Genesee County volunteer firefighters were called to the scene early this morning of a tanker truck fire that claimed the life of the truck's driver in Barre, Orleans County.

The tanker was carrying ethanol and the fire reportedly spread quickly into the wooded area around the accident.

To fight an ethanol fire, fire fighters must use foam, so Genesee County units that have foam cabability were called to the scene.

Units responded from Town of Batavia, Elba, Byron and Oakfield, along with Genesee County Emergency Services Unit and the county's hazmat team.

The fire is now out and clean up work along is in progress.  

One Elba tanker along with the hazmat team and ESU remains on scene at this time. Emergency Coordinator Tim Yaeger said the remaining Genesee County personnel wlll be on scene yet for quite some time.

At least two cars and a shed were broken into overnight on Drake Street, Oakfield.

The steering column of one vehicle was damaged.

The caller reports that it appears somebody tried to hot-wire the car.

The would-be thief reportedly left behind a mobile phone, which the victim has turned over to law enforcement.

UPDATE 7:46 a.m.: There are reportedly several other vehicles on Drake that were broken into overnight.

Byron resident Amber D. Thorman, 23, died early this morning at Strong Memorial Hospital, according to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office.

Thorman was injured in a rollover accident at 4:05 p.m., Monday, on Freeman Road in Byron.

With great clouds in the sky, I couldn't resist going out for a drive this evening to see what sort of pictures I could make. I probably didn't capture as many "sky" pictures as I imagined, and the sunset wasn't what I had hoped, but it was a pleasant trip, nonetheless. The highlight was probably encountering Genesee Street in Alexander for the first time.

Above, a Masse-Ferguson tractor on Lehigh Avenue.

Horses on Creek Road.

A painted horse among yellow flowers on Creek Road.

Inside of an old culvert under abandoned railroad tracks (the Pennsylvania Line's) along Genesee Street, Alexander.

A tree branch and a dappled sky on Genesee Street.

White flowers and the evening sky along Genesee Street.

BTW: Regarding our previous conversation about Tonawanda Creek. The creek runs along a portion of Genesee Street and the creek is public property there as well.

Above, Deputy Brian Thompson, K-9 "Pharoah" and Brian's son, Ethan, at the Target Store in Batavia.

This afternoon, Thompson and Pharoah, assisted by Ethan, put on some working dog demonstrations for store patrons. Typically, Pharoah would search for drugs, but a couple of times, Thompson let Pharoah pursue Ethan down the aisle (see photos below).  

Ethan, who graduated from high school Saturday, is in his last week working for Target, and his last week working for The Batavian, so store management let Ethan spend part of his workday today helping his dad with the demonstrations. Ethan is heading off for a one-year Christian education program in the Adirondacks.

A 23-year-old Byron resident is in guarded condition at Strong Memorial Hospital after being involved in a rollover accident on Freeman Road at 4:05 p.m.

Speed is believed to be a factor in the accident, the Sheriff's Office reports.

Injured was Amber D. Thorman, who had to be extricated from the vehicle. She was airlifted to Strong by Mercy Flight.

Her 1999 Chevy Tahoe was eastbound on Freeman when the SUV went off the north shoulder and struck a tree. The Tahoe then struck the guide wire of a utility pole, causing the vehicle to over turn three times before coming to rest on its roof.

Thorman was wearing a seat belt. 

Byron and South Byron fire departments responded to the scene and handled the extrication. Mercy EMS also assisted at the scene. 

The accident investigation is being handled by Deputy Joseph Graff, Sgt. Greg Walker and Investigator Kristopher Kautz.

(initial report)

For the first time since Batavia Police started conducting regular compliance checks of local liquor stores, to see if stores would make alcohol sales to minors, the stores in the city were in 100-percent compliance with the law, according to Det. Richard Schauf.

He said that even though store owners were given a warning through media reports, in the past, when warnings were also given, compliance was less than 100 percent.

The compliance check is funded by a GCASA grant and involves potential underage alcohol buyers entering liquor stores and attempting to make a purchase.

Liquor store staff is required to do an ID check on buyers and in the past, such checks did not happen with each and every attempted purchase.

"These results verify that compliance checks have raised the awareness of the community and its commitment to keeping our community safe," Schauf said.

A motor-vehicle accident was reported at 44 Maple St. in Elba about 45 minutes ago. The victim suffered a head injury.

