Anthony Neubauer

A Falconer man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for a kidnapping that resulted in a death.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Adler said according to the complaint, on May 27, 2014, 36-year old Anthony Neubauer kidnapped an individual identified as J.A. and transported them from New York to Pennsylvania, resulting in the death of J.A.

Neubauer was arraigned Friday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah McCarthy and is being held pending a detention hearing on Tuesday, March 28.

The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of life in prison.

According to the Jamestown Post-Journal, the initials “J.A.” and the date of the kidnapping match the disappearance of Joseph D. Anthony, who was last seen May 27, 2014, in the 700 block of East Second Street in Jamestown.

The Post-Journal reported that the FBI executed a federal search warrant near Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania but there was no comment on the subject of the warrant nor if anything was recovered.

Anthony Neubauer was more recently the victim of a shooting at The Bullfrog Hotel on November 30, 2019.

No charges were filed in that case. Former Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings stated in February 2020 that with attempts to interview Neubauer through his attorney were unsuccessful, JPD ended its investigation and turned the matter over to the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office.

Council Member At Large Jeff Russell, Council Member Andrew Faulkner, Police Chief Tim Jackson

Concerns over police staffing and use of police officers at UPMC were discussed at Jamestown City Council‘s work session Monday night.

Lieutenant Sam Piazza, speaking at privilege of the floor, said that 65 officers is full staffing for the department and right now they only have 56, “We’re currently in need of four officers to be hired, to be compliant with the police impact staffing award that is agreed between the police union and the city. The staffing levels include police officers, detectives, supervisors, two captains, and the Chief’s actually included in the staffing criteria.”

Piazza said a military member on leave and a School Resource Officer count in that current staffing even though they’re either not active or available for use in road patrols. He added two officers are assigned light duty due to illness or injury as well.

Piazza said the case load is overwhelming in the department and is contributing to retention and recruitment issues, “This is not just a problem in the City of Jamestown. This is a problem all across the country. You see it on the news, you see it everywhere else. We’ve talked about it at City Council meetings. We’ve talked about it in private meetings, in negotiations. It’s here, gentleman. It’s here.”

Council member at large Kim Ecklund requested that details be provided to council regarding the number of police calls and arrests.

Council member at large Jeff Russell brought up a concern following the recent serious injury of a Jamestown Police Officer by a patient at UMPC about what happens when officers respond to the hospital. He said due to liability concerns, former Police Chief Harry Snellings had ended the practice about five years ago where officers would help physically restrain patients at the hospital so that they could be chemically medicated, “Yet I don’t agree with the practice of the Police Department being called down to the ER and asked to physically restrain a patient so that a chemical restraint can take place. And if that is taking place now, or it’s happening again, then I encourage the Chief, I encourage your Command Staff, to meet with the hospital, and refuse to do that anymore.”

Police Chief Tim Jackson confirmed that Officers are helping assist, if needed while responding to the call, with restraining patients so they can be medicated. Both Council members Russell and Marie Carrubba expressed concern over why the security team hired by UPMC wasn’t being used for these practices.

Council President Tony Dolce ended the discussion recommending that due to contractual and possibly confidentiality issues that City Administration and UPMC discuss the policy concerns.

Tim Jackson

JAMESTOWN – Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist has appointed the city’s current interim police chief to serve as chief of the Jamestown Police Department for the remainder of the current term.

In a media release sent out Monday afternoon, Sundquist announced he has chosen Timothy Jackson to be the next police chief. Jackson’s appointment as chief is subject to approval by the Jamestown City Council. If appointed, he will serve the remainder of the current police chief term, which ends at the end of next year.

“Tim Jackson has shown through his decades of experience with JPD along with his leadership as Interim Police Chief these past four months that he is the best candidate to lead the Police Department forward as we look at ways to continue improving community engagement and policing,” Sundquist said via a media release.

Jackson has served in the Jamestown Police Department since May 2000. While with the JPD, he was on the SWAT Team from 2002 to 2015, acting as SWAT Team Commander from 2010 to 2015. He served in the U.S. Navy Reserve from 2002 to 2008 and was deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom from 2005-2006. He also has been an 18-year Adjunct Professor at Jamestown Community College.

Jackson is a life-long resident of the City of Jamestown where he resides with his wife. His appointment comes after former Chief and public safety director Harry Snellings announced his retirement earlier this year.

