crime

From the Daily News (Friday):

• Genesee County "officials" told reporter Paul Mrozek that the investigation into the murder of Janet Kirkup will focus on Darien or Pembroke. Robert Kirkup recently confessed to the murder of his wife, Janet, during a cross-country trip in 1992, and it is believed that her body is buried somewhere near a campsite in Darien. Genesee County District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said that the cause of death "may be strangulation." The search for the body has not yet begun.
• Batavia Downs celebrated the grand opening of its new restaurant, Grandstands, on Thursday. Reporter Tom Rivers was there to get some color and chat with the officials about the Downs' continued success. In a sidebar to the story, it's reported that the Downs recently warranted a check from the state for $286,274, "money that will be used to offset some proerty taxes." It sounds as if the money goes to the communities: to the county, the city and the town. The city is supposed to get nearly $500,000, and the town should receive a little more than $175,000. I wonder how that works. Where does that money come from? Tom Rivers and Paul Mrozek write that the state gives money to "host communities with video gaming centers." Doesn't that sound strange? Hey, community, good job promoting gambling, here's some cash to do with what you please. Am I being too cynical or misunderstanding this?
• "Officials" from Genesee and Orleans counties had "the beginning of a discussion" about potentially creating a regional jail. It seems people are interested in talking about it, but little else is really decided at this point.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

Forty-two-year-old Raymond J. Radley, of Pavilion, was arrested and sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $10,000 bail late last night, sheriff's deputies said. Radley was charged with first-degree coercion, a felony charge, and second-degree harassment. Deputies were told that Radley kicked a woman in the head, then took her cell phone so that she could not call for help. The attack happened during a domestic dispute at Radley's home on Cook Road in Pavilion.

Note: The above arrest was reported in a published release from the sheriff's office.

The Batavian picked up a story from the Daily News earlier about Robert Kirkup, a 68-year-old man from Big River, California, who was extradited to Genesee County Jail following Kirkup's recent confession to the murder of his wife during a camping trip back in 1992.

We thought to poke around a bit more online to see if we could dig up some more details on Kirkup, why the 16-year-old cold case was reopened and how detectives got a confession out of a man who admitted nothing for so long.

WHEC News-10 NBC in Rochester had the story posted on its Web site.

The Michigan State Police opened an investigation into the disappearance of Janet Kirkup because at the time, the Kirkup’s were living in Jackson, Michigan. Eventually Robert Kirkup moved to Big River, California, which is located in San Bernardino County. Until this June, Janet Kirkup’s whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding her disappearance were unknown.

After Robert Kirkup relocated to Big River, California, the Kirkup’s daughter, Susan Waller persuaded the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department to interview her father into the disappearance of her mother.

While being interviewed by officers from the Sheriff’s Department, Kirkup revealed that he was responsible for Janet Kirkup’s death. Members from the New York State Police Troop A Violent Crimes Investigative Team flew out to California and interviewed him. The investigation revealed that in August of 1992 while camping in Genesee County, Mr. Kirkup killed his wife, Janet Kirkup. 

The Press-Enterprise of Riverside, California, explained that the murder of Janet Kirkup may have been solved thanks to the renewed efforts of cold-case homicide detectives in San Bernardino County's sheriff's department. Ontario, California's Inland Valley Daily Bulletin profiled the detectives and their two most recent successes earlier this week.

From the Daily News (Thursday):

• A 68-year-old California man who confessed June 17 to the murder of his wife back in 1992 was extradited to Genesee County Jail on murder charges. Robert Kirkup's wife, Janet, went missing in 1992 when the couple was traveling across country in a mobile home, and an investigation into her disappearance went "cold" in 1999. Detectives in San Bernardino County in California reopened the case on June 10 and took Robert Kirkup into custody following his confession. It is now believed that Janet Kirkup's body is buried somewhere in Genesee County.
• A story on the front page about United Memorial Medical Center potentially losing IDA funding was reported yesterday on The Batavian — including a link to full coverage of the issue by the Buffalo News.
• The New York State School for the Blind held its graduation and student awards ceremony yesterday. Amanda Benoit, David Roberts, Andrew Hershelman, Amy Mae Snyder and Catherine Truesdale got their diplomas, and dozens of others were honored with awards.
• Reporter Roger Muehlig does a good job writing up the current exhibit at GO ART! in Batavia. The show is titled Artitude and features works in pen and ink, watercolor, colored pencil and crayon by members of the Genesee County Mental Health Association's Social Club. You can see the show at the cultural center at 201 E. Main St., Batavia. The gallery is open from 9:00am to 4:00pm daily.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

