Rochester mayor, husband to be arraigned on weapons, child endangerment charges Wednesday

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) — Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren and her husband, Timothy Granison, will be arraigned on weapons and child endangerment charges Wednesday morning, according to court records.

The two have been charged with criminal possession of a firearm, which is a Class E felony, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and two counts of failure to lock/secure firearms in a dwelling.

The Monroe County District Attorney’s Office unsealed the grand jury indictment Friday.

The DA’s Office says the indictment was a result of the search warrant New York State Police executed on May 19 at Warren’s home.

A standard manufacturing STD-15 rifle and a .40 Kel-Tech P-40 pistol were found in the home during the search, and Warren and Granison’s 10-year-old child was left home alone during the raid, according to the district attorney’s Office. The weapons were not registered to Warren or Granison.

Granison is also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance (narcotics), and third-degree criminal possession of narcotics (intent to sell) following the same search. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges. Granison is also facing federal charges. He’s accused of receiving bulk quantities of cocaine from a co-defendant then distributing it to others accused in the state case.

Wednesday morning’s arraignment will be held at 10:30 a.m. in front of Cayuga County Judge Thomas Leone.

The mayor’s lawyer says the indictment comes as a complete shock. He says she’s pleading not guilty on Wednesday.

Her husband’s lawyer, John DeMarco said he and Granison knew it was a possibility when the case went to the grand jury in early June.

"It wasn’t conclusive that they were going to go ahead and indict it but they certainly left the possibility open," DeMarco said.

He said the fact that they were indicted on city code violations by the grand jury was unique.

"I think what’s unique about this case is the fact they decided to indict on those charges as well as those two city code violations," DeMarco said. "Seems to be outside the ordinary scope of charges before the grand jury."

News10NBC Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean asked DeMarco if he feels that Granison being the mayor’s husband complicates things for him as an attorney.

"Well, I don’t believe it does at present," DeMarco said. "I don’t know what’s going through the mind of the district attorney’s office and whether or not their zealousness, if you will, to prosecute this matter is increased by the presence of the mayor versus someone that is not in the public limelight."