Weekly top reads: Auburn shooting, city seizing Schine theater, Cayuga County crime stories (2024)

A person was fatally shot in a confrontation with Auburn police at an apartment complex in the city on Thursday.

Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck said in a news release early Friday that the shooting took place at 7:42 p.m. Thursday at Melone Village apartments, near Garrow Street. The shooting happened after members of the Auburn Police Department were confronted by a person with a weapon, Schenck said.

None of the officers involved in the shooting were injured, the sheriff continued, and there is no current threat to the public.

The shooting is the subject of a criminal investigation by Schenck's office, New York State Police, the New York State Attorney General's Office and the Cayuga County District Attorney's Office. Their assistance was requested by Auburn Police Chief James Slayton, and his department is helping with the investigation, Schenck said.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact Cayuga County Sheriff's Office Detective Sgt. Nicole Stewart at (315) 294-8093, leave a tip at cayugacounty.us/452/send-a-tip or use the county's SaferWatch app. Tips can be left anonymously.

No further information was provided in the news release. A press conference on the shooting has been scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday.

The Citizen could observe a pool of blood on the sidewalk near a residence, with yellow bullet markers nearby and police tape blocking off part of the scene.

Melone Village postedabout the shooting on its Facebook page on Friday morning, sharing contact information for the Cayuga County Community Mental Health Center and Cayuga Counseling Services "due to the nature of last evening’s events" and "if you or your children are experiencing any distress and need to talk with someone about what occurred."

A former Wells College professor has stepped down from her seat on the Moravia Central School District Board of Education in order to take a teaching position at the district.

Jaclyn Schnurr was appointed to an Earth science teaching position at Moravia High School at the board's July 11 meeting, districtSuperintendent John Birmingham told The Citizen.

At the same meeting, the board approved a resolution accepting Schnurr's resignation from it. She resigned because district employees cannot be board members.

Schnurr was elected to her seat in May 2022. She was a professor of biology and environmental science and dean of facultyat Wells College in Aurora, which closed in June.

The district has struggled to fill the Earth science teaching position, Birmingham said. He praised Schnurr's work as a board member and her teaching abilities, and noted her son attends Moravia schools.

"She was looking to make a change when Wells closed," Birmingham said. "She loves the district. We were very fortunate she was willing to apply for our open Earth science position."

With Schnurr's resignation, the board of education appointed Terry Thompson, a former member and president, to take the open seat for the remainder of the term, which ends July 1, 2025.

In Schnurr's resignation letter she told the board she enjoyed "working with you all and I appreciate the care and support that you give to the students and the MCSD community. Keep up the good work!"

After years of inactivity by the owner of the Auburn Schine Theater, the city is moving to take possession of the historic downtown property.

A notice of certification of abandonment has been posted in the doors of the 16 South St. theater by the city's code enforcement office. As of July 24, it says, the office has determined that the theater is legally abandoned. The reason for that determination was not immediately made available to The Citizen.

With the certification, the city will move to take possession of the Schine in Cayuga County Supreme Court, the notice continues. No further information is included.

The theater has beenowned by Schines Theater LLC since December 2018. The LLC is closely linked with East Syracuse developer Bryan Bowers and his firm, Bowers Development.

Bowers did not respond to a request for comment by The Citizen.

Around the same time the LLC bought the 1938 art deco theater for $15,000 from previous owner the Cayuga County Arts Council, Bowers oversaw the remediation of its asbestos and other hazardous materials. The work was supported by $800,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds allocated by the city.

However, there has been little apparent progress on the Schine since then. Bowers appeared in June 2022 before Auburn City Council, saying he hoped to reopen the theater by its 85th anniversary in September 2023. He also said he would be back before City Council that fall — but city officials told The Citizen their communication with him since then has been scarce.

That lack of communication is one reason the city issued the certification of abandonment, Auburn Mayor Jimmy Giannettino told The Citizen on Tuesday.

"We did not take this decision lightly, but felt we had no choice," he said.

"My hope is that the developer will come to the table with a viable path forward because that is what's best for the community and for the Schine theater."

Giannettino added that he told Bowers shortly after the LLC purchased the Schine, a rehabilitation project dating back to 1998, that it's "an emotional and personal project for the people of Auburn."

"You've got to communicate with them," Giannettino said. "And he just hasn't lived up to that."

Another sign of the LLC's lack of communication with the city has been its failure to pay taxes on time. The Schine owner has fallen behind a few times, Auburn Treasurer Robert Gauthier told The Citizen. In May, the LLC owed $19,208.01 after making its last payment in January 2022 for $9,485.30.

Bowers, who has estimated the theater's rehabilitation would cost about $6 million, is in line to receive $2.2 million in state grants for the project: $1.2 million from the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council and a $1 million Restore New York grant awarded to the city on the Schine's behalf. Despite both grants being announced more than five years ago, Empire State Development confirmed to The Citizen in May that the theater remains eligible to receive them. They are reimbursem*nt grants, so they will not be received until the money has been spent.

