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Brighton Park Golf Club in Tonawanda may be cut down to 12 holes

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Brighton Park Golf Club in Tonawanda may soon be cut down to 12 holes in order to build new housing on the land.

A proposal has been made to town officials to cut the holes on the south side of Brompton Road, the road on which the course is split over. The course is currently at 18 holes.

Town councilman Carl Szarek said that if park land is taken over, there could possibly be a new, passive park at a former landfill sight.

There is not a set number of homes that would be built as of yet, but Szarek said that he is against the idea and would want to talk to the leagues that play at the course before the town makes any decisions.

“”I’m always kind of fearful of building anything on park land. We experienced that when we closed our swimming pool here and are putting in the splash park… some residents weren’t too happy about that,” Szarek said. “They are now because they’ve seen the progress that we have, but I want to talk to the men’s club and women’s club here at Brighton.” 

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Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.

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Judge denies request from social media companies to throw out lawsuit from mass shooting victims

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A judge has denied a request from social media companies, including the parent company of Facebook, as well as Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit and 4chan, to throw out a lawsuit on behalf of victims of the 2022 Tops mass shooting.

The lawsuit claims that the convicted shooter was fueled by racist hate before he carried out the attack, and that he became aware of racist theories through social media. The suit claims that social media companies carry some responsibility for his radicalization.

The suit states that “it is essentially undisputed that the horrific acts perpetrated by [shooter Payton] Gendron on May 14, 2022 were motivated by the concept of ‘white replacement theory'” and that his motives for the shooting began online.

The suit against the social media companies will now go to court.

Gendron, now 20, was sentenced to 11 life sentences for carrying out the attack on state charges against him. The Department of Justice is seeking the death penalty on federal charges. His lawyers have said multiple times that he would plead guilty to the federal charges and avoid a trial if the death penalty is taken off the table.

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Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.

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Erie County Sheriff’s Office looks to turn page without federal oversight

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – The Erie County Sheriff Office’s effort to achieve national accreditation and reintegrate inmates into the community is beginning to pay off, members of the department said in a recent interview.

The benefits of accreditation by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care include training and feedback to reduce the county’s risk of health-care lawsuits and grievances, improving record keeping, and insuring adherence to all safety and health rules.

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The sheriff’s office, which was under federal Department of Justice oversight until June 2023, was able to improve conditions in both the Erie County Holding Center in Buffalo and the Erie County Correctional Facility in Alden, but remains under scrutiny due to the number of inmate deaths under its custody.

“I can’t really speak to the past,” said Michael Phillips, superintendent of jail management. “I can speak to what we do, and we’re doing the best we can.”

NCCH’s website states it provides a “third party objective assessment” of correctional health care, for which it helped write the standards. By policy, NCCH does not provide a list of facilities it has accredited.

“There’s over 400 standards that we have to comply with in order to get this accreditation,” said Sandra Amoia, first deputy superintendent for compliance.

In addition, the sheriff’s office seeks accreditation from the American Correctional Association, which offers similar training, feedback, but also helps improve morale.

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Part of the improvement, the sheriff’s office said, can be attributed to Project Blue, a partnership with the nonprofit Peaceprints of WNY, to reintegrate inmates once they serve their sentences.

Thomas Dina, the chief of community reintegration, said the program is designed to remove barriers for people to succeed once they exit correctional facilities. He described the program as “intensive case management” that is tailored to each inmate’s specific needs.

He said since 2019, the program has assisted roughly 1,050 inmates, with a recidivism rate of 10%.

“With this post-release support in place, we’re seeing dramatic improvement,” Dina said.

Dina said local jails have become “defacto treatment centers” for mental health and drug abuse, but the funding has not matched the growing need.

The sheriff’s office said about 60% of inmates are being treated for some type of mental illness.

“I started 23 years ago, and the type of folks that we are getting in custody today are much higher need than it was when I started, and the corrections industry as a whole is evolving to meet those needs,” Dina said. “Jails are no longer being designed as a house of punishment.

They’re really adopting restorative justice principles, embracing therapy and rehabilitation.”

One area where the sheriff’s office said it has seen an improvement is with inmate suicide attempts.

In 2021, there were 13 suicide attempts.

In 2023, suicide attempts dropped to four. And there haven’t been any so far in 2024.

