batavia

A man wanted from San Francisco to Ithaca was taken into custody in Batavia on Friday after he reportedly left a backpack allegedly containing drugs and stolen items in Walmart.

The backpack was turned over by Walmart security to Deputy Tim Wescott, who located Thomas E. Dodson, 24, of Rochester, at the 48 Deli Express on Park Road.

After searching the backpack, Wescott reported finding drugs, drug paraphernalia, a  stolen credit card, a stolen wallet and several stolen prescriptions.

Upon checking Dodson's identity, Wescott reportedly learned that Dodson had outstanding warrants in San Francisco, Rochester and Ithaca.

Dodson was charged with being a fugitive from justice, criminal possession of stolen property, 4th, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, criminally using drug paraphernalia, 2nd, criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument, three counts of criminal possession of stolen property, 5th, and criminal impersonation, 2nd.

He was ordered held without bail.

A three-car accident with injuries has been reported in the area of 9 College View Drive, Batavia.

Town of Batavia Fire and Mercy EMS are being dispatched.

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Brittany Marie Smith, 18, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Smith is accused of shoplifting multiple items from Kmart on Monday afternoon.

Robert Joseph Propst, 30, of Spencer Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Propst is accused of stealing multiple items from Kmart on Monday afternoon.

With unanimous conscent Monday night, the Batavia City Council agreed to move forward with a plan to provide some tax relief to homeowners who undertake renovations.

In September there will likely be a public hearing on the plan, which will provide a tax credit over an eight-year period on the increased assessed value caused by improvements.

"This is important because, even if you do improvements, the value doesn’t necessarily change, but if the value does change because of that improvement, you can get an exemption on the increase of the assessment," City Manager Jason Molino said.

The exemption is possible by state law, which allows for a municipal government to institute the tax credit. The credit can be spread over eight years, with no tax on the increased assessed value, and 12.5 percent of tax on the increase being added each year.

The homeowner must make at least a $3,000 improvement, and the assessor must find that the improvement, not some other factor, caused the increased assessment. 

"I think this is long over due," Councilman Bill Cox said. "I think it will encourage people to improve their homes and it’s a sign that the City Council wants to encourage people to improve their neighborhoods."

Councilman Frank Ferrando also spoke in favor of the tax exemption.

"I like the idea that it’s the community investing in itself," Ferrando said.

A car reportedly backed into a child in the area of 511 E. Main St., Batavia.

The child suffered a wrist injury.

Mercy EMS is being dispatched.

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Anthony Vincent Aidrich, 33, of Kirkpatrick Street, Syracuse, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property. Aidrich is accused of possessing 75 stolen Darien Lake passes. Aidrich was allegedly found with the passes while trying to enter the theme park using an allegedly stolen pass. He was jailed on $10,000 bail or $20,000 bond.

Stephanie Ruth Cotton, 34, of 6319 Mechanic Road, Byron, is charged with a violation of probation. Cotton is accused of missing a probation appointment and failure to appear for sentencing in Genesee County Court. Cotton was arrested at 11:05 a.m., Friday, and was allegedly found hiding in her attic under insulation.

Jacob A. Staskiewicz, 24, of Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, failure to keep right and moving from lane unsafely. Staskiewicz was stopped at 2:26 a.m., Saturday, on Railroad Avenue, where his car allegedly hit a guardrail, by Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Anthony V. Firman, 21, of 82 Gilbert St., Le Roy, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Firman is accused of violating conditions of probation. He was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Tim Christopher Fox, 41, of Drake Street, Oakfield, is charged with two counts of harassment, 2nd, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Fox allegedly pushed another person during an argument. He then allegedly fell on two children while being restrained.

Lance A. Mercado, 20, of 110 Bank St., Batavia and Jeanne D. Fuller, 23, of 399 Manitou Road, Hilton, are each charged with harassment, 2nd. A friend filed charges against Mercado and Fuller, accusing Mercado of pushing him and Fuller attempting to hit him.

Sara J. Falker, 22, of 41 Maple St., Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Falker is accused of leaving her 2-year-old child unsupervised while at home with the child and of maintaining less than favorable living conditions.

Robert M. Freeman, 18, of 285 East Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Freeman is accused of egging a car on May 28, causing damage to the paint.

Joseph P. Urtel, 32, of 19 Pringle Ave., is charged with criminal mischief, 3rd. Urtel is accused of damaging the laptop of a female friend. Urtel was jailed without bail.