“The Jamestown Police Department has a highly qualified workforce of officers, detectives, supervisors, and support staff. I am
fortunate to be chosen to lead such a well-trained and hard-working group of individuals. It is my job to make sure they have the training, support, and resources, to serve the people of Jamestown,” Jackson said. “I look forward to continuing and improving engagement with the community and building relationships with community stakeholders. The police department will continue to be accountable to the public and continuously improve on ways to keep Jamestown safe.”

The City Council will vote on the appointment for Police Chief at the voting session scheduled for Monday, November 30.

Eddie Sundquist

JAMESTOWN – Mayor Eddie Sundquist says he is focused on bringing more diversity to city hall and is calling on the community to make that a reality.

On Sunday during a Community Justice rally in Dow Park, Sundquist spent about 10 minutes addressing the crowd, saying one of his main goals during his term is to make city government and those who work there more reflective of the people of the community it serves. He said that starts with the revitalization of the city’s Human Rights Commission.

“We need this commission to come together and actually start to make some real change, and figure out what is going on on our streets, because clearly we’ve been not able to do that in the past couple years. So this commission, the folks who have joined and who want to be part of it, are here to do just that. Help us as a city figure out where we need to go. Help us as a city figure out how to be more diverse and inclusive,” Sundquist said.

Sundquist also alleged that there are currently policies in city government that put people of color at a disadvantage when it comes to hiring them for positions.

“I know that we’ve got some policies that are frankly white-washed. We’ve got policies here in the city that basically say, ‘If you’re white you get the job.’ Those are the things we need to change and the things I am committed to changing here in this city,” Sundquist said.

While alleging that policies exist that favor whites over other community members of color, Sundquist did not specifically detail what those policies are. It is against both federal and state law for any community to have a policy in place that favors the employment of one person over the other based on race, ethnicity or religious beliefs.

The Post-Journal reported on Monday that Jamestown City Council president Tony Dolce is calling the whitewashing statement inaccurate.

Meanwhile, Sundquist also said that he’s received over 70 applications from city residents to serve on the Human Rights Commission – which is only allowed to have up to 12 members. However, he said that all applicants – regardless of whether or not they are selected – will still be encouraged to attend any commission meeting and offer input to help guide the development of future policy and oversight.

Sundquist also said that he is continuing the process of looking for the city’s next police chief after current chief Harry Snellings announced earlier this month that he would be retiring in July.

Last week Jamestown City Council president Tony Dolce told WRFA that an acting chief will likely be hired first, to allow for city officials to have the time to fully vet and finally choose a permanent replacement.

•  AUDIO ALSO AVAILABLE AT SOUNDCLOUD

WRFA’s Jason Sample talks with Jamestown City Council President Tony Dolce to get his thoughts on the recent Appellate Court ruling upholding an arbitration decision with the Jamestown Police Union, as well as discussing the 2019 city audit, a proposal to make it easier for Food Trucks to operate downtown, and also the retirement of two long-time city employees – Police Chief Harry Snellings and Comptroller Joe Bellitto.

Tony Dolce

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown City Council is under scrutiny from some members of the community for allegedly failing to attend a series of recent protests and rallies focusing on the Black Lives Matter movement. In addition, one specific council member is also being criticized by a local resident and candidate for public office for a post he made on social media this past weekend.

During the public comment portion of Monday night’s remote council work session – which was streamed online – the city clerk read a series of comments sent via email from several Jamestown residents, including Democratic candidate for the 150th State Assembly seat, Christina Cardinale.

A meme that was shared by Jamestown City Councilman Jeffery Russell on June 6, 2020 and which was scrutinized by a city resident and State Assembly candidate Christina Cardinale

Cardinale was critical of councilman and retired police officer Jeff Russell (R-At Large) for a pro-gun post on his personal Facebook page that was purported to be from Saturday, June 6. The post appears to be shared from the New York State Firearms Association and was intended for Russell’s Facebook friends only, but still managed to find its way to the public sphere.

“On 6/6 councilman Jeff Russell posted the following message on social media. Quote – The answer to the question, ‘Why do you need an AR-15 and a 30-round magazine?’ is on every news channel today – end quote,” Cardinale’s stated in her email, then directed a specific question to Russell. “Councilman Russell, can you please clarify your comment in full detail? When I turn on any news channel I see the black community demanding the end to systemic racism and I am now under the impression a retired Jamestown Police officer supports firing a semi-automatic rifle at Black Lives Matters protesters.”

