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Town of Niagara woman pleads guilty to felony DWI charge

March 27, 2014, 3:54 pm
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LOCKPORT – A Town of Niagara woman pleaded guilty to felony driving while intoxicated Thursday in Niagara County Court.

Deana M. Mrzygut, 40, of Witmer Road, was scheduled for sentencing June 6 by Judge Sara Sheldon Farkas. She agreed to place a limit of one to three years on Mrzygut’s prison sentence. Four years is the legal maximum for a Class E felony.
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Man who molested 5 children gets 6 months in jail

March 27, 2014, 5:11 pm
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LOCKPORT – Lewis E. Huff Jr., a Niagara Falls man who, according to his attorney, underwent a personality change after receiving a heart transplant, will serve six months in jail for molesting five children.

State Supreme Court Justice Richard C. Kloch Sr. also imposed 10 years of probation, which started Thursday as Huff, 63, of 38th Street, was taken to the Niagara County Jail.

During his probation decade, Huff must pay a $20,000 fine and $1,375 in additional fees and surcharges. If he violates probation, he could be resentenced; he faced up to 20 years in prison for his five felonies.

However, when Huff pleaded guilty Jan. 16, the terms of the plea deal were that if Kloch decided that he needed to send Huff to state prison, he would be allowed to withdraw his guilty pleas and go to trial, potentially facing much longer prison time if convicted.

Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth R. Donatello said, “There has only been a handful of times in this courtroom a man so desperately deserves state prison.” But she added that in order to secure a state prison term, the five children would have had to testify.

Donatello said all parties wanted to avoid that traumatic experience for the kids, whose ages when the abuse started were between 5 and 9. They were children of both genders, molested during 2012 and 2013.

Kloch went along with a recommendation from Donatello for a year of global positioning system monitoring of Huff after his release from jail. He also barred Huff from having any contact with anyone under age 18.

“He cannot be near kids, ever,” Donatello said. “He’s not safe. It’s not fair to Mr. Huff to put him in a position where he can re-offend. He can’t control himself.”

Defense attorney James J. Faso Jr. said, “His health is horrible. Who knows how much longer he has?”

Faso didn’t bring up Huff’s heart transplant five years ago in the courtroom Thursday, explaining afterward that he thought the atmosphere wasn’t right. Forgiveness was definitely not in the air.

The father of two of the victims told Huff, “You and I will both die, and I’ll still be hating you with every fiber of my being.”

“This has been a living nightmare,” another father said. “He has stolen from us the safety we are supposed to provide for our children.”

The two men, fighting their way through tears, berated Huff for a half-hour, and the defendant cried the whole time.

“You should be crying,” Kloch said.

“Everything that’s been done here is my fault,” Huff sobbed. “I’m so sorry. There’s no way to take this back.”

Faso said after court, “I still think that transplant had an adverse effect on his personality. This is a guy who never touched a child. His wife said he was a different person, mood swings, different likes and dislikes.”

Kloch said, “I have a pretty good idea why this happened. He’s a pedophile. Who knows why he’s a pedophile?”

“I don’t know why I did this,” Huff said. “I know I’ll never be able to forgive myself.”

email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
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Paraplegic victim can’t remember Falls shooting

March 27, 2014, 5:25 pm
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LOCKPORT – Testifying from a wheelchair, John Petty of Niagara Falls told a Niagara County Court jury Thursday that he can’t remember the shooting that cost him the use of his legs.

Petty, now 25, was shot seven times in his Cudaback Avenue apartment in the early hours of May 26. His injuries included spinal cord damage.

But despite his memory loss, Petty said he’s heard the tape of the 911 call he made, identifying Cordarise M. Houston as the shooter, and he confirmed that it’s his voice on the recording.

Houston, 24, of 70th Street, is on trial on charges of attempted second-degree murder, assault and weapons possession.

Petty identified Houston in the courtroom, pointing to him at the defense table. He said he had been friends with Houston since sixth grade, and last May he saw him once or twice a week.

Deputy District Attorney Doreen M. Hoffmann, attempting to counter defense attorney Angelo Musitano’s efforts to use alleged mispronunciations of Houston’s first name as a defense strategy, asked Petty if he knew anyone called Cornelius Houston or Cordelius Houston. He did not.

