Friday News Brief

On 2/16/2024, Oraid J. Blackshear, 19, of Batavia, NY was arrested and charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd degree, Tampering with Physical Evidence, Resisting Arrest, and Obstructing Governmental Administration 2nd degree. It’s alleged that Blackshear fled on foot and resisted arrest, when Batavia Police attempted to arrest him on an outstanding warrant. He was also allegedly in possession of an illegal loaded firearm. Blackshear was arraigned in CAP Court and remanded to the Genesee County Jail on $1000 cash bail. He is due in Batavia City Court, at a later date.

 

 

On 2/20/2024, Juan L. Figoura, 21, of Batavia, NY, was arrested on two arrest warrants. The first warrant charges Figoura with Criminal Contempt 1st for allegedly violating an order of protection on 7/14/2023. The other is related to a domestic incident that took place on 8/17/2023. Figoura is charged in that case with Criminal Contempt 1st, Grand Larceny 4th, Criminal Mischief 4th, Petit Larceny and Harassment 2nd. Figoura was arraigned in Batavia City Court and remanded to the Genesee County Jail. He is due back in court on 3/13/2024.

 

 

On 2/16/2024, Alan D. Tidd, 34, of Batavia, was charged with four counts of Failure to Register or Verify as a Sex Offender-2nd Offense. It’s alleged that Tidd failed to register four internet identifiers pertaining to social media accounts and a phone number. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and remanded to the Genesee County Jail.

 

 

 

On 2/16/2024, Nikkia M. Farias, 26, of Batavia, NY, was charged with Obstructing Governmental Administration 2nd degree and Resisting Arrest. Farias allegedly attempted to prevent police from arresting another person, by pulling them away from officers, as they attempted to take them into custody. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in court on 2/20/2024.

On 2/12/2024, Wendy L. Henry, 39, Brian M. Raphael, 35, and Jessica D. Delcour, 41, all three of Batavia, NY, were arrested and charged with Criminal Trespass 2nd. The trio allegedly unlawfully entered an apartment on Fisher Park. All were issued appearance tickets and are scheduled to appear in Batavia City Court on 2/27/2024.

On 2/14/2024, Lisa R. Richmond, 35, was arrested on an arrest warrant for Petit Larceny. Richmond allegedly stole money that was paid to her for a Batavia City School fundraiser. She was arraigned in Batavia City Court and released on her own recognizance. She is due back in court on 2/29/2024.

On 2/14/2024, Douglas G. Goodwin, 32, of Batavia, NY, was arrested and charged with Criminal Trespass 3rd degree. Goodwin allegedly unlawfully entered a building on Harvester Avenue on 12/27/2023. He was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on 2/20/2024.

On 2/11/2024, Jenell M. Sauer, 48, of Batavia, NY, was arrested and charged with Trespass. It’s alleged that Sauer attempted to gain entry into a residence, that she had previously been trespassed from. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in court on 2/27/2024.

On 2/11/2024, John A. Cabrera Sr., 56, of Batavia, NY, was charged with Criminal Contempt 2nd degree. Cabrera was arrested, after an incident on Washington Avenue where he allegedly violated a stay-away order of protection. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and released. He is due back in court, at a later date.

On 2/15/2024, John H. Bush Jr., 40, and Jennifer K. Freeman, 40, both of Batavia, NY, were arrested on Bench Warrants, out of Batavia City Court. The warrants stem from a traffic stop on 6/30/2023, where Bush was charged with Operating with a Suspended Registration, Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle 2nd degree, Resisting Arrest, and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th degree. Freeman was initially charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance 7th degree. The warrants were issued after they both failed to appear in court. They were arraigned in CAP Court and are due to appear in Batavia City Court, at a later date.

On 2/22/2024, Ihsaan Y. Parker, 22, of Rochester, NY, was arrested on an arrest warrant. Parker was initially charged on 8/2/2023, with Operating a Motor Vehicle with Registration Suspended, Aggravated Unlicensed Operation 3rd, and Operating without a Valid Inspection. The warrant was issued, after Parker failed to appear in court. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and released. He is due back in court on 3/14/2024.