Elba Fire Department and Mercy EMS responded.

Mercy Flight was sent in and is now airborne.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m., Suzanne Corona, who has been involved in previous criminal cases that made news, walked into the Target store on Veterans Memorial Drive.

Dressed in a gray jacket and blue jeans, she carried a bag over to customer service and pulled out two clothing items for exchange. After showing a receipt for the purchase, she received a handful of cash and put it in her purse.

Corona then walked past a local reporter, a Sheriff's Deputy and his K-9 and the store's asset protection manager, seemingly avoiding eye contact as she proceeded to the jewelry counter.

The asset protection manager, alerted her security staff. She said, "We have her on camera."

The reporter left the store, thinking, "what could possibly happen with a deputy, a K-9, and an asset protection manager right here?"

About five minutes later, Corona reportedly left the store and began to run into the parking lot, calling out, according to witness Brandon Maldonado, "Bruce, Bruce, I'm over here."

Two other people reported seeing Corona duck in between cars and Deputy Brian Thompson with K-9 "Pharoah" exited the store in pursuit of Corona. Thompson later said he glanced over at Maldonado, whose direction of gaze told him where Corona appeared to be hiding.

Thompson said that when he apprehended Corona, he found the allegedly stolen merchandise, perfume, on her.

Corona was returned to the store where she was arrested on a petit larceny charge.

A short time later, Thompson was called back outside to check on a car with Florida license plates. Inside the car, additional merchandise was found that might have come from other local stores and Thompson said there will be an investigation into whether those items were also stolen.

The car reportedly belongs to Corona's brother.

The man who was with the car was released. It's not believed that he was involved in, or had any knowledge of, any alleged thefts.

Corona was then transported to Genesee County Jail for processing.

In June 2009, Corona was arrested in Farrall Park and accused of public lewdness and adultery. The adultery charge made the case somewhat of an international sensation for a short time. Later, Corona was accused of trashing the buffet at South Beach and of shoplifting from a local floral shop.

The adultery charge was dropped as part of a plea arrangement and in November 2010 she was placed on one-year probation. In March, in relation to the shoplifting case, she was referred to the Mental Health Court. 

(initial report)

For previous coverage of Corona, click here.

UPDATE 10:07 p.m.: The Sheriff's Office has issued its press release on Suzanne Marie Corona's arrest. Corona allegedly tried to exit the store and when she did, the anti-theft alarm sounded. She then allegedly attempted to flee. She allegedly attempted to steal two pair of sunglasses, a hair band and a necklace, not perfume as we originally reported.

Photo of Corona outside target this afternoon submitted by a reader. Copyright 2011 by the reader. All rights reserved.

Batavia resident Suzanne Corona, 43, is in the security office at Target, being held on suspicion of shoplifting.

Within the past half hour or so, Corona is alleged to have ran from the store, allegedly carrying merchandise some perfume, and yelling "Bruce, Bruce, I'm over here!" before ducking down and supposedly trying to hide among the parked vehicles, according to witness Brandon Maldonado.

After causing a commotion and exiting the store, she was apprehended by Sheriff's Deputy Brian Thompson, who was in the store at the time doing a K-9 demonstration with "Pharoah."

Dispatch was notified that "Ms. Corona" was being detained and an officer sent to take a statement.

Corona's past brushes with local law enforcement include allegations of shopping from a local florist, trashing a lunch buffet and engaging in a sexual encounter at a public park.

(The name of the perfume has not been disclosed.)

UPDATE 10:09 p.m.: It was not perfume as we were originally told, but Corona allegedly attempted to steal two pair of sunglasses, a hair band and a necklace.

A pickup has rolled over and crashed into a tree at 6478 Freeman Road in South Byron. It landed on its roof.

Byron and South Byron fire departments are responding along with Mercy EMS.

Bergen fire's rescue equipment is called to the scene.

The location is between Ivison Road and Route 237.

UPDATE 4:22 p.m.: The availability of Mercy Flight is requested.

UPDATE 4:24 p.m.: A landing zone is set up and Mercy Flight out of Batavia is called to the scene. The driver has been extricated. Bergen is told to stand down.

UPDATE 4:36 p.m.: Mercy Flight landed several minutes ago. National Grid is called because a pole with a transformer was hit during the accident, tilting it at a 45-degree angle.

