Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A Franklinville man has pleaded guilty to kidnapping and assaulting a woman on Thanksgiving weekend in Olean. Seneca Nation Marshals stopped to check on a vehicle parked on the side of Route 219 on November 25 and found that 40-year-old Dean Pepper and a woman had been involved in a domestic incident. They learned that Pepper assaulted and strangled the victim in his vehicle in Olean, then drove to the Town of Carrollton. Pepper is scheduled for sentencing on April 7 in Cattaraugus County Court. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Cattaraugus County barn was heavily damaged during a fire Sunday night on Ellicottville-Maples Road. The fire was reported at about 6:40 p.m. and firefighters were still on the scene in the Town of Mansfield late Sunday night. No injuries were reported. Investigators have not determined the cause of the blaze or the extent of the damage yet. Several fire companies battled the blaze. We’ll have more information as it becomes available. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Kennedy, New York, man is accused of breaking into a Town of Leon home and stealing property from inside. Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 19-year-old Ryan Paulisick Monday morning for the burglary on Ruckh Hill Road. Paulisick is charged with burglary and grand larceny, and is jailed on $5,000 bail. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

An Olean man who had sex with a child younger than 11 has been sentenced to six years’ probation. 38-year-old Alex Belec had sex with the child back in 1997 in Olean. He was convicted on a charge of second-degree sexual abuse. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Three people pleaded guilty in Cattaraugus County Court this week to burglary charges. Brandon LaBorde of Olean broke into on Olean building on March 16, an Ishua building on March 22 and a Coldspring building on April 5. Alexander Carnahan broke into a Randolph building between May 5 and 6, and damaged property. Daryll Bernard of Gowanda broke into buildings in Persia and Perrysburg in September and October of last year and March of this year. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A 35-year-old Olean man has been sentenced to a total of 58 years in prison for raping a child younger than 11. Back in June, a Cattaraugus County jury found Wayne Irvin guilty of rape, criminal sexual act, sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. The trial lasted two days. Irvin had sex with the child on August 15 of last year in Olean. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Cuba, New York, man is hospitalized in stable condition but in a coma following an accident in Portville on Saturday morning. Sheriff’s deputies say a motorcycle operated by 32-year-old Timothy Minn collided with an SUV driven by 28-year-old Ross McKinley of Portville, throwing Minn from the bike. Minn was unresponsive when police and EMS personnel arrived. He was taken by Mercy Flight to ECMC in critical condition, after sustaining severe lacerations to his neck and shoulder area. McKinley was treated for a minor laceration to his arm and then released. The sheriff’s accident reconstruction team is still investigating and charges are pending. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Salamanca man is in jail without bail after taking police on a chase early this morning. Sheriff’s deputies say they attempted to stop 44-year-old Richard Skye on Route 353 in Little Valley, but he did not stop. He led them on a chase into the Town of Ellicottville, where the chase ended when he drove his vehicle up a seasonal road. Skye is charged with unlawful fleeing from a police officer, reckless endangerment, reckless driving and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. He is also facing a parole violation and multiple vehicle and traffic charges. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