A possible explanation for Bowers' lack of progress on the Schine is the amount of other projects he's overseeing. In Utica, he's been involved in a years-long eminent domain case with Oneida County. He has also been issued tickets by that city's code enforcement office due to similar inactivity at several historic properties he has purchased there over the last decade.

Bowers recently became attached to a project in Syracuse as well, one that will demolish the 120-year-old warehouse at 400 Erie Blvd. W. to make way for apartments.

The Auburn Police Department is investigating the use of a card skimmer on an ATM at a local bank.

Detective Charles Augello told The Citizen on Wednesday that a skimming device was placed on an ATM at Tompkins Community Bank at 86 North St. the weekend of July 27-28.

Afterward, withdrawals totaling $49,840 were made from the bank using data recorded by the device, Augello said. More than 250 withdrawals totaling more than $90,000 were attempted, but some were denied. Augello said the bank told police that both its ATMs were empty when employees arrived the following Monday.

Surveillance cameras captured two suspects, Augello said, and the department's investigation is ongoing.

Augello and Capt. Kyle Platt encouraged any banks and bank customers that experience similar incidents to contact police immediately.

"This is not the first bank locally that's had something similar happen," Platt told The Citizen. "We could have prevented the amount of the loss."

Augello and Platt said the bank told police it is refunding any affected customers.

Tompkins Marketing Communications Manager Abby Peterson told The Citizen in a statement that the bank cannot comment on the investigation, but is cooperating with police.

"The safety and security of our customers’ accounts is our top priority and we are working closely with those involved," she said. "As a reminder, customers should always be diligent in safeguarding their personal information, monitoring their accounts, and notifying their financial institution immediately of any suspicious activity."

Anyone with information about the incident can call Augello at (315) 258-9880 or leave a tip at auburnny.gov/police-department/contact-us/webforms/auburn-ny-police-tip-line.

The two people killed in a crash inCayuga Countyon Thursday were sisters and recent Oswego County high school graduates.

The Hannibal Central School District said in a letteron its website Friday that siblings Hailey Trumble, a 2023 graduate, and Shelby Trumble, a 2024 graduate, both of the town of Granby, were killed in the accident in the town of Ira.

"This is an incredibly sad day for our students, faculty and colleagues, and a tremendous loss for the entire community," the district said.

"They touched the lives of their network of friends and family, and this loss is unfathomable."

Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck said the crash took place Thursday evening. The Trumbles' 2005 Chevy Cobalt was traveling east on Ira Hill Road near the intersection with Farnam Road when it crested a hill and crossed into the opposite lane, striking a westbound 2016 Jeep Cherokee occupied by Robin Latham, 59, of Tully.

Latham was transported to Upstate University Hospital with serious injuries, and remains in stable condition as of Monday morning, Schenck said.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation. Anyone with information about it is asked to contact Lt. Rob Franklin at (315) 253-1132.

No further information about the accident will be released until the investigation is completed, Schenck said.

Responding to the scene along with the sheriff's office were Cayuga County E-911, New York State Police, the Oswego County Sheriff's Office, the Ira Fire Department, CIMVAC Ambulance, Fair Haven Ambulance, the Cayuga County Office of Emergency Services and the Cayuga County Coroner's Office.

A budget hotel in downtown Auburn has a new name and new ownership.

The former Days Inn at 37 William St. is now called The Cayuga Inn at the Finger Lakes. A canvas tarp bearing the new name covers the sun and white lettering of the hotel chain's logo.

New owner Jai Aruna LLC, of Clifton, New Jersey, purchased the hotel on April 9 fromUrvi LLCfor $2,411,000, according to Cayuga County property records. Its 2024 full market value is $1,929,091.

Hotel manager BJ Patel told The Citizen this week that the transition was smooth, going from local franchisee ownership under Wyndham Hotels & Resorts to independent ownership.

The 51-room hotel did not close at any point during the transition, Patel said.

The hotel is not associated with The Inn at the Finger Lakes on John Street, which is owned byJKT Hotels LLC, of Mount Laurel, New Jersey.

An Auburn cardiologist is closing his office when he retires after nearly four decades of service.

Dr. Rama Godishala announced his retirement in a message on Auburn Cardiology Associates' website. He said the practice will close Sept. 30.

"Caring for my patients has been a great source of satisfaction and pleasure these past years," Godishala wrote. "It has been an honor and privilege to have been your health care provider, some of you for decades. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served your medical needs."

As Auburn Cardiology Associates winds down its operations, it will only see patients for pre-surgery and follow-up appointments.

