The Sheriff’s Office, along with New York State Police and Westfield Police, were called to an address on Pigeon Road in the Town of Westfield around 11:20 p.m. Saturday to respond to a report of an armed subject who had been involved in a shooting incident.

On arrival investigators learned that subject in question was not there but was located at a different address in the Village of Westfield. Deputies and Officers responded to that address and made contact with the subject, and an investigation revealed that there had been no shooting incident and the subject in question was unarmed.

A further investigation showed that the incident may have been a so-called “Swatting” prank – when an anonymous caller makes a false report about a dangerous situation in order to get a police SWAT team to show up at a person’s home.

No one was injured during this incident and no charges have been filed. The investigation into the false report is on-going.

Rance “Randy” Freeman, Jr., 31, was arraigned Thursday in Chautauqua County Court on a two-count indictment alleging two charges of Murder in the Second Degree.

Johnson was discovered deceased in his Westfield home on November 8, 2008. The Village of Westfield Police Department, Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Department, and the Chautauqua County Forensic Investigation Team responded and began an investigation which led to the indictment of Freeman, nearly 10 years later.

Chautauqua County District Attorney Patrick Swanson credited the perseverance of the investigators, adding “My thanks go out to the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office and Westfield Police for their continued efforts in investigating this case.”

Freeman  entered a plea of not guilty before Chautauqua County Court Judge Stephen Cass. Bail was set at $500,000 cash or $1,000,000 property.

Freeman is due to return to court for the completion of discovery and standard motions on a date yet to be determined.

The charges carry a potential sentence ranging from fifteen years to life up to twenty-five years to life imprisonment. As are all persons accused of a crime, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Westfield Police say 65-year-old Thomas Baideme of Westfield was crossing Main St. in the village and was hit by a vehicle exiting the McDonald’s parking lot. Police say Baideme was not using a cross walk.

The incident occurred just before 10 p.m. Sunday. Baideme was pronounced dead at the scene and no charges have been filed.

Patrick Thompson

WESTFIELD – The body of a Westfield man reported missing since June 12 was discovered Wednesday afternoon in the village.

Westfield police were called to a location off Bourne Street at about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, where the body of Patrick Thompson was discovered in a wooded area by the railroad tracks.

An autopsy will be performed but no foul play is suspected.

Patrick Thompson

WESTFIELD – A search continues for a missing 31 year-old Westfield Man who was last seen nine days  ago.

Westfield Police are asking the public for information that could lead to helping to locate 31-year-old Patrick Thompson, last seen on Monday, June 12 around noon in the village.

Thompson is described as a white male, 5 feet 7 inches tall, with brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a black sleeveless tank top shirt, black and white checkered shorts and black shoes. Police said he may be distraught and want to do harm to himself.

An article in Wednesday’s Post-Journal says a search party of about 20 volunteers gathered Tuesday night to search in the area of the Chautauqua gorge area.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Westfield Police Department at 326-3375.

An image of the type of camera members of the JPD will soon be wearing. However, JPD officers will have the cameras placed in the area of the left shoulder, and not on front of chest, as shown in photo.

JAMESTOWN, NY – Jamestown’s police officers will soon be wearing body cameras while working out in the field.

That after the Jamestown City Council Monday night approved a resolution to purchase 48 body worn cameras for its police department. The total cost of the purchase – which includes the cameras, cables, docking stations, data storage and related software – is $50,800.

Following the vote, Jamestown Police Chief Harry Snellings explained why it was important for his department to have the cameras.

“I think it’s important not only for our officers but for our community members,” Snellings said. “It keeps everybody safe and when our officers are involved in incidents, it gives us the opportunity to review it. There’s a lot of potential for training purposes, so it’s a benefit all the way around.”

The Chief also said that while the purchase for the cameras and related equipment will be taking place in the coming days, it still will take at least a couple of months before officers start wearing them out in the field.

“We’ll have to purchase the equipment, finalize our policy and procedures with our union, and we have to get our infrastructure put in place,” Snellings said. “Once all that is taken care of, then the training starts. We’ll train all our officers not only to use the cameras, but also to learn our policy.”

