CRIME: NT teens charged after Falls traffic stop

Local News

May 1, 2009

By Rick Pfeiffer<br><a href="mailto:pfeifferr@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Rick</a> The Tonawanda News Fri May 01, 2009, 11:07 PM EDT

Three North Tonawanda teens were arrested last week in the Falls after propositioning two police officers for drugs.

Falls Police Roving Anti-Crime Unit officers Nick Granto and Joe Palermo were on patrol just before midnight last Friday, and waiting for a red light at Pierce Avenue and Hyde Park Boulevard. Granto and Palermo were in plainclothes and driving an unmarked patrol car.

According to their report, the car, driven by Brandon Belviso, pulled up next to the officers' car.

"At this time," according to the report, "the suspect vehicle approached on our driver side and shouted at Officer Palermo. Palermo rolled the window down and asked if he could be of assistance."

"The passenger in the suspect vehicle, later identified as Alex Skupien, was laughing and shouted, 'You guys got any weed?'" Granto and Palermo wrote.

According to police, Belviso, noticed the word "police" in big white letters on the vests Granto and Palermo were wearing.

"(Expletive!) They are (expletive) cops," Belviso yelled out.

Belviso then attempted to make a fast getaway by what Granto and Palermo called "peeling out, making a left hand turn onto Hyde Park Boulevard, without using a turn sign."

The car was immediately pulled over for the traffic violation by the officers.

Belviso was found to be driving at midnight with a learner's permit. A check of the interior of his car showed four open cans of beer. According to Granto and Palermo's report, Belviso was not happy with Skupien.

"During (our) interview, the driver was irate at the passenger and kept yelling at him for asking the police if we had any weed," the officers wrote.

As police interviewed Belviso and Skupien, a passenger still in the rear seat of the car, Steven Carney, 17, opened another beer.

When Palermo asked Carney what he was doing, he told him, "If I'm going to jail, I might as well be (expletive) juiced."

Palermo told Carney to put the beer down, but, in the officers words, "he kept chugging it." When Palermo attempted to take the beer from Carney, the teen responded by throwing the beer at the officer.

Carney then got out of the car and attempted to fight the officers, flexing his muscles and shouting "What the (expletive)."

Palermo responded by drawing his Taser and training the red laser beam on Carney's chest. At that point Carney stopped threatening the officer.

All three teens were charged with restricted use of alcohol. Carney was also charged with disorderly conduct; Belviso was additionally charged with two traffic law violations.

Contact reporter Rick Pfeiffer at 282-2311, ext. 2252.

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