Thursday News Brief

On 1/26/2024, Michael A. Sweet, 37, of Batavia, NY was arrested and charged with Grand Larceny 4th degree. Sweet allegedly took payment to complete renovations at a residence in the City of Batavia, but never completed the work. Sweet was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on 2/6/2024.

 

 

 

 

On 1/29/2024, Trace G. Brewer, 23, of Batavia, NY, was arrested on an arrest warrant for Petit Larceny and Conspiracy 6th degree. It’s alleged that Brewer and another person stole merchandise from the 7-Eleven store on East Main Street. Brewer was arraigned in CAP Court and released. He is due in Batavia City Court at a later date.

 

On 1/25/2024, Nicole K. Dell, 38, of Silver Springs, NY, was arrested on an arrest warrant. Dell was initially arrested on 5/23/2022 and charged with DWI. The warrant was issued after she allegedly failed to appear in court. Dell was arraigned in CAP Court and released. She is due in Batavia City Court at a later date.

 

On 1/26/2024, Jacob J. Frayne, 26, of Darien, NY, was arrested and charged with Aggravated DWI. Frayne was arrested after a traffic stop on Pearl Street, where he was allegedly found to be operating a vehicle while intoxicated by alcohol. He was additionally charged with Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle 3rd degree. Frayne was issued appearance tickets and is scheduled to appear in Batavia City Court on 2/7/2024.

 

On 1/28/2024, Takari G. Lang-Smith, 22, of Batavia, NY, was arrested and chaged with DWI. Lang-Smith was arrested following a traffic stop where he was allegedly found to be operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He was issued several tickets and is due in Batavia City Court on 2/6/2024.

 

On 1/20/2024, Richard M. Fuhry, 42, of Brockport, NY, was arrested and charged with DWI. Fuhry was arrested after police were called to the area of North Park and Ross Street for the report of people fighting in the street. Fuhry, who was allegedly involved in the fight, was located operating a vehicle, on Seneca Avenue. He was allegedly found to be intoxicated and was arrested. Fuhry was issued several tickets and released. He is due in court on 2/7/2024.

 

On 1/22/2024, Brian J. Hawkins, 44, of Olean, NY, was arrested on two warrants out of Batavia City Court. The first was a bench warrant related to an incident in 2019 where he allegedly provided alcohol to a person under the age of 21. The second warrant was an arrest warrant for Bail Jumping 3rd degree. Hawkins was arraigned in CAP Court and is due in Batavia City Court at a later date.

 

On 1/22/2024, Tanika N. Avant, 22, of Batavia, NY, was arrested on a bench warrant out of Batavia City Court. The warrant stems from an incident in April of 2023, where she was charged with two counts of Harassment 2nd degree and one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child after a disturbance call on Bank Street. Avant was arraigned in Batavia City Court and remanded to the Genesee County Jail. She was scheduled to appear back in court on 1/25/2024.

 

IN OTHER NEWS…

33-year-old Dennis Jones of Fort Lauderdale, Florida has been convicted in Rochester and sentenced to serve 57 months in prison. From December 2021 through March 2022, Jones and three others drove from Florida to Rochester for the purpose of stealing purses from unoccupied vehicles in gym parking lots, hiking trails and residential neighborhoods. They used stolen driver’s licenses to cash stolen checks totaling over $55,000 at local banks. The other three defendants are already serving their prison terms.

 

 

Rochester police are continuing to look into the tragic death of a one-year-old child in their city. The 13-month-old girl was found unresponsive and not breathing at the Chatham Gardens apartment complex Tuesday. The girl was later pronounced dead at Rochester General Hospital. The cause of her death remains under investigation.

 

 

Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that Department of Motor Vehicles investigators last year recovered 286 stolen vehicles valued at nearly $8.6 million and another $152,000 in stolen auto parts, as the State ramps up efforts to crack down on skyrocketing auto thefts. The recoveries are up 19% from the $7.3 million recovered in 2022, and a 67% increase from the $5.2 million recovered in 2021. In addition to the 286 vehicles recovered, 29 of which were from Western NY, DMV investigators recovered 157 auto parts, nearly twice the number of parts recovered in 2022.

 

New York State is awarding $100 million to 50 school districts, including many in our region, to help support efforts to address learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic. The districts in Western New York that are receiving a portion of these funds include Buffalo, Tonawanda, and also Erie-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES. Governor Hochul says the state is making this investment to ensure students are on the path to success. She added that the money would also help support the mental health of students by providing them with critical resources.

 

An Erie County woman has been arraigned after being accused of abusing more than 150 animals. The District Attorney’s Office says 24-year-old Kerisa Schmitt had animals such as chickens, dogs, goats and rabbits living in horrific conditions on her property in Cheektowaga. The animals also did not have access to food and water at the time they were rescued back in December. Schmitt is currently banned from owning any animals and is due back in court February 29th.

 

 

 

The state Division of Consumer Protection has issued some tips to help New Yorkers avoid scams during tax season. The agency recommends filing early using e-file and to request a direct deposit of your refund so that identity thieves have less of an opportunity to claim it. If you choose to mail in your return, do so from a secure location like the post office instead of leaving it in your home mailbox. If you want to use a tax preparer, research that person and make sure they’re willing to sign your return.

 

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has traded in his football helmet for golf clubs today. Allen is set to take part in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California that runs today and tomorrow. Allen will be joined by former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, current New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers and NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young. Coverage of the tournament will air on both the Golf Channel and ESPN plus.

ELSEWHERE…

Alec Baldwin is pleading not guilty to a shooting charge on the “Rust” movie set in 2021. Baldwin plead not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins who was fatally shot during filming on the New Mexico set. Hutchins died after Baldwin was involved in a rehearsal where the gun he was using fired with a real bullet. Initial charges were dropped after Baldwin’s lawyers maintained he never actually pulled the trigger. Baldwin was indicted by a grand jury on the latest charge on January 19th.

 

President Biden’s lead over former President Trump is increasing in the polls. That’s according to a new Quinnipiac University poll that shows Biden leading Trump 50 to 44 percent in a hypothetical general election matchup. A December poll showed Biden receiving 47% support from registered voters and Trump securing 46%.

 

The Federal Reserve is holding interest rates at their highest level as consumer confidence improves and inflation slows. Fed Chair Jerome Powell told reporters, however, the central bank needs to see more evidence inflation is easing before cutting back rates. He said inflation is still too high and the path forward is “uncertain.” The Fed is aiming to bring inflation down to two-percent.

February 1 in history…

…In 1937, Garrett Morris was born (happy 87th!) He is best known for his work on “Saturday Night Live.”

 

 

 

 

 

…In 1968, Actor and comedian Pauly Shore was born. (Happy 56th!) His credits include the TV series “Minding the Store” and the films “Son-In-Law,” “Encino Man” and “Bio-Dome.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

…In 2004, Janet Jackson had a “wardrobe malfunction” in her appearance with Justin Timberlake during the halftime of Super Bowl XXXVIII.