Petty also said he had no knowledge of two Niagara Falls criminals whose names came up in testimony Wednesday.

Retired Niagara Falls Detective Patrick Stack, who worked on the case, testified Thursday that he checked the police databases and found no one named Cornelius or Cordelius Houston.

Hoffmann explored Petty’s memories of May 2013. “What’s the last thing you remember?” she asked.

“Being on 19th Street,” Petty answered.

“What were you doing on 19th Street?” Hoffmann asked.

“Selling marijuana,” Petty replied.

The prosecutor asked, “What’s the next memory you have?”

Petty answered, “Being in the hospital.”

Petty was in Erie County Medical Center for three months and underwent numerous operations. He said there is some slight sensation in his legs. “There’s still hope for me to walk,” he testified.

He said he had bought a handgun on the street, a gun police found in his pocket after the shooting, to protect himself in his marijuana dealing. But he said he didn’t remember anyone coming into his apartment and didn’t recall having any problems with anyone in the Falls.

Also Thursday, County Judge Matthew J. Murphy III excused a female juror who told some of the other jurors Wednesday that she knew some of Houston’s relatives, whom she saw sitting in the audience. The judge rejected Musitano’s motion for a mistrial and seated an alternate juror.

After a day off today, the trial will resume Monday.



email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
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Buffalo man hits small dog with beer bottle, threatens woman

March 27, 2014, 5:33 pm
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A 48-year-old Jersey Street man was arrested on aggravated animal cruelty and other charges after he allegedly threw a 40 ounce beer bottle that hit the Cock-A-Poo pet dog of the woman he was arguing with near his home about 2 p.m. Thursdsay.

Robert Collier was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, attempted third-degree assault for allegedly throwing a chunk of ice at the dog owner during their argument and harassment. The police reported no significant injury to the frightened dog. The dog owner told police Collier threatened during their argument to shoot her.
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10th Street Gang member pleads guilty to federal charges

March 27, 2014, 6:04 pm
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Another member of the 10th Street Gang pleaded guilty Thursday to a gun charge on the eve of his trial in federal court.

Tony Peebles, 27, of Buffalo, pleaded guilty to charges under the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations Act and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charges carry a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, a $250,000 fine or both. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph M. Tripi said Peebles participated in seven shootings during which eight victims were struck by bullets, between 2000 and 2010. The violent acts by members of the 10th Street Gang included two murders, prosecutors said.

Forty-four members of the 10th Street Gang were charged as a result of a federal investigation. A total of 38 have been convicted and charges are pending against the six remaining defendants.

Peebles will be sentenced July 30 by Arcara.
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West Side man threatens his neighbor

March 27, 2014, 7:11 pm
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A 31-year-old West Ferry Street man was arrested on harassment charges after allegedly threatening to punch a neighbor woman during an argument Wednesday evening.

Tommie A. Clairborne was arrested about 10 p.m. on the complaint of the woman who told police he threatened to hit her after accusing her of stealing some of his “weed.”
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Man accused of hitting dog with beer bottle

March 28, 2014, 4:26 am
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A 48-year-old Jersey Street man was arrested on aggravated animal cruelty and other charges after he allegedly threw a 40 ounce beer bottle that hit the cockapoo pet dog of the woman he was arguing with near his home at about 2 p.m. Thursday.

Robert Collier was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals, attempted third-degree assault for allegedly throwing a chunk of ice at the dog owner during their argument, and harassment. The police reported no significant injury to the frightened dog. The dog owner told police Collier threatened during their argument to shoot her.
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He’d be alive if he’d stayed in jail

March 28, 2014, 4:53 am
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If he had stayed in jail, he could still be alive.

Even after Jeremy E. Thompson admitted his guilt last week to a brutal beating and robbery, he managed to persuade a judge to let him remain free on bail pending his upcoming sentencing.

The yearning for a few more months of freedom, authorities said, cost the 27-year-old his life in what appears to be a brutal case of street justice meted out by a gunman who remains on the loose.

“We would not have another homicide in the city if this man had been placed in jail where he belonged after pleading guilty to a vicious attack,” said a police source close to the case.

Thompson was killed in his East Side apartment early Wednesday morning.