When you walk into the showroom of Baker's Frontier Kitchens, you step into an upscale, well-appointed kitchen. The wood cabinetry is beautiful and functional, the granite countertops gleam, you imagine how wonderful it would be if this was your kitchen.

Look to your left, and there is another fantasy kitchen with dark wood, a laminate countertop, an eye-catching faucet and next to that, another gem of a kitchen.

It is readily apparent that there are choices galore, with displays of drawer pulls, boxes of color samples, walls of wood choices and style treatments, and catalogs offering infinite possibilities -- from hickory to alder, Shaker to Tuscan, copper to wrought iron, Federal blue to lime green. Literally, there are 30,000 combinations to choose from.

But what sets Baker's Frontier Kitchens apart from other kitchen and bath remodelers is the technical prowess, expert craftsmanship and design offered by owner Tim Baker and his associate Lonnie Patnode. Tim has done nothing but kitchen and bath remodeling for 20 years, Lonnie for at least 15.

Each one takes a single job from beginning to end. That means the measuring (at no charge), planning, design, contracting, oversight and communication are handled from A to Z by either Tim or Lonnie. Personal accountability helps keep the details clear, the job smooth and the customer secure in knowing that there's only one guy in charge of the project.

Lonnie is the designated salesman, but he does not look, sound or act like one. Wearing jeans, sneakers and a button-up shirt, he takes a decidedly low-key approach.

"We don't go for the hard sell -- 'What do I have to do to get you to buy this today?'" Lonnie said. "Good designs and good products sell themselves. We don't hound people. People are spending a lot of money. They need to feel comfortable. We want to make friends."

The store has two lines of cabinetry, Homecrest, which offers stock sizes with limited customized products, and Candlelight, which offers standardized options, as well as unlimited custom possibilities.

"If we can dream and draw it, Candlelight can build it," Lonnie says.

ALL Candlelight cabinets, "down to the last screw," come from U.S. suppliers, including ones in Brockport and Attica. And their goods are built right here in Western New York.

Also, the installation crews are local contractors. If old cabinetry needs to be torn out and hauled away, the crews can do that. Or if a homeowner wants new lighting, tile work, carpet, wiring, painting, plumbing, heating or new windows, those services are available from the crews as well.

"We do the whole shootin' match," Lonnie said. "We do as much or as little as the homeowner want us to."

Some people just want the cabinets installed, but want to put in the appliances, sinks, etc., themselves to save money. Others have unlimited resources, or seem to.

Like one of Tim's customers, who just built a new house on Lake Ontario. It is supposed to be the last house she ever builds, so she wanted every detail to be top-notch. She personally flew to Vermont to choose the granite she wanted from the mining company. Lonnie said she spent close to $100,000 on just the kitchen.

On the other end of the spending spectrum, you can have a basic re-do for $2,000 to $3,500 for a small kitchen. If you add in granite countertops, lazy Susans, soft-close drawers, wine racks and other features for a medium-sized space, expect a price tag of $6,000 to $10,000.

A lot of times people have some idea about what they want, but no real vision or plan. You don't know, what you don't know, so to speak, but Tim and Lonnie do. They get a sense of your style, your tastes and the functions you need by talking with you, seeing the space and drawing rough sketches. Then, using computer-assisted drafting, they create a range of options to help you decide.

That's what Lonnie did for a client in Warsaw. He wanted dark, but not black, cabinets. He had stainless steel appliances and a gigantic kitchen with an 11-foot center island and a penchant for clean, modern lines and a contemporary ambiance.

Lonnie came up with a design featuring deep, eggplant-colored wood and cabinets with stainless-steel frames around panes of frosted glass. He took the same frames and created rectangular boxes attached above the cabinets so that they seemed to "float in space." These were lit with small, LED lights and when turned on at night, they glowed, displaying a real "wow factor."

If you are thinking about redoing your kitchen or bath, you can find out more on their website.

Even better, stop by at 8392 Lewiston Road in the Town of Batavia. Or give Tim or Lonnie a call at 343-0760 to schedule the first step in making your dream kitchen a reality.

A two-car accident with injuries has been reported at the intersection of Ellicott Street Road and Shepard Road, Batavia.

Two ambulances have been requested to the scene.

One woman reportedly has her leg trapped.

