subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Tue, Feb 09 2010 

Published: June 16, 2009 10:25 pm    print this story  

LOCKPORT: Friends plan vigil for Greco

By April Amadon
E-mail April

The Tonawanda News

Friends of Renee Greco, the 24-year-old youth counselor beaten to death last week at a city group home for teenagers, will hold a candlelight vigil in her honor at the place where she died.

Meanwhile, state Sen. George Maziarz, R-Newfane, said Tuesday he has been “disappointed” so far in discussions with the state Office of Children & Family Services about staffing and youth placement in group homes.

The vigil is planned for 7:30 p.m. Monday outside the Avenue House, 437 East Ave., where police say Greco was killed by two resident teens.

Jocelyn Buczek of Lackawanna knew Greco for several years. She said she hopes the vigil will be well-attended.

“(I want to) have a lot of people there,” Buczek said. “I want the officials and everyone to know the support Renee has in the community.”

Buczek and several other friends attended a court hearing Monday for the two teens accused of killing Greco: Robert Thousand, 17, and Anthony Allen, 18, both of Rochester.

The teens have each been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and second-degree burglary. At Monday’s appearance in Lockport City Court, they each waived the right to a preliminary hearing, and their cases were sent for consideration by the grand jury on the county level.

Police say the killing was motivated by an attempt to cover up a larceny in the Avenue House, a six-bed home for children under the auspices of New Directions Youth & Family Services, which also oversees Wyndham Lawn Home.

Allen and another teen had allegedly stolen $160 from a lockbox in the Avenue House the day before. Police say upon learning officials planned to fingerprint the box and discover who had stolen the money, Allen hatched the plan to kill Greco and escape.

On the night of June 8, he and Thousand approached Greco from behind while she was playing cards with other kids in the home. They allegedly covered her head with a blanket and bludgeoned her with items they had found in the basement.

They stole the Wyndham Lawn van from the home and drove it to Wal-Mart, where they left it and called a taxi to take them to a bus station in Buffalo.

They were apprehended by NFTA police before they could board a 2:45 a.m. bus to Rochester.

The Avenue House has been shut down temporarily, pending an investigation by the Office of Children & Family Services.

Edward Borges, director of communication for OCFS, said the home was complying with all staffing requirements for group homes, including a 6-1 ratio of youth to staff.

Maziarz and state Assemblywoman Jane Corwin, R-Clarence, have met with OCFS administrators in Albany to review staffing and youth placement requirements for OCFS and New Directions.

Maziarz said the meetings have so far been “very disappointing.”

“The representatives of OCFS have not answered any questions specifically about the Lockport home,” he said. “They, I think, hide behind the fact that there’s a criminal investigation ongoing and they can’t comment on the specifics.”

Maziarz said he would like to know how Allen and Thousand ended up placed in “an unsecure facility” with one worker on staff. He said he’s received several calls from community members and others about the two suspects, including some information about their criminal pasts.

“I’m told these two, and in particular one of them, had an extremely violent past,” Maziarz said. “I’ve contacted some staff people at other secure facilities where these individuals were, to see if I can’t find out from some staff people what their history is. ... If OCFS knew of their history and put them in an unsecure facility, I think that somebody’s going to have to answer for that.”

Corwin and Maziarz have expressed concerns that recent closures of several secure youth facilities upstate, called for in the 2009-10 state budget, forced placement of violence-prone youth offenders in non-secure surroundings, though Borges denies that was the case.

Borges said several homes in the Southern Tier were closed due to a lack of youth residents.

Maziarz said he believes the homes were empty because OCFS officials “refused” to put youth offenders in them.

“I think they wanted these individuals to be put in (group homes) like Avenue House, which are totally inappropriate for these types,” he said.

Corwin issued a statement Tuesday regarding her meeting with OCFS officials, during which she said OCFS disclosed they are launching an internal investigation into the murder.

