Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Cattaraugus County District Attorney Lori Rieman seems to have won the Republican primary to retain her spot, beating current public defender Mark Williams by a large margin. Unofficial results from the board of elections show Rieman with 2,104 votes to 864 for Williams. Only 17 percent of the county’s registered Republicans voted. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A jury has found a Salamanca man not guilty of assaulting another man outside the Dudley Hotel last August. After the four-day trial, the jury deliberated for two hours before finding 31-year-old Douglas Farnham not guilty of ambushing and seriously injuring 39-year-old David Jacobson. Cattaraugus County Public Defender Mark Williams successfully argued that it was Jacobson who ambushed Farnham, and Farnham acted in self-defense. Testimony from several eye-witnesses collaborated Farnham’s account of the events that happened at around 2:15 a.m. on August 7 of last year. Read Williams' news release: A Cattaraugus County Jury today of seven women and five men found Douglas Farnham, 31, of Salamanca, NY, not guilty of two counts of felony assault 2nd after deliberating for about 2 hours. It had been alleged that Mr. Farnham assaulted Salamanca resident David Jacobson, age 39, on August 7, 2011, at approximately 2:15 a.m. outside the Dudley Hotel in Salamanca. Mr. Jacobson suffered fr...

Little Valley, NY - A Cattaraugus County Jury today of six women and six men found Michael J. Ward of South Barry Street, Olean, NY, not guilty of one count of felony assault 2nd and guilty of one count of a violation for unlawfully possessing marijuana. It was alleged that Mr. Ward, age 23, had assaulted his former girlfriend in the residence they shared at 1309 Washington Street in Olean on June 15th of last year. Mr. Ward was arrested based upon a complaint from the former girlfriend, Jenny E. Stephens, 28, now of Batavia, which was made to Olean City Police on August 5, 2011. Mr. Ward was found to have a small amount of marijuana in his pants pocket when he was arrested later that day. The jury deliberated for approximately one hour before announcing their verdict. The four day trial was presided over by Cattaraugus County Judge Larry M. Himelein. It was Judge Himelein’s first trial since returning to work after an extended medical leave. Mr. Ward, represented by Cattaraugus Co...

Cattaraugus County Public Defender Mark Williams says his staff is nearing a crisis and will not be able to handle many more cases without additional help. In his annual report to the county Legislature, Williams says that there’s been a 60 percent increase in cases since 2004. The office has 5 attorneys, an investigator, two legal secretaries and a receptionist. The size of the staff has remained the same while the case load has increased. e-mail from Williams' office