Assistant District Attorney John P. Feroleto had asked State Supreme Court Justice M. William Boller 12 days ago to revoke Thompson’s bail when he and two other accomplices pleaded guilty in an attack last July 30 that left their victim with two broken arms, a concussion, a stab wound to the left leg and bruises all over his body.

“It was over the objections of John Feroleto who had recommended to the court that Mr. Thompson be remanded to jail in light of his conviction for a violent felony offense and the mandatory prison term he faced,” Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III said Thursday. “Ironically, if Mr. Thompson had not objected to the remand, he would likely be alive today.”

Thompson, who was free on $100,000 bail, faced a July 11 sentencing of up to 25 years in prison.

His co-defendants, Monroe Bibbs, 28, and Anson Spates, 26, have been locked up at the Erie County Holding Center since last summer, either unable to afford bail or denied it.

Spates also faces up to 25 years for his guilty plea to first-degree robbery and Bibbs, who pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree robbery, up to 15 years.

Police believe there are other links that prove Thompson received street justice.

The shooting happened in Thompson’s second-floor apartment on Pleasant Place, the same place where he and his companions beat and robbed Koonce Damen in the early-morning hours following a party celebrating Thompson’s 27th birthday

And police say another man who was wounded during Wednesday’s shooting is the brother of Spates, one of Thompson’s co-defendants.

The wounded brother, whose name was withheld, was released from Erie County Medical Center after treatment.

During the attack, Damen was robbed of $3,000 and other possessions, stripped of his clothing and thrown out into the street naked.

In an arrest report, Police Officer Dan O’Neill offered this description of what happened:

Thompson and the other men caused “substantial pain, swelling and bruising all over his body along with a stab wound to his leg, cuts to his head, two broken arms and a concussion ... by means of a deadly weapon ... a handgun ... a kitchen knife ... and a bat.

When Thompson was arrested, it did not go smoothly.

“The defendant did state that his name is Curtis Thompson,” O’Neill wrote in his report. “The officers did warn the defendant and did know the defendant to be Jeremy Thompson, knowing the defendant was giving the officers false information.”

The lie, police said, resulted in an additional charge of false impersonation.

Defense attorney Michael L. D’Amico represented Thompson.

email: lmichel@buffnews.com
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Williamsville jeweler accused of selling fake diamonds waives felony hearing

March 28, 2014, 7:27 am
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A Williamsville jeweler this morning at a brief village court hearing waived his right to a felony hearing. Now the case against him for allegedly selling fake gems is moving to a higher court with a possible grand jury review.

Paul Blarr, 47, owner of RSNP Diamond Exchange in Williamsville, is cooperating with the Erie County District Attorney’s office and working with customers who bought fake diamonds, according to his attorney, Charles Marchese.

Marchese portrayed his client as a victim as well, “spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy gems he thought were real.

Marchese insisted that a jeweler would not spend that kind of money to then sell fake gems he knew were fake.

Blarr appeared before Justice Jeffrey Voekl. Several of Blarr’s alleged victims also were in the courtroom at the brief proceeding.



email: lmichel@buffnews.com
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Buffalo man with $40,000 worth of pot pleads guilty

March 28, 2014, 8:12 am
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A Buffalo man arrested last May with 18 pounds of marijuana in his car pleaded guilty today to first-degree criminal possession of marijuana.

Andrew Powell, 30, of Gilbert Street, faces up to 5½ years in prison when he is sentenced June 13 by Erie County Judge Michael L. D’Amico. Powell is free on $15,000 bail.

Powell was arrested May 10 in a parking lot on East Eagle Street after arriving there in his car to make a marijuana sale, prosecutors said.

When narcotics detectives from the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and Buffalo Police Department asked Powell to get out of his vehicle, he threw a wad of paper containing marijuana on the ground, which they recovered.

After obtaining a search warrant for the vehicle, detectives found two packages of marijuana valued at about $40,000.

Powell, a native of Jamaica, is a permanent U.S. resident but faces immigration review, according to Erie County Assistant District Attorney Patrick B. Shanahan.
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Boot camp ordered for two teens who attacked Lockport High athletic director

March 28, 2014, 9:33 am
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LOCKPORT – Two teenagers who punched the Lockport High School athletic director and a monitor while being thrown out of the school gym during a Dec. 3 basketball scrimmage received identical sentences Friday.