UPDATE 4:56 p.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne with the victim and headed to Strong Memorial Hospital. National Grid is expected at the crash site shortly.

Daniel William Tuerk, 25, of Genesee Street, Corfu, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Tuerk was arrested after reportedly trying to proceed through an accident scene on East Main Street, Corfu, at 12:58 a.m., Saturday.

Earl Bryan Benson, 22, of Chestnut Street, Batavia, is charged with felony DWI and refusal to submit to breath test. Benson was reportedly found asleep in a vehicle at 2 a.m., Sunday, parked at 64 S. Main St., Elba. Sgt. Brian Friday made the arrest after an investigation revealed that Benson allegedly drove drunk to that location. Benson was jailed on $1,000 bail.

name redacted, 18, of 36 Dellinger Ave., Batavia and Jordon E. Terkel, 21, of 76 E. Main St., Corfu, are charged with unlawful dealing with a child, 1st, and endangering the welfare of a child. xxx and Terkel are accused of supplying alcohol to two 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old on May 28.

Jason Warren Spencer, 25 of Church Street, Le Roy, is charged with criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation and harassment, 2nd. Spencer is accused of being involved in an unspecified incident alleged to have occurred early Saturday morning.

Eugeno Nunez-Gomez, 22, of Hundredmark Road, Elba, is charged with DWI, drving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to keep right, unregistered motor vehicle, improper/switched plates. Nunez-Gomez was stopped at 1:12 a.m., Sunday, in the area of 5800 Transit Road, Elba, by Deputy Frank Bordonaro.

James Daniel Kavanagh, 21, of North Avenue, Le Roy, is charged with assault, 3rd. Kavanagh is accused of being involved in a fight at an address on Main Road, Stafford, in which he injured another person.  

Jason Paul Schaefer, 19, of Martin Road, Clarence Center, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Schaefer is accused at being at the Phish concert June 8 while another person he is barred from being near was also at the concert. Schaefer then allegedly got into a verbal altercation, allegedly violating the order of protection.

Matthew F. Vanbuskirk, 22, of 108 Myrtle St., Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and having non-transparent side windows. Vanbuskirk was stopped Saturday by a Le Roy Police patrol.

Lena Marie Evans, 23, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Evans was allegedly found in possession of narcotics during a check the welfare complaint at 8:32 p.m., Friday.

Ryan Christopher Riggi, 16, of Transit Road, Elba, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st. Riggi allegedly violated an order of protection after reportedly pushing a caseworker on a home visit. Riggi was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Kevin James Huston, 27, of Brooklyn Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Huston is accused of claiming rewards and discounts from Kmart he was not entitled to obtain.

Evan Charles Burstein, 24, of Sunset Hills Road, Reston, Va., is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Burstein was reportedly found by Darien Lake security wandering around the theme park in an intoxicated condition. Upon investigation by Deputy Chad Minuto, he was allegedly found in possession of Clonazepam tablets outside their original container and a quantity of marijuana. Burstein was jailed on $250 bail.

John Mitchell Irish, 29, of Dartmouth Street, Rochester, is charged with felony DWI. Irish was allegedly involved in a car vs. pedestrian accident on Sumner Road, Darien, at 12:26 a.m., June 9. Irish was jailed on $1,500 bail.

Jessica R. Johns, 28, of 120 Jackson St., Batavia, is charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle, 3rd. Johns is accused of taking the car of an acquaintance without permission on June 9. Johns was located on June 10 and the car was returned reportedly undamaged.

Jason Schafer, 23, of Geneseo, is accused of evading cigarette taxes. Schafer was allegedly found in possession of 2,000 untaxed cigarettes.

A car traveled off the eastbound Thruway and into the woods. Severity of injuries is unknown. The location is mile marker 394.8.

East Pembroke Fire Department and Mercy EMS are dispatched. State Police are on scene.

UPDATE 2:08 p.m.: A head injury is reported.

A man with a partially amputated finger is in and out of consciousness in East Pembroke, following an accident while he was doing roof work.

He was found in a silver pickup truck at 1705 Main Road, between Cleveland and Boyce roads.

East Pembroke Fire Department and Mercy medics are called after law enforcement contacted dispatch.

UPDATE 10:49 a.m.: The family cat perished in the fire.

