ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — The Rochester Police Department “has determined potential grounds for legal recourse” against one officer involved in the March 23, 2020 incident involving Daniel Prude.

Officer Mark Vaughn was served with departmental charges on Thursday.

Vaughn was the officer seen leaning on Prude’s head and neck area in police body camera video of the encounter. Attorneys for the officers said the “segmenting” technique was performed in accordance with the latest training.

The department did not immediately elaborate on the nature of the “departmental charges,” saying only that it “fully supports Officer Vaughn’s right to due process and to defend himself against the charges, of which no pre-determined outcome has been put in place.”

“They’re pressing some vague undefined charge against Officer Vaughn,” said Elliot Shields, an attorney representing the Prude family. “Now if they were going to charge officer Vaughn with the most serious charges and seek his termination, which is what they should be doing, they would have said that.”

“If we were involved in this we would have done a quick, thorough and transparent investigation,” said Rochester Police Accountability Board Executive Director Conor Dwyer Reynolds. “You’d know what charges we were recommending and it would have been done by an independent civilian rather than people within the department so that people could trust that the right charges were being brought.”

No other officers involved in the incident have been charged. A formal hearing for Vaughn has yet to be scheduled.

“Every other officer that was present at this scene had a duty to intervene, and they’re equally liable for Daniel Prude’s death under the law,” Shields said. “Troy Taladay put his full body weight across Daniel Prude’s back while he sat there and breathed his last breath.”

The Rochester Police Department confirmed in July it had completed the internal investigation into the death of Prude. That report has not been released.

In March 2020, Rochester police responded to the area of Jefferson Avenue Dr. Samuel McCree Way, where Prude was having what New York Attorney General Letitia James would later call “a mental health crisis.” Body camera footage showed officers pinning him to the ground, naked on a freezing night, and putting a mesh spit mask over his head.

Prude lost consciousness, was hospitalized, and died 7 days later. He was 41 years old.

The Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Prude’s death a homicide, listing his cause of death as “complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint.” The report also showed he had a small amount of PCP in his system at the time of his death.

The circumstances of Prude’s death were not made public until September of 2020, six months after it happened. The body camera footage and the delay sparked protests in Rochester and beyond.

Public disagreements between Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren and then-Police Chief La’Ron Singletary highlighted the controversies brought up by the official handling of the case. That culminated in a nearly nine-hour deposition in which Singletary disputed the mayor’s claims regarding Prude’s death and the six-month delay between when it happened and when the public was notified.

An independent City Council investigation concluded that key City of Rochester officials “knowingly suppressed” information about Prude’s death, and said the ultimate decision to not disclose the death of Prude to the public was that of Mayor Lovely Warren, but it fell short of saying she was solely responsible.

A grand jury decided not to indict any of the police officers involved in Prude’s death back in February.

The seven Rochester police officers initially suspended with pay in connection to the incident were Mark Vaughn, Troy Taladay, Paul Ricotta, Francisco Santiago, Andrew Specksgoor, Josiah Harris, and Sgt. Michael Magri.

The Rochester Police Locust Club responded to Thursday’s development in a tweet, saying “Ask [Interim Police Chief Cynthia] Herriott[-Sullivan] to stand next to us and answer questions. Ask her why she had the results since last April. Ask why she repeatedly said she would make the decision – now it is the conflict attorney’s decision? Ask her why she will lie for a corrupt mayor!”

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — More than 40 years later, the rape and murder of a 77-year-old woman has been solved after detectives took another look at the case and made a breakthrough using DNA evidence, Raleigh police said Wednesday, September 22.

According to police, Alma Jones was raped and killed in 1977. In 2011, 34 years after the crime was committed, the “case was revived when the box it was stored in had been discovered during a transfer of older case boxes.”

You can find the latest on the investigation involving Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie here. Download the WFLA app for breaking news push alerts and sign up for breaking news email alerts.

NORTH PORT, Fla. (WFLA) — A federal arrest warrant has been issued for Brian Laundrie in connection with the ongoing investigation into the disappearance and death of Gabby Petito, the FBI said Thursday.

According to the FBI in Denver, the U.S. District Court of Wyoming issued the federal arrest warrant “pursuant to a federal grand jury indictment” related to Laundrie’s “activities” following Petito’s death.

Court documents obtained by WFLA show Laundrie was indicted for the “use of unauthorized access devices” following Petito’s death. According to the documents, Laundrie used a Capitol One Bank debit card and a personal identification number for two Capitol One Bank accounts “knowingly and with intent to defraud” between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1 in Wyoming. Using the accounts, he obtained “things of value aggregating to $1,000 or more.”