Niagara County Judge Sara Sheldon Farkas granted youthful offender status to both youths and sent them to state prison for one to three years.

She recommended that both the 16-year-old and the 18-year-old be assigned to the prison system’s boot camp-like “shock incarceration” program.

“It’s six months of military training, basically,” Farkas told the 16-year-old. “Hopefully, this will be the wakeup call you need.”

The teens will be paroled after the six months, if they succeed in the program. If not, they will serve the full sentence, meaning they are eligible for parole after a year.

The Buffalo News generally does not identify those convicted and also granted youthful offender status.

Both teens pleaded guilty in January to reduced charges of attempted second-degree assault in connection with their attack on Athletic Director Patrick M. Burke and monitor George F. Apolito Jr.

Burke, 55, suffered a bloody nose and was cut on the face and lip. Apolito, 67, was cut inside his lip and on the cheek and hand. He suffered a loose tooth, and his eyeglasses were broken,

The attackers, both intoxicated, were being ejected from the spectator area in the gym for unruly behavior when they attacked Burke and Apolito, police said at the time. Both have been in the Niagara County Jail ever since.

David C. Douglas, defense attorney for the 18-year-old, said his client attempted suicide in jail in recent days, since the completion of a presentencing report by a probation officer.

According to Douglas, the boy’s parents were glad they refused to bail him out, saying that the suicide attempt might have succeeded on the outside.

But Farkas wasn’t impressed with their parenting, noting that the boy had said in the interview that he had been drinking daily since he was 13 and also smoked marijuana daily.

“How does a parent not see that?” Farkas asked.

“He clearly is a young man with no direction,” Douglas said.

As for the 16-year-old, Assistant Public Defender Michael E. Benedict said he was on Family Court-ordered probation at the time of the assault. Benedict said there was no father in the boy’s life, and his mother, sister and cousin had all given up on taming him.

Benedict said the teen had downed a large quantity of whiskey before going to the gym on Dec. 3. Benedict said shock incarceration might give the boy some structure in his life.

“Shock will give him everything he needs,” Farkas said.

Both boys apologized for their actions.

“I was embarrassed,” the 16-year-old said.



email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
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Runaway sex offender admits to bail jumping charge

March 28, 2014, 9:33 am
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LOCKPORT – Paul S. Turley, who fled the area after jury selection in his sexual abuse trial last year, pleaded guilty to first-degree bail jumping today, but it won’t lengthen his 15-to-30-year sentence.

Turley, 48, is serving his time in Auburn Correctional Facility, where he said he is undergoing psychiatric therapy.

Niagara County Judge Sara Sheldon Farkas promised to give Turley a concurrent sentence on the bail jumping charge when he is brought back to court July 18.

It could have added seven years to his prison term.

Also today, Farkas corrected some technical errors made in the original sentence, but the bottom line came out the same.

“The most he will do now is 15 to 30,” the judge said.

A jury convicted Turley Jan. 28, 2013, of first- and second-degree course of sexual conduct against a child for molesting two girls in North Tonawanda between August 1996 and June 1998, and of first-degree sexual abuse for molesting one of the victims again on Christmas Day 2003, when she was 12.

The victims didn’t come forward and reveal the crimes to police until November 2011. They later went public, identifying themselves as Turley’s stepdaughter and stepniece.

Today, Turley was given a chance to speak, and asked Farkas for a shorter sentence with counseling.

“I can’t change it. I can only correct it,” Farkas answered.

“I never wanted to see anybody hurt,” Turley said.

He also addressed his stepdaughter, who wasn’t in the courtroom.

“I’m sorry for not being a better father and not realizing you were in pain,” Turley said.

Turley, who had been free on a $50,000 bail bond, took off during a lunch break in his trial Jan. 23, 2013. He and his wife Diane G. Turley were captured Feb. 21, 2013, in a trailer park outside Tucson, Ariz.

Diane Turley, 52, pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution and served a 90-day jail sentence.

Paul Turley said his wife “has vowed to wait forever” for him to come home.

email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
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Cheektowaga police searching for copper, steel thieves

March 28, 2014, 2:00 pm
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Three burglars are being sought by Cheektowaga Police in connection with a recent overnight heist of nearly $40,000 worth of copper tubing and steel piping from a Standard Parkway business.