When inmates show signs of a mental health crisis, the sheriff’s office said it is limited in where they can take them.

The sheriff’s office said the number of beds it has at ECMC’s behavioral health facility at the hospital should be increased. The maximum-security detention facility downtown has a capacity for 638 inmates; the correctional facility has capacity for 884 inmates.

But there are only two beds secured for inmates at ECMC’s behavioral health division.

“The Erie County Sheriff’s Office has expressed need for more beds, but right now there’s not any funding or whatever for that,” Amoia said Sandra Amoia. “Many times, there’s a waiting list for those beds. We have to maintain them here.”

Does the Buffalo region need a second comprehensive emergency psychiatric program?

Amoia estimated the sheriff’s office could use as many as seven beds at ECMC.

In addition, the sheriff’s office said it can take inmates charged with misdemeanors to Buffalo Psychiatric Center.

But inmates with felony cases must go to Rochester Psychiatric Center, and there is not always immediate availability.

“We have to wait sometimes months for them to leave our custody to go to Rochester to get stabilized,” Amoia said.

The county is undergoing a needs assessment to determine if a new jail facility should be constructed. Estimates have exceeded $200 million.

“We’re not going to prejudge the outcome of the needs assessment, but from all of us working in the buildings, it’s time,” Dina said. “These buildings need to be replaced.”

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Cheektowaga man arrested for allegedly pointing laser at airplane

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Cheektowaga man has been arrested for allegedly pointing a laser pointer at an airplane that was landing at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport earlier this month, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

Joseph Crapsi, 29, is accused of pointing the laser at a Delta Airlines flight landing at the airport just after midnight on March 1.

The pilot of the flight reported that the laser originated one mile south of the airport and lasted between 60-90 seconds.

Crapsi was discovered a short time later at a residence on Nagel Drive after neighbors reported that he allegedly pointed the laser into their home and pointed it into the sky multiple times.

He is charged with aiming a laser pointer at an aircraft. If convicted, he faces a minimum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.

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Local veteran gets long-awaited DD214 with help from Call 4 Action

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – The Call 4 Action team is getting help for a local veteran who was in desperate need of important documentation of his military record.

That military documentation is called the DD214, it details a veteran’s character of discharge, duty stations and assignments among other information and it’s key in veterans getting their benefits.

U.S. Army veteran Darryl Mayham of Buffalo first contacted Call 4 Action in January. He was having issues in getting his DD214 after misplacing it while he was moving.

“I tried myself on my own and they had had a fire in Missouri and Missouri couldn’t find no records or nothing like that so once I contacted you, then you sent me a couple senators and you worked with me,” Darryl said.

Veterans can request a copy of their DD214 and other military service records from the National Archives or the Department of Defense.

In 1973, a massive fire broke out at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, destroying millions of military records. It’s a fire that impacted the military for years. Even though Darryl served in the early 1980s, he says he was running into problems getting his DD214 on his own, which was frustrating.

“It helps me to live, most veterans don’t understand if got your DD214, your driver’s license, your insurance is better, your homeowners insurance is better people look at you different, as far as, when you go get credit and everything like that,” Darryl said.

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News 4 contacted Congressman Brian Higgins’ D.C. Office before he resigned last month to help find Darryl’s DD214. Even with Higgins out of Washington, staff in D.C. have continued to dig into casework. After reaching out to multiple agencies, Higgins’ staff was able to track down Darryl’s DD214 and mail it to him. Staff from Higgins office say usually it takes about three days to get a DD214, but in Darryl’s case it took much longer because they had to contact numerous agencies.

“They told me that it took them a lot, they told me just hang in there and I guess they went through Washington, they did this, they did that, they went back to the 42nd Division from New York state and they went back and forth with you,” Darryl said, “If you didn’t help me, I would’ve never got the DD214, I almost gave up and when I called you and you pursued it and you went to it, I appreciate it so much for Channel 4 backing me up.”

In black and white, Darryl’s DD214 was delivered to him — detailing his two years in the Army National Guard, serving as a marksman, sharpshooter and transportation specialist based at Fort Benning, Georgia. Darryl received an honorable discharge.

“I would do it all over again, I enjoyed it, it was something to do, you meet a lot of people, different people and it’s a good thing to do I recommend young men, go to the service it help you a lot it helps you become a better man, a better father and everything,” Darryl said.

