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About 400 National Grid customers in Genesee County are without power due to weather-related outages.

The largest outage is in Darien with 310 customers without power.

There is an outage along Beckwith Road in Batavia, one in Basom and one in East Oakfield, along with outages that affect five or fewer customers in East Bethany, and Batavia.

East Pembroke was dispatched to Beckwith Road on wires.  National Grid is on scene.

Earlier, Alexander Fire was dispatched to Halstead Road for a wire down and a field on fire.

 

Batavia United got its season off to a fast start on Tuesday, scoring three goals in the first period on its way to a 6-1 win over the WFL-Geneva Panthers.

The first goal came at 2:02 on a power play with Jameson Motyka and Brady Johnson feeding  Cooper Hamilton.

Later in the quarter, both Motyka and Ronin Hofmaster would score with assists from Hamilton and Jake Hutchins.

Brady Johnson, Motyka assist, scored in the second period.

Motyka scored on another power play in the third period with assists from Hofmaster and Johnson. 

The Panthers scored their lone goal at 7:34 in the third period and Hofmaster capped off the scoring at 12:06 with an assist from Hutchins.

Goalie Thys Tanner blocked 15 of the 16 shots sent his way.

“All in all, not a bad effort from the squad," said Head Coach Marc Staley. "It’s early in the season, so we are trying to gel as a team and get everybody on the same page. Not sure we have found our identity yet.  We’ve only had 10 practices together due to the storm, and the Thanksgiving holiday. And only two times did we have all of our players on the ice together.   We will learn from this game and get better.  We have a rather large test in front of us this weekend with back-to-back games against Starpoint, and Hamburg, two very strong Section VI teams.  We’re jumping right into the deep end.”

United plays Starpoint at the Northtowne Center in Buffalo on Friday at 5:30pm.  The team faces Hamburg at home at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Submitted photo.

Cardenas Modesto Otoniel Domingo, 29, of Pearl Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Domingo was stopped on Nov. 24 at 11:47 p.m. on Pearl Street in Batavia by Deputy James Stack as part of an investigation into a disturbance reported earlier in Elba.  Domingo was issued an appearance ticket.

Tara Lyn Hall-Dilaura, 44, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th, tampering with physical evidence, and insufficient turn signal.  Hall-Dilaura was stopped on Nov. 24 at 9:05 p.m. on Clinton Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Mason Schultz. Hall-Dilaura is accused of hiding a controlled substance on her person while deputies conducted a traffic stop.  She was processed at the Genesee County Jail and released on an appearance ticket.

Brian t. Stachewicz, 27, of Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon 3rd and DWI.  Stachewicz was stopped by State Police on Nov. 25 at 10:03 p.m. in the Town of Barre. He was allegedly found in possession of an illegal rifle. He was released on an appearance ticket. No other details released.

Allyson P. Lawrence, 28, of Batavia, is charged with bail jumping 3rd. Lawrence was arrested by State Police on Nov 26 at 12:50 a.m. in the Town of Batavia. She was released to a third party.  No further details released.

Nicholas S. Goodell, 25, of Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny. Goodell is accused of stealing in the Town of Batavia (location not released) on Nov. 22 at 2:41 p.m. and was arrested by State Police. He was released on an appearance ticket.

Devon Wright

It's been more than a year since Devon Wright entered a guilty plea to weapons charges, among other crimes, but he has finally been sentenced to prison for his crimes.

Wright was released from custody after his guilty plea in November 2021 so he could be present at the birth of his first child.

Then he disappeared and evaded capture for several months.  

He then wanted to withdraw his plea and he asked for a new attorney.

Wright got the new attorney.  And then last week, he withdrew his request to withdraw his guilty plea and was sentenced to 24 years in prison.

Judge Melissa Cianfrini sentenced him to: 

• 12 years plus five years parole on his attempted assault in the first-degree conviction;
• Seven years, the maximum, on the criminal sexual act in the third degree with 10 years on parole;
• 10 years on attempted criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree; and,
• 364 days jail term on his assault in the third-degree conviction, which by law merges with the above sentences.

