On December 15, 2021, members of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office started an investigation of unaccounted for handguns, which stemmed from the criminal contempt of court arrest of Stephen G. Ognibene, 64, of Batavia.
On February 3, 2022, Ognibene was arrested and charged with criminal purchase or disposal of a firearm and failure to report a loss or theft of a firearm. Ognibene allegedly unlawfully disposed of two revolver handguns to an individual that could not possess firearms legally and failed to report to law enforcement that the firearms were lost or stolen.
Ognibene was arraigned in City Court and released under the supervision of Genesee Justice. He will reappear in City Court on February 22, 2022, at 1:00p.m.
The case is being investigated by Investigator Erik Andre, assisted by Deputy Jeremiah Gechell.
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John K. Hobbs, 34, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd degree after being located in the presence of a protected party on February 1, 2022.
Hobbs was found with the protected party when deputies responded to the residence for a medical call.
Hobbs was arraigned by Judge Funke in Batavia Town Court and held on bail. He will reappear in Batavia Town Court on February 22, 2022, at 10:00a.m.