UPDATED 9:27 a.m. Updated at 2:32 p.m. with addtional information included.

One person suffered burns in an early morning house fire at 3 Orchard Drive, Le Roy, the that Le Roy police classify as suspicious.

No suspect has been named in the fire.

Two other people managed to escape the blaze, one by climbing out of a second floor window and the other being helped from a second floor deck by a Le Roy Police officer, who protected her from the flames as he helped her down an outside stairway.

The call came in at 3:26 a.m. after the family dog woke one of the residents and alerted her to the fire. She called 9-1-1.

The woman was then helped from the deck by Officer Rob Tygart. Her husband, Richard Nelson, climbed from a back window when his exit path was blocked by flames.

Paul Atkinson, 42, reportedly suffered 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree burns. He was taken by Le Roy Ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital.

Nelson suffered an ankle injury, but initially declined treatment. Hours after the fire, he requested treatment for the injury as well as a complain of pain in his side.

The fourth occupant of the home, the owner, Thomas Atkinson, was out  delivering newspapers at the time the fire was called in.

Le Roy Chief of Police Chris Hayward said the investigation has not yet determined if smoke detectors sounded after the blaze started.

"The daughter was the one who called the fire in and the way it was going it probably would have been a total loss if she hadn’t heard the dog," Hayward said. "God only knows what the outcome would have been."

There are aspects of the fire scene, Hayward indicated, that lead investigators to suspect the fire could have been intentionally set.

Investigators are trying to determine who might have set the fire.

An aggressive response by the first Le Roy firefighters on scene, Bill Wood and Tom Carroll, was critical to containing the fire to two back rooms, said Le Roy Fire Chief Mike Sheflin, who also gave credit to the department's aerial crew.

"You can see where they cut the vent," Sheflin said. "It's in the perfect spot to keep the fire from extending."

Sheflin said the department quickly overcame a problem with water pressure in the neighborhood by calling in tankers from Stafford, Bergen, Pavilion and Caledonia.

The chief wouldn't speculate on the cause of the drop in water pressure and referred questions to the Monroe County Water Authority. There is water line construction currently taking place on East Avenue.

Also assisting at the scene were Genesee County Emergency Services and the Genesee County Sheriff's Office. A Mercy EMS ambulance responded on standby in Le Roy while the local ambulance was tied up on the call.

No firefighters were injured.

After visiting with Kyle on the public banks of the Tonawanda, I pointed my bike down Walnut Street and then headed down Law Street. When I got to the point where I'd again cross the Tonawanda, I spotted the daisies above and stopped for a picture.

The Tonawanda made a nice background for this single stem of grass.

A small yellow flower growing on the bank of the Tonawanda (can anybody identify it?)

Back on Jackson Street: Every year, I stop at least once to admire this rose bush. I can't identify the variety, but I'm pretty sure it is some sort of old world/heirloom rose.  

Earlier today, reader Kyle Couchman posted a comment about seeing a man chase a group of boys who were fishing from the banks of the Tonawanda Creek, near the Walnut Street footbridge.

The man, according to Couchman, claimed he owned the bit of creek bank the boys were on.

But according to the County's GIS parcel map, just about every inch of the Tonawanda Creek is public property.

Its path through the city is owned by Batavia and includes a few feet of creek bank (and in some places, such as near the footbridge, it includes slightly more).

Of course, that doesn't mean you can trespass on private property to get to the banks, but if you are on the banks, you're on public property.

This evening, for my bike ride, I thought I'd go to the spot Kyle described and guess who I found fishing there? That's Kyle above, rod in hand, and bragging that he'd already snagged a couple of nice fish. But nobody had tried chasing him off, either.

A one-vehicle rollover accident is reported at 8364 Oatka Trail. The victim is still trapped inside.

Le Roy Fire and Ambulance are dispatched.

UPDATE 7:50 p.m. (by Howard). The vehicle "has uprighted itself" and left the scene. A first responder said, "I just passed it. It's all over the road." The vehicle was last seen on Circular Hill Road headed toward Route 5. The vehicle is a black and white Chevy S10 with three occupants. Le Roy unit responding to the scene of the original accident to deal with a small fuel spill. The other truck responding is back in service.

UPDATE 7:59 p.m. (by Howard): Le Roy fire back in service.