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Oakfield

Oakfield man accidentally shot by father while hunting turkeys

By Howard B. Owens

A 46-year-old Oakfield hunter was accidentally shot by his father while turkey hunting off Albion Road in Oakfield at 6:25 a.m.

Scott Hartman, of Lockport Road, is listed in critical condition at Strong Memorial Hospital, according to the Sheriff's Office, after he was taken there by Mercy Flight.

Hartman was reportedly in some heavy brush when his father, 71-year-old Howard Hartment, of Clinton Street Road, Batavia, saw movement he mistook for a turkey.

According to a Sheriff's Office report, the Hartmans entered the woods about 6 a.m. The two began calling and a turkey answered. Scott and Howard separated and continued calling. Scott went off to Howard's right. After about 10 minutes, Howard saw what he believed to be a turkey he was calling off to his left, at about 50 yards under a pine tree.  When it cleared, Howard fired.

What Howard thought was a turkey turned out to be Scott. Scott had apparently circled around without Howard being aware of his new location.

After being hit by the shotgun pellets, Scott called 9-1-1 and walked out of the wooded/swamp area on his own.

Deputy Ron Meides handled the initial investigation, but it has now been turned over to the Department of Environmental Conservation for follow up.

UPDATE 2:37 p.m.: Strong Memorial now lists Scott Hartman in guarded condition.

UPDATE 3:17 p.m.: I requested from Strong's PR department a definition of "guarded." Here's what Jill D'Agostino wrote back: "Guarded" is the condition that’s typically assigned to anyone in one of our intensive care units. Patients who are on regular patient units (non-ICU) are listed as "satisfactory."

(Initial Report)

Photo: Hauling rocks from a field

By Howard B. Owens

Workers were in the field of Root Brothers Farm in Oakfield this morning removing rocks. Here Armando Luna hauls away a bucket full.

National Day Of Prayer

By Tracy Byrnes

        PRAYER...AMERICA'S HOPE

THURSDAY, MAY 6TH

Millions of Americans will unite in prayer at thousands of events from coast to coast to observe the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 6th. The theme for this year is “Prayer for Such a Time as This” and is based on the verse from Nahum 1:7 which states: “The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.”

Event Date and Time
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Police Beat: Man accused of fighting with family member

By Howard B. Owens

David J. Balonek, Jr., 34, of 209 Ross St., Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th, harassment, 2nd and endangering the welfare of a child. Balonek is accused of getting in a fight with a family member while a child was nearby.

James Edward Brown, 29, of Oakfield, is charged with failure to obey court order, coercion, 2nd and petit larceny. Brown is accused of stealing a mobile phone as part of a domestic incident at 2 a.m., Thursday. He also allegedly violated an order of protection.

Robert R. Richmond, 46, of 250 Ross St., Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Richmond is accused of stealing money from the cafeteria at UMMC.

Mykeal Bryan Myers, 20, of Alexander, is charged with criminal trespass, criminal mischief and petit larceny. Myers is accused of stealing fuel from the U.S. Gypsum facility at 2754 Pike Road, Alexander.

Daryl Duane Scott, 29, of Rochester, is charged with criminal contempt and aggravated harassment. Scott is accused of calling and texting an ex-girlfriend, violating an order of protection.

Eric D. Johnston, 31, of Batavia, is charged with conspiracy, 6th, and petit larceny; Matthew J. Long, 20, of Le Roy, is charged with conspiracy, 6th, petit larceny and violation of probation. Johnston and Long were arrested by State Police earlier this week in connection from an unspecified incident on March 9. No further details are available.

Jillian A. Schmidt, 19, of Byron, is charged with unlawful possession of alcohol by a person under 21. Schmidt was arrested by State Police for an incident on March 12. No further details are available.

