Evening News Briefing
Written by Dan Fischer on January 25, 2018
Marlek Holmes
Sexual predator Marlek Holmes agrees to a deal that will send him to prison for 25 years.
Holmes agreed to drop all of his appeals in exchange for consecutive five year terms on his assault convictions and dismissal of an indictment that accused him of failing to register his change of address.
Genesee County District Attorney Lawrence Friedman considers Holmes one of the most hardened criminals he has ever prosecuted:
Holmes was to have appeared in court on Monday but officials at Auburn Prison, where he was being held, detected a metal object in his body.
A hearing to declare Holmes a persistent violent felony offender was canceled when he accepted the sentencing deal.
State Police have added a new tool to their crime fighting arsenal.
Troop A headquarters in Batavia has obtained two high-tech drones which will be available throughout the eight Western New York counties that fall under Troop A’s jurisdiction.
Captain Scott Reichel said the drones will not circumvent anyone’s right to privacy:
Photo Courtesy: The Batavian
A total of 16 drones have been purchased for use across the state. The Troopers Foundation, a private charitable organization, purchased all but two of the drones. They cost about $7,000 each.
Governor Cuomo has signed an executive order to combat the flu epidemic. The order will allow pharmacists to give flu vaccines to children as young as two. That will increase access and convenience for New Yorkers trying to get the flu shot. There were nearly eight thousand confirmed cases across the state this past week. That is the highest of any weekly number the state has seen since reporting began in 2004.
Governor Cuomo is moving to protect net neutrality in New York. He’s signed an executive order aimed at Verizon, Spectrum, Sprint, AT&T and other Internet service providers. If they want to do business with state government, they’ll first have to agree to keep the Internet free and open to all users. Cuomo’s order comes just weeks after the FCC abolished net neutrality regulations barring providers from blocking or slowing down Web traffic.