Police said that on March 11, burglars broke into Xylem Inc., moved the metal pieces from the back of the building and pushed them underneath a fence running along a field parallel to the Mainline Thruway.

One of the men wore a jacket with the word “Valet” on the back.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Cheektowaga Police at 686-3505 or text information anonymously to “TIP411.”

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Town of Niagara man pleads guilty to three crimes

March 28, 2014, 2:42 pm
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LOCKPORT – A Town of Niagara man who was accused of stealing an all-terrain vehicle from a home on Porter Road in that town Dec. 28 pleaded guilty to three counts Thursday in Niagara County Court.

Anthony P. Evrard, 29, of Laur Road, admitted to third-degree burglary, fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property and petit larceny. He was admitted to the judicial diversion program of court-supervised drug treatment by County Judge Sara Sheldon Farkas.

The stolen property count pertained to the possession of two stolen furnaces on Dec. 1.

While he is in the diversion program, Evrard will have to pay total restitution of $1,004.23 to the victims, Assistant District Attorney Kevin D. Canali said.

Charges remain open against co-defendant Elizabeth G. Vanness, 31, of Porter Road, who has asked to be screened for participation in diversion. She said in court Feb. 24 that she is a daily cocaine user. She and Evrard are both repeat felons. A third man charged in the case, Kyle V. Swinger, 27, was prosecuted for a misdemeanor in Town Court.
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Sex offender given two weeks to mull plea offer

March 28, 2014, 2:42 pm
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LOCKPORT – Sean M. Vickers, a Geneva man already listed as a Level 3 sex offender, has been given two weeks to consider a slightly improved plea offer that would halt a trial in a triple-child molestation case that could land him in prison for life if he is convicted.

On Friday, Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth R. Donatello said she’s offering a 20-year sentence in exchange for guilty pleas to two Class B felonies and one Class D felony. Vickers, 44, has twice previously turned down a plea package with a 25-year sentence.

Donatello also said she wouldn’t object if Niagara County Judge Sara Sheldon Farkas sentences Vickers concurrently with whatever he gets if he is convicted on similar charges in Genesee County, where he is scheduled for trial in late July.

Vickers is charged with molesting three children in the Barker and Middleport areas between August 2012 and March 2013. There are five alleged victims in Genesee County, some of them the same children as in the Niagara County case.

Farkas postponed Vickers’ trial here from April 7 to May 12 to allow for downloading and analysis of evidence from Vickers’ computer and cellphone.
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Mother accused of poisoning milk exonerated of all charges

April 3, 2014, 3:39 pm
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An Orchard Park mother who was charged last October with poisoning her baby’s milk has been exonerated of the charges, Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita said Thursday.

Kimberly A. Lawton, now 37, was arrested last Oct. 14 by Orchard Park Police on charges of second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment and endangering the welfare of a child. The arrest was based on the complaint of Thomas G. Meyers, the infant’s biological father, who accused Lawton of lacing the baby’s milk with ethanol.

After reviewing the case against Lawton, an Erie County Grand Jury returned a “no bill,” dropping the charges, in late March, Sedita said.

“We looked at the case and began to have some doubts about the defendant’s guilt,” said Sedita. “Our review of the case and our post-arrest investigation exonerated her.”

Orchard Park Police Chief Mark Pacholec said his detectives believed Meyers to be a credible complainant.

“I can’t begin to guess what happened in the grand jury. I don’t know who testified or what evidence was presented. It was their decision, and we will abide by it,” Pacholec said Thursday.
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Robber who used fake gun gets maximum sentence

April 3, 2014, 3:43 pm
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LOCKPORT – A Niagara Falls man who tried to rob a convenience store while armed with a toy gun was sentenced Thursday to the maximum 1 1/3 to four years in state prison.

Niagara County Judge Matthew J. Murphy III told Jacob Briones, 21, of 19th Street, that he committed “a very violent act.”

Briones tried to rob the Indian General Store, 1611 Pine Ave., Niagara Falls, on Dec. 22, 2012. He lost his sweatshirt in a struggle with a store employee, and DNA from the shirt was used to arrest Briones, who pleaded guilty to attempted third-degree robbery.

