Randal Rolison

Information gathered during an investigation into a hit-and-run crash on New Year’s Eve that killed a 15-year-old girl has led to new, unrelated charges for a Jamestown man.

A Chautauqua County grand jury indicted Randal J. Rolison on three counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The 58-year-old, who was already jailed on charges stemming from the fatal crash, was arraigned Tuesday morning in Chautauqua County Court.

Capt. Robert Samuelson of the Jamestown Police Department said investigators learned there were unregistered handguns belonging to Rolison that he kept in a storage unit he rents in the town of Busti.

“As a result of this investigation, we learned that there were weapons that were purchased in a southern state that were brought to this state illegally and possessed illegally,” Samuelson told The Post-Journal.

“We were able to obtain credible information that the weapons were being stored in this storage unit.”

The department, with the assistance of the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office, executed a search warrant on the Busti storage unit Friday. Assisting were members of the Jamestown Metro Drug Task Force, Sheriff’s Office, Lakewood-Busti police and FBI.

Additional charges were pending against Rolison following the discovery of the guns, described as two pistols and a revolver.

Samuelson said he could not comment directly on what information police gathered that led to the storage unit. “As in any investigation we may obtain information on unrelated crimes that we are responsible to act on,” he said. “In this case, we were concerned these guns may be moved somewhere else if we didn’t act.”

Rolison is already facing charges of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident involving a death and driving while ability impaired by drugs. The city man was operating a tractor-trailer hauling several vehicles the afternoon of Dec. 31 when he struck Alexis Catherine Hughan, who had been crossing West Sixth Street at the intersection of Washington Street in Jamestown. The car hauler, which continued on West Sixth Street after the accident, was eventually stopped in the parking lot of the Chautauqua Mall.

Hughan was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jamestown police said more charges could be filed in the case, pending toxicology results from the New York State Police crime lab in Albany.

Rolison is being represented by Ned Barone, county public defender.