Town of Batavia Fire is also responding.

UPDATE 1:55 p.m.: Report now, woman trapped only by a door. Her body is not entrapped. City PD being dispatched to close Route 63 at Cedar Street.

UPDATE 2:16 p.m.: Southbound Route 63 is now open.

 

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While on Lewiston Road late Friday afternoon, I spotted these kites flying over the Batavia Downs' parking lot and so I swung down Park Road to investigate.

I should have known, it was Eric Olson, Batavia's Kite Man, out with his kite trailer looking to lure customers to his location.

Olson, whose day job is with the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, runs a sideline business selling kites at community events, and such.

Note: Reminder, innocent until proven guilty. While we use "allegedly" throughout this report, the nature of recounting the events as alleged by the FBI could leave an impression that the events occurred exactly as reported. That has not yet been proven in court.

For a little over two months, Donald G. Vanelli was a man being closely watched by the FBI.

Agents obtained a court order authorizing a wiretap on his phone on April 22. The FBI mounted a camera on a pole near his home at 8394 Lake Street Road., Le Roy, allowing them to observe who was coming and who was going, and all the trips Vanelli made to his white-washed, two-door garage, where he allegedly stored the methamphetamine he was selling.

By May 7, agents even had two confidential sources allegedly buying -- with federal dollars -- at least one, and sometimes four, "eight-balls" of meth on each visit to the house of the 47-year-old president of the Road Agents Motorcycle Club.

An eight-ball is approximately 1/8 of an ounce of meth.

The details of the surveillance and investigation into the alleged drug-dealing activities of Vanelli are contained in a 99-page affidavit written by FBI agent Mark R. Schirching.

The affidavit, unsealed at the time of Vanelli's arrest, was the basis for warrants for David H. Cohen, 49, of 918 Goodman St., Rochester; Andrew W. Chapman, 40, of 5 Cedar St., Batavia; and Kerry A. Ball, 51, of 7202 Meadville Road, Basom, as well as search warrants for the homes of Vanelli and Donna L. Boon (aka Donna Mcauly), 44, of 3658 Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road, Batavia.

All five suspects were arrested early Friday morning and arraigned in the U.S. District Court in Rochester on a federal charge of conspiracy with intent to distribute narcotics.

Vanelli is reportedly being held without bail, while the other four suspects were released on their own recognizance.

While Vanelli was the central figure in the investigation, and described by one investigator Friday as the center of the ring, Vanelli was not the person dealing with the higher level suppliers.

That job allegedly fell to Boon initially, but when Boon could either no longer allegedly supply Vanelli, or when Boon and Vanelli had some sort of falling out, Vanelli reportedly turned to Cohen, who had a contact -- a man who comes across in the affidavit as unreliable and arrogant -- named Igor. Cohen tagged Igor "The King," according to the affidavit, but the nickname doesn't have the ring of a compliment.

Igor's unreliability leaves the impression that he was buying from another source, not he himself manufacturing meth. It's also unclear from the affidavit whether Vanelli's other alleged supplier, Boon, was allegedly buying from a meth lab or dealt with another middle man.

There's no indication one way or another whether Boon or Cohen were themselves subject to a separate surveillance effort.

It's important to note that the affidavit itself is not the whole of the federal case against the suspects, only that portion which has been made publicly available.

The surveillance reveals an alleged attempt by the suspects to be coy about their activities, never discussing deals directly but using -- in the repeated phrase of agent Schirching -- "cryptic and coded" language to arrange meetings and alleged buys.

The alleged "cryptic and coded" language, in it's simplest explanation, usually involved an alleged customer calling Vanelli and asking if it was OK to stop by. If Vanelli had an alleged supply of meth, he would reportedly say, "yes," if not, "no," or perhaps, "it's pretty quiet."

In one conversation, Vanelli reportedly even joked about the Feds listening in.

The key break in the case came when agents asked a State Trooper to make a traffic stop on two people who had been observed -- via the pole camera -- leaving Vanelli's residence.

The alleged buy that led to the traffic stop came on May 7. It was the second time the man and woman were reportedly heard via wiretap making arrangements to meet Vanelli and later showing up at his residence, disappearing with Vanelli into the garage and leaving 10 minutes or so later.

The first alleged buy came on April 29, when a woman, identified as CS-1, allegedly called Vanelli at 4:14 p.m. She asked, "Are you going to be around later on? You want some company or?" Vanelli reportedly responded, "Yeah, sure."

