City firefighters extinguished a small apartment fire Thursday after a woman fell asleep while smoking a cigarette, according to city officials.
Natalie K. Jones, 32, of Cortland was arrested after her smoldering cigarette caused the fire in the apartment above Penny’s One Cent Saloon at 183 Main St., according to the Cortland Police Department. The building was occupied Thursday afternoon when the fire spread across a floor and a wall inside the structure, said Lt. David Guerrera.
Jones, who is listed as homeless, was staying in the upstairs apartment when the fire started, said city Fire Chief Wayne Friedman. There was minor damage to the apartment, but firefighters also discovered code violations at the residence, Friedman said. Occupants were removed from the apartment after the fire, he said.
Police charged Jones with second-degree reckless endangerment, a misdemeanor. Jones was issued a ticket to appear at 9 a.m. Nov. 9 in Cortland City Court and released.
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A 23-year-old Tioga County man was arrested Thursday for cashing a forged check for almost $500 at a city grocery store, according to the Cortland Police Department.
Takoda J. McMillan, 23, of 478 Main St., Appalachian, passed a fake business check for $473.57 in exchange for the cash on Aug. 3 at the P&C Fresh grocery store at 160 Clinton Ave., said Lt. David Guerrera.
McMillan was arrested at the city police station at 25 Court St. and charged with felony second-degree possession of a forged instrument and petit larceny, a misdemeanor.
A ticket to appear at 9 a.m. Oct. 3 in Cortland City Court was issued to McMillan and he was released.
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State police arrested a Dryden man for driving drunk Wednesday and charged him with one felony, as well as five misdemeanors, according to the agency.
Austin T. Schreiner, 24, of Dryden was pulled over and arrested for driving drunk without a license at 3:04 p.m. in Dryden, according to the state police blotter. Schreiner was also found with a small amount of drugs and scales used to measure drugs, according to the blotter. When troopers tried to arrest him, Schreiner resisted, the blotter notes.
Schreiner was charged with felony first-degree aggravated operation of a motor vehicle and five misdemeanors: resisting arrest, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, second-degree using criminal drug paraphernalia, operating a motor vehicle with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher, and driving while intoxicated.
Court information was not immediately available for this arrest.
