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Mugger sentenced to seven years in prison for beating with cast

April 3, 2014, 6:38 pm
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LOCKPORT – A man who used a cast on his arm to beat his victim during an Aug. 28 robbery was sentenced Thursday to seven years in prison by Niagara County Judge Matthew J. Murphy III.

Kenneth L. Graham II, 26, of Lafayette Avenue, Niagara Falls, had pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in the incident that left the victim with four cracked ribs. The victim said he was robbed of $2,000 in cash by two men, and ran up more than $1,800 in hospital bills after the mugging at 19th Street and Ashland Avenue.

Defense attorney James J. Faso Jr. said Graham was highly intoxicated and under the influence of numerous drugs at the time.

Deputy District Attorney Doreen M. Hoffmann said a man believed to be the second assailant was arrested a few days ago and is expected to appear in County Court soon.
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Buffalo man pleads guilty in theft of designer jeans

April 3, 2014, 6:39 pm
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LOCKPORT – A Buffalo man faces mandatory state prison time after admitting in Niagara County Court Thursday that he stole more than $1,000 worth of designer jeans from the Saks Off 5th store in the Fashion Outlets, Town of Niagara, on June 29.

It will be the fourth trip to state prison for Tracy T. Rhym, 49, of LaSalle Avenue, who faces sentencing for fourth-degree grand larceny on July 9. County Judge Sara Sheldon Farkas promised to give him the minimum sentence of 1 1/2 to three years, but imprisonment is mandatory because Rhym is a repeat felon.

His criminal resume includes an Erie County grand larceny conviction in 2010, for which he was on parole when he was charged with stuffing thousands of dollars worth of clothing into a trash bag in the Saks store. He also went to prison for a 2003 robbery and a 1989 grand larceny and forgery case.
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Falls man admits lawn mower theft

April 3, 2014, 6:39 pm
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LOCKPORT – A Niagara Falls man pleaded guilty Monday to a reduced charge in connection with the June 9 theft of a lawn mower from a residential garage on Buffalo Avenue, near his home.

William J. Dietz II, 32, of Buffalo Avenue, admitted to second-degree criminal trespass.

Niagara County Judge Matthew J. Murphy III scheduled sentencing for June 12 and told Dietz he could go to the County Jail for a year.
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Falls man pleads guilty in gun case

April 3, 2014, 6:39 pm
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LOCKPORT – A man who was caught with a loaded .22-caliber handgun and an assortment of prescription pills when Niagara Falls police raided his home May 15 pleaded guilty to a reduced charge Thursday in Niagara County Court.

David E. Adams, 48, of Whitney Avenue, admitted to attempted third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and was scheduled for sentencing June 27 by County Judge Sara Sheldon Farkas.

In another drug case Thursday, Cedric L. Elias, 32, of South Transit Road, Lockport, pleaded guilty to fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance for selling cocaine June 7 in the Town of Lockport. Farkas will sentence Elias June 25.
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Lockport police nab 3 in robbery probe

April 3, 2014, 6:39 pm
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LOCKPORT – Lockport Police announced Thursday that three men were arrested Wednesday night while investigating the robbery of a Niagara Falls man near the Subway restaurant on Main Street. Two were charged with the robbery and the third was wanted by State Police in connection with a Feb. 12 debit card theft.

Demitrius R. Cole, 19, of Gooding Street, and Ralph L. Williams III, no age given, of Webb Street, were charged with second-degree robbery and other counts in connection with the 7:15 p.m. holdup. Police said they chased Cole through backyards and finally caught him behind a house on Gooding Street. Officers saw the basement door at a nearby house had been disturbed, and with the homeowner’s permission, the basement was entered and Williams was found hiding there. Cole also was charged in connection with a March 29 robbery on Pine Street.

During the investigation, Niagara County sheriff’s deputies saw Jason L. Benedict, 32, of Lockport, running in the area. He was caught in a Lock Street basement and charged by State Police with fourth-degree grand larceny, petit larceny and unlawful possession of personal identification in the Feb. 12 incident.
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Chasing a man in Front Park with pickup leads to arrest

April 3, 2014, 7:41 pm
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A 57-year-old Downing Street man was arrested and his pickup truck was impounded about 6:30 a.m. Thursday for allegedly trying to run down a Porter Avenue man and digging up grass in Front Park shortly after an angry confrontation with a woman in a nearby apartment building.

Edward Wheeler was charged with two counts of second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, petit larceny, criminal mischief, weapons possession, aggravated harassment and menacing.

Police reported he was beating up a woman in a Porter Avenue apartment building but she managed to call a neighbor for help. When the neighbor arrived at the woman’s flat, Wheeler is accused of hitting him in the face with “a large metal object” and chasing him out of the building brandishing what he told the man was a handgun. Police later found that it was a plastic BB gun.

When the man ran into Front Park, Wheeler allegedly got in his own pick-up truck and drove into the park, nearly striking the man who police said dived out of the way.

