The unemployed son of a controversial City Councilwoman was held without bail over the weekend following his arrest Saturday night on felony assault and weapon charges.
Richard Michael Thomason, 23, of 2470 LaSalle Ave., was charged with assault with intent to commit injury with a weapon and first degree reckless endangerment.
He is the son of Councilwoman Candra Thomason.
The victim in the incident was Kenneth Walker, brother of Councilman Charles Walker, a frequent political opponent of Thomason's.
Witnesses said the trouble began at a party for state parks employees held at the Knights of Columbus catering hall, 745 Third St.
Thomason, having had too much to drink, got into a violent argument with his girlfriend and was asked to leave, sources said.
Thomason was escorted out of the building and deposited in his girlfriend's SUV.
According to eyewitness accounts, the girlfriend then went back into the building to get something she'd forgotten, and Thomason got behind the wheel of the vehicle.
He drove straight for the sidewalk, where he hit Walker and then a signpost, which witnesses said was the only thing that prevented Walker from being pinned between the vehicle and the building.
"It looked like he deliberately targeted Ken," one witness said.
Thomason then drove away for a short distance, made a U-turn and headed back toward the building.
He again jumped the curb and headed toward a small crowd of people who had gathered around the injured Walker.
Fortunately, all managed to get out of the way.
He then sped away into the night, leaving his girlfriend, a state parks employee, behind.
He was found at his home and arrested by city police Lt. Patrick Corsaro at 11:43 p.m., records show.
Police sources confirmed that Councilwoman Thomason followed the police cruiser carrying her handcuffed son to the Public Safety Building on Hyde Park Boulevard.
She attempted to bail him out, but to no avail.
As of presstime, Walker remained at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center and Thomason remained behind bars.
| Niagara Falls Reporter | www.niagarafallsreporter.com | December 16 2003 |