Chautauqua County Sheriff Jim Quattrone is joined by County officials for a press briefing on a fatal plane crash near the Jamestown Airport (June 6, 2023)

The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office has identified the two men who died in a plane crash near the Jamestown Airport Tuesday afternoon.

Sheriff Jim Quattrone identified the pilot as 52-year-old Roger Jay Ryall of Toronto, Canada and the plane’s passenger as 52-year-old David J. Hughes of British Columbia.

Just before 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, airport personnel, the Fluvanna Fire Department and mutual-aid agencies, responded to a grassy, wooded area northeast of the airport’s main terminal for a single engine plane crash.

When crews arrived on scene, they discovered the aircraft fully engulfed by fire with an on-board parachute deployed. After quickly extinguishing flames, an immediate search for victims began with local law enforcement using drones and receiving aid from STAT Medevac.

Quattrone confirmed the remains of the two male victims were discovered within the wreckage.

Sheriff Jim Quattrone said the Cirrus SR-22 traveled from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada to Erie, Pennsylvania Tuesday morning, before arriving at the Jamestown Airport to refuel just after noon. He said the plane departed at 1:41 p.m., crashing shortly after take-off.

An investigation by the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is continuing.

James Quattrone

Chautauqua County has received the state’s accreditation from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.

Sheriff Jim Quattrone announced the accreditation designation to the County Legislature at their monthly meeting on May 24. He said Chautauqua County is one of under five counties in New York State to have the designation.

Quattrone said there are minimum health care standards set in the jail, “This basically, expectations and standards of our medical staff and mental health staff combined, working together, having joint medical records, so they’ve had to work extra hard.”

Quattrone said due to the county being accepted into a nationwide study by Harvard University, the costs of applying for the accreditation were covered by Harvard.

He thanked Public Health Director Dr. Michael Faulk, Community Health Nursing Director Kathy Burgess, Public Health Nurse Alison Epsin, as well as all of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for their work in achieving this accreditation.

Chautauqua County Sheriff Jim Quattrone invited Dr. Kevin Sabet to speak about his concerns on cannabis legalization in New York State at a conference in Celoron on May 1, 2023.

Dr. Kevin Sabet presents on marijuana legalization (May 1, 2023)

Dr. Kevin Sabet presents on marijuana legalization (May 1, 2023)

A former Presidential drug policy advisor stated marijuana is the “most misunderstood drug in the United States” during presentations in Chautauqua County Monday.

Dr. Kevin Sabet is the President and CEO of both the Foundation for Drug Policy Solutions and Smart Approaches to Marijuana. He was invited to speak in the county by Sheriff Jim Quattrone.

Sabet said he doesn’t want to see the country make the same mistakes as with tobacco and alcohol, which have killed more people than all opioid drugs and other drugs combined, “And, part of the reason that’s the case is that they are legalized, commercialized, normalized, and pushed by a for-profit industry. And my worry about marijuana legalization in New York is that we’re moving a little bit too fast towards that mass commercialization. And I don’t want to see people in prison or anything. I don’t want to see people get a criminal record for marijuana or really any other drug use. I want them to get help. But it should be something we’re trying to discourage generally, not encourage.”

Sabet said he finds it worrisome that some municipalities that have opted in with marijuana legalization are betting on marijuana sales to improve the economy and workforce. He said the potency of marijuana available today is much higher than what was available in previous decades, “It’s really not regulated well at all, even in the dispensaries because the FDA doesn’t look at it. It’s not federally legal, so it’s kind of legal gray area federally. And we’re seeing huge increases in psychosis, schizophrenia, we’re seeing big hospital costs with hyperemesis syndrome which is this chronic vomiting syndrome among people who use a lot.”

Sabet said he thinks there should be an advertising campaign aimed at people age 25 and younger about how their brains are vulnerable to drugs and alcohol, “There should be an ad campaign discouraging kids to use, and really, anyone under 25 technically, number one. Number two, we need to have strict advertising restrictions. There are none and I worry about that. Number three, we should have limits on THC potency. There is no reason we need to be selling 90% potent concentrates that can have a very deleterious effect on anyone of any age on their mental health.”

Sheriff Quattrone said the people at Dr. Sabet’s presentation included law enforcement, health providers, and drug prevention, who he said will all need to work together on substance use issues. He added that he’d still like clarity from New York State on marijuana regulations, which he said is lacking.