As for Darryl’s certified discharge papers, he has his original at a safety deposit box at his bank and one stored in Surrogate Court, so he’ll never misplace it.

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Jeff Preval is an award-winning anchor and reporter who joined the News 4 team in December 2021. See more of his work here.

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Buffalo man arraigned for alleged involvement in double homicide

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Buffalo man was arraigned Sunday morning for his alleged involvement in a robbery and fatal shooting in 2019, according to the Erie County District Attorney’s office.

Officials said Marquise D. White, 28, allegedly stole an unknown amount of money from two victims who were shot and killed inside a residence on Merrimac Street in late September 2019. Two co-defendants, Ernest B. Green, Jr., 41, of North Tonawanda and Wayne Robbins, 27, of Tonawanda were also allegedly involved.

Green and Robbins are pending prosecution for their alleged roles in the robbery and murders of 21-year-old Bethany B. Malloy and 26-year-old Shaquiel S. St. John.

White was arraigned on one count of first-degree robbery. He was held without bail and faces a maximum of 25 years in prison if convicted.

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Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 is a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University.

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Fire causes $400,000 in damage to Amherst home

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Monday morning fire caused an estimated $400,000 in damage to a house on Hedstrom Drive in Amherst, fire officials announced.

Officials said they received a call reporting smoke in the kitchen of 224 Hedstrom Dr. around 10:30 a.m., with unknown occupants inside.

Firefighters arrived on the scene within minutes and saw heavy smoke showing. They were eventually able to stretch lines into the house and conduct a search, and the fire was declared under control just before 11:45 a.m., according to officials.

No injuries were reported as a result of the blaze, which caused an estimated $200,000 in both structure and contents damage.

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Adam Gorski is a Buffalo native who joined the News 4 team in 2022. You can find more of his work here.

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Buffalo man found guilty by jury of sexual assault against a child

Content warning: this story contains details of a sexual assault

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Buffalo man was found guilty by a jury Friday of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13 on multiple occasions, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Officials said 51-year-old Steven Burr subjected the victim, who was known to him, to sexual contact in late August 2016. Additionally, Burr engaged in two or more acts of sexual conduct and sexual intercourse with the same victim between September 2016 and February 2018. The crimes all occurred in the City of Buffalo.

Burr was found guilty following a four-day trial and a six-hour jury deliberation. He was charged with one count of predatory sexual assault against a child and one count of first-degree sexual abuse.

Burr faces a maximum of 25 years to life in prison when he is sentenced on April 30, 2024 and remains held without bail. A temporary order of protection issued on behalf of the victim remains in effect.

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Adam Gorski is a Buffalo native who joined the News 4 team in 2022. You can find more of his work here.

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Lockport man admits to fatally shooting victim with air gun

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Lockport man pleaded guilty on Friday to fatally shooting a victim who was riding a bicycle with an air gun this past August in Buffalo, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Officials said 43-year-old Kenneth James fatally shot 38-year-old Joseph Dash with an air gun on Aug. 14 while Dash, who died at the scene, was riding a bicycle on Broadway near Krettner Street. An autopsy determined that Dash died from a pellet round shot to the chest.

James pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree manslaughter. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 6.

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Adam Gorski is a Buffalo native who joined the News 4 team in 2022. You can find more of his work here.

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Subject in custody after ‘isolated incident’ in Wellsville; schools closed Monday

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A subject is in custody Monday morning following what Wellsville police called an “isolated incident” near the town’s high school, they announced on Facebook.

Police reported the incident just before 7 a.m., saying they had located the subject inside a West State Street residence and that they were taken into custody around 7:40 a.m. They previously asked those in the area of West State, Pleasant Street, Highland Avenue and Pine Street to remain in their homes.

Police said rumors of “a man running around the village with a weapon” were false, and that they will eventually provide more information. News 4 WIVB reached out to Wellsville police Monday morning and were only told that a subject was in custody.

The Wellsville Central Schools District decided to cancel classes Monday due to the proximity of the incident to the high school, according to police.

This is a developing story, check back for more information.

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Adam Gorski is a Buffalo native who joined the News 4 team in 2022. You can find more of his work here.

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