The pole camera recorded the woman arriving at Vanelli's house with a man who would become the second confidential source.

They arrived at 5:19 p.m. and entered the garage with Vanelli and departed at 5:29 p.m.

The couple would later admit to buying methamphetamine from Vanelli. The pair reportedly confirmed the use of "cryptic and coded" language to arrange deals.

At 12:46 p.m., May 7, Vanelli reportedly received a phone call from CS-1, who said, "Yeah, I was wondering if you wanted some company later?" Vanelli reportedly responded, "Yeah, what time?"

CS-1 reportedly said, "Ah, well, I could ... I just gotta .... I get out probably about 3:30, quarter-to-four, and then, ah, run home, grab some money and, ah, head over. So 4:30?" Vanelli reportedly responded, "Sounds good ... OK, I'll see you then."

Schirching reports that via the pole camera, CS-1 and CS-2 were shown arriving at 4:35 p.m. and entering the garage with Vanelli. They departed at 4:43 p.m.

At 5:05 p.m., under the direction of FBI agents, NYSP Trooper Christopher Neidert stopped the soon-to-be-informant's car on Randall Road.

Neidert reportedly smelled a strong odor of marijuana when he approached the driver's side door of the car. Neidert reportedly recovered a small amount of marijuana and a pipe from CS-1's purse.

When CS-2 exited the vehicle, Neidert reportedly observed a yellow envelope sticking out under his arm, which was in a sling.

"Trooper Neidert then asked CS-2 what was in the envelope and CS-2 admitted that it contained four eight-balls of methamphetamine," Schirching writes.

Later that evening, CS-1 and CS-2 agreed to cooperate in the investigation. They admitted to buying four eight-balls of meth, allegedly from Vanelli, for $1,200.

The description of the buying process for CS-1 fits the pattern of other alleged buys -- from the non-specific phone conversations, to people arriving a short time later, going into the garage, allegedly with Vanelli, and leaving minutes later.

The affidavit lists more than a dozen alleged customers of Vanelli. They are generally identified as Customer 1, Customer 2, and so on, as well as listing the phone numbers used in calling Vanelli.

CS-1 and CS-2 would be used to make controlled purchases -- wired for video and audio each time, using federal money -- on May 14, June 11 and June 25.

The Feds also intercepted calls to and from Vanelli involving Boon, Cohen, Chapman and Ball. Schirching states that he believes these phone calls were made in order to arrange either the transfer of money or meth among the five alleged dealers.

On May 24, Vanelli reportedly received a call from Ball. It's the first time Vanelli turns down a meeting with an alleged associate or customer. Schirching took this to mean that Vanelli was tapped out of meth.

The next several pages of the affidavit detail a number of calls in which Vanelli is allegedly unable to supply his customers and having difficulty obtaining a new supply of meth.

He repeatedly told customers, according to the report, that he might have time to meet the following week.

On May 25, Vanelli reportedly received a call from Cohen.

"I guess I am gonna have to go to your schedule. Tell -- tell me a time to show up there after 3:30 and I will be there. I don't care if it's midnight or whatever I just got appointments and all this shit 'til then."  

Vanelli reportedly replied, "Yeah, nah, I don't know if I'm going to be around." 

Cohen: "Ah, .... all right so, f--k it today. When -- when, next week, stop by or?"

Vanelli: "Next week I think."

Later that day, Customer 4 reportedly called Vanelli, who said, "Well, I just wanted to run into ya for about 15, 20 minutes. I know you're busy. I know you're tryin' to get your shit together, but I gotta stay home by myself so I might as well do somethin', I might as well clean."

Vanelli reportedly responded, "Yeah. I can't help you though, I don't got... "

Customer 4, "No."

Vanelli: "No, next week."

Customer 4: "This sucks."

Vanelli: "Yes it does. Yes it does. Never when I need it, you know."

On May 27, at 6:11 p.m., CS-1, at the direction of the FBI, reportedly called Vanelli, but Vanelli declined to set up a meeting and said he would call CS-1 the following week.

Cohen isn't recorded calling Vanelli until June 1, when he says, "I called, I just haven't had the chance to go f--king take off to see if they got the shit." 

Cohen later added, according to Schirching, "Whatever, but I will try to do the best I can and I will call you if I can't, because I got a call into about three different places."