Congressman Nick Langworthy and Chautauqua County Sheriff Jim Quattrone (April 4, 2023)

Congressman Nick Langworthy met with Chautauqua County Sheriff Jim Quattrone and toured public safety facilities in Mayville on a visit to the county.

Langworthy said it’s important for him to familiarize himself with the institutions he represents, like law enforcement, in the 23rd District, “I’ve know Sheriff Quattrone for many years. He’s an incredible Sheriff. He’s a great veteran of law enforcement. So, going through and meeting department by department with his team and seeing how it all works and how they handle dispatch and what some of the great challenges are department by department. I think it’s really helpful.”

Langworthy said he got to hear first hand accounts from Sheriff’s officers on the struggle of dealing with the fentanyl crisis, “It’s something that we face every day and we’re losing so many of our citizens to this horrible drug. And we have to do something about it. We have to stop it from coming into our country. We have to stop the Chinese from profiting off the death of Americans.”

Langworthy said the visit gives him more anecdotal information he can share in Washington.

He said one thing Sheriff Quattrone requested help with is the Unsolved Crimes Unit, “It is extremely concerning that we have an unsolved case load that is far greater than other communities. And they have requested some federal assistance in order to help bring some quick lab and DNA work to crack these cases. They’ve got some new personnel that’s taking on this department and I think there’s a lot of merit in it.”

Langworthy added that the families of missing or murdered victims deserve justice.

The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said as people gather at bars and pubs today and following days, it sometimes can lead to deadly consequences if plans aren’t made to get home safely.

The NHTSA said during the 2020 St. Patrick’s Day period, more than a third (36%) of crash fatalities involved a drunk driver. From 2016 to 2020, 287 lives were lost in drunk-driving crashes during the St. Patrick’s Day period.

Sheriff Jim Quattrone said, “Please remember, Buzzed Driving Is Drunk Driving. If you plan to drink this St. Patrick’s Day, plan ahead for a safe way home.”
He said even walking while intoxicated can be deadly. In 2020, 30% of the pedestrians killed in traffic crashes had blood alcohol concentrations at or above .08. Pedestrians who have been drinking should also arrange for a sober ride or for a sober friend to walk them home.

The NHTSA encourages everyone to take the following safety precautions, including:
– It’s never okay to drink and drive. Designate a sober driver or a call a ride service to get home safely.
– Never let a friend drive drunk.
– If you’re the designated driver, make sure you don’t drink so you can keep that promise of safety to yourself and your passengers.
– Don’t ride in a vehicle with a driver who has been drinking.
– And if you see a drunk driver on the road, contact your local law enforcement to report the driver.

Governor Kathy Hochul is attempting to secure a full four-year term on the Democratic and Working Families line against Republican and Conservative endorsed candidate Lee Zeldin. Zeldin currently is the 1st Congressional District Representative. Hochul took over as Governor following Andrew Cuomo‘s resignation in August 2021. For the Lieutenant Governor’s race, Antonio Delgado is running with Hochul and Alison Esposito is running with Zeldin

Voters from Chautauqua County across to Stueben County and now part of Erie County will vote on a new representative for the new 23rd Congressional District. Republican Nick Langworthy is facing Democrat Max Della Pia for that seat. The pre-2020 census district was formerly led by Tom Reed for the last 10 years and is currently represented by Joe Sempolinski.

Longtime incumbent and Democrat Chuck Schumer is running for re-election against Republican Joe Pinion and LaRouche party candidate Diane Sare.

Two other statewide offices on the ballot include incumbent State Attorney General Letitia James on the Democratic and Working Families line facing Michael Henry on the Republican and Conservative lines.

And incumbent State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli on the Democratic and Working Families lines is facing Paul Rodriguez on the Republican and Conservative lines.

In State Legislative races, incumbent State Senator George Borrello is running on the Republican and Conservative lines for the 57th District against Dan Brown on the Democratic line. Incumbent Assemblyman Andy Goodell is also running on the Republican and Conservatives lines against Democrat Sandra Lewis.

In Chautauqua County races, the County Sheriff race is unopposed with incumbent Jim Quattrone running on the Republican and Conservative lines.

There are two special elections for the Chautauqua County Legislature.