“(We) questioned the office in regard to staffing requirements and the policy and procedures in place that would relegate the two juveniles into this type of group home,” Corwin said. ”As we anxiously await the results of the investigation, our work will continue. We anticipate future meetings to verify the progress of the ongoing inquiry, as well as to determine the direction that should be followed to prevent these types of tragedies from occurring in the future.”

Maziarz said he has received many calls from residents concerned about group homes in the wake of Greco’s death.

“The homes are in the community,” he said. “What’s the training level of the staff people assigned to the homes? And I think more importantly, what’s the background of some of these individuals? ... I’m very concerned, and I’m not ready to draw a conclusion yet, but I’m very concerned in the direction that (OCFS Commissioner Gladys Carrion) has been going in.”

Contact reporter April Amadon at 439-9222, ext. 6251.

print this story  

Photos


Renee Greco None/ (Click for larger image)


None/ (Click for larger image)


None/ (Click for larger image)



autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Featured Jobs

Home Care Aid
HomeCare Aide Certified Only. 3 overnights, transportation needed, $9.50-$11.50/hr. 298-4342 ...>MORE

Physical, Occupational & Speech Language Therapy
Physical, Occupational
& Speech Language Therapist
Fee for service positions providing community based early
...>MORE

FLOOR MAINTENANCE
Floor Maintenance, 3rd shift, exp. in stripping & waxing need only apply, f/t & p/t, 632-2259 ...>MORE

Cashiers
CASHIERS 
Looking for dependable people with great customer service skills to work in APlus Convenience store in Le
...>MORE

Car Enthusiast
Old Ford enthusiast needed with knowledge of early year Fords (1909-early 70’s) to answer technical phone calls and emai...>MORE

PHONE SALES
Phone sales, high profile fundraisers, great pay, exp. a plus, nice NT office, FT/PT, hrly. plus, Pete or Mike, 694-12...>MORE

Nurse
NURSE. Niagara County Community College is seeking a part-time college nurse for the college’s health services. Please s...>MORE

MST Therapist
Catholic Charities has an excellent professional development opportunity available for the following position:
    
...>MORE

Human Services
HUMAN SERVICES. Transitional Specialist: (PT) Niagara Falls. Assist youth with 90 day transition programming, intake and...>MORE

Housekeeper Director
HOUSEKEEPER Director FT. Send resume to Heritage Manor of Ransomville, 3509 Ransomville Rd, Ransomville. NY...>MORE

See all ads

Feature Autos

1986 Ford Mustang
FORD 1986 Mustang convertible, 5.0 body kit, 3.8L V6, 40k on new motor, runs but needs work. $700 or BO. 417-1611...>MORE

Ford 1999 Escort ZX2
FORD 1999 ESCORT, ZX2 Coupe, runs great, NYS inspected, exc. cond. $1650. 694-0441...>MORE

Chrysler 2000 Concord LXI
Chrysler 2000 Concord LXI, 4 door, one owner, exc. condition, power windows, power steering, power locks, $5000 or best ...>MORE

1998 Dodge Dakota Sport
DODGE 1998 Dakota Sport 3.9 V6, regular cab, exc in & out, no rust, real sharp, $2750. 523-7102...>MORE

1993 Chevy Silverado
CHEVY Silverado 4x4 1993 new alt, starter, exhaust, rebuilt trans., etc. Reliable. Call 282-0465....>MORE

Dodge 2001 Neon
DODGE 2001Neon, 4 dr, 4 cyl, auto, 58k mi. am/fm CD player, n o rust, like new, $3950. 525-7796...>MORE

Ford 1997 Taurus
FORD 1997 taurus, runs exc. fully loaded, must see $1400 or best offer. 205-7711...>MORE

Pontiac 2000 Grand Prix XL
PONTIAC 2000 Grand Prix XL, black,
good condition
531-2669
...>MORE

1999 Chevy Malibu
CHEVY 1999 Malibu, needs fuel pump, $700. 282-6141 or 990-6026....>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index