Because Wright failed to appear for his prior scheduled sentencing date in 2021, Wright lost the benefits of his prior plea deal and Cianfrini ordered the prison terms be run consecutively, putting Wright in prison for a determinate sentence of 24 years with 10 years following on parole.

District Attorney Kevin Finnell recommended a sentence of 20 to 29 years (29 years being the maximum consecutive sentence available under the law).

Fred Rarick, Wright's new attorney, argued that while Wright failed to appear as ordered for sentencing previously, he did avoid getting arrested on new charges since his conviction, so he should be given the benefit of his prior plea agreement.

If the agreement had stood, the sentence cap would have been 10 years in prison.

Cianfrini said that Wright's pre-sentence investigation report did not look good for him. She also said his crimes were violent and that Wright's regard for human life was non-existent. 

For prior coverage of Wright, click here.

The elevator at the Woodward Memorial Library in Le Roy is out of service, and the school district is expecting some costly repairs.

While the library operates on its own budget, the district owns the library building and is responsible for its maintenance.

Superintendent Merritt Holly gave the Board of Education a heads up at this past week's meeting and will come back at a future meeting with details on cost.

"Obviously, we will be out of compliance with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) if we don't do it," Holly said.

District Finance Director Brian Foeller explained that because the elevator is seldom used, the oil in the hydraulic system dries out.  If the elevator were used 100 times a day, everything would stay well lubricated, but with dry oil, metal rubs against metal and then shavings begin to impede movement.

The current elevator was installed in 1995 and is inspected annually -- also a significant expense -- but it hasn't been fully serviced before.

"So it comes down to -- we have to evaluate what's the most efficient way to get this done without having more issues with it but also knowing what the full cost is," Holly said.

The Le Roy Girls Volleyball team was honored at this past week's Le Roy Central School District board meeting for the team's Section V Class C championship.

It's the ninth straight year under Coach Sue Staba that the team has made the finals.

The Knights were 22-2 on the season.

Their second loss came in the Far West Regional Championship against Portville.

 "We can't seem to get past Portville," Staba said. "But it was definitely a huge accomplishment making it."

Staba was named the Class C coach of the year for Girls Volleyball, but she gave all the credit to her team.

"The bond that they have, the friendship they have, was -- I've coached 16 years, and it's definitely one of the best, if not the best, team that I had the privilege of coaching with their maturity, their friendship, the things they did with each other off the court," Staba said. "I mean, they're all together all the time, which I think made them play so much better on the court." 

The school's outstanding Cross Country runners also received certificates of recognition, including Aiden Soggs (pictured below).

Soggs finished in the Top 10 at sectionals for the third straight year. He's won four Cross Country patches, three individual and one team patch. He finished first in five regular season meets.

Also recognized was Charlotte Blake, who couldn't attend the meeting. She finished third in sectionals. It is her fourth consecutive Top 3 finish and the first girl in school history to win four Cross Country patches, and the second runner overall to achieve that feat.  She's the second girl in school history to win a Genesee Region championship.

Photos by Howard Owens.

A raid at 126 State St., Batavia, has led to the arrest of three people on drug-related charges, with one of the suspects accused of dealing narcotics.

Kenneth J. Campbell, 34, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd and criminal possession of a weapon 3rd.

Also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th are Joanna F. Larnder, 29, of Summit Street, Batavia, and Andre W. Taylor, 35, of Main Street, Albion.

Campbell was arraigned in City Court and ordered held without bail. Larnder and Taylor were released on appearance tickets.

The raid on Nov. 22 by the Emergency Response Team was in response to a warrant obtained by the Local Drug Task Force following an investigation into the sale of narcotics in Batavia.

Assisting were Batavia PD, the Sheriff's Office, City Fire, Mercy EMS, and the District Attorney's Office.

Jamie S. Schlonski, 50, of Old Meadow Lane, Batavia, is charged with grand larceny 4th, criminal possession of stolen property 4th, and three counts of falsifying business records 1st. Schlonski is accused of stealing more than $1,000 in merchandise from Dick's Sporting Goods and pawning it at Pawn Kings, which required completing paperwork for the transaction. Schlonski was issued an appearance ticket. 

