BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Lockport man was sentenced to 84 months in prison for distributing heroin that led to the death of a Medina man in 2017, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Accused heroin dealer charged with manslaughter in 2017 overdose

Officials said that between 2017 and 2019, 32-year-old James White conspired with Bruno Haney II, among others, to sell heroin and butyryl fentanyl. White sold heroin, given to him by Haney, on March 24, 2017 to 22-year-old Wade Sargent, who was found dead later the same day after ingesting the narcotic.

Text messages between White and Sargent were recovered on his cell phone from the evening of March 24 in which he requested five doses of heroin from White.

LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WIVB) – There are health and safety concerns at Lincoln Apartments in Lockport — the water damage in some of the apartments is so bad, tenants have been told not to take a shower, out of fear they could fall through the floor. 

Laura Taylor contacted Call 4 Action, saying the past four or five months have been embarrassing and degrading after noticing water coming from her tub and getting on the bathroom floor at the Transit Road apartment complex.

“I’m scared to step in there, because the last time I did — I did use it like probably a month ago — it was a little weak,” Taylor said.

Birgo Realty, which is based in Pittsburgh, owns the property. They say two homes have plumbing leaks in the bathroom and that extensive repairs are needed to the plumbing line and the floors, which means Laura and her partner have had to go shower elsewhere. 

“Now we we go to my mom’s house every week to take a shower once a week,” Taylor said. “It’s horrible, we don’t like it. We take our bird baths in the sink everyday, just to get cleaned, and then we go every week, every Sunday, to my mom’s house to take a real shower and we work every day wherever we work at. It’s not right.”

Call 4 Action has asked Birgo Realty what it is doing to help people here.

The company told WIVB that residents have been given the option to relocate to another home or another development owned by Birgo or be allowed to break their lease.

Laura said she doesn’t want to move because of the close proximity to her job, so she’s looking at other options. 

This is now the fourth property owned by Birgo Realty that Call 4 Action has received complaints about. Other complaints include flooding, not having hot water and sewage backups.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Buffalo man has admitted to sex trafficking minors over a decade ago, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Friday.

Steven Gonzalez, 48, admitted he coerced two minors, one between 2012 and March 2015 and the other between 2012 and 2013, into engaging in commercial sex acts with him in exchange for drugs. One of the minors was addicted to cocaine and the other was addicted to heroin.

He pleaded guilty to sex trafficking by coercion.

He faces a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life when he is sentenced on Nov. 26.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Four people have been indicted for their roles in an alleged gang assault in January that left two people dead, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office said Friday.

Four people — 20-year-old Jaylin Scott, 22-year-old James White, Jr., 42-year-old Teffany Nance, all of Buffalo, and 25-year-old LaShawn Taylor, of Tonawanda, are alleged to have played a role in the assault.

White is accused of shooting and killing 29-year-old David Honer and 24-year-old John DeShon Gibson during the assault on the morning of Jan. 2. He was previously indicted on one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He was indicted this week on an additional charge of second-degree gang assault.

Scott, Nance and Taylor were all indicted this week on the same gang assault charge. Nance is the mother of Scott.

If convicted of the murder charge, White faces a maximum of life in prison without parole. Scott, Nance and Taylor face up to 15 years in prison.

All four are being held without bail.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A top Take 5 prize winning ticket was sold in Gowanda for Thursday night’s drawing.

The ticket, worth $16,759, was sold at the Shop N Save located on Buffalo Street.

The Take 5 drawing is done twice daily, once at 2:30 p.m. and again at 10:30 p.m. To see winning numbers, click here.

TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Town of Tonawanda is mourning the loss of 15-year-old Luke Guetti, who passed away after a bicycle accident involving a truck on Tuesday night.

Family and friends say Luke Guetti was a beloved brother and student with a kind smile and many passions. His unexpected passing leaves a deep effect on everyone at his vigil Thursday night with many in shock and sorrow.

“He was a great kid,” said Luke’s uncle Joseph Tirone. “He was kind, he was a gentle giant. He was just like his dad and he was raised well.”

Ken-Ton schools have confirmed with WIVB News 4 that 15-year-old Luke Guetti, a student at Kenmore East High, sadly passed away from his injuries Thursday morning at Oishei Children’s Hospital. They call his passing “a great tragedy” and a “tremendous loss.”

“Great kid,” said family friend Rick Voigt. “Happy overall, no complaints, an excellent, excellent kid.”

Luke was also a part of the Ken-East football program; his teammates and friends at the vigil say they were at the gym with him the night before the accident.

“We hung out every day after school and it’s just sad,” they said. “Really sad to see this happen.”

“You can tell by his teammates that are all weeping,” said Tirone. “He was looking forward to playing football this year. This was the year he was going to play varsity.”

They tell us Luke was excited telling them about a motorized bike that he had recently gotten. That was the bike Tonawanda Police say Luke was riding Tuesday night before being hit by a truck around 8:20 p.m.

Family and neighbors share their cherished memories of Luke, adorning the location of the accident with candles, his favorite snacks, dropping off flowers and shedding tears for a life lost too soon.

Luke leaves behind two brothers and a sister, along with his parents and step parents.

“He is never gonna be forgotten,” his friends said. “You know we’re going for football. We’re gonna plan on hopefully retiring his number 54, his favorite number.”

A GoFundme has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses. As of Thursday night, over $33,000 has already been raised.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Jamestown man is in custody after he allegedly stabbed a victim several times in the head Thursday morning, according to the Jamestown Police Department.

Officers were dispatched just before 7:30 a.m. to a residence on the city’s east side to assist with a stabbing victim. Robert BD Brinkley, 25, allegedly stabbed the victim multiple times, causing severe lacerations, according to police.

The victim was taken to UPMC for treatment.

Police located Brinkley inside a Jamestown apartment around 12:49 p.m. following a warrant check. He was taken into custody and while escorting him to the city jail, he allegedly fled from officers on foot. Brinkley was taken into custody again following a brief foot pursuit.

He is currently being held pending arraignment on charges of first-degree assault, first-degree burglary, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree escape.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Stroehmann, a bakery in Olean, is set to close in November, according to a notice filed with the New York State Department of Labor.

The closure will impact 82 jobs. The bakery’s parent company, Bimbo Bakeries USA, is also closing a bakery in Syracuse suburb of Auburn, which will impact another 49 jobs in September. The listed closing date for the Olean plant is Nov. 2.

Bimbo Bakeries said in a statement to WIVB News 4 that it plans to “transition production” to other bakeries that “are better equipped to support our future growth.”

The reason for the closure was listed as “reduced capacity in the manufacturing network.”