Afternoon News Brief

39-year-old Ricardo Castillo, Jr. of Oakfield has been charged with rape after an investigation into an incident in Sheldon. He was arrested as the result of a joint investigation by Wyoming & Genesee County Sheriffs. Castillo was arraigned in the Town of Warsaw Court and ordered held on $100,000 bail.

 

 

Governor Kathy Hochul has defeated her Republican challenger, Long Island Congressman Lee Zeldin. It’s the first time a woman has been elected governor in the state. In other election news, both Attorney General Letitia James and State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli earned re-election as did Senator Chuck Schumer. Proposition 1 the Clean Air and Water Bill passed. George Borello won the newly created 57th district and Stephen Hawley won in the 139th. It’s still unknown which party controls Congress the day after the Midterms. NBC News declared the House a toss-up for the time being, while the Senate is seeing what they’re referring to as a razor-thin margin between Democrats and Republicans.

 

30-year-old Tyler Thomas of Batavia is charged with petit larceny. State Police in Lockport arrested him; no further information is available at this time.

 

 

 

35-year-old Andrew Searight of Batavia is one of two people charged with aggravated cruelty to animals. It’s alleged he abandoned a pair of dogs in an apartment on Bank Street. Searight entered a not-guilty plea today in his first appearance in County Court. He and co-defendant 24-year-old Jerrtonia Scarbrough were both indicted on the two felony counts and will be prosecuted separately. They are accused of abandoning two Pitbulls in an apartment and were later found malnourished and covered in feces in their cages. The male Pitbull recovered while the female Pitbull had to be euthanized. Searight will return to court early in January for a preliminary conference in his case, with oral arguments on any motions in the case scheduled for later in the month.

 

If you happened to purchase Powerball tickets for the most recent draw in Buffalo or Cheektowaga, check them carefully. There are three third-place winners in Western New York, each worth $50,000. One winning ticket for the record-breaking $2.04 billion jackpot was sold in Altadena, California.

 

 

A former substitute teacher who worked in the Fairport Central School District has been arrested for having child pornography. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that 25-year-old Marc Hoffman communicated online with several victims and exchanged sexually explicit photos. When police seized his phone, they found evidence of those discussions and also images of child porn. Hoffman has already been fired from his position with the school district and could spend up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

 

The Seneca Nation of Indians has announced plans to open its first legal marijuana dispensary in Niagara Falls. The 25-hundred square foot shop will be located in the area of John Daly Boulevard and Niagara Street near the Seneca One Stop gas station and convenience store. There will be a variety of products available to be purchased and there’s also going to be a drive-thru window. Construction has already started and the shop is expected to open early next year.

 

The losing streak of the Buffalo Sabres is now at three games following a disappointing defeat on home ice. Tage Thompson had the lone goal for Buffalo last night. They were beaten by Arizona 4-1 at KeyBank Center. Sabres goaltender Eric Comrie was only able to stop 20 of the 23 shots he faced in the contest. Up next for Buffalo is another home game Thursday night against the Vegas Golden Knights. Puck drop is 7:00.

 

 

 

Police in our region are warning drivers not to warm up their cars once the weather turns cold. They say that even if you can remote start the car and keep the key fob with you, the doors should be locked, valuables removed and perhaps even use a steering wheel lock. This is in response to numerous car thefts in recent months and if your vehicle is left unattended it’s an easy target.