Lisa Marlene Durham, no age provided, no residence provided, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Durham was allegedly found in possession of fentanyl at 12:27 a.m. on June 9 at a location on East Main Street, Batavia. She was arrested on Nov. 20 and issued an appearance ticket.

Kervin John Jonathan, 28, of Council House Road, Tonawanda Indian Reservation, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Jonathan is accused of violating an order of protection by being at the home of a protected party at 2:14 p.m. Nov. 17. He was issued an appearance ticket.

Andrew J. Duckworth, 43, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance (degree not listed in press release) and criminal use of drug paraphernalia 2nd. Duckworth was arrested at 10:22 p.m. Nov. 9, by Deputy Mason Schultz at a location on Liberty Street, Batavia.  Details of the arrest were not released. he was released on an appearance ticket.

Robert P. Grimm, Jr., 56, of Batavia, is charged with aggravated DWI and other vehicle and traffic infractions. Grimm was stopped on Nov. 24 in the Town of Batavia by State Police. He allegedly failed a field sobriety test and State Police report his BAC was .18. He was issued an appearance ticket.

 Michelle S. Froebel, 44, of Alexander, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. Froebel was arrested by State Police following a traffic stop by Warsaw Police on Genesee Street in the Village of Warsaw. She was allegedly found in possession of cocaine. She was processed at SP Warsaw and released on an appearance ticket.

The Pembroke Dragons beat Groton on Friday afternoon 38-18 at Union Ellicott HS near Binghamton to become the 2022 state champions in eight-man football.

Behind the blocking of JJ Gabbey, Octavius Martin, Jayden Mast, Madden Perry, Ben Steinberg, Chase Guzdek and Caleb Felski, Tyson Totten rushed 29 times for 276 yards and three touchdowns.

Cayden Pfazler added a rushing TD as well and a 24-yard pass to Chase Guzdek for another score.

Octavius Martin had 8 tackles, Caleb Felski had 10, Jeremy Gabbey Jr. had 12, and Chase Guzdek led the way with 14.

Coach Brandon Ricci said, "The team would like to thank Superintendent Matthew Calderon, the Board of Education, district administration, the Pembroke Teachers Federation, who led fundraising efforts, the local fire and police who provided home escorts and, of course, the fans and families who showed unconditional support all season. The Dragons are honored to represent Section V as the number one eight-man Team in New York State!"

Submitted photos.

 

A Great Dane enjoyed the sunshine through a sunroof Saturday while stopping at Main and Jefferson in Batavia.

Photo submitted by Lynn Bezon.

The driver behind the wheel of a minivan that struck a utility pole Wednesday afternoon on Law Street, causing a significant power surge in the area, has not been located yet.

Sgt. Mitch Cowen said Thursday morning that police are pretty confident they know who the driver was, that he's not from the area and that the vehicle was not stolen.

Cowen said police are looking for him in order to question him about the accident.

Witnesses saw the man running from the accident and provided a description to police.  A K-9 was deployed shortly after the accident in an attempt to find his trail, but that effort failed to find the driver.

At least 287 homes in the area of Chestnut Street, South Jackson, and to both the north and south of those streets, lost power.  The power surge caused electric meters on the outside of dozens of homes to blow out, with some of those houses displaying visible black char marks around the meters. 

National Grid crews worked through Thanksgiving morning restoring power.  The pole and main power line to the area were in working order by 10 or 11 p.m. on Wednesday night after crews worked to restore power to each house one at a time.  The meters on all 287 homes were replaced.  For residents who were not home last night, crews returned Thursday morning to locate them and complete the work (power at the breaker box needed to be turned off before the meter was replaced).

"When high voltage lines are negatively impacted, as they were last night, it can create an unsafe condition for residences," said David Bertola, a spokesman for National Grid. "The pulling, checking and replacing of electric meters is a standard safety procedure that our crews perform under circumstances such as these."

A worker last night recommended residents check all surge protectors. He said residents would know right away if the surge protector was blown.  If they were off before power was restored, when turned back on, if blown, they will spark and smoke. If already plugged in, they may no longer work.  Some may work but should have a light to indicate they no longer provide surge protection.

