Morning News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on March 2, 2023
U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced Thursday that a Florida man will serve 29 years in prison after asking five teenage girls in and near Buffalo to make child pornography for him. The victims ranged in age from 13 to 17 years old. 33-year-old Andrew Lynch, communicated with the five teenage girls via Facebook Messenger between April and May 2018. After Lynch threatened and coerced the girls, they sent him a number of images and videos of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct as well as doing video chats with him which were also explicit in nature. During the communication, Lynch posted pornographic images of the girls on Facebook in an effort to coerce them into sending more sexually explicit images and videos.
In the ongoing saga of 30 year old Cassandra Elmore and her inability to show up for court appearances a new stage has been reached. Elmore was released from jail on February 18th on her own recognizance, after failing to show for at least a half dozen court appearances and apparently fleeing the law on more than one occasion. She was ordered to a rehab facility but, fairly predictably, never showed up. 2 warrants have been issued for her arrest and Chief Heubusch says his officers are looking for Elmore. Meanwhile, the dog she is accused of allowing to overdose on narcotics, Oddey, remains confined to the Genesee County Animal Shelter, where it has been held since June. The dog has reportedly adjusted to life in the kennel and is doing fine.
Police confirmed Thursday afternoon that an adult body was found in the back of a vehicle at a Hertz rental lot on Ajax Road, near the Greater Rochester International Airport. Police said they were notified around 10:30 a.m. that staff at the lot had found a body in the back of a rental SUV that had been towed from the city. Police said they also couldn’t confirm the body’s identity, how long the person had been dead, why the vehicle had been towed, how long the rental was overdue, or whether the body was concealed.
The iconic Patriots and Heroes Park on Transit Rd just off i 90 was vandalized overnight on Wednesday. Flags, light fixtures, and displays including “Tomb of the Unknown Soldier,” “Battle of the Bulge,” and “America The Land We Love” were damaged. Someone rubbed mud onto the murals and statues and broke off pieces of the masonry and statuary. In many cases removing the heads and smashing the statues to pieces. There is also graffiti and artificial flowers and lettering have been removed. The Russel Salvatore’s Patriots and Heroes Park was established more than a decade ago to honor veterans and first responders. The landmark was also voted the #1 tourist attraction in Williamsville on TripAdvisor.com
Comedian Adam Sandler announced the next leg of his comedy tour, and a stop in Buffalo will be on the agenda. Sandler will perform in the Queen City at the Keybank Center on Sunday, April 16. Presale tickets to the tour went on sale Thursday at noon. The general sale will begin Friday, March 3 at noon.
The Boston Bruins coasted to their 9th straight victory at TD stadium Thursday night with a 7 to 1 win over the Sabres. Casey Middelstadt scored the lone goal for Buffalo and Ukko Pekka Luukkonen made 35 saves. Rasmus Dahlin was on injured reserve for the game. The Sabres will come home to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday for a matinee game at 12:30 in the afternoon.
