Morning News Briefing
Written by Dan Fischer on July 24, 2020
Michael Tomaszewski
Funeral Director Michael Tomaszewski is facing felony charges for allegedly pocketing Pre-need funeral payments.
The Sheriff’s Office says the scam bilked almost a hundred local families out of more than a half-million dollars.
The 48 year old Tomaszewski is accused of accepting the payments and not depositing the funds in trust accounts as required by law.
He is facing of grand larceny and falsifying business records.
Tomaszewski operates a funeral home bearing his name on West Main Street in Batavia and also the Dibble Family Event Center next door.
Tomaszewski was arraigned in county court late yesterday and then released on his own recognizance.
Jacob Sponaugle
Batavia police, with the help of F-9’s, search an area of Monclair Avenue and Vernon Place, looking for evidence related to Wednesday night’s shooting near the Days Inn.
The suspect in the shooting is identified as 21 year old Jacob Sponaugle lives on Montclair Ave.
He’s accused of shooting an acquaintance near the Days Inn Wednesday night in an apparent argument over a gun sale.
The victim of that shooting has not been identified by police. He suffered a non-life threatening wound to the upper chest.
Sponaugle has been charged with attempted murder and first degree assault. He is in the Genesee County Jail.
Governor Cuomo is sounding the alarm about the increase in COVID-19 cases among New York’s youngest residents. The governor says a campaign is being launched to warn people in their 20s and 30s about the dangers of coronavirus and how easily it’s spread.
A Batavia resident in their 20’s is the latest positive case of COVID-19 in Genesee County. There were no new cases of coronavirus reported over the past 24 hours in Orleans County.
The Buffalo Bills say season ticket holders for the upcoming 2020 campaign are eligible for refunds. And the team says those people can get their money back while maintaining their seat location and seniority for 2021. There’s no word yet if the Bills will play their home games in Orchard Park in front of fans due to questions surrounding the coronavirus. Season ticket holders have until August 14th to request a refund.