Each surge protector is rated differently. Some surge protectors can handle larger bursts of energy but can never exceed their rated capacity, and the capacity is cumulative. As HowToGeek.com notes, if a surge protector is rated for 1,000 joules of energy and it gets one joule at a time over a period of time, it will need to be replaced after 1,000 incidents.  If a highly rated surge protector takes a major power surge, it may still function but it may also be near the end of its life span.

Replacing all surge protectors after a major power event is often recommended by experts.

The Batavian spoke to an electrician today who recommended checking all appliances.  Anything receiving an active electrical current at the time of Wednesday's surge could be toast, or close to it.

At least one resident in the area is without heat after the power surge damaged the circuitry of the forced air heater.

A National Grid crew member advised residents who suffered an economic loss as a result of the power surge to file a claim with National Grid.

Bertola said customers with claims can email National Grid at ClaimsDept@nationalgrid.com or by calling (315) 428-6536.

A law enforcement source said that typically, National Grid attempts to recover damages from the driver's insurance company -- and it appears this driver was insured -- when an accident damages a utility pole.

The damages, in this case, could include the pole and all of the subsequent residential repair work and any damages sustained by residents.

Photos by Howard Owens.

The Kiwanis Club of Batavia today hosted its annual Thanksgiving Day Free Skate at the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena in Batavia. 

Photos by Philip Casper.

Byron and South Byron are on scene of a house fire at 6451 Cockram Road, Byron.

The fire was at the back of the residence and reported knocked down at this time.

The call began with a report of heavy smoke in the basement.

Bergen Fire on standby in its hall.

UPDATE 8:53 a.m.: The fire is out. National Grid requested the scene. A code enforcement officer requested to the scene. The house may be uninhabitable.

Genesee County's unemployment rate hit what could be an all-time low in October at 2.1 percent.

Available records go back to 1990, and the 2.1 rate is the lowest of any month since 1990.

The Department of Labor reports 600 people in Genesee County are part of the labor force but without jobs.  The total labor force is 29,800 people in the county. That's up from 29,200 in October 2021, though in September, Genesee County's labor force was 30,300, when there were 800 people looking for work, and the unemployment rate was 2.5 percent.

New York's unemployment rate is 3.6 percent, down from 5.3 percent a year ago. The nation's rate is 3.4 percent, down from 4.3 percent a year ago.

The Buffalo area rate is 2.7 percent, and the greater Rochester area is 2.5 percent.

The ex-wife of David Bellavia, former Batavia resident and a Medal of Honor recipient, has filed a Federal lawsuit against the Orleans County Sheriff's Office alleging a violation of her civil rights for an arrest on a harassment charge in January 2021.

David Bellavia is named as a co-defendant in the suit. The suit was filed on Nov. 4.

The suit contains numerous accusations made by Batavia resident Deanna Marlene Bellavia, known professionally as Deanna King, against Bellavia as part of a contentious divorce proceeding that preceded her arrest by Corey Black, who is also named in the suit.

The suit states that King was informed there was an arrest warrant for her in Orleans County. At first, she thought it was a prank. To confirm it was real, she contacted a family member in a command position at the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, He confirmed there was indeed a warrant for her arrest.  She made arrangements for the family member, not identified by name in the suit, to be with her in Orleans County when she turned herself in.

Corey Black is identified as a former sheriff's deputy and an investigator for the Orleans County District Attorney's Office. It states Black was not a deputy at the time of King's arrest and states he confronted her with evidence that consisted of a screenshot of David Bellavia's phone log documenting a call from one of the sons of the couple regarding health insurance coverage. There was also a message on an app encouraging David Bellavia to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before visiting his children.  The suit states David Bellavia had traveled nationally during the pandemic on speaking engagements and expressed concern for the safety of the children.

The suit states that when King expressed disbelief, "Black cryptically and rather threateningly responded, 'There's more to it than that, but David didn't want to pursue it.'" 

The suit claims that Black -- whom the suit also claims is a "right-wing political activist" --  then "confirmed" that he and Bellavia were good friends.

The suit alleges that Black arrested King without probable cause and that an unnamed deputy assisted in her arrest and that Black was acting outside the law as a personal or political favor to Bellavia.

