Afternoon News Brief

A Batavia man has been sentenced to at least 35 years in prison. 40-year-old Melvin Huntley has been convicted on the 16 charges he faced, the most serious of which were three counts of predatory sexual assault against a child. If Huntley ever gets out of prison, he will have at least 20 years of post-release supervision. He was found guilty last month following a seven-day trial.

 

 

30-year-old Jamie Dutton of Batavia has been indicted on petit larceny charges. He is accused of stealing merchandise from Walmart last August. Dutton has an extensive criminal history. Twice in 2021, he was found not guilty in separate trials for attempted murder and assault. A month after the second trial, Dutton was indicted by a Genesee County grand jury on domestic violence charges and misdemeanor drug possession.

 

 

A Genesee County Grand Jury has indicted Shane VanName, accusing him of the crime of the felony charge of rape after he allegedly engaged in sexual intercourse with another person by forcible compulsion and without their consent, last month in the town of LeRoy. For the same incident, VanName is also accused of sexual abuse in the first degree after allegedly subjecting another person to sexual contact by forcible compulsion.

 

 

 

The Niagara County Sheriff tells us that two people have been charged with assault after a 2-year-old boy went into cardiac arrest after ingesting fentanyl. This follows a 9-1-1 call last April reporting an unresponsive 2-year old male. The child was transported to Eastern Niagara Hospital and a criminal investigation was initiated, into the home, parents, and circumstances surrounding the child’s ingestion of fentanyl. The child continues to receive treatment and is recovering. 20-year-old Jaynalyn Smith has been charged with first and second-degree assault and remains in Niagara County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail. 23-year-old Dustin Houghton is charged with second-degree assault and was released on $5000 bail.

 

51-year-old Vicki Showler of Alabama, is charged with petit larceny. She is accused of shoplifting at the Dollar General store on North Main Street, Oakfield last week. Showler was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released.

 

 

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce is celebrating its 51st Annual Awards Ceremony, which will be held on Saturday, March 11 at Batavia Downs Gaming. This event honors businesses and individuals for their achievements in business, community service and volunteerism. Tickets are $50.00 per person or a table of 8 for $360.00.
The evening begins at 5:00 with Hors Oeuvres, Entrée Tables & a Cash Bar; no formal sit-down dinner will be served. The Award Program starts at 7:00pm during which dessert and coffee will be served. This year’s honorees are:

Business of the Year: Max Pies Furniture Company, Inc.

Agricultural Business of the Year: Fenton’s Produce LLC
Innovative Business of the Year: Empire Hemp Co. LLC
Special Service Recognition of the Year: Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts
Council (GOART!)
Geneseean of the Year: Norm Argulski

Call Kelly J. Bermingham, at 343-7440, ext. 1026 to make your reservations

 

The Supreme Court is allowing New York to continue enforcing new gun control measures during an ongoing legal challenge. That means New York’s ban on guns in sensitive areas like schools, parks, and Times Square will remain in place for now. The state is also allowed to require gun license applicants to show good moral character. The Supreme Court denied a request from a group of gun owners to immediately pause the state’s regulations. But, two conservative justices say the case still has merit even though they didn’t intervene.

 

 

The latest data from the state shows that slightly fewer residents in our area have been contracting COVID-19 as of late. Right now, the seven day average infection rate is at 6.74%. At this time one week ago, the average infection rate was 6.77%. Experts from county health departments say the latest variant of the virus is spreading very rapidly and they’re urging everyone to take precautions to protect themselves from getting sick.

 

 

Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills has been released from the hospital and will continue recovering from his recent cardiac arrest at home. Hamlin was rushed to a Cincinnati hospital in critical condition January 2nd after he collapsed during a game between the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin arrived back in this area earlier this week and after he underwent tests, doctors decided he could be discharged. Bills head coach Sean McDermott says it’ll be up to Hamlin to decide if he wants to visit his teammates.

 

 

Buffalo Bills announced the team has activated the practice window for safety Micah Hyde and wide receiver Jamison Crowder. According to Bills head coach Sean McDermott, Hyde and Crowder will both practice Wednesday. They will not play this week but there is a chance they could return in the future if the Bills win Sunday. The Bills are set to return to Highmark Stadium Sunday at 1:00 to take on the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs.

 

The Buffalo Sabres are hoping they’ll be able to finish their current homestand with a win tonight and snap a two-game losing streak in the process. The Sabres are hosting the Winnipeg Jets at KeyBank Center. Buffalo is coming off of a disappointing 4-3 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night. Face-off for this evening’s contest is set for 7:00.