Sherry L. Lewis, 25, of Alabama, is charged with conspiracy, 6th, petit larceny and endangering the welfare of a child; Shannon L. Amidon, 30, of Akron, is charged with conspiracy, 6th, petit larceny and endangering the welfare of a child. Lewis and Amidon were arrested at 5:40 p.m., Wednesday, on Veterans Memorial Drive. No further details available.

Village of Oakfield appoints two new trustees

By Howard B. Owens

Two council vacancies -- created by very different circumstances -- were filled in the Village of Oakfield.

Jason Armbrewster and Shelley D'Alba were unanimously approved as trustees.

They take the seats left vacant by the resignation of Melissa Cianfrini and the death of Sam Beckley.

Beckley died before the most recent Village election, but he faced no opposition so was re-elected.

Cianfrini was required to resign after accepting an assistant district attorney position with Genesee County.

UPDATE:  Village Mayor Rick Pastecki called this evening and said the village has found two "talented" trustees. He said Armbrewster is an impressive young man who is an engineer by trade. "He brings a lot to the table," Pastecki said. As for D'Alba, she's a former village clerk. "Shelley knows a lot about the intricacies of running a village," he said.

Alleged Oakfield truck thief given stiff bail

By Howard B. Owens

A man with a lengthy criminal record will need to come up with $250,000 if he wants to get out of Genesee County jail while waiting for his criminal case on a stolen truck charge to proceed.

Judge Robert Noonan said grand larceny, 3rd, charge normally warrants a chance for a defendant to make bail, but given the criminal record of Carl Rivers, a pretty stiff bail or bond is in order.

Rivers can either post $250,000 cash or get a bond for $500,000, Noonan said.

The tall, lanky defendant, dressed in orange jail garb and shackles, was clearly not pleased in court today when Noonan issued the bail order. He flipped his head and shoulders back and made a kind of clucking sound.

Prior to imposing bail, Noonan read a bit of his criminal history -- five felony convictions in New York and criminal convictions in four other states, Noonan said.

Assistant District Attorney Kevin Fennel said Rivers has a history of not following release orders when he has been let out of jail.

On March 19, a pickup truck in Oakfield was reportedly stolen and Rivers is the suspect.

Police Beat: Woman accused of not supervising children

By Howard B. Owens

Julie B. Wescott, 27, of 335 Bank St., Apt. B3, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of marijuana. Wescott was arrested at 3:50 p.m., Tuesday, by Officer Matt Baldwin after an investigation revealed Wescott allegedly failed to provide adequate supervision for two children.

Keith Joseph Lyman, 36, of 217 Bank St., Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt. Lyman is accused of violating an order of protection. He was arraigned in Town of Oakfield Court and jailed on $500 bail.

Police Beat: Three Clinton Street residents arrested following child-welfare investigation

By Howard B. Owens

Cassi Ann Schutt, 23, of 111 Washington Ave., lower, Batavia, is accused of criminal possession of a controlled substance and endangering the welfare of a child. Deputies came into contact with Schutt as the result of an investigation into two young children found wondering on Route 33 at 9:05 a.m., Wednesday. Schutt is accused of keeping the children in a situation that was unfit and improperly supervised.

Lonnie Ann Fairbanks, 43, of 5263 Clinton St., Apt. 1, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana. Deputies came into contact with Fairbanks while investigating a possible endangering-the-welfare -of-a-child case at 5263 Clinton St. Road. Deputy Brian Thompson reports that he found Fairbanks allegedly in possession of Schedule IV Propoxyphene and marijuana both in the residence and in her car. Thompson reports the alleged drugs were in plain sight.

Jay Daniel Lucas Schutt, 22, of 2 Gas Lite Lane, Batavia, is charged with criminal impersonation. Schutt allegedly gave deputies a false identity and fake birth date during an investigation on Clinton Street Road into a case of two children found wandering on Route 33. Schutt allegedly gave a false identity because he is accused of deserting from the Army. Schutt was turned over to the Army for transport to Fort Drum.