Schirching interpreted this conversation to mean that Vanelli was unable to obtain meth from Boon and Cohen was trying to find another supplier.

Later that day, Cohen reportedly told Vanelli, "I don't know man, later on. I got, I got, I mean, I, I got, I'm not a shining star, but I guess I could help you better than nothing if you could bring like a buck, buck-fifty, something like that."

Vanelli and Cohen reportedly agreed to meet later that night. Later, they allegedly set up a meeting near Irondeqouit Bay, across from Bazil's Restaurant in Webster.

At 8:30 p.m., Vanelli was alleged observed entering a gated boat-repair facility (entering a code to get in) and leaving about 9 p.m.

Schirching concluded, he writes, that Vanelli was able to obtain a small amount of meth from Cohen, but not enough to service his customers.

CS-1 attempted to set up a buy on June 2, but Vanelli allegedly declined a meeting.

At 1:1 p.m., June 3, Vanelli reportedly received a phone call from Cohen in which Cohen says, "I don't, I don't mind taking a drive man just cause, ah, like actually that motherf--cking Igor got an attitude on me ... I call him last night he said, 'I can't make it' and ah, it's cool man, I'll catch ya, you know, Thursday or whatever today is ... yeah, and I call him, hey, so 'well I'm working,' so I didn't know how things are going out there?"

Vanelli: "Pretty quiet."

Cohen: "Yeah, all right. Well, whatever, give me a holler cause I, I, I mean it comes down to it, I'd rather spend more time and have ya know, professionalism than, than, than f--cking, these f--cking guys are a joke, man."

Schirching writes that he believes Cohen was indicating that he was having difficulty acquiring meth from Igor and that Vanelli indicated he had not yet found a supply of meth.

On June 4, Cohen reportedly speaks with Vanelli and says, "I would have to see when it would be convenient for the king ... being Igor, Igor being the king."

Vanelli reportedly said, "Yeah, I called him and left him a message. He didn't, he didn't return my call yet."

Cohen: "You know, that's f--cked up. You know, it's like, whatever. He, he, he's the king, you know cause ... I'll do my best when I see him, but he doesn't return my calls either."

It isn't until June 11 that Schirching believes Vanelli was able to drive to the boat-repair yard at Irondequoit Bay and obtain a supply of meth from Cohen.

Later that day, Vanelli reportedly called Boon. At this point, it had been a couple of weeks, based on the transcripts in the affidavit, since Boon and Vanelli spoke.

Schirching believes this conversation was intended to set up a meeting at Vanelli's house where Vanelli could hand over a quanity of meth to Boon and discuss business.

On June 11, Vanelli reportedly contacted four of his alleged customers, including CS-1. CS-1 allegedly arranged a meeting with Vanelli where she reportedly purchased -- according to a taped transaction -- three eight-balls for $760 (because CS-1 apparently didn't have the correct denominations to pay the reported asking price of $775).

By June 14, Vanelli was reportedly running low on meth again and arranged another meeting with Cohen. When Customer 15 called, Vanelli indicted, according to the affidivate, that he couldn't meet immediately with the alleged customer, but perhaps later. Customer 15 reportedly responded, "As long as you give me a Scoobie."

Schirching believes that Vanelli obtained some quantity of meth on June 14 during a meeting at a Thruway gas station with Cohen, and later supplied Ball. Further, Schirching believes that Vanelli later arranged a second meeting at his residence with Cohen for the next day in order to procure additional supplies. Schirching states that he doesn't believe Vanelli obtained a large supply from Cohen.

On June 17, Cohen and Vanelli are allegedly hoping for more meth from Cohen's supplier, but the supplier reportedly showed up to a meeting with Cohen empty-handed.

Cohen and Vanelli reportedly talk twice on June 18, and in the second conversation, Cohen reportedly says, "you know, I can't hurry the king."

By June 22, neither Cohen nor Vanelli have allegedly found a supply of meth, and Cohen bemoans the apparent disappearance of Igor. He hadn't heard a word from him. 

At 3:41 p.m., Vanelli reportedly receives a call from his girlfriend.

Vanelli reportedly says, "Fat ass [Donna Boon] called me this morning."

Vanelli reportedly says he didn't talk with her.

Girlfriend: "Are you going to call her?"

Vanelli: "F--k no."