“While this warrant allows law enforcement to arrest Mr. Laundrie, the FBI and our partners across the country continue to investigate the facts and circumstances of Ms. Petito’s homicide,” the agency said in a statement. “We urge individuals with knowledge of Mr. Laundrie’s role in this matter or his current whereabouts to contact the FBI.”

Petito mysteriously disappeared during a cross-country road trip she was on with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie. Police say Laundrie returned home to North Port alone on Sept. 1.

Petito’s family officially reported her missing on Sept. 11.

Her white van that the couple had been traveling in was later recovered by police from the Laundrie home. Police later identified Laundrie as a person if interest in the Petito case.

Laundrie was reported missing by his family last Friday, Sept. 17, sparking a massive search that is still ongoing as of Thursday, Sept. 23. According to North Port police, family members said they last saw Laundrie Sept. 14.

A body found in Wyoming over the weekend matching Petito’s description was positively identified as the 22-year-old this week. The preliminary findings of the autopsy ruled her manner of death a homicide, but the cause of death is still being determined.

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — United States lawmakers say the pandemic made many of the nation’s seniors more susceptible to scams.

“For many people, the pandemic made this terrible isolation that much worse,” Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) said.
Casey says scammers saw an opportunity and launched attacks against seniors to steal hundreds and thousands of dollars.

“A lot of money and a big cohort of Americans being affected by this,” Casey said.

The Federal Trade Commission says in 2020, 300,000 fraud claims were filed by those over 60 years old, representing more than 600 million dollars in losses.

Kate Kleinert is a scam victim and lost nearly $40,000 to someone posing as a love interest.

“But the loss that hurts the most was losing his love and losing the family I thought I was going to have and what my new future was going to be,” Kleinert said.

“Your heart just goes out to people that this happens to,” Rep. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) said.

Scott says it’s hard to hold these scammers accountable.

“It devastates you because it’s very difficult for law enforcement to find these people and to track them down,” Scott said.

The FTC says three types of scams stand out.

“Romance scams, followed by prize sweepstakes scams, and followed by business impersonator scams. The economic harm is enormous,” Lois Greisman, FTC Consumer Protection Bureau AD said.

Lawmakers and experts agree, educating seniors about the scams can help, while law enforcement also cracks down on robocallers and fraudsters on social media.

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — A week away from a shutdown, Democrats and Republicans are still sparring over a path forward to fund the government.

One main sticking point: Democrats’ push to attach a debt ceiling hike to the spending plan. Senate Republicans are refusing to support that measure even though economists warn failure to raise the ceiling could damage the economy.

“Republicans won’t agree to pay our past bills, the debts we owe,” Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said.

“Give me a break,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., retorted on the Senate floor. “If they (Democrats) want to tax, borrow and spend historic sums of money without our input, they’ll have to raise the debt limit without our help.”

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., agreed.

“They can do it if they want to do it, and they should, but I’m certainly not going to help them do it,” Hawley said.

The House of Representatives has already passed a bill to fund the government and raise the debt ceiling, but Democrats need at least 10 Republicans on board to get the measure through the Senate.

Brown and Democrats say there’s too much at stake to not raise the debt ceiling. The U.S. Department of the Treasury says the government could run out of money to pay its debts by mid-October if Congress does not act.

“I don’t want to vote for it. I didn’t want to vote for it when Trump was president but I did because my obligation is to pay our bills so that we can make veterans VA benefit payments, we can make Social Security payments,” Brown said. “It’s what we do as patriotic Americans.”

Despite Republican pushback, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., says he will hold a vote on the entire package by next week.

“Every single member of this chamber is going to go on record,” he said.

Democrats have not announced a backup plan if Republicans block the passage.

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – A local organization says enough is enough after more than a dozen gun shots are fired near their store Wednesday afternoon.

“Being an executive director for an organization can be stressful enough, you worry about your staff you worry about about everyones livelihood but it’s an added burden to worry about their lives everyday,” says Pamela Howard, Executive Director at the Historic Albany Foundation.

The Historic Albany Foundation is a charity organization that preserves and protects buildings and their historical value. They sell all different items inside their 10,000 square ft warehouse. You can find everything from fireplace mantels, bathtubs to small antiques!

They’re located at 89 Lexington Ave in Albany, an area that’s far too familiar with gun violence. “You got 15 shots fired, thankfully no one being hit but what are the chances of a stray bullet coming through my window?,” says Pamela.

“First we try to tell ourselves that it was fireworks and we want to think that but we know it’s not and I think what is troublesome to as well is that when we look outside, the neighborhood doesn’t really react. We can’t always get a read on whether it was gunfire or fireworks,” says Pamela.

“People in the community should certainly be outraged…one shooting incident is one too many,” says Albany Police Officer Steve Smith. Smith says recent data shows shots fired incidents are down 15% compared to last year. “We’re not waving the flag to success yet. We still have a lot of work to do. It’s important to know solving these issues can’t just be a police problem — we need our community to come together as a whole and work with the police department.”