Genesee County sheriff's deputies reported several arrests this week:

• Twenty-year-old Oakfield resident Jeffrey M. Johnson is in jail on $10,000 bail following a charge of first-degree rape levied by Genesee County sheriff's deputies Wednesday. Johnson has been accused of having forcible intercourse with a female acquaintance at his home in Oakfield. The investigation is ongoing.
• Michael B. Collier Jr., 16, of Albion, was charged with third-degree burglary Wednesday, sheriff's deputies said. Collier is suspected of being involved in a burglary at Monroe Tractor on Oak Orchard Road in the town of Batavia that happened in the early morning hours between Tuesday and Wednesday. He was sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail. Additional charges are pending further investigation.
• Mark C. Johnson, 46, and his son, Scott R. Johnson, 18, both of Oakfield, were charged with unlawful possession of marijuana at their home Wednesday, sheriff's deputies said.

 Note: All of the above arrests were reported in published releases from the sheriff's office.

Monday:

• 8:25am, E. Main Street, accident: motor vehicle and bike
• 10:12am, Ellicott Avenue, accident: motor vehicle and bike
• 11:09am, 119 State St. (Apt. 4), harassment
• 3:48pm, [no address given], harassment
• 3:57pm, 16 Liberty St., larceny
• 5:34pm, 439 E. Main St., criminal mischief
• 6:48pm, 131 State St., criminal mischief
• 7:15pm, 37 Union St., criminal mischief
• 7:55pm, 26 Maple St., harassment

Tuesday:

• 10:58am, E. Main St., accident
• 5:25pm, 54 Hutchins St., harassment
• 6:43pm, Oak Street, accident: motor vehicle and pedestrian

Note: We don't include noise complaints, domestic disputes and routine police business.

Batavia City Police responded to a harassment call at 119 State St. last night, where they were told that 48-year-old Lynn Ells had threatened to kill the individual who had contacted the police. When the officers arrived, Ells allegedly retreated inside up to the second floor apartment of the house, where she shouted from the window and threatened to kill the officers.

Negotiations between the officers and Ells were enough to calm the situation somewhat until the state troopers arrived and continued to negotiate. The police eventually confronted Ells, who then displayed a knife and again threatened the officers. She was disarmed, subdued and taken to the hospital for a mental health evaluation.

Ells currently faces charges of disorderly conduct, harassment, menacing a police officer, criminal possession of a weapon and resisting arrest.

There was no information in the police report about how the incident started.

Genesee County sheriff's deputies got a call late Sunday night that a fight had broken out at the Dreamland Trailer Park on Route 5 in Batavia. Once they got to the scene, they were told that following the fight, Jared E. Flaming, 21, of Corfu, had allegedly thrown someone to the ground, then drove his vehicle into a home in the park.

There was no mention in the release of how much damage was done to the home, if any.

Flaming was charged with second-degree harassment and fourth-degree criminal mischief. He was sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $750 bail.

Following the arrest of a Bergen man over the weekend for possessing several cartons of untaxed cigarettes purchased at an American Indian reservation, WBTA sent out their crack team of investigators to find out just where the legal line is drawn for buying smokes from a reservation.

It turns out, the law is not very tolerant on this issue. Genesee County Sheriff Gary Maha told Dan Fischer that if you've got any more than two cartons of untaxed cigarettes, "you put yourself at risk." I especially enjoy the phrasing, though I can't say if it's all Dan Fischer or Gary Maha. Of course, you put yourself at risk if you've got a lot of smokes. But I would have assumed the risk was to your lung health, not the risk to get booked with misdemeanor tax evasion!

