The fugitive who took police on a high-speed chase yesterday is now in custody. 37-year-old John Domin was spotted by a resident near the Red Apple store on Ruie Road. When police caught up with him, Domin was taken into custody without incident. Domin drove a stolen Dodge Charger with a girlfriend and children inside at speeds well over 100 miles per hour yesterday afternoon, as officers gave chase through the area of Ruie Road and Ohio Street. Niagara County Sheriff’s Deputy Steven Preisch said that the car was spotted by a road patrol deputy near Lockport Road about 1pm yesterday.
A former West Seneca police officer is facing charges for an alleged assault on a local bar patron. Filed reports say Sean Kelley was dining with his wife at Mackie’s Countryside Inn on Clinton Street when a bar patron made a comment about his wife. Kelley allegedly called two other police officers under false pretenses and began yelling at the patron when they arrived. The incident escalated until Kelley allegedly attacked the victim by choking him, slamming his head into a wall and punching him. Kelley was let go from the force a month later. He is facing a maximum of ten-years in jail and a 250-thousand-dollar fine for the incident.
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The Buffalo Common Council has narrowly approved the permanent appointment of Daniel Derenda as police commissioner. The process had been surrounded by controversy, as a council coalition led by Mickey Kearns cited Derenda’s lack of a college degree and command experience. They accused Mayor Byron Brown of hand-picking Derenda without a serious nationwide search. The Mayor’s administration has refused to release details about the search process. Derenda has been running the department since January first when H. McCarthy Gipson was ousted.
Two Buffalo men are under arrest, charged with a fatal shooting. 21-year-old Richard Heary and 19-year-old Robert Baker allegedly opened fire from a home on Walden Avenue Tuesday night. 17-year-old Damion Diggs was gunned down on the street, while 22-year-old James Hairston suffered a minor gunshot wound to his leg. Authorities say the two suspects were in an argument between two groups of girls prior to the shooting. Diggs was said to be with one of the female groups while Hairston told police he was just walking by the scene. Heary and Baker now faces charges of murder and weapons possession.
The admitted gunman in a fatal Town of Tonawanda shooting has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. 21-year-old Michael Campanella apparently mistook 32-year-old Thomas Newton for someone he had argued with, when he pulled the trigger on August 14th of last year. The father of three was gunned down outside his Henderson Avenue home. Campanella was originally charged withmurder but pleaded guilty to a reduced count of manslaughter last month.
More headaches for drivers on that already-crowded stretch of Niagara Falls Boulevard near the 290. 144 accidents have been recorded there between 2004 and 2007. But now, a four-million-dollar construction project has been launched to redesign the area for better traffic flow. The project includes new traffic lights, turning lanes and sidewalks. State Department of Transportation officials broke ground on the project yesterday. The project is expected to be finished at the end of December.
More jobs are coming to to the Buffalo-Niagara Medical Campus. In September, Oncomed Pharmaceuticals will open a new center on Ellicott Street. The company is planning to hire 12 pharmacists and a support staff that is expected to grow to 100 workers.
Governor David Paterson is accusing state lawmakers of playing games when it comes to his calls for a special session. Paterson wants the Senate and Assembly to return to Albany and continue work on the long-overdue budget. But lawmakers say they never officially closed a special session dating back to January, so they are not obligated to return. A spokesperson for Democrats controlling the Senate says they are not returning because the governor is not there. Paterson has been on Long Island with no public appearances scheduled. Some lawmakers say not much can get done anyway because some members are on vacation and even out of the country, so the stalemate continues.
Food service giant Sodhexo will be paying millions of dollars for over-charging schools across the state. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo yesterday announced that the company would pay 20-million dollars for over-charging 21 school districts. The pricing issues took place from September 2004 to August 2009.
New Yorkers will be using a cleaner option to heat their homes during the 2012-2013 winter. Governor David Paterson signed a bill hat will force oil refiners to reduce the amount of sulfur in fuel oil used by homes and businesses. The decrease in sulfur will mean a decrease in air pollution created by fine particles.
