Three charged in graffiti making spree in HamburgTown of Hamburg Police have charged three teenagers in the recent graffiti making spree that occurred between Wednesday, May 2 and Thursday, May 3.According to police, graffiti was sprayed on buildings or property at St. Mary’s of the Lake School and Church, Wanakah Pharmacy, Cloverbank Elementary School, Bible Fellowship Church, Lake Shore Library and Walmart.Police reported receiving an anonymous tip regarding the incident and were able to corroborate the information from evidence gathered at Walmart that Samuel Echeverria, 19, of Hamburg left Walmart with an allegedly stolen spray paint can and got into a white Ford Taurus with Zachery Wasyl,... more

Man charged for pill theft at Brooks Pharmacy, againAt 10:39 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1, Town of Hamburg Police Lt. Nicholas Bundy and Officer William Stowell responded to a burglar alarm going off at Brooks Pharmacy on Lake Shore Road. According to police, Bundy found Justin M. Middagh, 28, of Hamburg, behind the building in possession of hundreds of loose prescription pills (valued at $782.49) as well as a pair of brass knuckles. Metal cutters were also found on the floor near the pharmacy counter.Middagh, who had been released from the Erie County Holding Center in Alden earlier that day, has a criminal history in Hamburg, including breaking into Brooks Pharmacy in January.Middagh was charged... more

Sex offender charged in Brant with DWIA sex offender wanted in the state of South Carolina for failing to register there was arrested by the Town of Brant Police Department after he was clocked traveling 89 mph in a 55 mph zone on Tuesday, April 24. Officer John Lopez stopped Gary Gilbert, 30, of West Seneca after a short pursuit. When he approached Gilbert, he observed he had slurred speech, an odor of an alcoholic beverage and glassy eyes. Police said Gilbert was uncooperative and gave the officer a false name.Gilbert was arrested for DWI after he refused to consent to a Breathalyzer test and had been convicted three times prior for driving while impaired. He was also charged with several other... more

Purse snatching incidents reported at WalmartTown of Hamburg Police are trying to determine who stole a purse from a woman while she was shopping at Walmart on Southwestern Boulevard shortly before 9:30 p.m. last Wednesday (April 11).The victim told officers Jeffrey Lavelle and Eagan she last remembered seeing the purse while she was in the produce section. She said it was in the shopping cart child seat area. The victim reported she turned away briefly to pick up an item and when she turned back to her cart, she realized her purse was gone.The victim then went to the customer service area, who in turn called the police. Officers watched store video and viewed an unknown white male steal the... more

Geidel sentenced to 42 months in jail for fraudTimothy Geidel, 48, of Hamburg, has been sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny to a term of 42 months in prison and was ordered to pay $1.3 million dollars in restitution, following his guilty plea to wire fraud and structuring for defrauding more than 40 investors out of $1.3 million.According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell T. Ippolito, Jr., while working as an investment adviser with Georgetown Capital Group, Inc., Geidel diverted investor funds to his own use.Between 1990 and 2010, Geidel gave victims, many of them Hamburg and Evans residents, the impression that he invested their money in high yield stocks, bonds, mutual... more

Blasdell man pleads guilty to mail fraudJoseph Krieger, 64, of Blasdell, had plead guilty to mail fraud before U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Arcara on Friday, March 30. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward H. White, who is handling the case, sometime between 2003 and 2010, Krieger operated the Genesee Agency and during that time he falsified 73 applications for insurance to the Auto One Insurance Company.On the applications, the defendant listed his own business address as 1560 Harlem Road, Cheektowaga instead of the true out of state addresses of the policy holders.He also falsely classified the vehicles as operating within a 50-mile radius of his business, when in fact they were... more

Hit-and-run DWIAt 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 22, Village of Hamburg Police Lt. Richard Schara and Officer Anthony Caber responded to a call of a hit-and-run accident which had occurred in the roundabout at Buffalo Street and Prospect Avenue.According to the victim, a man in a pickup truck rear-ended her vehicle several times, bumping it as she was negotiating the roundabout.When she pulled over, the other driver allegedly got out of the vehicle and started yelling at her, then got back in the truck and drove away.He was located by the Town of Hamburg Police at the Mobile gas station on South Park Avenue a short time later and was turned over to Village of Hamburg Police.After failing several... more

