Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on December 7, 2023
A high speed chase started in Batavia early in the morning Thursday when 35 year old Tanner Wiley and 32 year old Kimberly Brodsky both of Batavia sped away from a traffic stop on West Main Street. The pair blew town at a high rate of speed heading for Pembroke at around 1am. Police were able to get ahead of them and deploy spike strips which caused their car to go off the side of the road. Wiley ran from the vehicle but was apprehended in the woods. Wiley and Brodsky are each charged with criminal possession of weapon 3rd degree, criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th degree and criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd degree with intent to sell. Wiley was additionally charged with unlawful fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle 3rd degree, obstruction of governmental administration 2nd degree, aggravated unlicensed operation 1st degree and various NYS Vehicle and Traffic charges.
Firefighters found a man’s body inside a vacant home on the city’s northwest side that caught fire Thursday morning. Crews responded to the home on Fulton Avenue just before 7 a.m. and made the discovery after putting out the fire. Firefighters said the home was recently boarded and the man who died had broken in and was squatting at the home. Crews said the fire started inside the home and the man unsuccessfully tried to escape. Investigators are working to determine who set the fire and whether it was intentional.
The man convicted of killing Rochester Police Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz was scheduled to learn his sentence Thursday afternoon, but the proceeding was adjourned. Kelvin Vickers, 22, was convicted Oct. 13 of all 26 charges against him — including murder, attempted murder, reckless endangerment, arson and criminal possession of a weapon — for the July 21, 2022 shooting that killed Mazurkiewicz and injured Officer Sino Seng. Thursday’s sentencing was called off after the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office was alerted to an email with information regarding a witness. Defense attorney Michael Schiano said the email claimed a witness who was on the porch with Vickers before Mazurkiewicz was shot may be able to provide relevant information. The new proceedings in the case will be February 16th.
Despite overall crime dropping across much of the country, retail theft is on the rise, and in Western New York, more organized crime rings are targeting local stores. Shoplifting-related calls in Cheektowaga — home of the Walden Galleria and several large shopping plazas — went from between 800 and 900 per year from 2018 to 2021 to over 1200 a year in 2022 and 2023, spiking over the past two years. It’s unclear how much of that is due to organized theft, but authorities say that problem is worsening. The Retail Council of New York State says retail theft hit $4.4 billion last year, and a significant portion of that is attributed to organized groups.
Genesee County has reached a new agreement with the Deputy Sheriff’s Association. This 3 year deal will give raises of between 3 and 7.5 percent over the next 3 years and will have a budget impact of $480,546 for items such as overtime salaries, hourly on-call, holiday and special pay, social security and Medicare taxes, and retirement expenses. The agreement was negotiated with the county Legislature, Sheriff’s Office and Deputy Sheriffs’ Association. The Ways & Means Committee agreed to pass it onto the full Legislature for a final vote next week. To see a breakdown of how much is being spent where, check out our news partner the Batavian.
The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Boston Bruins 3 to 1 last night at the TD Garden ending their losing streak after 4 losses. JJ Peterka, Dylan Cozens, and Victor Olofsson scored for Buffalo. Former Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark was pressed hard making 33 saves. The Sabres will be back home in Buffalo Saturday night at 7pm.