Sheriff Christopher M. Bourke said his office did not arrest King.

District Attorney Joseph V. Cardone said he knew nothing of the suit and said that investigators in his office make arrests on a daily basis.  He did not specifically confirm that Black arrested King.

Cardone's office is a co-defendant in the suit. Cardone said he could not comment on the suit. He said he has not been served and had not read the complaint. 

"I’m unclear as to what she is claiming," he said.

Black has not returned a call from The Batavian requesting comment.

The court clerk for the Town of Ridgeway said there is no court record of an arrest of King.

King told The Batavian she could not comment on the case and referred The Batavian to her attorney Nate McMurray. The Batavian left a message for McMurray to clarify the status of her arrest. He has not returned the call.

If the case is resolved, it's possible the file has been sealed, compelling the court clerk to deny it exists.

Bellavia referred a request for comment on the suit to his attorney, Joan Adams, of Williamsville. Adams has not responded to a message from The Batavian left with her assistant.

The defendants are accused in the lawsuit of denying King her rights of due process and equal protection under the law. It doesn't specify how much the defendants should pay in damages.

The suit identifies Bellavia as a "political provocateur and radio host" who ran for Congress, has publicly engaged in conspiracies and aligned himself with Donald Trump, Michael Caputo (a former consultant to Trump who briefly served in his administration), and Carl Paladino (a Buffalo developer who has run for governor and Congress).

While the suit describes loving moments and support following Bellavia's and King's marriage in 1999, it also accuses Bellavia of being aggressive and abusive. It specifies several abusive comments allegedly made by Bellavia to King and their three children.

It also claims that Bellavia frequently threatened King with violence, though it does not specify any actual violent action against King. 

David Bellavia was awarded the Medal of Honor in the White House by then-President Donald Trump in July 2019.  Bellavia is the only living member of the armed forces who fought in Iraq to receive the Medal of Honor.  The award was presented for his actions on Nov. 10, 2004, in Fallujah when Bellavia engaged multiple insurgents in an unlit house at night, killing four insurgents and wounding a fifth.

Divorce proceedings began in 2019.

In his new book, "Remember the Ramrods: An Army Brotherhood in War and Peace," Bellavia discusses the awkwardness of going through with the ceremony with his family at a time when he was already alienated from his wife.

"Their mother had insisted she come along to D.C., despite our impending divorce," he writes. "If I hadn’t agreed, the kids would not be allowed to come with me, so I had no real choice on this. The discomfort of two estranged people looking at a weekend together in Washington, D.C., under a microscope of media attention, was something the DoD tried to prepare me for, but until I was living it in the moment, I don’t think either of us understood what this would mean."

The arrest in 2021, the suit alleges, was carried out "to discredit, humiliate" King during the divorce proceedings.

The suit alleges that King did not get fair treatment in divorce proceedings because the presiding judge was Charles Zambito, who had made political contributions to Bellavia. Zambito was not on the bench at the time Bellavia was a candidate for Congress.

"Repeatedly," the suit states, "throughout the course of the divorce proceedings, Judge Zambito ignored evidence of domestic abuse and extreme harassment by Defendant Bellavia—even attempting to pressure Plaintiff to sign a non-disclosure agreement regarding the divorce proceedings—which she refused."

The divorce was finalized in December of 2021, the suit states, and that Bellavia now lives in Florida and has "limited interaction with his children" or King.

In his new book, Bellavia discusses the disconnect he felt with his family back home.

"In this world of normalcy, the people who should have been that innermost circle of my life -- my children, my family -- were almost strangers to me," Bellavia said in the prologue. "I'd been a continent or more away from the majority of my son's young life. I barely had time to experience fatherhood before I deployed overseas. I had a family of my own, but I didn't know them. Rectifying that became the defining feature of my life for many years.

"My real family was still overseas, scattered to different units and areas of operation."

On the side of preserving his marriage while in the military, he concedes that he reached a point where he couldn't accept another overseas deployment. The end result, he wrote, would be divorce. "I wanted to save my family and serve my country. I realized I couldn't do both. I had a decision to make. The hardest of my life."