Town of Hamburg Police hosting blood driveFrom 3 to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 30, the Town of Hamburg Police Department will be hosting a Upstate New York Transplant Services, Inc. blood drive at Donate Life Express Bus at the station, located at 6100 S. Park Ave., Hamburg.In the month of March, all presenting donors will receive a $5 coupon for admission to CSI: The Experience at the Buffalo Museum of Science good through April 29 (excluding April 7 through April 15). Discount valid only on non-member admission.To make an appointment call Unyts at 512-7940 and walk-ins are welcome.Donors must be at least 17 years old; 16-year-olds with a signed parental consent form, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds... more

Employee told to pay back the missing moneyAfter an in-depth investigation by Village of Hamburg Police, an arrest was made in the theft of over $6,000 from the Wilson Farms (now 7-11) on Pierce Avenue in the village.According to police, the suspect, Gregory Robbins, 22, of Amherst, took $6,150 in cash from the store, while he was employed at the store.Robbins was charged, booked and a plea deal was reached between the District Attorney’s Office and Robbins’ attorney on March 7. He pled guilty to third-degree attempted grand larceny, an E felony. He is to serve eight weekends in jail and has paid $6,150 restitution to Wilson Farms.According to police, the investigation was successfully completed... more

Local shop owner charged with scheme to defraudPatti Ferrentino, 52, of Hamburg and owner of Acquired Attire Consignment Boutique located at the Hamburg Village Square Plaza, was taken into custody Tuesday, Feb. 28 by Town of Cheektowaga Police.Since April 2011, Town of Cheektowaga Police have been investigating claims that Ferrentino has been defrauding her customers for several years, Cheektowaga Lt. Kenneth Rusin said.“People had been calling in to the ‘Call 4 Action,’ on Channel 4 (WIVB), complaining about Ferrentino and they contacted me,” Rusin said.According to Rusin, previous to opening here in Hamburg, Ferrentino operated Acquired Attire in Cheektowaga and a previous store in West Seneca.... more

National drug ring arrest happens in HamburgMembers of Town of Hamburg Police, Erie County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Buffalo Office have made an arrest in a large national marijuana trafficking enterprise at a parking lot on Gowanda State Road in Hamburg.According to police, following a joint year-long investigation, they developed information that a drug trafficker of a large marijuana distribution ring was coming from out west to meet with a local high level marijuana dealer.During the afternoon of Monday, Feb. 20, police intercepted Myra Hight, 51, of South Lake Tahoe, Calif., and mother of an Olympic snowboarder, picking up a payment for a large shipment of marijuana... more

One car vehicle accident, leaves one seriously hurtTown of Eden Police report that at 3:03 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18, Officer Nicholas Blasz responded to a single car crash at the intersection of Route 62 and Route 75. A 2010 Toyota, operated by Michael Zittel, 22, of Eden, crossed over center, before leaving the highway at a high rate of speed.The car sheered off and broke a utility pole in half, before coming to rest against a large tree near a house.Zittel, alone in the car, had to be extricated by the Eden Emergency and Rescue Squad.He was then taken by Mercy Flight to the Erie County Medical Center in critical condition. Since then his condition has been upgraded.Eden, East Eden and Hamburg... more

Stolen vehicle smashedAt 3:43 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12, Town of Evans Police Officer Gregory Szarowicz responded to an auto accident where a vehicle had rolled over on Erie Road at Sturgeon Point Road.Upon arriving at the scene, Szarowicz found the driver, Nathaniel R. Kazmierczak, 20, of Hamburg standing near the vehicle.According to police, Kazmierczak was observed to have glassy eyes, impaired speech and coordination, as well as an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from him.Given the severity of the accident, Szarowicz requested EMS to the scene to evaluate Kazmierczak, although he said he had no complaints or injuries, police said.Police then administered several filed sobriety tests, which... more

