Randall Rolison

The Jamestown man who pled guilty to two fatal vehicle crashes has now pled guilty in federal court to weapons charges.

U.S. Attorney Trini Ross announced that 60-year old Randall Rolison pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to being a felon in possession of firearms and ammunition, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Louis Testani stated that in January 2022, the Jamestown Police Department and FBI began investigating Rolison’s purchase of firearms outside of the State of New York and subsequent sale of the firearms in the Southern Tier of New York. The investigation determined that Rolison, an over-the-road truck driver, purchased firearms and ammunition from a roadside stand in the State of Georgia between the Summer of 2021 and December 2021, and subsequently transported and sold, or attempted to sell, a total of nine firearms and ammunition in New York. Rolison sent pictures of the firearms via text message to various individuals to solicit interest in purchasing them and would subsequently straw purchase the firearms on behalf of the individuals. In June 1997, Rolison was convicted of a felony in Michigan and is legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

Rolison will be sentenced for this crime in U.S. District Court on December 19, 2023.

He recently pled guilty to Second Degree Manslaughter for the vehicular fatality that took the life of 15-year old Lexy Hughan on December 31, 2021 in Jamestown. He also pled guilty to Aggravated Vehicular Homicide for the vehicular fatality in Arkwright in December 2022 that resulted in the death of 71-year old Linda Kraemer of South Dayton.

Rolison will be sentenced in that case on August 28 in Chautauqua County Court.

Randall Rolison

The Jamestown man charged in two fatal crashes has pleaded guilty in Chautauqua County Court.

District Attorney Jason Schmidt announced that 60-year old Randall Rolison pled guilty to Second Degree Manslaughter for the vehicular fatality that took the life of 15-year old Lexy Hughan on December 31, 2021 in Jamestown. He also pled guilty to Aggravated Vehicular Homicide for the vehicular fatality in Arkwright that resulted in the death of 71-year old Linda Kraemer of South Dayton.

Rolison will be sentenced on August 28 and faces a total of 13 1/3 to 40 years in prison.

Schmidt said the pending weapons possesion charges were dismissed as part of the plea deal.

He said the plea came following consultation with the Hughan and Kraemer families.

Lexy Hughan’s mother, Sara Rafaloski, expressed her relief that the court case is over, “And I’m really glad that it’s over. I’m glad that I don’t have to sit through any grueling details of any case stuff that nobody needs to hear. No fighting over something that obviously happened that’s obviously his fault. It’s all done and over. I’m much happier about that.”

A bench and picnic table dedication was held Saturday morning at Dow Park in Jamestown that memorializes Lexy Hughan.

Melissa Paterniti, who fundraised the money for the bench and table, said a roadside memorial had initially gone up near the site where Lexy had died, “And things on the side of the road had kind of started to get dusty and dirty. And people were saying stuff about it and I thought, ‘How can I help? How can I help this little girl have a beautiful memorial somewhere in the city of Jamestown to come and visit and celebrate her life?'”

Friends and Family cut the ribbon on a bench installed in memory of Lexy Hughan in Dow Park (June 10, 2023)

Rafaloski said it was amazing to have the community to come together to create the memorial. The dedication coincided with the start of the Jamestown Pride Festival, something she said Lexy would have been really happy about.

Randall Rolison

The Jamestown Post-Journal reports the Jamestown man accused of killing a Jamestown teenager in a hit and run accident rejected a plea deal in County Court.

60-year old Randall Rolison rejected a deal that would have had him pleading guilty to 2nd Degree manslaughter for striking 15-year old Lexy Hughan with his truck and also pleading guilty to a charge of aggravated vehicular manslaughter for driving an SUV which killed 71-year old Linda Kraemer. The deal included him admitting he was under the influence of narcotics in both accidents with resulting sentence of 13 1/3 to 25 years in state prison.

Rolison was out on bail following the hit and run fatality when State Police say he ran a stop sign on State Route 83 in the town of Arkwright, hitting a truck driven by 71-year old Gary Kraemer of South Dayton. The collision caused serious injuries to Gary Kraemer and resulted in the death of his wife, Linda.

Rolison also was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon after police found three illegal weapons in his possession.

The Jamestown Post-Journal reports the weapons court case will take place June 12. The other two trials will be held after that one is complete.

Randall Rolison

The Jamestown man involved in two separate fatal incidents has been indicted for the crash that happened in December 2022.

District Attorney Jason Schmidt announced that 59-year old Randall Rolison was indicted by a Chautauqua County Grand Jury on charges of Aggravated Vehicular Homicide and 2nd Degree Manslaughter in connection with the fatal crash that took the life of Linda Kraemer on December 3, 2022.

Rolison was arraigned in County Court on February 28th and is in the County Jail without bail.

He has previously been indicted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run that occurred in Jamestown in December 2021. 15-year old Lexy Hughan died in that incident. Rolison faces manslaughter, driving while ability impaired by drugs, and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident involving a death in that case. He also faces a weapons charge.

Randall Rolison

A Jamestown man who was involved in two separate fatal crashes has had his bail revoked and is in jail.

Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said 59-year old Randall Rolison is in the County Jail without bail following his release from UPMC Hamot Medical Center where he had been receiving treatment for injuries he sustained in a fatal crash on December 5, 2022. That crash in the town of Arkwright resulted in the death of 71-year Linda Kraemer and seriously injured 71-year old Gary Kraemer, both of South Dayton.