The chief said that he’s confident the police union will agree to a final policy with the city within the next few weeks.

Once the cameras are in use, they will be able to record incidents and encounters by police and that video will then be stored in a secure hard drive for up to 90 days. Officers who wear the cameras will not be able to delete any video that recorded, nor will they be able to access previously recorded footage from their own or any other camera.

Jamestown city councilman Tony Dolce said he thinks it was a wise move for the city to purchase the cameras…

“I think it’s good all the way around. It’s a win-win for the community and it’s a win-win for the officers,” Dolce said. “We’re moving in that direction – protection for the officers as well as for the public. I think it’s just one more tool we can have here where our officers are safe and the community is safe.”

The cameras will be purchased from Linstar, Inc. – a firm that’s also provided the same model of cameras to both the Niagara Falls Police Department and the Westfield Police Department here in Chautauqua County. Funding will come from a $1 million bond the city recently received to help purchase public safety communication equipment.

Christopher Swanson

NEW ORLEANS – A Jamestown man wanted for allegedly making meth at separate locations in Westfield, Busti and Jamestown – the latter leading to a small explosion and fire in Jamestown – is now in police custody.

The Southern Tier Regional Drug Task force is reporting that 43 year-old Christopher Swanson was taken into custody in New Orleans early Saturday morning.

Swanson was wanted on a Chautauqua County Grand Jury indictment warrant from an investigation by authorities for allegedly operating a meth lab in the Town of Westfield.

He was also wanted on local court arrest warrants from the Lakewood-Busti Police Dept. and the Jamestown Police Dept. These warrants are the result of investigations into Swanson allegedly operating meth labs in both the Town of Busti and the City of Jamestown.

In the Jamestown incident, Swanson is accused of allegedly starting a fire at 824 Prendergast Avenue while cooking meth in the upstairs apartment. That incident happened in November 2014. Swanson fled the residence before police and the fire department arrived at the scene. At the time, police believed Swanson suffered burns as a result of the incident.

Police say that an investigation found that Swanson would be in New Orleans Saturday morning and that information was given to the U.S. Marshalls Office and the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, who were then able to locate Swanson and take him into custody.

Swanson will be extradited to Chautauqua County where he will initially be arraigned on the Chautauqua County Grand Jury Indictment Warrant and then subsequently on the warrants from Jamestown and the Town of Busti.

Police say additionally there are outstanding arrest warrants for Swanson from the state of Alaska pertaining to similar charges.

Chautauqua County Sheriff Deputies released a report on Tuesday detailing the incident, which involved 28 year-old Jodi Semanovich of Westfield.

Sheriff deputies along with Westfield Police received a report just after 6 p.m. on Dec. 31 regarding a distraught female armed with a hammer and a knife in the Village of Westfield. Police say that upon arrival, Semanovich allegedly charged at responding officers with both the hammer and knife in her hand. Police were able to keep Semanovich from harming anyone, but she is accused of hitting a sheriff patrol vehicle with a hammer. She was then subdued with the use of a taser by an unidentified sheriff deputy.

Semanovich was then taken into custody and transported to a local hospital. On Monday, she was arrested on a warrant and arraigned on charges of Menacing a police or peace officer, reckless endangerment 1st, criminal mischief 3rd, criminal possession of a weapon 4th and disorderly conduct and sent to the county jail.

Following the on scene investigation, it was determined the blaze started after someone set fire to trash that was placed against the building, igniting the wooden exterior of the building. The Westfield Police will continue with a criminal investigation.

The County Sheriff’s Office say Jan Carlos Delosantos-Nunez of Jamestown was swimming in an area near Monroe Marina on Saturday. Shortly before 1 p.m., a report came in of a possible drowning.  Members of the county Dive Team responded to the scene, located the teenagers and took him to shore. He was then transported by Westfield Fire Department ambulance to Westfield Hospital. Delosantos-Nunez was then flown to Buffalo’s Children’s Hospital via Star Flight, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 6 p.m.

The Westfield Police Department assisted at the scene.