Russell addressed the comment and defended his post, saying his post was actually a meme that he shared and was in now way calling for violence against any person or group of people. Russell added that he shared it after the death of a retired police captain in St. Louis during the weekend riots in that city.

“This featured a comment about owning an AR-15 and was in support of the Second Amendment, guaranteeing our right to bear arms – my right to defend my home  and my family and my fellow citizens’ right to do the same,” Russell said. “You are now attempting to create a controversy where controversy doesn’t exist.”

Russell was also critical of Cardinale for trying to score political points as part of her political campaign.

“It’s no secret we find ourselves in a tremendously difficult time in this country. But your efforts to score political points by cherry-picking a singular Facebook post, which never referenced violence against the black community or peaceful protesters, is the absolute worst political stunt of its kind. It’s reprehensible, in fact,” Russell said.

In her correspondence, Cardinale also asked the full city council if it had any thoughts about Russell’s post and if the council has a policy regarding social media.

Jeffery Russell

Council president Tony Dolce (R-Ward 2) said that he can vouch for Russell’s character through his 20+ years on the Jamestown Police Department, as well as with his various interactions with all students and staff at Jamestown High School where Dolce teaches.

Dolce also said there is no policy regarding how an elected member of the city council conducts themselves on social media.

“As far as social media conduct, we are elected officials. We are adults. We all make choices in terms of what we want to post [on social media]. There are no rules, laws, or regulations regarding what we can and cant’ do. We all have First Amendment rights,” Dolce said.

Russell wasn’t the only person on the council criticized during the public comment portion of the work session.  Another city resident – Autumn Echo Swanson – chastised the council for not showing support during two recent rallies in Jamestown, organized by the Jamestown Justice Coalition.

“Both rallies have seen poor attendance and support from city officials. I would like to know why the city council has chosen not to support the Jamestown Justice Coalition when a large number of the constituents of the council – including those deeply and personally affected by the mission – are in support of the efforts being made by the coalition,” Swanson wrote.

It’s worth noting that both Dolce and councilman Tom Nelson (D-Ward 6) attended the rally on Sunday, May 31 – along with Mayor Eddie Sundquist and Police chief Harry Snellings.

Council woman Vickye James (D-Ward 3) also took umbrage with the remark, pointing to her long-standing involvement and leadership in the city’s black community.

“As a black mother, a black woman, a black daughter, I always have had this issue come to my face every day. It matters to me. The people in my community matter to me, and because I don’t make one event does not make me not care about being black. That’s ridiculous,” James said.

The council’s other African American member, Tamu Graham-Reinhardt, also addressed the issue – asking those who are critical of the council members to “sit back and take a breath.”

Swanson also raised concern about a lack of leadership and guidance from the council when it comes to working toward improving conditions in the African American community.

“The issue at hand – an issue for which Jamestown is now immune – concerns the poor training, systemic laws and over funding that have led to rampant police brutality across this country,” Swanson wrote. “On a local level we see multiple accounts of socioeconomic instability among our minority communities, ranging from underfunded neighborhood development; disregard for the issue of food insecurity; lack of minority representation and decision making; and a lack of support, education and funding of minority-owned businesses in Jamestown. My question for the Jamestown City Council is this: Where are you?”

Dolce explained that he has already had a conversation about those concerns with the mayor and the city would be working to address them more thoroughly in the near future.

Also during the correspondences last night, city resident Rev. Chloe Smith again urged the city to work toward bringing more diversity into the ranks, something that city officials have acknowledged needs to happen, but also said that it is difficult with a very limited pool of qualified candidates to draw from.

Rev. Chloe Smith (left) talks with Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist (center) and Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings (right) during a Black Lives Matter rally in Dow Park Sunday, May 31, 2020.

JAMESTOWN – There were two rallies that took place in Jamestown on Sunday as part of the series of national protests taking place across the country. The days of protests were triggered by the death of George Floyd, a black man who died when a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes.

Nearly 200 people were at Dow Park at noon to express solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and to also share concerns about how law enforcement deals with minorities in the community. Leading the rally at noon was Rev. Chloe Smith from God and Zion Tabernacle Church, who urged the community to come together and work with public officials to improve the relationship between police and its residents.

“We are demanding a change starts in our city and we are going to be proactive. We are not going wait until something bad happens. We want the change now,” Smith said, speaking to those in attendance. “We’re not going to be reactive, having the protests after something happens. We want the communication with our law enforcement now! We want to conduct with our law enforcement now!”