Godishala advised his patients to seek a new cardiologist "as soon as possible." Health insurance companies can provide a list of participating cardiologists, or patients can be referred to a cardiologist by their physician.

Once the practice closes, medical records will be transferred to Cariend. Patients can request their records at cariend.com/request-records.

The closure of Auburn Cardiology Associates will give Cayuga County residents fewer options for cardiac health care. Auburn Community Hospital has established a heart institutewith cardiologists on site. Otherwise, local patients will need to travel to Geneva, Ithaca or Syracuse for the closest cardiology practices.

The office building that houses Auburn Cardiology Associates is for sale. The 11,507-square-foot property, at 281 Grant Ave. in Auburn, is listed at $1.9 million. It includes two medical suites with exam rooms, reception areas and waiting rooms.

AUBURN — A man connected to a child sexual exploitation investigation fatally shot himself duringa confrontation with Auburn police officers Thursday at Melone Village, local officials revealed Friday.

At a press conference that afternoon,Auburn Police Department Chief James Slayton said that Scott R. Demonte, 51, of Fayetteville, made contact with officers outside a unit at the apartment complex. He then produced a handgun and pointed it at officers before turning it on himself. A preliminary investigation, led by the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office, shows he fired a single round, causing his death.

Attempts by officers to resuscitate Demonte at the scene were unsuccessful,Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck said, and he died after being transported to a hospital.

Slayton said an Auburn officer fired a single round during the confrontation, which did not strike anyone. The officer has been placed on paid administrative leave per department policy, and their name will be released next week. Due to the firing of a round by an officer, the Office of Special Investigation of the New York State Attorney General's Office is also participating in the investigation.

Schenck said his office, along with the state office and the Cayuga County District Attorney's Office, are still processing "a mountain of evidence" from Thursday's shooting, including body camera footage.

The confrontation between Demonte and police happened "very quickly," Schenck said, and was "very dynamic." The bullet fired by the Auburn police officer has been recovered from the scene, the sheriff added, and body-worn camera footage will be released after the investigation has been completed. The Citizen has filed a Freedom of Information Law request for the footage.

Schenck and Cayuga County District Attorney Brittany Grome Antonacci declined comment on the details of the child sexual exploitation investigation, except to say that Demonte was connected to it. According to Auburn police's daily arrest report, Wilver O. Laparra-Gonzalez, 34, of Throop, was arrested at Melone Village that evening for second-degree rape and second-degree criminal sex act.

An Auburn man was arrested Monday following an investigation into his alleged sales and distribution of narcotics.

The Finger Lakes Drug Task Force obtained a warrant from court and searched the residence of Walter R. Leonard Jr. in the city that day, according to a news release. The search produced 43.8 grams of cocaine hydrochloride, a loaded Taurus Spectrum .380 semiautomatic handgun, and more than $5,000.

Leonard was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance (a class B felony) and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon (a class C felony). He was transported to the Cayuga County Jail for centralized arraignment Tuesday morning.

At the request of the Cayuga County District Attorney's Office, Leonard was remanded without bail to the custody of the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office due to him having six previous felony convictions.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call the task force — which is comprised of members of the Auburn Police Department, sheriff's office and New York State Police — at (315) 282-7540.

A Cayuga County man has been arrested for allegedly severing a 13-week-old kitten's spinal cord, according to New York State Police.

In a news release Wednesday, state police said troopers received a complaint of animal cruelty on Fuller Road in the town of Aurelius on July 8.

An investigation determined that Jeremy J. McNair, 22, threw a 13-week-old kitten, severing its spinal cord and causing it severe physical injuries, police said. Because he did not provide the kitten with medical attention, it was taken to a veterinary clinic by police and the Finger Lakes SPCA of Central New York.

"It was then determined that the kitten would likely never regain voluntary function and was subsequently euthanized," police said.

McNair was charged on Monday with aggravated cruelty to animals (a class E felony) and two counts of torturing or injuring animals/failure to provide sustenance (a misdemeanor). He was processed at the state police station in Aurelius and taken to the Cayuga County Jail for centralized arraignment.

State police were assisted by Brookside Veterinary Clinic and the Cornell University's Animal Health Diagnostic Center.

Tom Adessa, a humane law enforcement officer with the SPCA in Auburn, told The Citizen the complaint said McNair injured the kitten on July 3. He and troopers interviewed others who lived in McNair's residence during the investigation. Adessa said that in his eight years as a humane law enforcement officer, the case stands out as "one of the more severe" ones.

The New York State Humane Association praised McNair's arrest in a news release Thursday. Association board Chairman Harold Hovel said people who commit violence toward animals are statistically more likely to commit violence toward humans, including domestic violence.

"For the benefit of society, and Mr. McNair himself, his prosecution, conviction, and sentencing should include psychotherapy to aid in the prevention of future violence to both animals and people," Hovel said.