Jacob James Meinhold, 19, of 2537 Dodgeson Road, Darien, is charged with burglary, 3rd. Meinhold is accused of gaining forced entry to the Oil Doctor and stealing NYS certificates of inspection.

Edward Frank Finnin, 43, of 4063 W. Main St. Road, Room 6, Batavia, is charged with exposure of a person. Finnin is accused of urinating in public at 12:55 p.m., March 20, outside the Metro Mattress store on Veterans Memorial Drive.

Tonya E. Smith, 38, 3582 Lockport Road, Oakfield, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Smith is accused of sending letters to a protected person in violation of a stay-away order.

Grand Jury Report: Three counts of burglary brought against Le Roy man

By Howard B. Owens

Bryan M. Hargrave is indicted on three counts of burglary, 3rd, criminal mischief and petit larceny.

Hargrave is accused of the following crimes:

  • On Sept. 23, breaking into Pavilion Drainage, 6630 Route 63, Pavilion, and stealing $60.
  • On Sept. 23, breaking into B.W.'s Bar, 11070 Perry Road, Pavilion, and stealing an iPod, laptop computer and money.
  • On Sept. 23, breaking into the Willow Bend Inn, 3489 W. Main Street Road, Batavia, and stealing $75 and two bottles of liquor.

For previous coverage of Hargrave, click here.

Carl Rivers is indicted on one count of grand larceny, 3rd. Rivers is accused of stealing a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado on March 19, 2009, in Oakfield.

Fire alarm with smoke in the building reported in Oakfield

By Howard B. Owens

A fire alarm with smoke in the building has been reported at 2977 Shelby Road, Oakfield.

Oakfield Fire responded first. Elba and Alabama are also being dispatched. Town of Batavia is requested to the Oakfield fire hall.

UPDATE 10:31 a.m.: The smoke is coming from a dishwasher. Firefighters are going to ventilate the room.  Batavia fire has been sent to Tonawanda Creek as a draft site. East Pembroke asked to respond to the Oakfield hall for standby.

UPDATE 11:23 a.m.: Units starting to go back in service.


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Police Beat: Alleged underage drinking party leads to charges against seven people

By Howard B. Owens

Frankie McQueen, 19; Nickol Burnett, 19; Erick Horning, 20; David Klecker, 18; Joseph Striegil, 19; Christopher King, 18; Andrew Wright, 19, are charged with possession of alcohol under 21 years of age. Batavia Police reportedly responded to a complaint of a loud party with possible underage drinking at Woodstock Gardens Apartments. Allegedly, McQueen was hosting a party where people under 21 were consuming alcohol. McQueen was also charged with criminal nuisance.

Crystal L. Goodrich, 26, of 1090 Water St., Apt 1, Perry, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation, failure to stop at stop sign, operating while registration suspended, operating without insurance and unlicensed operator. Goodrich was stopped at 1:56 a.m., Saturday, on Perry Road in Pavilion by Deputy Howard Carlson.

Jared Christopher Dawe, 22, of 6469 Swamp Road, Lot #39, Byron, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Dawe was allegedly involved in a domestic dispute at 1:54 a.m., Saturday, with his girlfriend. During the investigation by Deputy Frank Bordonaro, Dawe was allegedly found to possess marijuana.

Amy Lou Platten, 40, of 337 Main Road, Pembroke, is charged criminal contempt, 2nd. Platten is accused of contacting a person she was ordered not to contact.

Leon James Pocock, 36, of 83 S. Lake Ave., Studio 1, Bergen, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Pocock is accused of violating an order of protection by texting a person he was ordered not to contact.

Bryan P. Umlauf, 24, of Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Umlauf was issued a ticket by State Police in Le Roy at 2:10 p.m., Saturday.

Timothy J. Tryjankowski, 31, of Alabama, is charged with DWI and aggravated unlicensed operation. Tryjankowski was stopped by State Police at 5:30 a.m., Sunday. He was jailed on cash bail.