Wheeler was tracked down to his home and taken into custody there.
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Man arrested for assaulting woman and an 11-year-old girl

April 3, 2014, 8:36 pm
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A 33-year-old Maryner Towers man was arrested on assault and other charges after he was tracked down and arrested in the 3000 block of Bailey Avenue about 9 p.m. Wednesday, shortly after he allegedly beat a woman during a confrontation in a house in the first block of Millicent Avenue and hurting an 11-year-old neighbor girl who tried to intervene.

Samuel Tirado was charged with third-degree assault, harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.
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160 pounds of pot – not okra – in truck at Peace Bridge

April 4, 2014, 7:34 am
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FORT ERIE, Ont. – More than 160 pounds of marijuana was snagged March 20 by agents on the Canadian side of the Peace Bridge, Canada Border Services Agency reported this morning.

The agency reported that a truck arrived from the U.S. side with a load declared as okra. When agents conducted a secondary examination, they found 61 packages of vacuum-sealed marijuana, according to reports.

The driver, whose name was not released, was arrested and turned over, along with the marijuana, to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

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Police seek man who followed two children

April 4, 2014, 10:50 am
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Two schoolchildren were followed and approached by a stranger Friday morning in North Buffalo, the fourth time an incident like this has been reported in recent weeks.

A suspicious male followed the students as they made their way to St. Mark School, according to Buffalo police.

The driver followed the children as they walked to the school parking lot at Amherst Street and Summit Avenue. After getting out of the car to approach them, the kids ran into the school, and the man fled in his car, police said.

The vehicle is described as a possible newer model black Honda Accord with tinted windows. The driver is described as a white male, of average height and weight, with shoulder-length black hair and some facial hair.

A St. Mark employee said there would be no comment, but that the school was “not in lockdown.”

In automated telephone messages to school parents, Principal Lee Brenner said an unidentified man pulled into the parking lot.

“He made no contact with our students, but he did get out of his car,” Brenner said in the message.

The police were immediately called, she said.

Letters to parents about the incident were sent home Friday with students.

Another incident occurred Monday just a few blocks away near Jewett Parkway and Woodward Avenue.

Detectives say a 10-year-old girl was followed by a man in a similar car after she got off the school bus and headed home.

Wednesday, Olmsted School 64 Principal Nora Trincanati sent a letter home to parents warning of the incident Monday and two others, and describing the suspect in the Parkside area as ”skinny with dark shoulder-length hair, wire-rimmed glasses and bad teeth.”

The letter said teachers were instructed to review what children were to do if approached by a stranger attempting to lure them into a car. Parents were encouraged to do the same thing at home.

“I encourage you to be alert to unusual or suspicious cars or persons in your neighborhood, and to report any suspicious behavior to the police and the school,” Trincanati wrote.

Friday, Buffalo Public Schools sent out automated calls to parents about the incidents. The message told parents that police are “aware of school arrival and dismissal times.”

It also said that one of the incidents involved a man in a yellow truck, the other a black car. “Each approached in a friendly manner and offered a ride,” school officials said.

Police are asking anyone with information regarding these or any other incidents to call them at 847-2255.

email: msommer@buffnews.com
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Police searching for missing North Tonawanda man

April 4, 2014, 12:29 pm
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Police are continuing their search for a North Tonawanda man who took his dog for a walk on Tuesday night and never returned.

Frances “Matt” Christman, 35, was reported missing by his girlfriend Wednesday afternoon, although he has not been seen by anyone since about 8 p.m. on Tuesday, said Capt. Thomas E. Krantz, chief of detectives for the City of North Tonawanda Police Department.

The disappearance is considered suspicious, Krantz said.

“We’re not ruling anything out; everything is open,” Krantz said Friday. “There’s nothing to indicate he would just walk away on his own voluntarily, but we have not ruled that out either.”

Christman left his residence on Cottage Street Tuesday night to take his dog for a walk in an area off Witmer Road.

Neither he nor the dog has returned, and at this point no one knows their whereabouts.

Christman – who goes by the name Matt – is described as a white male about 6 feet tall, weighing about 240 pounds with short brown hair and numerous tattoos. He was last seen wearing a black North Face fleece, a dark gray T-shirt, blue jeans and tan army boots.

His dog is a Rottweiler with white around his mouth.

Investigators have been trying to talk to anyone who knows Christman, but so far nobody has heard from him, Krantz said.

If anyone has any information, they are asked to contact Lt. Karen Smith at 692-4317 or the Detective Bureau at 692-4312.
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Accused child molester from Mississippi tracked to Jamestown

April 4, 2014, 12:46 pm
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A Buffalo task force headed by the U.S. Marshals Service arrested a Mississippi man earlier this week and charged him with molesting a 6-year old girl.

