Published: July 20, 2008 12:22 am            

BLOTTER: Police reports published July 20, 2008

NIAGARA FALLS — Drunken driver, passenger seriously injured in crash

Two people from Niagara Falls were seriously injured early Saturday morning in an alcohol-related one-car crash.

Stephen J. Voutour II, 35, of South Avenue, was driving while intoxicated along Hyde Park Boulevard and struck a tree around 2:13 a.m., according to police reports. Voutour was ejected from the vehicle on impact.

The passenger, Katherine M. Cook, 35, of Plaza Drive, had to be removed from the vehicle by Niagara Falls firefighters using the Jaws of Life .

Both were seriously injured and were listed as being in stable condition late Saturday.

Voutour was charged with driving while intoxicated and may face additional charges.

The Niagara Falls Police Department’s crash management team is continuing its investigation.

Niagara Falls

n ANIMAL CRUELTY: Frank Brinson Jr., 2217 MacKenna Ave. , was charged at 12:15 p.m. Saturday with animal cruelty after police found his dog in a hot parked car. Police noticed two windows were cracked about two inches . It was 80 degrees with 66 percent humidity. Police also reportedly observed lacerations on the dog’s neck and back which were covered by tape and did not appear to be properly treated. The owner, Brinson, stated he had no other place to keep the dog and it had been in the car since Friday evening. Brinson also told police the dog’s cuts were sustained when another dog had attacked it in the park recently, according to the police report. The dog was turned over to the SPCA.

n VANDALISM: Two hours was too long Friday for one Rite-Aid customer. Around 2:15 p.m., a man came into the pharmacy on Pine Avenue to get a prescription refilled. An employee reportedly told the man the prescription would be ready in two hours. The man left and returned 20 minutes later, when he was told his prescription was not ready. The man became irate and kicked the front door, smashing the glass, according to the police report. He has not yet been apprehended.

n CAR FIRE: Police and fire crews responded to a report of a vehicle fire at 6:01 p.m. Friday. A van parked outside a Wyoming Avenue residence was engulfed in flames when police and four fire trucks arrived on scene. A witness told police the car’s ignition was not running and it was parked in a driveway. No one was in the vehicle and no injuries were reported. A resident stated he had been loading the van with gear for a camping trip this weekend, according to the police report. The vehicle was destroyed and the east side of the residence was damaged from the flames. The cause is unknown at this time.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.