Jeremy D. Lyons, 25, of Oakfield, is charged with trespass and aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd; and, Robert J. Spenton, 24, unknown address, is charged with trespass. Lyons and Spenton were charged by State Police for an alleged incident March 31 at Park Avenue and Route 63. No further details were released.

Patrick J. Puccio, 36, of Oakfield, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Puccio was charged by State Police follow a one-vehicle accident 3:20 a.m., Saturday, on Reuben Road, Alabama.

Amy L. Brown, 37, of Batavia, is charged with grand larceny, 3rd. Brown was arrested by State Police on Thursday in connection with an alleged incident on Jan. 13. No further details are available.

Accidents from the State Police Blotter:

2:17 p.m., April 9, Thruway, mile marker 375.5, two vehicles; Driver 1: Jennifer P. Gebbie, 42, of Rochester Hills, Mi.; Judith E. Corbin, 55, of Springwater. No injuries reported.

Police Beat: Rochester man accused of carrying crack cocaine in the city

By Howard B. Owens

Joshua K. Williams, 18, of 4 Laura St., Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Williams was reportedly a passenger in a car stopped for alleged traffic violations at 12:50 a.m., Thursday, by Officers Daniel Coffey and Frank Klimjack on Clinton Street. During the stop, it was discovered that Williams allegedly had three outstanding arrest warrants. During a search, officers say they found crack cocaine and marijuana. Possession of controlled substance in the third degree carries the allegation that there was an intent to sell the substance.

Michael Lynn Bropst, 39, 3 1/2 Tracy Ave., upper, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Bropst was stopped by Deputy Brian Thompson at 12:45 p.m. on March 26 on Route 33 for alleged tailgating. Bropst was allegedly found in possession of marijuana during the traffic stop.

Thomas F. Rudolph, 18, of Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession marijuana. Rudolph was arrested at 4:36 p.m., Wednesday, by State Police in the Town of Batavia. No further details were released.

Billy J. Johnson, 32, of Oakfield, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Johnson was arrested at 8:37 p.m., Wednesday, in the Village of Oakfield by State Police. No further details available.

Photo: Barn on Macomber Road, Oakfield

By Howard B. Owens

I was in Oakfield this evening chasing what turned out to be a story that didn't pan out, but I figured so long as I was out that way and the sun was setting, I should try to find a barn to photograph at sunset. This is what I came up with. It's on Macomber Road near Galloway.

'Change for Change,' final update

By Daniel Crofts

The Genesee County high schools' "Change for Change" fundraiser has come to an end. The money raised will benefit United Way charities in Genesee County.

Nancy Harding of the Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union reported the following totals after final deposits were made on Friday:

Batavia High: $3,384.27

New York State School for the Blind: $701.73

Oakfield: $459.06

Pavilion: $32.95

Rooftop sitters want your cans and bottles to help little boy who needs new heart

By Howard B. Owens

Two-year-old Keegan Delcamp, of Batavia, has already had open-heart surgery. He still needs a transplant.

Two co-workers of Keegan's mother, Ronette Wolcot, from Attica, and Marcy Mabon, of Oakfield, are sitting atop Mabon's home to help raise awareness of Keegan's plight and encourage cash and recyclable donations.

The women started their rooftop sitting at noon today and will stay there until midnight noon tomorrow (Sunday).

They said the word got out fast today (mostly through forwarded text messages) and they've had a big turn out, including one man who dropped off -- anonymously -- $500 in cash first thing.  They've received other $500 donations, as well.

The pile of cans and bottles in Mabon's yard is about 4 feet high. Co-workers have already raised $2,000.

Mabon said there is no limit on how much they need to raise -- Keegan's needs are just too great.

To make a donations prior to noon (Sunday) drive out to 3781 Batavia-Elba Townline Road.

Jury issues not-guilty verdict in criminal sex act case

By Howard B. Owens

An Oakfield man accused of forcing sexual acts with a woman was acquitted by a jury in Genesee County Court today, according to his attorney.