Pamela says there have thought about moving, but ultimately, it’s just not feasible for the organization. “…People may not shop here because they don’t want to come on this street.  Even though our warehouse does incredibly well, how much better could we do in a safe neighborhood? [Also,] who would want to buy our building and come to this neighborhood for all the reasons we want to leave it?”

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — More than 40 years later, the rape and murder of a 77-year-old woman has been solved after detectives took another look at the case and made a breakthrough using DNA evidence, Raleigh police said Wednesday, September 22.

According to police, Alma Jones was raped and killed in 1977. In 2011, 34 years after the crime was committed, the “case was revived when the box it was stored in had been discovered during a transfer of older case boxes.”

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Governor Kathy Hochul has asked for more federal funds to help tenants and landlords financially impacted by the pandemic because money is quickly running out.

Landlords like Debbie Pusatere, who are owed back rent from tenants, are financially beginning to get payments from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).

“It’s great. It’s helping the tenants. It’s helping us,” Pusatere said.  

With funds quickly running out and an extended eviction moratorium, Pusatere said she’s concerned she may find herself in the same position come January because renters are still out of work and unemployment benefits have run out.  

“Let’s take the next step. Let’s not stop at third base. Let’s get a home run,” Pusatere said.  

$1.6 billion of the $2.7 billion in funds from ERAP are in the process or have already been paid out.  

“The fact that New York State has gone from being at the back of the pack to the front of the pack, kicking this money out the door, it’s really a positive sign,” said Assemblyman John McDonald.  

McDonald said the state running out of emergency funds is a good thing because it shows the federal government the need of the state and the ability to quickly get it into the hands of landlords.

“Yes, there’s probably a concern that does this mean my opportunity is gone? And the reality is that, Hey, New York is, we’re getting it done,” McDonald said.  

But for landlords like Pusatere, there’s an even larger problem looming that still leaves her in debt.  

“The majority of my money that I’ve lost is tenants who’ve never applied that just up and left,” Pusatere said.  

Starting October 1, landlords can apply for a piece of $250 million set aside to help people in a situation like Pusatere’s. She’s only been able to get $12,000 in rent so far. She’s still owed $160,000 from her renters.  

“A lot of us have a huge tax bill due in two weeks. I can’t cover that yet,” Pusatere said.

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Local business owners say COVID has kept them down for too long. Now it’s time to shake things up.

“There’s seemingly a path to getting to normal life, or we’re even there in a lot of regards. You know, that pent-up energy kind of like encourages me to do other things at this point,” says August Rosa.

Rosa already owns Pint Sized in Albany and Saratoga. He now announces a third location opening in Troy that will double as a performance venue. Rosa says although bars and live music suffered some of the worst of the pandemic, he’s not worried about success because it is Troy.

“It really came from the needs of Troy, because there aren’t a lot of spaces to present live music, art events, stuff like that,” he explains to NEWS10’s Mikhaela Singleton.

The combined space at 275 and 277 River Street will function on one side as the third Pint Sized location while the other half will stand as the “No Fun” performance venue. Rosa says the space will focus on an entirely open concept for live performances and art installations across the walls.

“We hosted events at our other two locations, but they weren’t necessarily conducive to those events because of the space. This too is relatively small, but for a moderate event of say 150 people, it can bring those music, art, or like cultural performances to downtown and still have that intimate, personal feel we’ve cultivated at Pint Sized,” Rosa says.

“We are hopeful. I think the word is hope. I think people are looking at this as an opportunity to get in, be set, so that when we’re on the outside of COVID, they are going to be successful,” says Troy Deputy Mayor Monica Kurzejeski. “I think people are seeing COVID as an opportunity to take a pause too, to see what worked and what didn’t work and then come out of it potentially different.”

She says filling River Street vacancies comes at the perfect time. The newly unveiled plan for Monument Square will shape much needed economic development and accessibility for Troy.

“I think that’s the biggest excitement about this project for me is the continuity of the Riverwalk blending into the park, blending into the amenities of the public plaza, and then getting everybody up to River Street,” she explains.

Rosa says coming out the other side of the pandemic, he believes his and other new businesses will do well thanks to the many city efforts to engage people in downtown.

“Before I ever start a new project, I make sure what we’re trying to do sits well with the current business environment, and Troy always looked good to us when we were in the mindset to expand. Things like the Monument Square project, the Riverwalk accessibility, the farmer’s market, things like that are more of an added bonus when choosing our space,” Rosa says.

“I think we’re going to be filling a void that’s needed here and it’s going to work in harmony with all the other cool stuff that’s happening in town,” he goes on to say.