Afternoon News Brief

37-year-old Jamie Kraft of Batavia has been arrested for obstruction of governmental administration, aggravated harassment and falsely reporting an incident. He allegedly made numerous false reports and threatening phone calls to 9-1-1 Dispatch. Kraft was released on an appearance ticket and is scheduled to appear in Batavia City Court tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

19-year-old James Zurek of Batavia is now charged with strangulation, assault and petit larceny. Police arrested him in a parking lot on Cedar Street. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court.

 

 

 

 

 

34-year-old Craig Poler, formerly of Castile, was sentenced today to 20 years in state prison for repeatedly raping a child over the course of two years. Poler will also be on 10 years of post-release supervision and have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Poler was arrested in January after a Wyoming County sheriff’s investigation. He had been charged with two counts of predatory sexual assault against a child, which carries a maximum term of life in prison. The plea deal he accepted limited the sentence to anywhere from 15 to 20 years in prison.

 

 

The Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee has announced the results of the latest crackdown on impaired driving. From August 19th through September 5th, over 2800 tickets were handed out to people who were under the influence while behind the wheel. There were also over 100,000 tickets issued for vehicle and traffic violations including speeding and distracted driving. State DMV Commissioner at GTSC Chair Mark Schroeder applauded members of law enforcement for doing their part to get people who were driving dangerously off the road.

 

 

The Erie County Sheriff’s Department has announced the traffic plan that will be in place before and after tonight’s game between the Bills and Titans. A section of Abbott Road in front of Highmark Stadium is going to be shut down to northbound and southbound traffic starting at 2:15 and remain closed until the game is over. The parking lots at the stadium open at 3:15 and drivers are being asked not to park on the shoulder of any roads to ensure pedestrian safety. Go Bills!

 

The Buffalo Bills will have the support of their home crowd tonight as they look to start their season with a second straight win. Quarterback Josh Allen and the defending AFC East champion Bills are hosting the Tennessee Titans at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. Buffalo is coming off of a 31 to 10 victory over the reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams on September 8th. Kickoff for this evening’s contest is set for 7:15.

 

Free car seat checks are being offered around the Empire State over the next few days as part of Child Passenger Safety Week. Trained technicians will be available to teach parents how to select a child restraint and how to make sure that it’s used correctly every time. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed of the 755 children who died in crashes in 2020, 42% were unrestrained. A list of car seat check events can be found online at trafficsafety.ny.gov.