As Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster and his investigation team in the Genesee County Sheriff's Office get seemingly closer to making an arrest in 2005 shooting death of Bill Fickel, that headline-grabbing, unsolved murder isn't the only mysterious death that keeps the 35-year veteran awake at night.

The other names that haunt his memory include Annie Lee, Eddie Freson and Kisha Sullivan.

“I live with every single one," Brewster said during an interview in his office last week. "My personality type is that I need to know. Good, bad or indifferent, I need to figure it out. So, when I have cases like these that you can’t figure out, they bother me."

Brewster said he constantly turns over in his head whether the right questions were asked, who said what, what the available evidence means. Is there anything that's been missed? But mostly, he wonders if he and his staff are looking at the case from the right perspective.

"A lot of times what I question is, are we looking at this thing the right way?" Brewster said.

A murder investigation begins as soon as a death is called in -- it doesn't matter if it's an apparent suicide, a drug overdose, a drowning, a hunting accident or granny finally expired in her bed. Every reported death begins with the question, "was it murder?"

Often, it's quickly obvious that there was no crime committed. But it's important that in the initial moments when law enforcement is on scene, that nothing be overlooked.

"That’s a pretty good way to operate because then hopefully you don’t miss anything," Brewster said.

Sometimes, it's obvious that there's been a homicide. The death of 66-year-old Joseph Benaquist might be a case in point.

Besides the fact that Scott F. Doll (who was convicted of the murder in May) was found with blood on his clothes wandering on a road near the victim's house, when Benaquist's body was found, it was pretty obvious the retired corrections officer had been beaten to death only hours earlier.

There was ample physical evidence at the scene (though Doll's defense attorney continues to insist, ample evidence of reasonable doubt, as well) and a suspect already in custody.

When Brewster has physical evidence, a body found at the scene of the crime and a suspect, he says making an arrest is just a matter of "getting our ducks in a row."

Even on such "smoking gun" cases, Brewster wants to make sure the charges stick.

With eight investigators at his disposal (all of whom have other duties), as well as the cooperation of the State Police and other agencies, Brewster supervises the investigation and makes sure all of the proper procedures are covered.

"Just because a guy says he killed his wife doesn’t mean you will get a conviction if you don’t do your job," Brewster said.

But what happens when the body isn't found at the scene, or there's no DNA evidence, or the body isn't found until weeks after the crime?

That's when the job gets tough.

"If you’re going to solve (the case) quickly, you usually have enough at the scene," Brewster said. "If you’re not going to solve it (at the scene), then you’re in for a long haul, a long haul. The worst calls you want to get are ‘I just found a dead body along the road.'"

In the cases of Lee, Freson, Sullivan and Fickel, Brewster has been in it for the long haul. He continues to work the cases, though not all of them every day, and continues to search for answers, and in two of the cases he may be getting close to finding the right answers.

Starting tomorrow, we'll look at each of these cases individually and tell you the latest information Chief Brewster has to share.

(Note: WBTA is running a parallel series this week based on our interview with Chief Brewster. It will air Tuesday and Wednesday.)

A truck fire is being reported on Colby Road, south of Sumner, in Darien.

Darien Fire is being dispatched.

UPDATE 2:24 p.m.: A Pavilion chief on scene reports that the tractor-trailer is pretty much gone and suggested that requested tankers from East Pembroke, Corfu and Alexander won't be needed. There is a request for a grass truck to the location. The vehicle on fire is in the middle of a field without much vegetation.

UPDATE 2:56 p.m.: Fire is out.

UPDATE: The vehicle was not a tractor-trailer. It was a tractor.

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

The child suffered a wrist injury.

Mercy EMS is being dispatched.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A car has hit a utility pole and a tree in the area of 8993 South Lake Road, Corfu.

The pole and wires are down.

At least one injury reported.

Pembroke and Indian Falls Fire and Mercy EMS are responding.

UPDATE 5:19 p.m.: Mercy Flight being dispatched.

UPDATE 5:21 p.m.: Corfu Fire being dispatched to shut down traffic at Lake and Cohocton and set up a possible landing zone on Cohocton.

UPDATE 5:34 p.m.: Victim extricated.

UPDATE 5:36 p.m.: Mercy Flight has landed.

UPDATE 5:50 p.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne.

UPDATE, Monday, 10 a.m.: The driver has been identified as Edward J. Siminski, 83, of North Lake Road, Corfu. Siminski reportedly fell asleep while driving.