Later he reportedly said, "I ain't got nothin' to say to her [unintelligible] no more. Make sure you tell her."

The next day, however, Vanelli does reportedly call Boon.

Boon: "I, um, what did I want last night, oh geez, I don't know, oh my friggin', I, can you stop by today and check my lawn mower? This mornin'?"

Vanelli reportedly departed his house at 11:19 p.m. Sheriff's investigator Pete Welker reportedly spotted Vanelli's truck at Boon's place at 11:57 a.m. and he reportedly returned home at 12:25 p.m.

Four minutes later, Vanelli reportedly made his first outbound call to an alleged customer, Customer 9, and set up a meeting at Vanelli's house.

Immediately after that call, Vanelli reportedly called Ball and set up a meeting.

Ten minutes later, Vanelli's girlfriend called.

Girlfriend: "You went back on your word, your word, huh?"

Vanelli: "What are you doing?"

Girlfriend: "Just got to her house ... thought you weren't coming here."

Vanelli: "What, you want to talk about it on the phone?"

Later in the conversation, Vanelli's girlfriend reportedly says, "I knew you were talking shit."

That phone call terminated abruptly, but the girlfriend reportedly calls back a minute or two later.

Girlfriend: "I just wanted to, you just went back on what you said, that's all."

Vanelli: "You know what? I'm not going to talk about this on the phone."

At 4:05 p.m., the girlfriend reportedly calls Vanelli again and launches into, "you motherf--ked her yesterday ... f--kin' f--k that fat bitch. I don't f--king need her, but you do."

Vanelli: "How many times have I heard you say that?"

Girlfriend: "But you do need her."

On June 25, Schirching, working with investigators from the Sheriff's Office, set up CS-1 for another alleged buy from Vanelli.

On June 26, Cohen allegedly arranges for his girlfriend, Nancy, to drive to Le Roy to pick up a supply of meth from Vanelli.

The affidavit ends with Schirching stating that he believes he has probable cause to arrest Vanelli, Boon, Cohen, Ball and Chapman.

Top photo, the residence at 8394 Lake Street Road, Le Roy.

Insets, from top, Vanelli, Cohen, Boon.

Law enforcement in Orleans County  notified Genesee County that they were in pursuit of a vehicle southbound on Route 98, passing through Barre.

The Silverado truck, which is registered to a Batavia resident, was exceeding 100 mph, according to the dispatcher.

Minutes after the call went out, the truck reportedly stopped, the driver got out. A dispatcher indicated a Taser was used on the suspect.

The Genesee County response was canceled with the report of the Orleans County traffic stop.

Scanner communications a few minutes ago indicate that today a resident somewhere in the city has finally had enough.

The piles of shredded Buffalo News being dumped on his or her property on a regular basis has to stop.

The person called the cops -- after three years of this nonsense -- who are en route to handle the complaint.

There's only so much a person can take. Talk about old news late...

Overheard on the scanner...

Dispatch: "The caller says the bathroom door is still locked."

Officer: "Tell her to push on the door."

"Rookies, ya gotta tell 'em everything."

(Things could be worse out there on a gorgeous summer day...)

An alleged meth distribution ring with a hub in Le Roy and alleged dealers in Batavia and Rochester was broken up by a region-wide law enforcement effort early this morning.

Five individuals were arrested and now face a federal charge of conspiracy with intent to distribute narcotics.

None of the individuals are suspected of manufacturing methamphetamine.

U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. said at a press conference this afternoon that 75 grams of meth were recovered following the months long investigation that included wiretaps and the use of informants.

Sheriff Gary Maha would only say that the suspected meth was being manufactured "somewhere in the states."

"We're not concerned about there being a major lab out there in Genesee County," Maha said.

Donald G. Vanelli, 47, of 8394 Lake St., Le Roy, is suspected of playing a central role in acquisition and distribution of meth.

Vanelli, according to a press release put out late Friday by Hochul's office, is president of the Road Agents Motorcycle Club.

Much of the meth allegedly distributed by the ring was being sold in Batavia and throughout Genesee County, but one suspected dealer lived in Rochester. He is David H. Cohen, 49, of 918 Goodman St.

Also taken into custody were Donna L. Boon (aka Donna Mcauly), 44, of 3658 Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road; Andrew W. Chapman, 40, of 5 Cedar St., Batavia; and Kerry A. Ball, 51, of 7202 Meadville Road, Basom.