Sheriff's deputies reported that the "bust" over the weekend was made when a fellow was already pulled over for a traffic stop and was found in possession of 2,200 cigarettes. If my math is correct, I believe that's 11 cartons.

Maha did stress, however, that deputies are not actively out looking to nail people for buyig cigarettes from a reservation. But if you get pulled over for something else and you happen to have 11 cartons in your passenger seat, you may just be held responsible.

Friday:

• 1:17am, 651 E. Main St., accident
• 12:07pm, 29 Liberty St., criminal mischief
• 12:23pm, 12 Central Ave., larceny
• 1:39pm, 4138 W. Main Street Road, criminal mischief
• 2:49pm, 99 Jackson St., larceny
• 6:51pm, 119 State St. (Apt: 4), harassment
• 9:41pm, 522 E. Main St., accident

Saturday:

• 3:02am, 518 E. Main St., aggravated harassment
• 3:44am, 213 Bank St., criminal mischief
• 10:27am, Ross Street, harassment
• 12:20pm, 224 S. Swan St., accident
• 6:34pm, 2 Vine St., accident
• 8:32pm, 218 State St. (Apt: 9), harassment

Sunday:

• 1:15am, Hutchins Place, rape
• 10:32am, W. Main Street, accident
• 8:41pm, 145 Vine St., larceny
• 9:40pm, Swan Street, larceny

Note: We don't include noise complaints, domestic disputes and routine police business.

The following arrests were reported over the weekend:

• Adam M. Zastrocky, 23, of Bergen, was charged with aggaravated driving while intoxicated Friday night, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Zastrocky was stopped on Lake Avenue in Bergen and ticketed with driving without a front license plate.
• Dietrich Williams, 26, of 541 E. Main St. (Apt. A18), Batavia, was charged with fourth-degree grand larceny and third-degree unauthorized use of a motor vehicle Friday evening, city police said. Police were told that Williams had failed to return a rental vehicle.
• Kathy A. Lamotte, 50, of Stafford, was charged with second-degree harassment Saturday afternoon following reports that Lamotte had allegedly yelled at and thrown a rock at a homeowner, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Lamotte then left the area and was later charged by the LeRoy Police with driving while intoxicated.
• Several charges were filed at the Tom Petty concert at Darien Lake Saturday night. Genesee County sheriff's deputies charged Alan Frankosky, 26, of Tonawanda, and Zachary M. Rodriguez, 20, of Buffalo, with trespass. Timothy W. Stillwell, 24, of Trumansburg, was charged with second-degree harassment. Nicholas A. Todaro, 18, of Cheektowaga, was charged with disorderly conduct, as was Michael J. Grammariello, 21, of Palmyra, who was also charged with false impersonation. Grammariello was subsequently sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $750 bail.
• Welford C. Dempsy, 52, of Bethany, was charged with felony first-degree criminal contempt and second-degree harassment Saturday night, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Deputies were told that Dempsy had violated an order of protection and slapped the victim in the head during an incident.
• Daniel J. Nixon, 28, of Kenmore, N.Y., was charged with driving while intoxicated early Sunday morning following a traffic stop on Oak Street in Batavia, city police said. Nixon was also ticketed with making an improper turn.

Note: All of the above arrests were reported in published releases from the departments.

Batavia Police announced a pair of arrests in the city today for drug possession:

• Leandra Ames, 35, of 44 S. Main St., was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia and unlawful possession of marijuana Wednesday, city police said. While searching Ames' residence, police located 32-year-old Leaddice J. Daniels, who was on parole. Daniels will face the same charges.
• Jeffrey Plath, 44, of 12 Hutchins Place, was charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminally using drug paraphernalia Thursday, city police said. Police went to Plath's residence on a court order to seize handguns when they found crack cocaine and paraphernalia.

Note: All of the above arrests were reported in published releases from the Batavia Police.

Thursday:

• 9:36am, 309 Ellicott St., larceny
• 10:12am, 8 Swan St., accident
• 5:50pm, West Main Street, accident

Note: We don't include noise complaints, domestic disputes and routine police business.