IN OTHER NEWS:

A family is suing the City of Buffalo and American Medical Response for the death of their 18-year-old son. The wrongful death lawsuit is the result of what the family says was a delay in care after a shooting last July. Columbus Brooks had been playing basketball in Perkins Park when a bullet hit him. Officials with American Medical Response say that emergency responders performed CPR and then transported Brooks to ECMC. The lawsuit claims Brooks was left on the concrete and ended up bleeding to death. The family is seeking $6 million in damages.

 

 

 

An arrest has been made in connection with a violent incident at Saint John Fisher University. Authorities say 19-year-old Shalom Mathews, who is a student at the school, confronted an employee at the Wegmans School of Pharmacy Building Wednesday night. The employee offered Mathews mental health support, but he allegedly ended up pulling out a knife and tried to stab her. The woman got control of the knife and Mathews left, but was eventually captured. He’s now facing multiple charges.

 

 

Today, the City of Buffalo is going to be honoring a firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty. Mayor Byron Brown says flags will be lowered to half-staff in memory of Jason Arno. It was one year ago today when Arno was killed while at the scene of a massive blaze on Main Street. A remembrance ceremony is also scheduled to take place at the site of the tragedy. The 37-year-old Arno left behind a wife and daughter.

 

 

 

The man who murdered a member of the Rochester Police Department will be spending the rest of his life in prison. Yesterday, a judge sentenced 22-year-old Kelvin Vickers for his role in the shooting death of Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz. Mazurkiewicz and his partner Officer Sino Seng were on duty when Vickers opened fire towards them back in 2022. Officer Seng was seriously wounded but survived.

 

The Buffalo Sabres have avoided a second straight loss after picking up a victory in overtime. Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch and Rasmus Dahlin had a goal each as Buffalo beat the Tampa Bay Lightning three-to-two at Amalie Arena last night. Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had another solid game and stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced. Next up for the Sabres is a game tomorrow at home against the Vegas Golden Knights.

 

 

ELSEWHERE…

Actress Anne Whitfield is dead at 85. She appeared in the holiday classic “White Christmas” and many TV shows including “Father Knows Best” and “Perry Mason.” Family members announced she died on February 7th at a hospital in Yakima, Washington. She reportedly had an “unexpected accident” while on a walk in her neighborhood. They called her “a powerhouse in life.”

 

 

 

 

Smoking weed frequently could lead to a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. That’s according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association led by UCSF researchers and funded by the National Institutes of Health. If you use cannabis daily, predominately by smoking it, you may increase your risk of heart attack by 25% and stroke by 42%. If you dabble weekly, the risk drops but you’re still putting your heart and brain health on the line according to the analysis. Smoking weekly, you’re at a 3% higher risk for heart attack and a 5% higher risk for stroke. It’s unclear whether there is a direct causation between smoking marijuana and heart attacks and stroke, but this is one of the largest studies to show a connection between marijuana use and cardiovascular health.

 

The Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots keep growing and have combined to surpass the $1 billion mark. The top prize up for grabs in Mega Millions tonight is $607 million. And whoever is lucky enough to match all six winning numbers for Powerball tomorrow will get at least $443 million. Both drawings will be streamed live online. Please play responsibly.

 

Influenza vaccines have been 42% effective so far this season. That’s according to recent estimates from the CDC, which are from ongoing studies that are backed by the agency. The vaccines were estimated to be at least 41% effective in protecting adults against influenza hospitalization. For children, vaccines were estimated to be 52% to 61% effective. But the head of the CDC’s influenza prevention and control team says there could be fewer hospitalizations and deaths prevented in the U.S. if vaccination rates go down. Flu activity can last until May, according to the CDC.

 

The New Jersey restaurant booth featured in HBO’s Sopranos finale is now for sale on Ebay. The iconic booth where the titular family gathered at Holsten’s Brookdale Confectionery has long been a popular fan destination, with millions tuning in for the beloved show’s 2007 series finale. It even bears a sign that says “Reserved for the Soprano Family.” Holsten’s is now making renovations and the booth is on Ebay, where bidding is already over $13,000. Buyers have until Monday to try and snap up the piece of TV history.

 

On March 1, 1970, The Beatles made their last appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” as the program aired clips of the group performing “Let It Be” and “Two of Us.”