In District 7, incumbent John Penhollow is running on the Republican and Conservative lines against Barbara Colt who is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines. Penhollow was appointed to fill the seat after Mark Odell resigned in July 2021.

In District 10, Republican incumbent Jaime Gustafson is running unopposed. She was appointed to fill the seat after Ken Lawton resigned due to moving out of the district. District 10 represents the southwest side of Jamestown, the Village of Lakewood and part of the Town of Busti.

In the City of Jamestown, a special election for the Ward 5 City Council seat is being held between incumbant Bill Reynolds on the Republican and Conservative lines and Democrat Doug Lawson. The winner of that race will fill out the remainder of that seat’s term following Grant Olson declining to take the seat after the 2021 election.

There are five seats open for the 8th Judicial State Supreme Court Justices. Running on all four lines of Democratic, Republican, Conservative and Working Families is Craig Hannah. Kelly Vacco and Gerald Greenan III are running on the Democratic, Republican, and Conservatives lines. Shannon Heneghan is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines. And Joseph Lorigo is running on the Republican and Conservatives lines.

There is one proposition located on the back of the ballot.

The Clean Water, Clean Air, and Clean Jobs Environmental Bond Act would, if approved, authorize New York State to borrow $4.2 billion to fund environmental protection, natural restoration, resilience, and clean energy projects.

The State Legislature has already approved the plan, which allows the state to sell the bonds immediately after approval. But in order to sell the bonds, the state has to get approval from voters.

Polls are open Tuesday from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. in Chautauqua County.

For all of WRFA’s Election coverage, visit https://www.wrfalp.com/election-2022/

For voting information, including sample ballots and voting locations, visit VoteChautauqua.com

We’ll have Election Night coverage starting at 8pm tonight on 107.9 WRFA-LP.

rainbow fentanyl

Parents are being warned about fentanyl drugs that look like candy.

The Chautauqua County Health Department, Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene and Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office have issued an alert about “rainbow fentanyl,” which is the name of brightly colored pills that look like candy but are really a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine.

Fentanyl is sometimes mixed with other illicit drugs and made to look like prescription drugs. Officials say unless a drug is prescribed by a licensed medical professional and dispensed by a legitimate pharmacy, you cannot know if it’s fake or legitimate.

Sheriff Jim Quattrone said “rainbow fentanyl” hasn’t been seen in Chautauqua County at this time.

City Council Public Forum held September 14, 2022

Questions and opinions on how to deal with the rising homeless population in Jamestown were raised during City Council‘s public forum on Wednesday.

Several questions were raised about what is being done about the homeless people under the North Main Street viaduct and for homeless women and children.

Mayor Eddie Sundquist said many people don’t realize there are only two shelters in Jamestown, with one housing men and the other housing women and children of domestic violence.

He said a census of homeless people in Jamestown has revealed new challenges, “Many years, that has been about 25 to 30 people. In the last several months, we have now seen an increase of over 70 people or more in just certain areas. So, it has risen rapidly across the city. In many cases it’s visible. We’ve always had homelessness, let’s be clear about that, it has not been as visible as it has been.”

Sundquist said the end of the COVID-19 eviction moratorium has led to increased evictions and movement of people to Jamestown.

He said he had met with over 60 local pastors Tuesday night along with council members to discuss homelessness.

Sundquist said in talking with other cities, that when faith leaders and resource providers work together, they’ve been able to tackle issues like emergency sheltering, getting resources to people, and, ultimately, getting people off the street, “That’s a model we’re trying to do right here in the city of Jamestown. And in the next two weeks we’ll be bringing both those groups together to start to look at that model. Because we’re afraid when winter comes, when the snow comes, we’re going to start to see people in abandoned homes. We’re going to potentially see people dead on the street. And that’s something we do not want to happen.”

Police Chief Tim Jackson said on every shift, officers having been meeting with the people taking shelter under the North Main Street viaduct to try to move them along while also handing out informational pamphlets about resources available for help.

Several comments were made by audience members about not wanting to give “hand outs, but hand ups” to homeless people, including not offering food to homeless but instead donating money and food to shelters and food pantries.

Mental Health Association Project Manager Sean Jones spoke up, saying “there are no hand outs in town” and that the MHA works with the homeless on a daily basis, “We help them navigate the system through the town. If there is a hand-out, yes, sometimes we give them a sandwich or a cup of coffee, but that’s how we build trust with them so they will trust us to then go through the process. And one of the things we have to go through is when we bring them to their appointment, they can sign up for help to get housing, to get food, to get medical assistance, to get a lot of different things.”

