WGRZ 2 On Your Side recently reported on bail issues involving a man from Niagara County who was arrested for abducting a 17-year-old girl. WGRZ’s Ron Plants interviewed attorney Barry Covert to provide legal analysis for the story.
In an earlier story, WGRZ 2 On Your Side reported on an Amber Alert that was issued for a 17-year-old girl from North Tonawanda. Law enforcement found the girl in the state of Pennsylvania and a suspect, Michael D. Mesko, was arrested in the matter.
As a follow-up to the Amber Alert story, WGRZ reported that Michael D. Mesko was released from jail on a second degree rape charge just days before allegedly abducting a 17-yer-old girl in North Tonawanda. For legal analysis on this story; attorney Barry Covert was asked to address issues involving why the suspect was set free, the District Attorney’s rationale for skipping a preliminary hearing in sexual abuse cases, and the impact of New York State’s new bail reform law.
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Legal Analysis on Investigation of New York State Handling of Nursing Home Deaths During Pandemic
WGRZ 2 On Your Side has aired several reports on the latest news regarding how the office of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has handled nursing home deaths in the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of their ongoing coverage, WGRZ anchor Scott Levin interviewed attorney Barry Covert to provide legal analysis for this story.
As reported by WGRZ, the New York Post published an article that claimed Melissa DeRosa, the Secretary to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, admitted during a video conference call with Democratic lawmakers that they hid nursing home data so the federal government would not find out. DeRosa issued a statement regarding her comments during the video call, subsequent to the New York Post story.
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Legal Analysis on Initial Steps of Buffalo Police Reform Policy
WIVB News 4 recently aired a report on steps that have been taken by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown regarding police reform in their respective jurisdictions. Attorney Barry Covert was interviewed for the story to provide legal analysis on some logistical aspects of the new reforms as well as the potential widespread impact the reforms may have.
Police Reform Legislation
WIVB reported that Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a package of police reform measures into law in New York State. In an announcement on the police reform legislation, Gov. Cuomo also indicated that the state would withhold money from police departments that fail to reform their practices.
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