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Unlike winter steelheads, pursued throughout the Great Lakes feeder tributaries, the summer "steelies" have more room to maneuver. And unlike the king salmon, which slams your lure and runs directly away from the boat, the steelhead rainbow trout has multiple tricks up its sleeve. Once feeling the barbs, it may swim toward an unsuspecting angler, creating a slack line and the impression the fish has been lost. And sometimes it is. At other times they will quickly swim toward the surface, catapulting out of the water, twisting and tailwalking as only a member of the rainbow trout family can. Their fight is quite unlike the bulldogging king salmon which typically hooks itself while making its noted long and powerful run. Where the king salmon is a bulldog, the steelhead is an aerialist, an acrobat that requires you be quick on the draw, lowering and raising the tip of your fishing rod while rapidly reeling in line.

The fish I'm holding in the photo I caught while fishing with Batavian Bob Scinta. I really enjoy Bob's fishing philosophy - leave Batavia at 9 a.m., stop for breakfast and then hit Lake Ontario's late afternoon feed. He put us on a lot of fish that day, all but one were king salmon in the 25 lb. class. The lone exception was the steelhead, and that's the one I remember best.

Strong, fast swimmers and noted for their leaping ability, there is something to be said for a fish which launches itself totally out of the water, the sunlight reflecting off its silvery flanks, allowing an angler a brief glimpse of what might have been before crashing back onto the surface and leaving behind a slack line.    

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A two-car accident has been reported at the intersection of Randall and Buckley roads, Le Roy, with injuries.

Stafford Fire is responding.

One vehicle is blocking traffic.

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

Two ambulances have been requested to the scene.

One woman reportedly has her leg trapped.

Town of Batavia Fire is also responding.

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

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

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Today was Alexander's annual parade, part of its annual carnival and tractor pull.

The Stafford Fire Color Guard, above, along with volunteer fire departments from throughout the region as well as businesses and community groups participated in the parade.

More pictures after the jump:

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

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

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

You know, if I'm driving out in Genesee County somewhere, I'm looking for barns and other interesting photographic opportunities.

The barn above is on Randall Road in Morgansville.

This flower (Anybody know what it's called?) was in the field across from the barn.

More pictures after the jump:

Another flower in need of identification.

A rusting Pontiac off Selden Road, Le Roy.

It's views like these, I think, that help you appreciate just how sublimely beautiful Genesee County really is. This was taken on Selden Road, Le Roy.

A truck has hit a utility pole in the area of 1550 Indian Falls Road, Corfu.

Power has been knocked out to several homes in the area.

It's in East Pembroke's district, but Indian Falls and Pembroke fire departments were initially dispatched.

No injuries are reported.

The pole was completely sheared off.

"The truck is pretty much demolished," a chief reports.

A portion of the pole is on top of the truck.

The road is not blocked.

UPDATE: The alleged driver, Jason Edward Schanley, 33, of Indian Falls Road, Corfu, was arrested and charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater and moving from the lane unsafely.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vanelli: "Next week I think."

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

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

Customer 4, "No."

Vanelli: "No, next week."

Customer 4: "This sucks."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vanelli: "Pretty quiet."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vanelli reportedly says he didn't talk with her.

Girlfriend: "Are you going to call her?"

Vanelli: "F--k no."

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ten minutes later, Vanelli's girlfriend called.

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

Vanelli: "What are you doing?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Girlfriend: "But you do need her."

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

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

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

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

Insets, from top, Vanelli, Cohen, Boon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Overheard on the scanner...

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

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

"Rookies, ya gotta tell 'em everything."

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

Was it yesterdays rain which brought out the first of our rose of Sharon blooms this morning - or the heat from the previous five days?

Mid to late summer bloomers, rose of Sharon provide color after many flowers have long since faded.

This young Norway spruce, laden with dew, enjoys the soft light of early morning.

This is "Meany" the red squirrel. I mentioned him a few months back - he's the little guy who harrasses all the gray squirrels. Though much smaller than its cousin, the red squirrel displays the feistiness of a weasel when dealing with the grays.

A young catbird situates itself between the trunks of an aged hickory.

A soiled beak may be an indication the catbird was feeding in the leafy debris between the tree trunks. All things considered - plants and animals - everything is no doubt refreshed after yesterdays soaker!

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

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

None of the individuals are suspected of manufacturing methamphetamine.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The investigation is continuing and there may be additional arrests.

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

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

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

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

Inset photos: top, Vanelli; bottom, Boon.