HTN: Reduced Charges in Court Bomb Scare

A Buffalo woman who says she mistakenly brought a fake grenade into the Erie County Family Court Building has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge. 24-year-old Tauyara Mapps caused a scare by carrying the gear shifter from her car, which was shaped like a grenade, through a security checkpoint at the Court. The entire building was evacuated for two hours on April 2nd. Mapps pleaded guilty to placing a fake bomb in a public place. Sentencing will be in September.

HTN: Judge Rules that Taser-Obtained DNA is OK

A ruling by a Niagara County judge is the first in the U.S. to allow TASER-aquired DNA to be used as evidence. Judge Sara Sheldon Sperrazza says it is legal for a police officer to use a TASER on a suspect to obtain a DNA sample, as long as it's not done, quote, "maliciously, or to an excessive extent, or with resulting injury." A DNA sample obtained last September from 21-year-old Ryan Smith is now legally valid and can be used in connection with an alleged shooting and gas station robbery.

HTN: Paterson to Appoint New Judge

Gov. Paterson has to appoint a new State Supreme Court justice after Joseph Makowski resigned in a scandal involving DWI charges against a prosecutor friend of his. A third seat on the Court will now appear on this November's ballot. Paterson spokesman Morgan Hook said the governor will fill the vacancy in the interim, possibly in the spring.

US Appeals Court in Buffalo

For the first time in its 219-year history, the Second Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals, one step below the U.S. Supreme Court, will hear some of its cases in Buffalo. The Second Circuit is based in New York City, but this year, chief judge, Dennis Jacobs, has begun taking court operations to other cities on occasion. Seven cases are scheduled to be argued Thursday, beginning at 10 a. m., and five more Friday, also beginning at 10 a. m. Several of the cases involve legal disputes in Western New York.

Contractor Threatened With Contempt

Hamburg contractor Ronald Timmermann is in trouble again. He agreed last year to stop doing home improvements and pay 30-thousand dollars in restitution for work he never completed. Now the state Attorney General says he has continued to work, in violation of that agreement. Timmermann may face criminal contempt charges and jail time.