In the book, Bellavia recounts the divorces of several of the men he served with in Iraq.

"For our generation of warriors, more than the World War II guys, the complexities of a broken marriage and a byzantine, contentious divorce became part of the consequence of our service long ago," he writes. "Most of the Ramrods have gone through it, emerging with deep battle scars that challenged their ability to ever trust again. To be clear, there is no clear right or wrong in these situations. It takes two to make a marriage fail. Right or wrong isn’t the point."

Bellavia and King's attorney, McMurray, have each sought to represent Genesee County in Congress, in separate races.  Both lost to now-disgraced former representative Chris Collins, who was convicted on insider trading charges and lying to the FBI in 2019. Bellavia lost to Collins in the 2012 primary, and Collins went on to beat incumbent Kathy Hochul, who is now New York's governor. McMurray lost to Collins in 2018. He lost to Chris Jacobs in 2020.

McMurray recently represented former state senator George Maziarz in a lawsuit against Batavia Downs that was eventually dropped.

For The Batavian's prior coverage of David Bellavia, click here.

Photo: File photo by Howard Owens of David Bellavia in the White House after receiving the Medal of Honor. 

Press release:

Genesee County Sheriff’s Office and the Village of LeRoy Police Department will be participating in a coordinated effort with the STOP-DWI program this week to bring awareness to the dangers of impaired driving.

Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel times of the year, and unfortunately, more people on the roadways means the potential for more vehicle crashes.  In a combined effort to bring awareness to the dangers of impaired driving, prevent injuries and save lives law enforcement officers across New York State and STOP-DWI programs will be participating in special engagement efforts. The statewide STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaign start on Wednesday, Nov. 23, and will end on Sunday, Nov. 27.

While STOP-DWI efforts across New York have led to significant reductions in the numbers of alcohol and drug-related fatalities, still too many lives are being lost because of crashes caused by drunk or impaired drivers.  Highly visible, highly publicized efforts like the STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaign aim to further reduce the incidence of drunk and impaired driving.

A great football season for the Oakfield-Alabama/Elba team came to an end on Monday when the Aggies lost to Randolph in the Far West Regional Championship for Class D, 42-26.

Noah Currier, Connor Scott, Bodie Hyde all scored touchdowns and Kyle Porter had a 26-yard fumble recovery for a TD, but it wasn't enough to overcome a big game for Randolph's Xander Hind, who gained 276 yards on 48 carries.  He scored five touchdowns.

Currier had 16 carries for 166 yards.

Brayden Smith led the defense with 17 tackles.   Hyde had 12 Tackles, and Aiden Warner had 13 tackles.

"Hats off to Randolph," said Aggies' Head Coach Tyler Winter. "They were a physical football team that played a style we struggled with tonight.  They stayed ahead of the chains, and we couldn't get anything rolling on either side of the ball.  I wish them the best of luck the rest of the way.  My heart hurts for these seniors that have given so much to this program.  But they're walking out the door with no regrets and a heck of a football resume.  I couldn't be more proud of them.  For the underclassmen, the quest for the three-peat is coming soon."

Photos by Kristin Smith.

 

The Batavia Blue Devils are the Far West Regional champions after defeating Iroquois 20-8 at Van Detta Stadium on Monday night.

Iroquois scored first with 1:27 remaining in the first quarter, but the Blue Devils went on to score three unanswered touchdowns.

Aiden Anderson scored on a 3-yard run. Ja'vin McFollins scored on a 7-yard run.  And McFollins connected with Carter McFollins on an 83-yard pass with 2:52 left in the fourth quarter.

Ja'vin McFollins was 5-6 passing for 145 yards. Anderson ran for 28 yards on 13 carries. Cole Grazioplene had three receptions for 54 yards.

Photos by Jim Burns.

Tesla, apparently, has installed 12 electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lot of Batavia Towne Center off Veterans Memorial Drive.

Neither Tesla, which makes electric cars, nor COR Development, owner of the shopping center, responded to requests for additional information.

The Tesla website lists Batavia as a future location for electric vehicle charging stations but says the stations won't open until the second quarter of 2023.

Photo by Howard Owens, taken on Thursday.