UPDATE: The man has been identified as Howard Miller. A Gowanda man is dead following a one-vehicle crash Friday night on North Otto Road. Sheriff’s deputies say the 64-year-old man, who they did not name, was operating a Jeep Wrangler when it went out of control on a curve and he was thrown from the vehicle. He was taken to Bertand-Chaffee Hospital in Springville, where he died of his injuries. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Four men and a teenage boy are facing drug charges following search warrants executed at two Salamanca houses. 37-year-old Matthew Maybee, 31-year-old Vernon G. Isaac Jr. and 35-year-old Eric Lindgren were arrested following the search at Maybee’s Jimerson Road home. 31-year-old Donald Watson Jr. and the 17-year-old boy were arrested following the search at a Carlton Avenue house. All four men are charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. Maybee and Isaac are also charged with endangering the welfare of a child and criminally using drug paraphernalia. The boy is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The teenager was issued an appearance ticket for City of Salamanca Court. The men are in jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail each. Isaac and Watson have outstanding bench warrants as well. The Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force says additional arrests and charges are pending. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Apparently Bradford is not the only place in the region having trouble with bicycles. A Salamanca man is charged with disorderly conduct following an incident Friday evening. Sheriff’s deputies say 20-year-old Ian Hepner impeded the flow of traffic while on his bike. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A North Tonawanda man is accused of damaging a vehicle owned by St. Bonaventure University. Sheriff’s deputies say 19-year-old Nicholas DePietro broke the tail lamp out of the vehicle on Saturday night. He is charged with criminal mischief and is scheduled to appear in Allegany Town Court on September 10. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office is investigating a possible animal cruelty case. On Sunday, Sheriff’s deputies got a report of a dog found hanging from a bridge on Underwood Road in Hinsdale. The dog is male and either a terrier or terrier mix with a brown face, black back and brown legs and weighs 20 to 25 pounds. The dog was wearing a camouflage collar when it was found. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the sheriff’s office. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Salamanca woman is facing charges for letting two 13-year-olds drive her car. Sheriff’s deputies say 20-year-old Sydney Doxtator let the teenagers drive the car to run errands in Salamanca. During a traffic stop on Wildwood Avenue police discovered they were driving with no adult in the car. Doxtator is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A Kill Buck man, who is a registered out-of-state sex offender, is facing charges for giving sheriff's deputies several false names while they were investigating him for animal cruelty. 28-year-old Thomas Bower Jr. was fingerprinted, and that's when deputies learned he was wanted by the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, sheriff's department for failing to give communitiy notification and failure to appear in person for periodic registration as a felony sex offender. Bower is being held in Cattaraugus County Jail awaiting extradition to Louisiana.

An Olean man who led police on a chase from Olean to Turtlepoint back in March has pleaded guilty in Cattaraugus County Court. 25-year-old Paul Tyler Jr. also pleaded guilty to attempted burglary for breaking into houses between June 3 and 11, 2011, in Olean. Then on March 29 of this year police attempted to pull him over in Olean when he took them on a high-speed chase that ended in Turtlepoint, where he crashed his car. He ran away from police, but they were able to catch him near Turtlepoint. Police say Tyler was driving at speeds of 75 miles an hour on Olean city streets during the chase. He is scheduled for sentencing on November 13.

By Kimberly Marcott Weinberg Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford contributed $67.5 million to the regional economy in 2011, according to a new study by the University of Pittsburgh Center for Social and Urban Research, which has performed economic impact studies for small colleges across western Pennsylvania. Conducting the study were Dr. Sabina Deitrick, director of the Urban and Regional Analysis Program at the Center for Social and Urban Research; Christopher Briem and William Lafe, who noted that “the institution has expanded and become an even more critical part of Bradford and its regional economy. As we move further into the 21st century, Pitt-Bradford’s role will likely expand even more, helping to grow the region, improve the quality of life of its residents, and add to prosperity across sectors.” The researchers examined economic data from the Pennsylvania counties of McKean, Elk, Warren and Cattaraugus Coun...

A Cattaraugus man is facing charges – including a Leandra’s Law violation – after hitting a utility pole Thursday night in Cold Spring. Sheriff’s deputies say 27-eyar-old Kirk Sterling hit a utility police with the trailer he was towing behind his truck. He tried to leave the scene by was stopped by local residents. Deputies learned he was driving while intoxicated and had a 4-year-old in the truck with him. Sterling will answer the charges at a later date. 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...

Four Jamestown men who robbed and assaulted a Randolph couple in their home last November will spend the next 20 years in state prison. 23-year-old D’Allyn Washington, 22-year-old Derrick Williams, 25-year-old Samuel Rodriguez Jr. and 19-year-old Cameron Rives entered the home of Thomas and Marjorie Andrews at about 2:15 on the morning of November 10 and held the couple at gunpoint. They also kicked, punched and pistol whipped Thomas Andrews and bound Marjorie’s wrists together with duct tape. Prosecutors say the men thought they were going into the home of a drug dealer but went to the wrong house. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947