A Buffalo ex-convict with a long history of weapons, robbery and burglary convictions kept a South Buffalo neighborhood on edge for about three hours Tuesday morning before officers tackled him in the 1700 block of Seneca Street at about 11 a.m.
Tarell Smith, 30, who was released from Attica Correctional Facility last September after serving nearly seven years behind bars for his role in the November 2004 robbery of a Kensington Avenue woman, dashed away in socks and a blanket when state parole officers came to his Paul Place home at about 8 a.m. to bring him in on a parole violation charge.
Buffalo police spokesman Michael DeGeorge said South District officers tracked down Smith thanks to citizen help and a door-to-door search in Smith's neighborhood.
A Seneca Street man called police at about 11 a.m. and said a man dressed only in a blanket and socks offered him $30 to use his phone. South District officers quickly sped down Seneca and arrested Smith, who was taken to the Erie County Holding Center pending further court proceedings today.
Smith faces a possible return to prison for another four years.
Copyright 2012 - The Buffalo News, N.Y.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
