosed that the probe was now focused on Dutschke, a rival of Curtis and who had once ran unsuccessfully for a political office against Judge Holland’s son.
The Millers, meanwhile, had been following news reports in the case. They realized that ricin could be made from ground-up castor bean shells. In fact, ricin has been used in several attempts at biological terrorism in the past decade. According to an encyclopedia entry on the bionity.com scientific website, quantities of ricin are 6,000 times more poisonous than similar-sized quantities of cyanide, and 12,000 time more poisonous than rattlesnake venom.
“We’d been … hoping that nobody used any beans that were bought from us to make ricin,” Miller said.
“We checked our records to see if we’d ever sold any beans to anyone in that part of Mississippi. My wife keeps extensive records, and she found out that we had sold some beans to” Dutschke last year.
He was a faceless Internet customer who spent about $20 on about 100 castor beans the Millers sent to him.
The realization that they may have sold beans used to make ricin that was sprinkled on a letter to the world’s most powerful leader scared and deeply concerned the Millers. They called Covert, a Buffalo criminal-defense lawyer who has been a friend of Miller’s family for more than a decade.
Miller said he and his wife were not only upset that their product had been used in such a harmful way, but also scared that they might somehow be implicated in the investigation.
“I don’t trust authority. Authority scares me. I was a Marine, and I know what it’s like to wind up on the wrong side of authority,” Miller said. “I didn’t want to wind up on the wrong side of this case.”
After speaking to the Millers, Covert reached out to Anthony M. Bruce, senior litigation counsel at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Buffalo. He said Bruce then put him in touch with W. Chad Lamar, the federal prosecutor in Mississippi who was handling the ricin case.
“Chad Lamar was thrilled to hear from us,” Covert said.
“The Millers’ information was very helpful, especially after Dutschke had denied ever buying castor beans,” Covert said.
Dutschke pleaded not guilty, telling a reporter from the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that he was wrongly accused and “categorically” denies the allegations.
Lamar could not be reached to comment for this article, and Bruce declined to comment. But law enforcement officials confirmed that the Millers did come forward with helpful information and that they are witnesses – and not prosecution targets – in the case.
If the case goes to trial, they could be called to testify, and they received a letter guaranteeing them immunity from prosecution, Covert said.
“It is legal to sell or possess castor beans, but once they are converted into ricin, that is legally classified by the government as a terrorist weapon,” Covert said.
Fortunately, authorities say, there is only one known incident in which ricin was successfully used to kill someone. That happened in London in 1978, when an assassin used a specially designed umbrella to shoot ricin at Georgi I. Markov, an exile from Bulgaria.
“As a terrorism agent, ricin can be used as a powder, a mist, a pellet or can be dissolved in water or weak acid,” according to an advisory from the New York State Health Department.
After this harrowing experience, Miller said, he and his wife plan to stop selling castor beans.
“We hardly make any money selling them. It’s a little extra cash for my gardening supplies,” Miller said. “It’s just not worth it.”
email: dherbeck@buffnews.com
It is a story involving the FBI, government intrigue and an alleged attempt to poison the president of the United States.
Earlier this year, the 44-year-old artist and small-businessman assisted the FBI as a witness in a case involving letters that were poisoned with a deadly substance called ricin and mailed to President Obama, a judge and a Republican senator, Roger F. Wicker of Mississippi.
Miller provided key evidence leading to the arrest in late April of James E. Dutschke, 41, a former martial arts instructor in Tupelo, Miss., according to Miller’s Buffalo attorney, Barry N. Covert. Dutschke is accused of sending threatening, ricin-laced letters to Obama, Wicker and a Mississippi judge, Sadie Holland.
The whole story, though, starts with beans.
Authorities strongly believe that the ricin was made from castor beans that Miller and his wife, Colleen, sold to Dutschke through their Internet sales company, Covert said.
Miller said he and his wife mainly use their website, bearcreekwoodcrafts.com, to sell artistic creations, including wood sculptures of bears, eagles and other creatures. They also sell homemade quilts that are used to decorate barns. And they have also sold some gardening products, including castor beans, which can be made into castor oil or grown into tall, multicolored decorative plants.
Miller, who has been visiting loved ones in East Aurora and Elma this week, said he was shocked and upset to learn that someone may have used beans he sold to make a substance intended to hurt or kill public officials.
“We were very upset. It was irritating and nerve-racking. I found it offensive that somebody would use a bean product that we sold them to try to kill someone,” Miller told The Buffalo News.
Covert said Miller’s cooperation with the FBI and U.S. Justice Department helped expose a dangerous anti-government plot.
“From the first moment, the Millers wanted to do the right thing, contact the government and help with the investigation,” Covert said. “The information they provided was very important to the government’s case, because Mr. Dutschke had told the FBI that he had never, ever purchased castor beans from anyone. The Millers had records proving that he did buy them from their company.”
The Millers moved from Elma to a small farm near Knoxville, Tenn., four years ago and opened their small business. They still have many friends and relatives in southern Erie County.
“We’re probably two of the most boring people on Planet Earth,” said Miller, a Marine Corps veteran. “We’d never expect to be caught up in something like this.”