Deputy District Attorney Doreen M. Hoffmann said the worker was still feeling the effects of being hit in the face during the struggle. Defense attorney Michael C. Schmahl said Briones was drunk and high on marijuana at the time.
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Nine arrested in Jamestown heroin and cocaine investigation

April 3, 2014, 4:40 pm
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JAMESTOWN – Nine suspects were arrested during a joint raid by Jamestown police, state police and federal homeland security agents Wednesday on seven Jamestown-area homes following a months-long investigation into drug trafficking.

Raids were staged at 228 E. Second St., 3 Forest Park, 614 Spring St., 129 Fairview Ave., 100 E. 8th St., 20 Willis St. and 711 Cherry St., said Jamestown Police Capt. Robert Samuelson. The Cherry Street raid led to the seizure of cocaine, cash and a marijuana growing operation.

Arrested and jailed were:

• Alberto Acevedo, 24, of 228 E. 2nd St., charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, seventh degree. He was also booked on a probation violation warrant.

• Luis Acevedo, 46, the father of Alberto, also of 228 E. Second St., charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, third degree.

• Hector Colon Rodriguez, 20, of 3 Forest Park, charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, third degree.

• Roberto Morales Sanchez, 45, of 614 Spring St., charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree and criminal use of drug paraphernalia.

• Leslie Rodriguez, 27, also of 614 Spring St., charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree and criminal use of drug paraphernalia.

• Daniel McKay, 20, of 129 Fairview Ave., charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, for brass knuckles seized along with a quantity of heroin.

• Wesley Riley, 35, of 711 Cherry St., charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, prohibited growing of marijuana, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree and unlawful possession of marijuana.

• Robin Riley, 56, described as a relative of Wesley Riley, of 711 Cherry St., charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, prohibited growing of marijuana, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree and unlawful possession of marijuana.

• Brooke Weinert, 20, also of 711 Cherry St., charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, prohibited growing of marijuana, criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Samuelson said officers discovered a quantity of cocaine at the Cherry Street address along with a marijuana growing operation and 31 marijuana plants hidden behind a false wall in the house.

An illegal dagger and a walking cane containing a sword were also seized there.

Anyone with information on the illegal sale and trafficking of narcotics in the Jamestown area is asked to contact the Jamestown Police Department’s Anonymous Tip line at 483-8477, Samuelson said.

He said all calls are kept confidential.

email: mgryta@buffnews.com
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Suspended cell-block worker arraigned on dog-fighting charges

April 3, 2014, 4:40 pm
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Shannon Richardson, a suspended Buffalo police cellblock attendant, was arraigned Thursday in State Supreme Court on felony dog-fighting charges.

The defendant, 34, stood silently as Supreme Court Justice Christopher J. Burns continued the bail set at $7,500.

Richardson, 34, of Erb Street, faces three felony counts of prohibition of animal fighting and two misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. He also faces a misdemeanor count of prohibition of animal fighting in connection with fight-training equipment recovered from his home after his arrest in December.

Police at that time also recovered four malnourished fighting dogs.

Erie County Assistant District Attorney Justin Wallens argued unsuccessfully to increase bail to $10,000. Wallens cited Richardson’s 2005 arrest in Lackawanna during a domestic dispute in which police said he stabbed an ex-girlfriend with a screw driver before being forcibly subdued with a chemical spray.

Immediately after the arraignment, an animal-rights advocate who attended the proceeding shouted: “Click ‘em tight, just like the chains you put around their necks.”

Outside the courthouse at 25 Delaware Ave., about a dozen protesters wearing red marched against dog fighting. Some carried signs with the name and photograph of Ginja, one of the dogs recovered from Richardson at the time of his arrest.

Ginja was reported missing from the Buffalo Animal Shelter in early January, A $7,000 reward has been offered for her return.

email: jkwiatkowski@buffnews.com
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A man tells police he was beaten and robbed of his debit cards

April 3, 2014, 6:38 pm
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NIAGARA FALLS – A 43-year-old man said another man entered his house, punched him and took his debit cards at 11:15 p.m. Wednesday in the 400 block of 23rd Street.

The victim told police the suspect forced his way into the house, damaging the lock on the front door.

The victim said the suspect demanded that he pay money that he owed him. When the victim said he could pay only half of it, the suspect allegedly attacked him.

The victim told police he canceled the debit cards, and he refused medical treatment.

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