Suspect arrested for tattooing in basement
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

A 14-year-old girl said it was a Mother's Day gift but her mom wasn't pleased when her daughter got a tattoo.

The Fairgreen Drive resident called Amherst police on May 14 after she discovered her daughter had a tattoo on one of her arms.

Police learned that sometime after school that day the daughter had a man, named Paul, come to the house, where he reportedly tattooed her in the basement.

"The 14-year-old said she got the tattoo after school as a gift for her for Mother's Day," Assistant Chief John Askey said. "Police observed a fresh tattoo on the upper part of her arm."

Another report of a 17-year-old male also receiving a tattoo from the same suspect was reported on May 13.

Askey said police arrested Paul A. Artemyak, 27, of Milford Street in Tonawanda for allegedly sketching a tattoo on a person younger than 18 and for attempting to give police a false name. He also allegedly public health laws.