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A Cattaraugus woman has pleaded guilty to the distribution of child pornography.
U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Melanie Thompson, 46, made the plea before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a $250,000 fine.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey T. Fiut, who is handling the case, stated that between Jan. 9, 2017, and March 6, 2020, the defendant took sexually explicit photographs of Victim 1, a minor, in furtherance of her plan to impersonate Victim 1. Thereafter, defendant, while impersonating Victim 1, engaged in conversations of a sexual nature with two minor male victims (Victims 2 and 3) and one adult. During those conversations, defendant: solicited a sexually explicit picture from Victim 2; sent, via social media, the sexually explicit photograph she had taken of Victim 1 to Victim 3, receiving two sexually explicit images in return from Victim
Snowmobile accident in Cattaraugus County injures 1 person
One individual was taken to Erie County Medical Center after sustaining leg injuries in the accident on Pat Mcgee trail in Little Valley.
Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Author: Emyle Watkins Updated: 4:36 AM EST February 15, 2021
LITTLE VALLEY, N.Y. The Cattaraugus County Sheriff s Office reports that one person has been taken to the hospital following a snowmobile accident on Sunday.
The accident occurred around 9 p.m. Sunday. The sheriff s office did not release the specifics of what happened, but say the accident occurred on the Pat Mcgee trail near the Third Street Extension in Little Valley.
OBSERVER Staff Report
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The Cattaraugus County Sheriffâs Office recently introduced K-9 Silas, a 14-month-old Labrador retriever. The K-9 and Deputy Kale Luce work at the Randolph Central School District, where the deputy is assigned as the school resource officer.
LITTLE VALLEY The Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office has welcomed its newest member to the force K-9 Silas, a 14-month-old Labrador retriever.
Silas began working with the Sheriff’s Office in December 2020 with partner, Deputy Kale Luce. The pair is a certified Law Enforcement Investigative Therapy Canine Team, according to Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb in a news release.
The two attended the Paws and Stripes College at the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office in Cocoa, Fla., where they successfully completed the United K-9’s Law Enforcement and Multi-Discipline Therapy Dog Training course, as well as the AKC Canine Good Citizen test.