Randall Rolison

MAYVILLE — Randall Rolison, the 60-year-old Jamestown man tied to two fatal crashes in Chautauqua County, pleaded guilty to charges Friday in Chautauqua County Court.

The pleas, entered before County Court Judge David Foley, bring to a close separate cases that drew outrage from the community and an outpouring of support to two families impacted by avoidable accidents almost a year apart.

Jason Schmidt, Chautauqua County district attorney, said Rolison pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in the Dec. 31, 2021, death of Alexis Hughan and to aggravated vehicular homicide for the Dec. 3, 2022, death of Linda Kraemer.

Hughan was 15 years old and a 10th-grader at Jamestown High School when she died. Kraemer was 71.

“From the outset of each of these tragedies, they have been my primary focus,” Schmidt said in a statement Friday. “This is the best I could do for them, but it will never heal the wounds inflicted upon them. The holes in their lives will never be filled.”

He added, “These pleas could not be reached without the tireless investigatory work of Jamestown Police Department, New York State Police and Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office. Our local police agencies are true professionals with top notch credentials who are fully committed to the safety of all of us here in Chautauqua County. Each of them were relentless in developing evidence and working closely with us to ensure we were prepared to go forward. Without their efforts we would not have gotten to this point today so they deserve all the credit.”

As part of the pleas, Schmidt agreed to drop weapons possession charges in a third case that was set to go to trial this month in County Court.

In May, Rolison rejected the same plea deal after discussing options with his attorney, Public Defender Ned Barone. Rolison was in court Friday to enter the guilty pleas.

Rolison faces up to 15 years in prison on the manslaughter charge and up to 25 years on the aggravated vehicular homicide charge. The sentences will run consecutively, meaning he could receive up to 40 years in prison.

Sentencing is set for Aug. 28 in County Court.

Hughan was killed after she was struck by a semi operated by Rolison while walking across Sixth Street in Jamestown.

It was on Dec. 3, 2022, nearly a year after Hughan’s death, that Rolison was driving a 2020 Chevrolet Trail Blazer when he allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign at Route 83 and Center Road in Arkwright. The vehicle collided with a 2018 Ford F-150 resulting in the death of Kraemer, who was a 71-year-old passenger in the pickup truck. He also caused serious injuries to her 71-year-old husband who was driving.

Rolison had been out on bail following his arrest in Hughan’s fatality when the Arkwright crash occurred. He was hospitalized and after recovering, had his bail revoked and returned to the county jail, where he remains.

After being arrested for the Jamestown accident, police began investigating various aspects of Rolison’s life. They allegedly discovered Rolison had three illegal handguns in storage, so he was charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Schmidt had been willing to drop the weapons charge if he pleaded guilty in the two deaths.

“All of us and those around us need to be mindful of the deadly consequences of mixing drug use with driving,” the DA said. “Just because someone is not stumbling over drunk or slurring their words does not mean that their ability to safely operate a motor vehicle has not been severely compromised.”

Barone said his client decided to accept the plea deal after thinking it over the last month while jailed in Mayville.

“I think what happens in a lot of these cases is that after some time has transpired, when someone has been arrested, someone has some time to think about things and reflect on things,” Barone said. “And I think that Mr. Rolison, in this particular case, there’s some feelings of remorse.”

“He came forward, accepted responsibility for his actions and he wants to move on with things. But, at the same time, he does it to help the victims with closure,” Barone continued.

Barone noted that on June 21 in Buffalo, Rolison will plead guilty to the federal gun charges, with the understanding that the sentence for those charges will run at the same time as the charges he’s facing for the two vehicle deaths.

The public defender said his client is hopeful that he may be able to serve his sentence and be released at the end of his life. “What he ended up accepting allows him some opportunity, hopefully in the future, given his age, that he has a chance to spend his remaining years hopefully outside of the prison system,” he said.

The pleas were entered a day before a memorial bench and picnic table in honor of Hughan are to be dedicated in Dow Park. A fundraiser held earlier this year at the YWCA Lake Lodge in Lakewood brought in more than $5,000 toward the memorial.

A dedication ceremony for the bench and picnic table was to be held Saturday morning.

Gregory Bacon contributed to this story.