Here’s how it happened.
On April 17, days after the ricin letters were delivered, FBI agents near Oxford, Miss., arrested Paul K. Curtis, a 45-year-old Elvis Presley impersonator with a history of complaints against the government. Agents accused him of sending the ricin letters to Obama, Wicker and Holland. Curtis vehemently denied the allegations.
Five days later, after investigating further and conducting a search of Curtis’ home, federal officials dropped the charges against Curtis. It was disclosed that the probe was now focused on Dutschke, a rival of Curtis and who had once ran unsuccessfully for a political office against Judge Holland’s son.
The Millers, meanwhile, had been following news reports in the case. They realized that ricin could be made from ground-up castor bean shells. In fact, ricin has been used in several attempts at biological terrorism in the past decade. According to an encyclopedia entry on the bionity.com scientific website, quantities of ricin are 6,000 times more poisonous than similar-sized quantities of cyanide, and 12,000 time more poisonous than rattlesnake venom.
“We’d been … hoping that nobody used any beans that were bought from us to make ricin,” Miller said.
“We checked our records to see if we’d ever sold any beans to anyone in that part of Mississippi. My wife keeps extensive records, and she found out that we had sold some beans to” Dutschke last year.
He was a faceless Internet customer who spent about $20 on about 100 castor beans the Millers sent to him.
The realization that they may have sold beans used to make ricin that was sprinkled on a letter to the world’s most powerful leader scared and deeply concerned the Millers. They called Covert, a Buffalo criminal-defense lawyer who has been a friend of Miller’s family for more than a decade.
Miller said he and his wife were not only upset that their product had been used in such a harmful way, but also scared that they might somehow be implicated in the investigation.
“I don’t trust authority. Authority scares me. I was a Marine, and I know what it’s like to wind up on the wrong side of authority,” Miller said. “I didn’t want to wind up on the wrong side of this case.”
After speaking to the Millers, Covert reached out to Anthony M. Bruce, senior litigation counsel at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Buffalo. He said Bruce then put him in touch with W. Chad Lamar, the federal prosecutor in Mississippi who was handling the ricin case.
“Chad Lamar was thrilled to hear from us,” Covert said.
“The Millers’ information was very helpful, especially after Dutschke had denied ever buying castor beans,” Covert said.
Dutschke pleaded not guilty, telling a reporter from the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that he was wrongly accused and “categorically” denies the allegations.
Lamar could not be reached to comment for this article, and Bruce declined to comment. But law enforcement officials confirmed that the Millers did come forward with helpful information and that they are witnesses – and not prosecution targets – in the case.
If the case goes to trial, they could be called to testify, and they received a letter guaranteeing them immunity from prosecution, Covert said.
“It is legal to sell or possess castor beans, but once they are converted into ricin, that is legally classified by the government as a terrorist weapon,” Covert said.
Fortunately, authorities say, there is only one known incident in which ricin was successfully used to kill someone. That happened in London in 1978, when an assassin used a specially designed umbrella to shoot ricin at Georgi I. Markov, an exile from Bulgaria.
“As a terrorism agent, ricin can be used as a powder, a mist, a pellet or can be dissolved in water or weak acid,” according to an advisory from the New York State Health Department.
After this harrowing experience, Miller said, he and his wife plan to stop selling castor beans.
“We hardly make any money selling them. It’s a little extra cash for my gardening supplies,” Miller said. “It’s just not worth it.”
email: dherbeck@buffnews.com
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Two teenage swimmers drown in Union Ship Canal
Two teenage swimmers were pronounced dead at area hospitals Thursday night after rescuers pulled them from the Union Ship Canal in South Buffalo.
The two, a male and a female, were underwater for at least 25 minutes before Buffalo police divers found them, authorities said. The boy, from Lackawanna, was taken to Buffalo General Medical Center and the girl to Mercy Hospital. CPR was administered to both of them.
Police received several emergency calls beginning at 8:18 p.m., said Battalion Chief Michael J. Swanekamp of the Buffalo Fire Department. The calls first reported that young swimmers were struggling in the water and then disappeared underwater, and had not surfaced.
Dozens of emergency vehicles and numerous rescue boats from Buffalo, Lackawanna, Hamburg and the Coast Guard rushed to the scene, near the Lackawanna city line. Scuba divers Leo McGrath and Michael A. Delong of the Buffalo Police Underwater Recovery Team found the two victims deep underwater after a 19-minute search, Swanekamp said. He said a rescue ladder indicated that the water was at least 18 feet deep, with an additional 8 feet of “muck” at the bottom.
The two did not appear to be responsive as they were pulled out of the water and given CPR.
After the teens were taken to the two hospitals, a distraught woman ran up to police and fire officials in tears and asked, “Where is my son?” She also inquired about the teens’ condition and told them that her son was 17 and that his swimming companion, 16, was his girlfriend.
A woman who saw the teens struggling and contacted police said they looked as if they had been swimming for some time. She declined to give her name. She said the two teens were jumping in the canal and climbing up a ladder on the side. The canal is blocked by a fence in the area where the teens were found; they would have had to climb over the fence to enter the water there.