Jones said there are rules involved with getting this help, so if a participant is late or misses an appointment, they can be sanctioned for 45 days where they have to wait that entire time in order to reapply for services.

Sheriff Jim Quattrone, who had previously worked with a homeless ministry, said when it comes to homeless issues, one size doesn’t fit all, “There are some people that need that hand-out. They need it right now to survive. But then we need to do a rehabilitation. And how we talk to them, ‘How do you see yourself improving? What do you need now to survive? What do you need for the next month to survive? And then moving forward, the month after that?’ And then we have to have a development. It’s kind of like, give a fish, feed them for a day, teach them to fish, feed them for a lifetime.”

Quattrone said people should try visiting somewhere like St. Susan Center to have a non-judgmental conversation with those who are homeless or food insecure. He added that while there are a lot of resources in Chautauqua County, he’s been meeting monthly with area groups to learn what gaps need to be filled.

City Council Forum held at Christ First United Methodist Church on September 14, 2022

Public safety was just one issue discussed with over 60 people who attended a public forum held by Jamestown City Council Wednesday night.

Council President Tony Dolce stated one of his goals has been to hold these kinds of forums outside of the regular council meeting, but the Pandemic put that on hold until now.

City Director of Development Crystal Surdyk presented on neighborhood stabilization efforts by the department. She said the department is facing a monumental task with housing code enforcement and housing at the top of the list.

Surdyk said there are just three Code Enforcement Officers right now, “It takes up a lot of our time and energy every day, all day long. We’re on call 24-7. It’s not uncommon to get a call from one these guys (Police) in the middle of the night or on a weekend. And it’s been a really great partnership with the Police Department, with the Fire Department, our other departments.”

Surdyk said the collaboration between the departments has been important because they’re all dealing with the same issues. She said it’s helped the department make some strides.

Surdyk added that housing and housing conditions impact economic development, “..and vice versa, so you really can’t look at neighborhoods and downtown development and business development as separate things. They all have to be worked on at the same time. It’s not a this or this. It has to be this and this and this.”

Jamestown Police Chief Tim Jackson presented next and said the most important issue for police right now is gun violence which comes with narcotics issues. He said as of August 14, there have been 16 confirmed shootings this year, compared with 19 for all of 2021, “In 2022, our cases involving reports of firearms have increased 4.2% compared to year-to-date 2021 and 76.2%, compared to the five-year average. And the five year average is 27.8 cases, so it is an increase.”

He said the shootings have taken place all over the city, which makes it difficult to combat because officers can’t necessarily target where the next shooting event might take place.

Police Captain Scott Forester presented on the department’s work under the GIVE grant, or Gun Involved Violence Elimination grant, which is under its ninth year in the city, “GIVE focuses not only on gun violence but it focuses on domestic incidences, community engagements, it helps pay for our Crime Analyst, which obviously then assists with us with the information we need to run our targeted patrols. As the Chief mentioned, the shots fired calls, warrant services, and then a word you’ve heard a lot tonight, is partnerships.”

Forester said the department works closely with local law enforcement as well as Federal partnerships.

Chief Jackson said prior the presentation that the collaboration with Federal partners has helped the city get around some of the bail reform restrictions in place under New York State.

Jackson said hiring continues to be an issue for the department, with three positions open right now. This includes the Quality of Life Officer that had been approved by council in the spring which was to solely be assigned to deal with issues in the city such as noise and neighborhood complaints.

Sheriff Jim Quattrone was in attendance and echoed the issue facing law enforcement with recruitment, “We currently have nobody who has training and qualifications on the civil service list to be hired by any police department in the county. We currently have 14 Chautauqua County residents in the (Sheriff’s) Academy but they just started, so they won’t be ready to even get out of the Academy until around May, May or June of next year. So that is creating a problem. We’ve looked at other departments but really we’d just be taking them from another jurisdiction.”

Dolce said following the forum, council members and the administration will compile the comments and requests, “Put it together and then put our heads together and see where we go. This is just a beginning. These are issues that are not going to be solved overnight. They weren’t created overnight. But these are the types of things that involve the community that help us help them and move forward.”

Dolce added he does plan to have additional public forums in the future.