Afternoon News Brief

37-year-old Jennifer Moton of Rochester, has been charged with two counts of criminal sale and possession of a controlled substance and promoting prison contraband. Moton was arrested following a traffic stop on a warrant based on a sealed Grand Jury indictment in Genesee County for allegedly selling crack cocaine to an agent of the Local Drug Task Force in the City of Batavia. While Morton was being processed at the jail, information was developed that resulted in a search warrant. Moton was allegedly found in possession of 41 pre-packaged bags of crack cocaine along with a bulk quantity of crack cocaine. She was arraigned in Genesee County Court and released on her own recognizance and also arraigned in Town of Stafford court and similarly released on her own recognizance.

 

Anyone who has been outside today is already well aware of the high temperature and humidity. This has resulted is a heat advisory for Western NY, in effect until 6:00pm this evening. The National Weather Service warns us that the heat index will be in the upper 90s throughout the afternoon. High humidity and heat may cause heat illnesses to occur. Remember to drink plenty of water and get in the shade or air conditioning if you start feeling hot or light headed. Young children, the elderly, and pets are especially vulnerable as they may not know their limits or perceive the problem until it has advanced.

 

Mercy Flight flew a man to Strong Memorial Hospital. This, after his motorcycle was struck by a car pulling out on to Clinton Street from Terry Hills Golf Course yesterday afternoon. 46-year-old Brandon Pfeifer of Chili was thrown about 4 feet and suffered lower leg injuries and an injury to his left arm, when he was t-boned by a Chevrolet Equinox driven by 70-year-old Dale Gillmer of Amherst. Gillmer was cited for failure to yield the right of way; he claimed he could not see the motorcycle. Another person was charged with failure to obey a designated flag person after ignoring and driving around an accident barricade. When police caught up with that individual on the green at Terry Hills the individual was ticketed after he reportedly claimed that his tee-time was more important than someone fighting for their life in the middle of the road. Alcohol was not believed to be a factor in either incident. Photo: LinkedIn

 

63-year-old Arthur Golden of Batavia is charged with criminal contempt and burglary. He is accused of contacting a person he was ordered not to contact and has been ordered held without bail.

 

 

The suspect in that mass shooting at Tops in Buffalo last month is now facing 26 federal charges. Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland visited Buffalo and talked with family members of the victims who were killed at the Jefferson Avenue store back on May 14th. Garland then revealed the additional charges that have been filed against Payton Gendron that could make him eligible to receive the death penalty. Gendron has already pleaded not guilty to dozens of state charges and is in jail without bail.

 

The Batavia Police Department is conducting a Civilian Response to Active Shooter/Threat Events Class next week. There are two options to choose from — 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 22 or 6 to 9 p.m., Thursday, June 23 at City Hall, 1 Batavia City Centre. This course is open to the public and is free of charge; Batavia residents will be given first preference. The class will provide strategies, guidance, and a plan for surviving shooter and threat events. Although there will be signs advising attendees about the sensitive nature of the course, people may want to consider whether they want to remain for the entire portion of the presentation due to the nature of the subject matter. Seating is limited and registration is required. To sign up or for more information, contact aperkins@batavianewyork.com with your name, address, and phone number.

 

Some new data shows the spread of the coronavirus is continuing to slow down in our region. Right now, the 7 day average infection rate is sitting at just over 5%. At this time one week ago, the infection rate was 5.9%. While the number of new COVID-19 cases is dropping, people are still being urged to protect themselves and others from the illness by being vaccinated, getting their booster shots, and wearing a mask indoors. In a related story, Governor Hochul has renewed the state of emergency for the State of New York citing the COVID pandemic. In an executive order signed earlier this week, she cited that hospital admissions remain at over 100 per day; this was the primary reason she extended the order. On Tuesday, statewide hospitalizations were at 1,938, with 38 deaths. The Capital Region had a 7-day infection rate of 17.37 out of 100,000 New Yorkers with a percentage positivity of 7.09%. Central, NY was at 10.89 and Western NY, 11.85.

 

With just under two weeks until the primary, the three Democrats involved in the race for New York governor are taking part in another debate tonight. Governor Hochul, Long Island Congressman Tom Suozzi and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams will be hoping to show voters why they’re the best choice to lead the state into the future. When the candidates met last week for a debate, they discussed several key issues including gun violence and the economy. Primary day is set for Tuesday, June 28th.

 

Governor Hochul has announced over 46-million-dollars in funding will be available for a summer jobs program to help disadvantaged youth. The program introduces young New Yorkers from low-income families into the labor market so they can develop useful skills by working at places like parks, summer camps and nursing homes. In order to be eligible, young people must be between the ages of 14 and 20 years old and have a household income below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Anyone who is interested in taking part in the program can sign up at their local department of social services.

 

A Buffalo man who shot and killed a youth football coach nearly three years ago is going to be spending a lot of time behind bars. Yesterday, a judge sentenced 20-year-old Jason Washington to 25 years in prison. Back in August 2019, Washington shot Norzel Aldridge behind the Harvey Austin School on Sycamore Street. Earlier this year, a jury found Washington not guilty of murder and attempted murder but did convict him on manslaughter and other charges.

 

Rochester police are still looking into a shooting that sent a 33-year-old man to the hospital. The man told investigators that he was hit by gunfire on Epworth Street last night. The victim, whose name hasn’t been released, suffered a lower-body injury and is expected to be OK. Anyone with information on the case is asked to dial 911.

 

A second arrest has been made in connection with the discovery of a man’s body in a parking lot behind Geneva Hospital. Police have charged 24-year-old Lacritia Verstraete with manslaughter and concealment of a human corpse, the same crimes 21-year-old Kiara Scott is accused of committing. Officials say 44-year-old Keith Morlang suffered a medical emergency earlier this month and instead of getting him treatment, Scott and Verstraete left him in the parking lot. Police haven’t revealed Morlang’s exact cause of death yet.