Attorney Fred Rarick said he felt all along that his client, 40-year-old Maurice Doleman, was innocent because there was no evidence of physical trauma to the woman's body and she waited hours after the alleged act to call police or go to a hospital.

"I'm very pleased," Rarick said. "We had a wonderful jury who listened to all of the evidence."

He said the evidence supported statements Doleman gave to investigators at the time of his arrest, and the jury agreed, that the woman engaged in consensual sex.

The woman claimed Doleman had abused her during during a two-hour sexual encounter.

Doleman was indicted in November on two counts of criminal sex acts, 1st. The alleged incident took place in August and he was arrested in September.

Car fire in Oakfield

By Howard B. Owens

A fully involved car fire has been reported on Park Avenue near Judge Road in Oakfield.

Oakfield Fire is responding.


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'Change for Change' update, second week

By Daniel Crofts

Nick Burk and Chris Weicher (right) of Batavia High School bask in the light of their glory -- actually, their bald heads just amplify the sunlight to a ridiculous degree -- as they stand on the school's roof to raise money for the United Way. They spent hours on the rooftop on Friday.

Last week was the second week of Change for Change, the Genesee County high schools' fundraising project for the United Way.

Nancy Harding of the Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union reported a tally of $1,327.92 for Batavia High and a tally of $148.45 for Oakfield. No activity from the other schools has been reported.

Stay posted for another update in the next week.

Trial moved back for former O-A teacher accused of sex abuse

By Howard B. Owens

Today's scheduled trial of a former Oakfield-Alabama teacher who is accused of sexually abusing a student has been pushed back to May 11.

Oakfield Town Justice Thomas A. Graham confirmed that 27-year-old Kerry Hoffman had until yesterday to accept a plea offer or go to trial, and Hoffman did not accept a plea deal. His case is going to trial.

All seven charges against Hoffman, five counts of sexual abuse and one count of endangering the welfare of a child, and a count of official misconduct, are misdemeanors.

The case will be tried in Oakfield Town Court.

Previously, attorney Thomas D. Calandra has proclaimed his client's innocent.

"People will be surprised," said Calandra in January. "We will be bringing up issues that will surprise people."

Ognibene family putting down business roots in Oakfield

By Howard B. Owens

Mike Ognibene has operated a car sales business in Oakfield for about five years, but in the past several months his, and his family's, business interests have expanded to include a hair studio, a gym, real estate and a car wash.

"I really like the Village of Oakfield," Ognibene said. "The people of Oakfield have welcomed us with open arms. I can’t say enough about the people of Oakfield. They were glad we put the gym in. I think they appreciate that there is investment in their community."

Ognibene, owner of Crazy Cheap Cars, is clearly proud of his daughter Jennifer Ognibene, who with partner Samatha Hilchey, opened Hair Studio 25 on Main Street a few months ago.

Jennifer was studing physical education at GCC when she started learning hairstyling at Continental School of Beauty and found it was a profession she really enjoyed.

"It’s what I love to do," Jennifer Ognibene said. "It’s exciting to me to do people’s hair. I especially like doing color because you get to see the results after it’s done."

The hair studio is in the same building as Mike Ognibene's wife's real-estate business, Big O Realty, and Mike's new gym.

Soon the gym, which takes up space at the front of the building with a big window facing Main Street, and the hair studio will share a sauna and tanning booth.

The gym, Ognibene said, was really the product of having an appropriate space but no other business stepping forward to rent the space. He saw an opportunity for an exercise space in Oakfield and decided to buy the equipment and open a gym.

"I wanted to make it a lot of cardio because a lot of people want cardio," Ognibene said. "Then I wanted a universal gym because I didn’t want big bars and guys trying to over  lift. We don’t have a straight bar where there could be any risk of injury, because (people) can come in and leave on their own, 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week. I thought (a universal gym) would be safer.

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