ROCHESTER, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Rochester Mayor Lovely A. Warren addresses members of the media during a press conference related to the ongoing protest in the city on September 06, 2020 in Rochester, New York. Daniel Prude died after being arrested on March 23, by Rochester police officers who had placed a “spit hood” over his head and pinned him to the ground while restraining him. Mayor Warren announced a commitment to improve the city’s response to mental health crisis. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
State police troopers spent several hours searching the home of Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren on Wednesday, saying it was part of a criminal investigation but disclosing no details.
Troopers closed off the block around Warren's home with police tape and could be seen taking items from the residence, according to video recordings by journalists at the scene.
State Police Maj. Barry Chase said he could release no additional information about the presence of law enforcement at the home. Police arrived at the residence around 4:30 p.m. ET.
“It’s an ongoing investigation. We’ll have more for you as soon as we can,” Chase said.
A press release issued by the State Police said troopers were executing a search warrant. It did not say for whom the warrant was intended. Warren's husband also lives in the home.
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Warren was indicted in a campaign finance fraud case in October, but a representative for the Monroe County District Attorney said Wednesday's police activity at her home was not connected to that case.
A spokesperson for Warren also said he couldn't immediately say more about the investigation.
“The mayor is just learning about the events that unfolded this afternoon and has no more information than the rest of the community,” Justin Roj said in a statement. “She hopes to learn more details this evening and will have a statement tomorrow.”
Warren, a Democrat, is in the middle of a re-election campaign with a critical party primary coming up just next month.
She has spent the past year in crisis. She was indicted in October on charges she broke campaign finance rules during her last reelection campaign, four years ago. The treasurers of her campaign and political action committees were also charged.
Over the summer, she faced calls to resign over her handling of the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who stopped breathing after police placed him in a mesh hood and pressed him to the pavement. Police and city officials said almost nothing publicly about the death for months until Prude's family obtained and released body camera video showing the death.
In March, a probe into the official response to Prude’s death, commissioned by Rochester’s city council, said Warren lied to the public about what she knew and when she knew it. A special counsel to the city administration disputed those claims.
In April, a federal civil rights lawsuit was filed naming Warren and other city officials, accusing them of allowing a culture of police brutality against racial minorities.
Warren is seeking a third term in office. She acknowledged making errors in the handling and reporting of campaign contributions but said they were honest mistakes, not crimes.