Wednesday:

• 1:19pm, 7 Wood St., larceny
• 1:34pm, MacArthur Drive, criminal mischief
• 5:26pm, 412 E. Main St., accident
• 5:55pm, 51 Montclair Ave., harassment
• 6:49pm, 412 E. Main St., larceny
• 10:16pm, 19 Holland Ave., harassment
• 11:10pm, 500 E. Main St., trespass

Note: We don't include noise complaints, domestic disputes and routine police business.

Monday:

• 9:26am, 73 Union St., arson
• 3:50pm, 303 E. Main St., harassment
• 5:41pm, 390 W. Main St., accident
• 6:04pm, 12 Oak St., harassment
• 6:36pm, 18 Thorpe St. (Apt: Upper), harassment
• 10:34pm, East Main Street, accident

Tuesday:

• 2:51am, 19 Holland Ave., criminal mischief
• 7:08am, Ellicott Street, accident
• 11:21am, 8315 Park Road, larceny
• 11:49am, Washington Avenue, accident
• 12:12pm, 2 Summit St., accident
• 12:33pm, 209 E. Main St., larceny
• 1:24pm, 260 State St., larceny
• 2:58pm, 355 W. Main St., accident
• 3:10pm, 1 State St., harassment
• 3:18pm, 303 E. Main St., accident
• 6:06pm, 20 Porter Ave. (Apt: Lower), larceny
• 7:16pm, 629 E. Main St., accident
• 8:02pm, 390 W. Main St., larceny

Note: We don't include noise complaints, domestic disputes and routine police business.

From the Daily News (Wednesday):

• Thomas A. Aquino, the Rochester man who recently admitted that he was the notorious Pillowcase Burglar of the 1980s, received the 15-year maximum sentence for one count of second-degree burglary. Judge Robert C. Noonan told Aquino in court that it would be "a dereliction of my duty to impose anything less than the maximum sentence." Reporter Scott DeSmit put together a great article on the sentencing.
• Really, a fantastic front page put together by the Daily News today. In addition to DeSmit's article about the Pillowcase Burglar, you can find a photograph by Mark Gutman in which a pair of cyclists wait at the corner of Main and Oak streets in the midst of last night's power outage. One of them exhales a cloud of cigarette smoke, illuminated by a pair of headlights that glow intense yet puny in the pitch black night. There's also an article about the City Council's review of City Manager Jason Molino that appeared on The Batavian yesterday, and an on-the-ball article by Tom Rivers who was out assessing the damage done to local crops as a result of Monday's hail storms.
• Democratic Congressional candidate Jack Davis stopped at the VA Medical Center in Batavia Tuesday vowing that he would support a bill in Washington that would "expand and improve health care services for female veterans." Check out the article by reporter Roger Muehlig for more about Davis's visit and female veterans. It's well done.
• Eighteen-year-old Batavian, Richard J. Peters II, could face up to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to raping a 4-year-old Wyoming girl. Peters will be sentenced at Wyoming County Court on September 11.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

Genesee County sheriff's deputies were kept busy at the Dave Matthews Band concert at Darien Lake last night. In addition to charges of trespass for three young men who allegedly got into the concert without paying for tickets, the arrests reported by deputies this morning include:

• Deena A. Pantlin, 21, of 143 Liberty St. (Apt: A2) in Batavia, was charged with disorderly conduct, though no details were given.
• Two young men from Cheektowaga, 22-year-old Christopher R. Jagielo and 20-year-old Colby M. Stanton, were charged with fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. They were accused of wearing stolen Darien Lake Performing Arts Center shirts to gain access to secured areas in the venue.
• Two men from Batavia and another from Churchville face more serious charges of seond-degree gang assault, a felony. Steven R. Colombo, 21, of 8 Ellicott St. (Apt: Lower), and Gerald Z.L.A. Watts, 27, of 10 Fisher Park, both from Batavia, along with James M. Giman, 28, of Churchville, were accused of injuring someone in a fight after the concert. All three were sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $15,000 bail. Rochester's Democrat & Chronicle reported that the injured man was taken to the hospital for treatment.

Note: All of the above arrests were reported in published releases from the Genesee County Sheriff's Office.