Shawn Jones, 33, is accused of molesting the young girl earlier this year. Deputy U.S. Marshal Scott Baryza said the man fled Mississippi after the incident and was found Wednesday at his girlfriend’s house on Lafayette Street in Jamestown. The arrest was made by the Violent Felony Task Force, a coalition of law enforcement agencies based in Buffalo.
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Fugitive tied to West Side gang surrenders

April 4, 2014, 1:26 pm
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A fugitive and accused gang member surrendered to the FBI in Buffalo Friday, just four days after billboards with his name and photo went up across the region.

Oscar Romero, a suspected member of the Loiza Boys Gang on the West Side, is charged with conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine.

Brian P. Boetig, Special Agent in Charge of the local FBI office, attributed Romero’s arrest to the billboard campaign and the media attention that accompanied it.

Investigators said Romero was believed to be hiding out in Puerto Rico, but new information indicated he might have returned to Buffalo.

His arrest followed an investigation by the FBI’s Safe Streets task Force.
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Second man sought for questioning in Jamestown drugstore holdup

April 4, 2014, 3:10 pm
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JAMESTOWN – With one suspect already in custody, Jamestown police said Friday they are seeking a person of interest in the March 26 armed holdup of the CVS Drug Store at 19 S. Main St.

Detectives believe Dennis J. Harmon, 29, who is also wanted an arrested warrant for violating drug treatment court conditions, is still in the Jamestown area. On Thursday, Thomas Lawson, 23, was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree robbery in the robbery.

Anyone with information about Harmon is asked to call Jamestown Police at 483-7537 or the department’s Anonymous Tip Line at 483-8477.
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Damage estimated at $100,000 in Morris Avenue fire

April 4, 2014, 3:48 pm
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A fire caused $100,000 in damage to a 2½-story frame house at 99 Morris Ave. Friday afternoon.

The cause of the fire, which broke out about 3 p.m., remains under investigation. No one was injured, authorities said. Damage to the building was estimated at $65,000 and contents, $35,000.
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Former pot trafficker admits to selling cocaine

April 4, 2014, 4:05 pm
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LOCKPORT – A Niagara Falls man who is on federal post-release supervision for marijuana trafficking pleaded guilty Friday to having sold cocaine last summer in the Falls.

Joseph J. Mauldin, 46, of Ashland Avenue, admitted to fifth-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance and faces up to four years in state prison when he is sentenced July 10 by Niagara County Judge Sara Sheldon Farkas.

Mauldin was convicted in 2009 on federal charges of conspiring to possess and distribute more than 100 kilograms of pot, Assistant District Attorney Peter M. Wydysh said. He was indicted locally for cocaine sales to a police informant in the Falls Aug. 14 and 19.

Mauldin said he’s in drug rehab and has been clean since last July.
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Dryer lint sparks house fire

April 6, 2014, 6:57 am
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FALCONER – Excess dryer lint that ignited caused a house fire on South Work Street on Saturday night, the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office said.

The dryer lint in the vent pipe of a second-floor apartment at 174 S. Work St. sparked the blaze at 10:20 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office said.

A person in the second-floor apartment was able to escape uninjured and is being helped by the Red Cross.

No damage estimate for the property was released.

A first-floor apartment was vacant at the time of the blaze.
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Shooting victim, bystanders refuse to talk to police

April 6, 2014, 8:12 am
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A 21-year-old man was shot twice Saturday afternoon on the corner of East Ferry Street and Goodyear Avenue.

The shooting happened at about 2:09 p.m., according to a Buffalo police report.

The victim, who was hit twice in the right side, was taken to Erie County Medical Center. No further information on his condition was immediately available this morning.

The uncooperative victim and bystanders at the scene refused to provide information to investigators, according to the police report.
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Icy overpasses, ramps cause morning mayhem

April 6, 2014, 8:29 am
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Firefighters and tow truck drivers were kept busy early today as icy conditions on area overpasses and bridges caused at least four accidents.

Shortly after 6:30 a.m., a five-car pile-up occurred on the inbound Skyway and sent one person to the hospital.

A short time later, a minivan overturned on the Scajaquada Expressway ramp near the southbound Niagara Thruway. That accident sent the driver to the hospital.

As firefighters were clearing that accident scene, another minivan overturned below them on the northbound Niagara Thruway. That driver escaped serious injury and refused treatment.

Shortly after that, a tractor-trailer jackknifed on the ramp from the Peace Bridge to the southbound Niagara Thruway. A heavy-equipment wrecker truck had to be called to remove the tractor-trailer.
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Two hit by buckshot in Bailey-Genesee area

April 6, 2014, 11:29 am
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Two people were injured when they were struck with buckshot late this morning in the Bailey-Genesee neighborhood.

The incident happened at Texas Street and Kerns Avenue just before 11:30 a.m.

The two victims did not appear to have serious injuries, Buffalo police spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said in an email.

Police did not release any further details.
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Firefighters probe smoke at Lancaster Lanes

April 6, 2014, 1:17 pm
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Firefighters have been called to Lancaster Lanes bowling alley, 4913 Transit Road, for a report of smoke in the building.

The alarm was called in just after 9 a.m., according to Lancaster police.

No further details were immediately available.
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