BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Chautauqua County District Attorney's Office announced that 59-year-old Randall Rolison of Jamestown was indicted by the Chautauqua County Grand Jury on aggravated vehicular homicide and second-degree manslaughter charges on February 28.
The district attorney's office said the charges are in connection to a fatal two-vehicle crash at State Route 83 and Center Road intersection in the Town of Arkwright in December 2022.
Rolison allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign and struck a Ford F-150 traveling west on State Route 83. A passenger in the Ford, 71-year-old Linda A. Kraemer of South Dayton, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene by the Chautauqua County Coroner. The driver of the Ford was transported to Brooks Memorial Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Rolison and his two passengers were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
According to the Chautauqua County District Attorney's Office, the crash occurred when Rolison was out on bail after a Chautauqua County Grand Jury indicted him in connection to a fatal hit-and-run that occurred in Jamestown in December 2021. Rolison faces manslaughter, driving while ability impaired by drugs, and leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident involving a death in that case. He also faces a weapons charge.
After the crash that killed Kraemer, the district attorney's office released the following statement that said in part:
"At the bail hearing held earlier this year on all charges – those charges related to Lexi’s death as well as the separate gun charges - we asked that bail be set at $500,000 cash, or in the alternative, a $1 million property bond. We believed these to be the appropriate amounts given the circumstances. Unfortunately, County Court Judge Foley disagreed with our position and ultimately set bail on the Manslaughter case at $35,000 cash, or in the alternative, a $70,000 property bond or otherwise $70,000 partially secured at 10%, and set bail on the gun charges at $50,000 cash, or in the alternative, a $100,000 property bond or otherwise $100,000 partially secured at 10%. Subsequently, Mr. Rolison made bail and was released.
All of law enforcement share the public’s frustrations. As District Attorney, I will continue to perform my job in the criminal justice system: to prosecute those criminal charges which are appropriate under the facts and circumstances and, as it is relevant here, advocate the People’s position at bail proceedings.
To this end, we are pursuing a number of options available under the law for addressing the current situation, including seeking the revocation of Mr. Rolison’s bail so that he can be jailed pending trial on the indicted cases. We are also actively working to develop information and evidence arising from Saturday’s accident which may lead us to file new charges against Mr. Rolison.
We are doing everything within our power to ensure that justice is served and are fully engaged in the investigation into Saturday’s accident and in the process of developing and evaluating the evidence so that I make the right charging decisions going forward. As much as I can without compromising the cases, I will keep the public informed of further developments as they arise.”
The district attorney's office said Rolison was arraigned and remanded to the Chautauqua County Jail where he is currently held without bail.