Other members of the faith community, including Pastor Roy Ferguson of the Busti Church of God, were also on hand to share support.

“All of us who are not a person of color, whether we want to believe it or not, we have privilege. We need to leverage that privilege to love our neighbor as ourselves, and everyone including persons of color are our neighbors.  We need to leverage that privilege. We didn’t ask for it but we were born with it and we need to use it to bless those who God has created equal in his sight,” Ferguson told the crowd.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist, Police Chief Harry Snellings and Chautauqua County Sheriff Jim Quattrone all attended the rally, along with some members of the Jamestown City Council. Sundquist, the chief and the sheriff also spent nearly 45 minutes talking to attendees to respond to their questions and concerns.

Sundquist said he felt it was important to be at the event and show support with those who were attending.

“As communities across the country start to protest and start to demand more things, we wanted to let our entire community know that myself and our entire police force are hear to listen actively and to start to make changes to be more inclusive here in the city,” Sundquist said.

A crowd gathers around city of Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings and Mayor Eddie Sundquist as the two answer questions during a Black Lives Matter rally on May 31, 2020

Some of those concerns focused on hiring more minority officers in the Jamestown Police Department, along with working to ensure officers who work for the city also live within the city. Others also expressed frustration over feeling like they are being specifically targeted by law enforcement for no other reason than the color of their skin.

When asked how man officers live in Jamestown, Snellings said 25 of of the 62 members of the Jamestown Police Department are residents of Jamestown.

“So 25 out of the 60 officers actually live in the city? That is not community policing. We need community policing. If [an officer] does not live in Jamestown, you are coming in and you are enforcing a law. You are not part of the community. You are an occupying force,” stated Justin Hubbard, a city resident who was in attendance. “I will not be occupied any more. How are you going to fix that?”

Afterward, Mayor Sundquist said the city will be continuing to meet and talk with the community and work toward addressing some of the concerns brought up at the rally, including having more officers who reside within the city.

“It’s very difficult unless its negotiated [into a collective bargaining agreement] or certain local laws are passed. But we’re trying very hard to encourage our residents to apply for those positions and to be part of our community. We’ve talked about incentivizing that for every employee in the city.  It’s a process. I’ve only been on the job for five months so we’re trying very hard to deal with things as they come up,” Sundquist said.

Chief Snellings also said that while he supports hiring more minority officers, it can be difficult when the city receives few, if any, applications In response, one attendee suggested the police department work harder at encouraging young minorities within the community to pursue careers in law enforcement.

When asked if they felt George Floyd was murdered by the Minneapolis Police Officer, Snellings and Quatrone both acknowledged the the restraint being used wasn’t standard procedure and shouldn’t have been used, but both stopped short of saying it was murder, saying there could have been other factors at play that may have resulted in death. Mayor Sundquist did say that it was murder, based only on what he saw and the information he knows about the case.

A second rally took place at City Hall on Sunday night, beginning at 6 p.m. and continuing until just before 11 p.m. While there was a large gathering in front of city hall on East Third Street near the intersection with Spring, it appeared to be a peaceful event with no damages or arrests reported at that location. However, later in the evening, shortly before midnight, city police did say two men were arrested following an altercation with another group in an area near E. Second and Pine Streets.

Police say 32-year-old Jason Burham of Ashville and 31-year-old Michael Burham of Russell, Pa. were taken into custody on charges of disorderly conduct and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

The order was put in place in March to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. But as a result, it’s also forced a spectrum of businesses to close operations while many other have had to make adjustments.  Activities and routines also taken for granted – such as socializing, attending church services, children playing on area playgrounds, and group sports have also been put on hold.

Locally, a Reopen New York rally is planned for 3 p.m. Friday at Jamestown’s Dow Park.

Area resident and 2019 Libertarian candidate for County Legislature Gerrit Cain is helping to organize the event. He said in a media release that his group understands and takes the COVID-19 virus seriously, but doesn’t believe that it is prudent, effective, or constitutional to have the government determine which businesses are and are not essential.

“We are concerned with the effects of the PAUSE and its associated shutdowns on livelihoods, mental health, and the overall well being of society at large,” Cain stated. “It is clear to us that there is a wide spectrum of views on how quickly to reopen, what to reopen and how. We believe that with clear information from regional and local health care experts, people should be free to live their lives and do business in a responsible manner. Likewise, we believe that societal and market forces can and will steer behavior and policies toward wise and prudent decisions in terms of the ‘how’ we reopen and restart our lives better than sweeping government mandates.”

Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings has said the city is monitoring the situation.

“We’re aware of it. We are working with the state police and they are monitoring social media so we can at least get a feel for what the potential crowd could look like, but for now we’re kind of in a wait-and-see,” Snellings said during the Jamestown City Council’s April 20 work session.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist also noted during the same meeting that while a special event permit to hold the rally isn’t necessary, it still could result in a violation of the governor’s executive order, which bans groups of people from meeting.

“There wouldn’t be any [amplified] sound or things like that so a permit wouldn’t be necessary. However, there is an executive order banning all social gatherings. A gathering of individuals of any size up until May 15 is still not permitted under the governor’s executive order. Anyone who violates that can be assessed a fine of up to $1,000,” Sundquist said.

The mayor reiterated his comment about how such an event could be a violation of the governor’s executive order during a Facebook Town Hall Q&A session on Thursday.

But Cain said the group intends for the rally to be a peaceful and respectful demonstration abiding by physical distancing.

“Participants will either remain in their vehicles or walk the sidewalks around Dow Park while maintaining an appropriate distance from one another. We will be carrying signs and likely singing some patriotic songs during the event. At no time do we intend to gather in a concentrated group,” said Cain.

WRFA also recently talked with NY Senator for District 57 and former Chautauqua County Executive George Borrello and asked him his thoughts about these types of rallies taking place in New York State and around the country.

“I would encourage those folks to practice social distancing and to protect themselves, because we don’t know all the details (about COVID-19) and don’t have enough data,” Borrello said. “But I understand the impact and I agree there are serious constitutional questions to what is going on right now.”

Members of the Jamestown City Council and administration held a work session meeting via Zoom on Monday night, April 20.

JAMESTOWN – City officials say they are aware of a Reopen New York rally that is scheduled to take place on Friday May 1.

During Monday night’s Jamestown City Council work session – which was streamed and available to watch at the city website – Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings informed council members that even though a special event permit has not been filed with the city, he and his department are aware of the event.

“We’re aware of it. We are working with the state police and they are monitoring social media so we can at least get a feel for what the potential crowd could look like, but for now we’re kind of in a wait-and-see,” Snellings said.

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist also noted that even in normal times prior to COVID-19, a special event application wouldn’t be necessary. But he also said that depending on how the event is conducted it could violate the governor’s New York on Pause executive order that bans groups people from meeting.

“There wouldn’t be any [amplified] sound or things like that so a permit wouldn’t be necessary. However, there is an executive order banning all social gatherings. A gathering of individuals of any size up until May 15 is still not permitted under the governor’s executive order. Anyone who violates that can be assessed a fine of up to $1,000,” Sundquist said.

Sundquist also noted that the planned rally in Jamestown appears to be different than one held in Buffalo on Monday because that only involved people protesting from inside their vehicles so they did not violate the executive order.

City officials said they did not know the organizer or organizers of the event and also did not indicate the specific time or location of the event.

Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings

JAMESTOWN – Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings released the following statement on Friday morning, March 20, 2020 in response to the novel coronavirus / COVID-19.

The Jamestown Police Department is working with all our local, county, and state partners to respond to the daily updates and changes related to COVID-19. As a department, we want to assure everyone that we will continue to provide public safety to our community and are here to assist you. The safety of our community is our priority. In order to do that, we must take precautions to mitigate potential exposures to our officers.

Effective immediately we will be implementing several new protocols to reduce possible exposure. When calling for assistance, all calls to the dispatch or our command line will be screened by the call taker and will be asked a series of questions that are health related. Your responses will help us determine the best way to handle the call. For any non-emergency call, that we determine can be handled over the phone, an officer will call you back to take the report. Any call for the service that requires an officer to respond to a location, that officer(s) will follow the social distance rule and will take the report accordingly. We are encouraging everyone to call first before coming to the reception area. We may be able to assist you over the phone or by email. There will be no changes to in-progress or emergency response calls. Our officers will continue to patrol our community.

As this situation continues to evolve, we will do our best to update the community related to public safety. We are encouraging everyone to follow the COVID-19 guidelines that the County and State Health Department put out as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Cheif Harry Snellings
Jamestown Police Department