Burglary in the village Sometime overnight on Tuesday, Jan. 31 and early Wednesday, Feb. 1, someone broke a window to get into a business in the Village of Hamburg.According to Village of Hamburg Police, the suspect removed a key and took a truck belonging to the business.The truck was found by the Buffalo Police Department with considerable front end damage after striking a concrete light support in the City of Buffalo.The investigation into the incident is continuing, police said.Two felony DWI arrestsTown of Hamburg Police report the following felony driving while intoxicated arrests.At about 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 5, Town of Hamburg Police Officer Thomas Boyer responded to a call from the... more

Woman stabbed in fightAt 12:21 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 30, Town of Evans Police Officer Jeffrey Mayer responded to a call of a possible stabbing at a Jamestown Street address.According to police, when they arrived they found the victim sitting on the couch with a blood soaked rag on her chest.The victim and Heather A. McMullen, 25, of Evans, were in a confrontation over another person. McMullen allegedly stabbed the victim in the chest with a knife.The victim had an approximate 4-inch cut on her left breast and was transported to the Erie County Medical Center.McMullen was charged with felony second-degree assault with a weapon and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.DWI arrest in HamburgAt... more

Hamburg man linked to power outage and arsonGregory Seifert 43, of Hamburg has been charged with five counts of second-degree criminal mischief and three counts of first-degree criminal tampering in connection with the power outages in the Orchard Park area on Jan. 13. He also faces felony arson charges in the Town of Hamburg for a Parker Road garage fire on Dec. 8.According to Orchard Park Police, at 4:17 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 13, they notified New York State Electric and Gas of a widespread power outage in the north and west ends of town. At about 9:38 a.m. NYSEG discovered that the outage had been caused by three wooden transmission towers in an area behind 3949 California Road in Orchard Park... more

Erie County Sheriff Tim Howard is inviting the public to submit nominations for four annual awards given by the Erie County Sheriff’s Office at the yearly Badge & Shield Dinner being held this year at 6 p.m. on March 24 at Salvatore’s Italian Gardens on Transit Road, Depew. The awards that the public is eligible to nominate somebody for are: Robert Insalaco Youth Award: given to a youth 18 years or younger, who has demonstrated significant assistance to a law enforcement agency, or who, by his/her actions, has exemplified excellent judgment in helping others. Joseph Wachowiak Outstanding Citizen Award: given to a citizen or group of citizens’ who have assisted law enforcement in an... more

Fatal accident in HamburgWeather conditions are being cited as the probable cause of a two vehicle traffic accident resulting in a fatality at 3:05 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13.According to Town of Hamburg Police, a witness reported the vehicle driven by Pamela A. McDonnell, 63, of Hamburg, went out of control on the slippery road surface on Camp Road at the railroad underpass and spun out into oncoming, northbound traffic. The vehicle slid into the path of a black pickup truck, which hit the passenger side of the car.Officer Scott Weyrough and Lt. Christopher Monaco were among the first to respond to the accident call and found McDonnell pinned inside her car and completely unresponsive. According... more

Fatal accident in EvansTown of Evans Police are continuing their investigation of a fatal single-vehicle accident which occurred at 3:01 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 6 in Evans.According to police, they received notification by On Star, that there had been an accident with air bag deployment at Pleasant Avenue near Pearl Street. On Star also reported the impact was recorded at 40 mph and that they were unable to make contact with anyone in the vehicle.Lt. Thomas George arrived at the scene and located the vehicle, which had left the roadway, went through a ditch and struck a mature tree. The vehicle operator, Jacob Coudrey, 22, of Evans, was pronounced dead at the scene.Evans Police were assisted at... more

[photo1] [photo2]Hamburg to hold another Citizen’s Police AcademyThe Town of Hamburg Police Department is now accepting applications for its free eight-week long Citizen’s Police Academy, tentative starting date at the end of February or the beginning of March.According to the Hamburg Police Officer and Training Officer Scott Fraser, the program will run on eight consecutive Wednesdays, from 7 to 9 p.m. and will cover a wide range of subjects, including: fingerprinting, use of force, sex offenders law, tour the police station, practical crime scene investigation and demonstrations/instruction with the K-9, SWAT and Narcotics Unit.A background check will be done on each applicant for the... more