“We’ve made a number of significant drug arrests here in Genesee County, but this is pretty significant as far as the distribution of methamphetamine,” Maha said. “We think these people are major, major suppliers here in Genesee County.”

Cohen, Boon, Chapman and Ball were arraigned in U.S. District Court in Rochester this afternoon and released. Federal prosecutors were going to ask that Vanelli be held without bail.

Cohen is accused of obtaining meth in Genesee County and distributing it in Monroe County, as well as sometimes being a conduit to resupply Vanelli.

Search warrants were executed at the homes of Boon and Vanelli. K-9 units from Orleans and Monore counties were used in the searches.

A 9mm semi-automatic gun, loaded with 10 rounds, was reportedly seized at Vanelli's home.

Authorities believe that Boon would sometimes supply meth to Vanelli for redistribution.

The federal charge carries a minimum five-year prison sentence, with a maximum available sentence of 40 years and a $2 million fine.

The street value of the 75 grams of meth, according to Hochul is about $7,000.

The stiffer federal penalties are exactly why the FBI and U.S. District Attorney's Office were brought into the investigation, according to Maha.

"We said in the beginning (a little less than a year ago when the first alleged meth lab was found in Alabama), we’re not going to tolerate methamphetamine here in Genesee County," Maha said. "So when it’s brought to our attention that people are manufacturing, or that people are distributing, methamphetamine we’re going to go after them as hard as we can."

The investigation is continuing and there may be additional arrests.

"An investigation into any crime isn’t complete until everybody who is responsible for either the trafficking, procurement of any of the substances and finally the financing are identified and prosecuted," Hochul said.

The culmination of "Operation Deep Freeze" began at 3 a.m. with members of the Batavia Police Department rapid response team (SWAT) meeting at the Sheriff's Office before heading out to serve search warrants and arrest the suspects. By 5:30 a.m., investigators from the Sheriff's Office and the FBI were heading into the field to conduct searches on the suspects' residences.

The investigation began, according to Maha, with informants. He shied away from characterizing them as "citizens" or people involved in criminal activity. He said there was no connection between this alleged distribution ring and the five previous alleged meth labs found in the county.

Also participating in the investigation were the Drug Enforcement Administration, State Police and the Le Roy Police Department as well as the Genesee County District Attorney's Office.

    David Cohen  Kerry Ball  Andrew Chapman

Inset photos: top, Vanelli; bottom, Boon.

A car and motorcycle crash has resulted in injuries at Oak Street and Burke Drive in the City of Batavia. The motorcyclist is said to be up and walking around.

Batavia fire and Mercy EMS are responding.

City officials are ramping up the enforcement action against LKLWL Properties, owners of the Latina's Foodland location on Ellicott Street.

Today, a condemnation notice appeared on the building's doors and a criminal complaint was filed in City Court.

Representatives of LKLWL Properties are being ordered to appear in court on July 23 at 10 a.m. to answer to a charge of creating unsanitary conditions, in violation of city code.

The condemnation notice prevents anybody from entering the building.

Also, based on the feces and feathers on the floor inside of the building, it seems pretty clear that gulls now have access to the interior of the building as well, not just the roof.

City Manager Jason Molino has not been available for comment this afternoon.

UPDATE 4:36 p.m.: City Manager Jason Molino said the court action and the condemnation are two seperate tracks that are part of the same effort to get the property owner to take the condition of the building seriously.

If the gull problem isn't remedied in 30 days, because of the condemnation notification, the city will be able to send crews in to deal with the gulls and clean up the property and then bill the property owner for the work.

"At this point we have to do what we can to try and remedy the situation," Molino said.

Asked about cleaning up the parking lot, which is increasingly covered with feces, Molino said it would be reasonable to consider billing the property owner for any clean up work there.

For previous coverage, click here.

The crew at Top Line T-shirts made up patriotic shirts to sell at the Picnic in the Park on July 5. When there were some left over, owner Tim Walton was trying to think about what to do with them.

He struck up a conversation with longtime friend Jody Lutley of Hometown Hugs. Hometown Hugs is a local organization that has been sending care packages to soldiers in Afghanistan since the war started.

Walton and Leitey hit on the idea of sending the shirts to troops in Afghanistan, and Walton even printed up another batch to send over.

Pictured are Leitey, Walton, Rob Credi, Walton's business partner, and Andrew Maxwell.