Schmidt said charges are still pending against Rolison in that incident.

Rolison had previously been indicted by a Chautauqua County Grand Jury on manslaughter charges after striking and killing 15-year old Lexy Hughan on December 31, 2021 with a commercial vehicle. He also is charged with three counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree.

Alexis “Lexy” Hughan

A fundraising event for a memorial for Lexy Hughan is taking place this Saturday.

Citizen Melissa Paterniti is hosting the event from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the YWCA Lake Lodge in Lakewood. The event will feature refreshments and a basket raffle.

Paterniti is trying to raise $3,000 to purchase a bench and picnic table that will be placed in Dow Park in the City of Jamestown in memory of the 15-year old who died in a hit-and-run accident on December 31, 2021.

Randall Rolison

The Jamestown man involved in a fatal hit and run accident in Jamestown last December has been involved in another fatal car accident in the town of Arkwright.

State Police said 59-year old Randall Rolison was the driver of the car that went through a stop sign at the intersection of State Route 83 and Center Road, hitting the car driven by 71-year old Gary Kraemer of South Dayton on Saturday night. The collision caused his passenger, 71-year old Linda Kraemer, to be ejected from the car. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Kraemer, Rolison, and passengers in his vehicle were taken to area hospitals for non-life threatening injuries.

Rolison had previously been indicted by a Chautauqua County Grand Jury on a manslaughter charges after striking and killing 15-year old Lexy Hughan on December 31, 2021 with a commercial vehicle. He also is charged with three counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree.

Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt issued a statement saying his office is “pursuing a number of options available under the law for addressing the current situation, including seeking the revocation of Mr. Rolison’s bail so that he can be jailed pending trial on the indicted cases. We are also actively working to develop information and evidence arising from Saturday’s accident which may lead us to file new charges against Mr. Rolison.

Schmidt criticized County Court Judge David Foley in his statement for reducing the amount of requested bail for Rolison on all charges from $500,000 cash or $1 million property bond to a total of $85,000 cash or $170,000 property bond. Rolison was able to make bail and was released at that time.

New York State Police said the accident happened on State Route 83 and Center Road in the town of Arkwright the evening of Saturday, December 3.

Police say the car driven by 59-year old Randall Rolison failed to stop at a stop sign and struck a car driven by by 71-year old Gary Kraemer of South Dayton. His passenger, 71-year old Linda Kraemer, was ejected from the car and pronounced dead at the scene.

New York State Collision Reconstruction and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation assisted with the investigation, which is ongoing.

Rolison is already facing charges of three counts of 2nd degree criminal possession of a weapon and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident involving a death charges for the December 31, 2021 hit and run accident that resulted in the death of 15-year old Lexy Hughan.

First row: Maura Campion, JHS attendance counselor; Bonnie Schnars, behavior specialist; and JHS students and Lexy’s friends, Eddie Meyers, Leo Allison, and Ryan Aaron Guiffre. In the second row are Faith Graham, ENL teacher; Sara Rafaloski, Lexy’s mother; Jeff Hughan, Lexy’s dad; Susan Mead, school psychologist; and Dana Williams, JHS principal.

A new fund has been established at Jamestown High School in honor of Lexy Hughan, who died in a hit and run accident last New Year’s Eve.

Heron Farm & Event Center owner Julie Rockcastle presented $3,850 raised from the 4th Annual Heron Trail Run to the Jamestown High School Attendance Counseling Center. The funds will establish the Lexy Hughan Sunshine Fund.

At the request of Lexy’s parents, Sara Rafaloski and Jeff Hughan, the funds will be used to purchase supplies and activities for the Attendance Counseling Center.

Tory Irgang, Chautauqua Region Community Foundation executive director; Sydney Maggio, JHS Class of 2024; Jeffrey Hughan; Sara Rafaloski; Ella Storms, JHS Class of 2024; and Shane Hawkins, Infinity executive director announce the creation of Infinity’s Lexy Hughan Memorial Fund

A fund in memory of the teenager who died following a hit-and-run accident on December 31 has been established at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation.

Infinity Performing and Visual Art’s Lexy Hughan Memorial Fund will be administered by CRCF and will distribute grants annually to the arts organization. This is the first fund at the Foundation that is set up to directly benefit Infinity.

According to Infinity’s Executive Director Shane Hawkins, the fund will support classes and additional programming, with input from Hughan’s parents, as to what would have been important to Hughan.

Lexy Hughan began taking piano and dance lessons at Infinity at the age of 3. Over the years, she expanded her artistic journey with a variety of instruments, dance classes and art.

Lexy was only 15 years old when she died.

Proceeds from Infinity’s fundraising event, featuring autographed sports memorabilia, has led to the creation of an agency endowment fund to enrich the lives of future Infinity students.

Contributions to the fund were also raised by Hughan’s classmates at JHS through a flower sale at the high school. Class representatives also reached out to all the Jamestown Public School buildings to take up a collection in Hughan’s memory. In total, they raised $2,000 to be added to the fund.

Donations to Infinity’s Lexy Hughan Memorial Fund can be made through the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation by mailing a check to 418 Spring Street, Jamestown or online with a credit card at crcfonline.org.