Gerace says Sheriff's Department expects charges to be placed against Ashville man for fatal, weekend car crash in North Harmony...
The Chautauqua County Sheriff's office expects to place charges against an Ashville man involved in a crash on Butts Road in the town of North Harmony Saturday night that claimed the life of an Elma man. Sheriff Joe Gerace says that an accident reconstruction team was sent to the scene of the crash involving a sports type vehicle driven by 24-year-old Patrick Grimm of Ashville. His passenger, 23-year-old Darrin Power, died in the crash. Gerace says the vehicle was traveling at a very high rate of speed at the time of the crash, and the damage was "unbelieveable" to the vehicle. Grimm was treated at WCA Hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Gerace would not say what kind of charges will be placed against the driver at this time, since the investigation is continuing.
Reward now offered for information leading to arrest and conviction of Sugar Grove Bank Robber...
State Police in Pennsylvania are searching for the man who allegeldy robbed two PNC Banks this past week... one in Sugar Grove, PA last Friday. Troopers say the suspect whose about 6' to 6'2" tall, and weighs about 200-pounds... entered the Sugar Grove branch on Main Street just before 2:30 p.m. Police say the man... who was between 25 and 35 years of age... handed a teller a note... telling her to hand over the money in her cash drawer. Troopers say the suspect then took an undisclosed amount of money... and, fled the scene. Police say he was wearing a black baseball cap with orange lettering, brown cargo pants, a gray long-sleeve outer type jacket. He is also the suspect in a similar robbery in Hubbard, Ohio last Thursday. PNC is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the man's arrest... and conviction. If you have any information on the robbery... call State Police in Warren at (814)-728-3600... or call Warren County CRIMESTOPPERS.
Elected officials, law enforcement agree there will be investigation into Sweat, and Matt escape...
With the search for the two escaped killers over, attention will now focus on how such prison breaks can be prevented in the future. Congressman Tom Reed today (Monday) praised the work of the various law enforcement agencies in locating David Sweat and Richard Matt. Reed says the state needs to look into how the prison break occurred. The Corning Republican says there needs to be questions asked, and answered at the Clinton Correctional Facility about what needs to be done to prevent such an escape from happening again. Chautauqua County Sheriff Joe Gerace also believes an investigation will take place. Gerace adds that they've even re-evaluated what they do at the County Jail since the prison break. He says it was a difficult search for the two escapees because of the terrain and dense vegetation. A State Police Sergeant shot David Sweat twice in the torso on Sunday... while Richard Matt died from three gunshot wounds to the head two days earlier. Sweat's condition was upgraded today (Monday) to serious.
Winners in recently wrapped up state legislature looked at...
Many New York lawmakers are claiming at least partial victory for constituents with rent controls and property tax breaks in the 2015 session that ended last week. Some are also grumbling about missed ethics reforms in the six-month session, which saw the individual leaders of the Senate and Assembly benched by kickback scandals. The rent controls affecting more than 2-million tenants in New York City are extended four more years with slightly more protections. The statewide property tax cap, likewise extended, is topped by tax rebates for an estimated 2.5-million homeowners. Starting at 185-dollars the first year on Long Island and upstate, rebates later rise inverse to income. Bills that stalled would cost corrupt public officials their pensions and close the campaign finance loophole for limited liability companies.
