Afternoon News Brief

A Tonawanda Seneca Nation man has been arrested and charged with repeatedly sexually assaulting two children. 76-year-old Charles Dockstader of Council House Road, was arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree sexual conduct against a child. Both charges are related to continuing the conduct against a child under the age of 11. The charges are class D felonies punishable by up to seven years in prison. Dockstader was arraigned in Alabama Town Court and committed to Genesee County Jail.

 

 

The Town of Batavia Planning Board unanimously approved special use permits and site plans for two solar projects to be located at 9183 Alexander Road. It’s known as the Pike Road Solar Farm Project. Before a building permit is issued, the company must finalize, a host community agreement with the Town of Batavia, to include annual payments of $2,500 per megawatt for 25 years with a 2 percent annual escalation of payments or a lump sum payment approved by the Town. The resolution includes provisions on grading and landscaping and there are also provisions to handle any changes to the development plan.

 

The criminal case against Cassandra Elmore of Batavia, the owner of a French bulldog who overdosed on narcotics last May and June, will likely remain pending for now. Without revealing specific details, Public Defender Jamie Welch indicated he needs more time to file motions in light of new evidence, new discovery turned over by the District Attorney’s Office, and his recent receipt of lab reports. Welch indicated the charges of injuring an animal under New York’s Ag and Markets Laws are more complicated than typical penal statutes and required more research. A hearing date is scheduled for December 15 and if agreement is reached, the case could be resolved at that time.

 

Jury deliberations resumed this afternoon in the Kirk Ashton trial. He’s the former principal at Northwood Elementary School in Hilton who’s accused of sexually abusing 26 students over the course of 17 years. Ashton did not take the stand in his own defense. In closing arguments, his attorney acknowledged Ashton was a bit ‘touchy-feely’ when interacting with male students but said those interactions took place out in the open and never behind closed doors. He also questioned the credibility of some of the victim’s testimony suggesting some of them had a hard time answering ‘unscripted’ questions. This morning, jurors requested a read-back of one student’s testimony, to which they reportedly paid close attention. Ashton was principal at the school from 2004 until he was arrested last year.

 

The woman who caused a crash that killed her husband has now been sentenced for her crime. Yesterday, a judge ordered Jennie Clark to spend the next 20 years behind bars following her guilty plea to vehicular manslaughter and attempted murder charges earlier this year. Back on July 4th, 2021 Clark was under the influence of alcohol when she drove off the road and struck a telephone pole in Ogden. Matthew Clark died but the couple’s three children who were in the vehicle were not hurt.

 

 

 

Some brand-new data from the state shows the spread of the coronavirus is now on the decline in our region. Right now, the seven-day average infection rate is sitting at 7.7% compared to last week, when it was at 8.4%. Or local health departments continue to recommend getting vaccinated against the virus and receive a booster shot to prevent another surge in cases.

 

 

The Buffalo Sabres have picked up their second win in a row last night after another victory on the road. Alex Tuch had a hat trick Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt each scored as did Rasmus Dahlin. The Sabres beat the Calgary Flames 6-3 at the Scotiabank Saddledome. Dahlin now holds the record of being the first defenseman in NHL history to score in the first four games of a season. Buffalo goalie Eric Comrie had another great game, stopping all but three of the 43 shots he faced. The Sabres continue their road trip tomorrow night when they take on the Vancouver Canucks at 10.

 

Lotto players are hoping luck is on their side as they try and win one of the biggest Powerball jackpots of the year. There was no winner on Wednesday, so the prize up for grabs for tomorrow night’s drawing will be at least $550,000,000. No one has won the top Powerball prize since August, and the odds of you correctly picking all six winning numbers are 1 in 292,000,000. The drawing will be streamed live online. Good luck! Please play responsibly.