Four arrested during late week, simultaneous drug raids in Jamestown...
A pair of early morning drug raids in the city of Jamestown last Friday have landed four people in jail... and, led to confiscation of narcotics, weapons and about $6,000 in cash. City police say members of the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force... and other agencies... executed the first search warrant at 36 Van Buren St. about 6:15 a.m. They found 45 year-old Jose Ortiz inside... and, 32 year-old Jordan Austin and 51 year-old Annabelle Santiago in the doorway. All three were taken into custody after detectives found 51 baggies of fentanyl... packaging materials... scales, and $3,400 cash. Ortiz and Santiago face charges including third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance... and, second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia. Austin was found with a quantity of fentanyl, and arrested for seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. About the same time... the Task Force, with the help of the Sheriff's Department SWAT Team, executed the other warrant at 111 Crossman St. Inside... they found 39 year-old Tammi Vaughn... along with two other women... and, some children. Detectives searched the home, and located 11.2-grams of a cocaine/crack cocaine mix... 3-grams of fentanyl... scales... packaging materials... metal knuckles, a switch blade knife... and, just over $2,600 cash. Vaughn faces two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance... fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance... second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia... and, two counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. All four suspects were jailed pending arraignment.
Three arrested in Jamestown after physical altercation on northside...
Three people from Jamestown have been arrested for allegedly getting into physical altercations with another person... and, damaging another person's property. City police say they were called to a northside location shortly after 1 a.m. Sunday for a "domestic dispute in progress." On arrival... officers found that 39 year-old Monica Pacheco... and, 32 year-old James Smouse had gotten into the fight, and injured another person. A short time later... they discovered that 31 year-old Dustin Newbree had damaged property belonging to another person. During the investigation... police say they also found a quantity of narcotics in Pacheco's and Newbree's possession. All three were taken to city jail pending arraignment. Officers say Pacheco is charged with second-dgree assault... and, three counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled Substance. Smouse is charged with third-degree assault... and, Newbree is charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief... and, three counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.
County's Board of Elections preping for Primary Day in June...
The Chautauqua County Board of Elections is gearing up for Primary Day in late June. The County's Republican Election Commissioner Brian Abram says there will be several differences from 2022... which included two primary days. Abram says there was an extra primary day in August, which also included the Special Election to fill the seat held by former Congressman Tom Reed. For the June 27 primary... there will be contests in the towns of Arkwright, Dunkirk, Mina, North Harmony and Ripley, along with the city of Dunkirk. There will also be one location for early voting June 17-25. Abram says that location will be the County Fairgrounds in Dunkirk... and, they'll be there for those nine-days prior to the primary. He says there will also be a consolidated polling location in the city of Dunkirk for Primary Day, at St. John's United Church of Christ. Voting hours on June 27 will run from 6 a.m. to 12 Noon.
Barrett and Carmone host program on RBG, and SCOTUS at Jackson Center...
A biographer of Ruth Bader Ginsberg and a renowned constitutional scholar spoke Saturday at the Robert H. Jackson Center in Jamestown. The biographer, Irin Carmone, says Ginsberg, who died in 2020, probably did stay on the bench too long… in part because the Supreme Court’s ‘right hand turn.' She saw herself on the court as trying to altert the public at large about what was happening on the court. John Q. Barrett of St. John’s University says in the years since Ginsberg’s death the court has begun to ‘blow itself up.’ He believes ethics issues have led it to a ‘tragically dark time' because there is at least a "self-control" challenge the court "is flunking." Carmone and Barrett appeared together to tell the story of Cornell University’s Robert Cushman... a friend of Robert H. Jackson’s in the 1930’s and 40’s… who became one of Ginsberg’s teachers in the 1950’s.
Fredonia village board approves tkaing part in Water Study...
After much discussion in recent weeks... the Fredonia Village Board has given the go ahead for a comprehensive water study. By a narrow 3-2 vote... trustees approved the study during last week's meeting. Trustees Jim Lynden and Michelle Twichell cast the no votes. Citing a study conducted in 2016, Lynden says a new study is "unwarranted" because the study found that the village has "a quality water system deserving of investment to maintaine." He adds a number of improvements have also been made. However... Trustee Jon Espersen, who sponsored the resolution, says he's willing to keep an open mind... and, wants to see what the new study shows. The Dunkirk Common Council recently approved a resolution to help fund the study. The Village Board also learned that the Northern Chautauqua Community Foundation has offered $14,400 toward the study.