Ron Delano of Buffalo said he was a distance away when he noticed the male struggling in the water at least 10 feet from the wall. He did not see the female.
He said he saw an older person dive from a nearby bridge in an apparent attempt to rescue the two. But then that person began struggling, as well, and swam to the side to hang on.
Swanekamp said the third swimmer was able to help rescuers find the victims faster.
The site has prompted previous concerns by officials. “Kids want to cool off,” Swanekamp said. “They’ll find any place they can.”
email: lhammill@buffnews.com
The two, a male and a female, were underwater for at least 25 minutes before Buffalo police divers found them, authorities said. The boy, from Lackawanna, was taken to Buffalo General Medical Center and the girl to Mercy Hospital. CPR was administered to both of them.
Police received several emergency calls beginning at 8:18 p.m., said Battalion Chief Michael J. Swanekamp of the Buffalo Fire Department. The calls first reported that young swimmers were struggling in the water and then disappeared underwater, and had not surfaced.
Dozens of emergency vehicles and numerous rescue boats from Buffalo, Lackawanna, Hamburg and the Coast Guard rushed to the scene, near the Lackawanna city line. Scuba divers Leo McGrath and Michael A. Delong of the Buffalo Police Underwater Recovery Team found the two victims deep underwater after a 19-minute search, Swanekamp said. He said a rescue ladder indicated that the water was at least 18 feet deep, with an additional 8 feet of “muck” at the bottom.
The two did not appear to be responsive as they were pulled out of the water and given CPR.
After the teens were taken to the two hospitals, a distraught woman ran up to police and fire officials in tears and asked, “Where is my son?” She also inquired about the teens’ condition and told them that her son was 17 and that his swimming companion, 16, was his girlfriend.
A woman who saw the teens struggling and contacted police said they looked as if they had been swimming for some time. She declined to give her name. She said the two teens were jumping in the canal and climbing up a ladder on the side. The canal is blocked by a fence in the area where the teens were found; they would have had to climb over the fence to enter the water there.
Ron Delano of Buffalo said he was a distance away when he noticed the male struggling in the water at least 10 feet from the wall. He did not see the female.
He said he saw an older person dive from a nearby bridge in an apparent attempt to rescue the two. But then that person began struggling, as well, and swam to the side to hang on.
Swanekamp said the third swimmer was able to help rescuers find the victims faster.
The site has prompted previous concerns by officials. “Kids want to cool off,” Swanekamp said. “They’ll find any place they can.”
email: lhammill@buffnews.com
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Deputies make DWI arrests on land and water
Erie County deputies made DWI arrests on land and water Thursday.
A 26-year-old driver with a blood-alcohol content more than three times the legal limit was arrested following a traffic stop in the Town of Elma, Erie County sheriff’s deputies reported this morning.
Deputy Tim Christian pulled over a vehicle being driven erratically about 8:20 p.m. Thursday night on Bowen Road. Jeremy M. Pettigrew, had a BAC of .29 percent, deputies said.
Pettigrew was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, failure to maintain lane, unsafe turn and driving with open alcoholic beverages. He was released on tickets to appear in Elma Town Court.
Meanwhile, Deputies Mike Okal and Tim Coulombe were on marine patrol Thursday night in the Erie Canal when they charged Justin D. Ksiazek, 26, of Kenmore with boating while intoxicated.
Ksiazek, who had a BAC of .18, more than twice the legal limit for operating a vessel, also was charged with operating without navigation lights. He was issued tickets to appear in Tonawanda City Court.
A 26-year-old driver with a blood-alcohol content more than three times the legal limit was arrested following a traffic stop in the Town of Elma, Erie County sheriff’s deputies reported this morning.
Deputy Tim Christian pulled over a vehicle being driven erratically about 8:20 p.m. Thursday night on Bowen Road. Jeremy M. Pettigrew, had a BAC of .29 percent, deputies said.
Pettigrew was charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, failure to maintain lane, unsafe turn and driving with open alcoholic beverages. He was released on tickets to appear in Elma Town Court.
Meanwhile, Deputies Mike Okal and Tim Coulombe were on marine patrol Thursday night in the Erie Canal when they charged Justin D. Ksiazek, 26, of Kenmore with boating while intoxicated.
Ksiazek, who had a BAC of .18, more than twice the legal limit for operating a vessel, also was charged with operating without navigation lights. He was issued tickets to appear in Tonawanda City Court.
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Three flee house fire in Hartland
Three people safely fled a house fire this morning in the Town of Hartland, Niagara County sheriff’s deputies reported.
The fire at 3875 Root Road was reported at 6:25 a.m. Friday by the homeowner, who said there were flames coming from the second floor, deputies said.
Two adults and a juvenile were out of the house by the time deputies and firefighters arrived. The fire was contained to the second floor, deputies said.
No injuries were reported, and a damage estimate wasn’t available.
The fire at 3875 Root Road was reported at 6:25 a.m. Friday by the homeowner, who said there were flames coming from the second floor, deputies said.
Two adults and a juvenile were out of the house by the time deputies and firefighters arrived. The fire was contained to the second floor, deputies said.
No injuries were reported, and a damage estimate wasn’t available.
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