Friday:

• 9:22am, State St., criminal mischief
• 12:04pm, 236 Vine St., aggravated harassment
• 1:46pm, 226 W. Main St., accident
• 5:37pm, 114 W. Main St., accident

Saturday:

• 2:18am, 214 E. Main St., larceny
• 2:03pm, 35 Clinton St., burglary
• 2:24pm, Clinton St., accident
• 2:42pm, 390 W. Main St., accident (vehicle and pedestrian)
• 2:45pm, W. Main St., accident
• 6:38pm, 8351 Lewiston Road, larceny
• 7:12pm, Liberty St., harassment
• 8:44pm, 20 N. Spruce St. (Apt: A3), larceny
• 9:27pm, 20 Maple St., harassment
• 11:35pm, 116 State St. (Apt: 4), larcent

Sunday:

• 2:46am, 51 Montclair Ave., harassment
• 4:34am, 123 Washington Ave. (Apt: Upper), menacing
• 2:57pm, 437 E. Main St. (Apt: Lower), assault
• 3:46pm, 412 E. Main St., accident
• 5:47pm, 121 Liberty St., larceny
• 8:38pm, 99 Jackson St., accident

Note: We don't include noise complaints, domestic disputes and routine police business.

Police Blotter for Friday, June 13 through Sunday, June 15:

• A Clarence man was arrested and charged with burglary Friday evening. Genesee County sheriff's deputies responded to a call from a Batavia business owner who alleged that Timothy D. Curby, 24, was found inside the business and had some of its property had already been placed in the bed of his pickup truck. Corby was sent to the Genesee County Jail in lieu of $5,000 bail.
• A carnival worker from Florida was sent to Genesee County Jail in lieu of $3,000 bail early Friday morning and faces two misdemeanor charges of second-degree menacing and forcible touching, according to sheriff's deputies. A fellow carnival worker at the Stafford Carnival told deputies that Exal Hernandez Delacruz, 17, entered her bedroom, displayed what appeared to be a pistol and forced his hand under her shorts.
• Kenneth P. Snyder, 32, of East Bethany, was charged with driving while intoxicated following a traffic stop in the town of Alexander early Saturday morning, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Snyder was also ticketed with moving from the lane unsafely.
• Ashley L. Munzert, 23, of Attica, was charged with driving while intoxicated following a traffic stop in Stafford early Saturday morning, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said.
• James D. Stack, 21, of 8997 Alexander Road, Batavia, was charged with second-degree harassment early Saturday morning, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said. Stack was at the Stafford Carnival when he allegedly pushed someone inside the beer tent.
• Michael R. Paladino Jr., 32, of 30 Clay St., LeRoy, was charged with second degree promoting prison contraband early Sunday morning at the Genesee County Jail, sheriff's deputies said. Corrections personnel told deputies that Paladino had been found with crack cocaine.
• Mitchell R. Freeman, 19, of Stafford, was charged with second-degree harassment Sunday evening following a complaint at the Stafford Carnival that Freeman had allegedly struck another person, Genesee County sheriff's deputies said.

Note: All of the above arrests were reported in published releases from the Genesee County Sheriff's Office.

Batavia's city Police Department released its statistics for 2007. The department saw an increase in overall calls for service, from 15,772 in 2006 to 17,707 in 2007. Here are some of the detailed statistics (all comparisons are between 2006 and 2007 totals):

• Emergency 911 calls increased from 6,432 to 6,519.
• Major (part one) crimes fell from 696 to 509. ("Part one" crimes include: larceny, burglary, robbery, motor vehicle theft, assault, murder, rape and manslaughter.)
• The overall crime rate dropped from 4,405 to 3,222.
• Motor vehicle accidents were about the same with 493 in 2007, while traffic arrests increased from 1,582 to 2,212: DWI arrests went up from 55 to 72 and parking tickets issued increased from 1,395 to 1,595.
• While the total number of juvenile complaints increased to 280, the number of cases decreased to 175. (Exact 2006 figures were not given.)

City detectives had fewer investigations in 2007, down from 482 to 422, likely the result of changes in the "staffing levels" in the Detective Bureau, according to the release. Detective investigated cases had a clearance rate of about 50.5 percent for 2007.