Alexander

An Alexander man who was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital by Mercy Flight yesterday following a motorcycle accident was treated and released, according to a patient information clerk at Strong.

Landen P. McCormick, 21, was northbound on Sandpit Road in Alexander when he reportedly failed to negotiate a curve and struck a guard rail, according to State Police.

McCormick was ejected from the motorcycle and according to reports yesterday, suffered a possible head injury.

No tickets were issued.

A motorcycle accident has been reported at the intersection of Sandpit and Dry Bridge roads, Alexander.

The driver reportedly suffered a head injury.

Mercy Flight is being put in the air.

Alexander Fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 4:04 p.m.: Mercy Flight in the air. Four minute ETA

UPDATE 4:20 p.m.: Mercy Flight 5 in the air, transporting to Strong Memorial.

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Diane G. Geary, 44, of 4036 West Main St., Apt. #8, Batavia, is charged with two counts of petit larceny and possession of stolen property. Geary was arrested by Det. Kevin Czora following an investigation into the theft of prescription hydrocodone (pain pills) and a social services check from another individual. Geary was jailed on $1,000 bail.

David W. Wells, 21, of 6962 Townline Road, Bergen, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle, unlicensed operation, improper left turn and failure to stop. Wells was stopped at 1:44 a.m. Saturday by Deputy Jason Saile on Route 19 in Bergen.

Gene Robert Schmidt, 42, of 3150 Dodgeson Road, Alexander, was picked up on a warrant for an alleged violation of probation. Schmidt was stopped for an alleged traffic violation on Dodgeson Road by Deputy Jason Saile and it was discovered there was a warrant for his arrest. Schmidt was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Rebecca Jo Cornell, 35, of 439 Sandhill Road, Caledonia, is charged with petit larceny. Cornell allegedly left the Target store in Batavia without paying for $101 worth of merchandise.

Robert M. Hopkins, 27, of 234 North Spruce St., Batavia, and Jason W. Lebar, 24, of 8170 Batavia-Stafford Townline Road, Batavia, are charged with trespass. Hopkins and Lebar were reportedly on the grounds of the New York State Veterans Home without permission. They were jailed on $250 each.

Kimberly A. Brodsky, 18, of 4 Elm St., Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or more, operating with one headlight, operating with one headlamp and unlawful possession of marijuana. Brodsky was stopped by Officer Dan Coffey at 2:44 a.m. Sunday on Jackson Street.

Joshua R. Gebhard, 22, of 279 Palmer Road, Churchville, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Officer Dan Coffey reported finding a small quantity of marijuana during a traffic stop.

Reported accidents from the State Police blotter:

4:34 p.m., Jan. 10, Route 98, Batavia, one vehicle; Driver 1: Susan A. Haight, 20, of Albion. No injuries. No citations.

4:00 a.m., Jan. 11, Route 5, Indian Falls, one vehicle: Driver 1: C.C. Bennett, 23, of Corfu. No injuries. No citations.

1:40 p.m., Jan 15, T/A Truck Stop, Route 77, Pembroke, two vehicles; Driver 1: John R. Stellingwerf, 41, Fulton; Driver 2: Murphy Maurice, 44, of Denver, Colo. No injuries. No citations.

5:41 p.m., Jan. 15, Roanoke Road, Stafford, one vehicle; Driver 1: Kevin P. Heiman, 27, of Pavilion. No injuries. No citations.

6:34 p.m., Jan. 15, Shanks Road, Alabama, one vehicle: Driver 1: Cody L. Pahuta, 18, of Corfu. No injuries. No citations.

One of the passengers in a car involved in a fatal accident Aug. 14 in Darien Center has filed a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages against the drivers of both vehicles.

Timothy L. Enderle names as defendants Ronald J. Wendt, Jr., Rachel L. Enderle and Michael A. Enderle.

Rachel, 27, was reportedly the driver of a 1993 Toyota sedan owned by Michael. Timothy, 20, was a passenger along with Gabrielle E. Mahus, 18, and Katie M. Stanley, 18.

Stanley died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident.

According to the initial Sheriff's Office press release, Timothy was transported by ambulance to UMMC and later transferred to Strong Memorial with a hip injury.

When we reached Rochester attorney Sheldon W. Boyce, who is representing Timothy, he wasn't in his office and didn't have a copy of the case with him, but he indicated there is no specific allegation of distracted driving by Rachel or equipment failure in the Toyota.

"Any time there are two cars in an accident, there is a certain percentage of fault with both drivers," Boyce said.

Wendt, who is accused of drunken driving, is in jail on $250,000 bail awaiting trial on a 12-count indictment that with enhancements could lead to a 25-year prison term.

For previous coverage, click here.

The attorney for an Alexander man accused of driving drunk at the time of a fatal accident in Darien wants to see the mobile phone records for the occupants of the car carrying the Dansville teenager who was killed.

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman says that Defense Attorney Thomas Burns is merely on a "fishing expedition" in his request for the records.

The request and Friedman 's response are in motions filed by the two attorneys in the case of 24-year-old Ronald J. Wendt.

Wendt faces a 12-count indictment in the case, including an enhancement charge that could lead to a 25-year prison sentence.

"The requested records are relevant and highly probative on the issue of the driver's attention to road conditions and other traffic immediately to the automobile accident," Burns writes. 

Burns goes on to note that distracted driving, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, accounts for 26 percent of motor vehicle accidents.

Friedman responded, "There has never been any indication that anyone in the victims' automobile was using a cell phone at or near the time of the collision ... Instead, the defense is simply attempting to engage in a "fishing expedition" ... The people are not in possession of, nor aware of, the existence of any such cell phone records. Furthermore, we fail to see the relevance of possible cell phone communications involving passengers in said vehicle. Finally, it is the People's position that there is no authority for the Defendant's baseless effort to obtain possible cell phone records of crime victims and that such discovery would be beyond the parameters of (evidence law)."

Katie M. Stanley was killed in the Aug. 14 accident. Stanley was a passenger in a Toyota driven by a friend from Dansville and there were two other passengers. The group was returning from Darien Lake on Route 5 when it entered Darien Center, where the speed limit quickly drops from 55 mph to 40 mph. Wendt was apparently the driver of a Dodge Ram pickup that turned left into the parking lot of My Saloon just ahead of the oncoming car.

The Toyota struck the rear of the pickup truck. There has been no evidence presented so far, nor reports of, skid marks or other evasive action by the driver of the Toyota.

Wendt reportedly told a Sheriff's deputy that he had been drinking beer that day while baling hay. Deputy Tim Wescott reported that Wendt demonstrated slurred speech, had the odor of alcohol and demonstrated poor coordination following the accident. He reportedly had a BAC of .08.

Judge Robert Noonan will hear oral arguments in the motions on Jan. 19.

Burns has also filed a standard number of motions to disclose evidence, open the Grand Jury minutes, dismiss the case on various grounds and suppress specific pieces of evidence on various legal grounds.

For previous coverage, click here (all previous stories on this topic are now tagged "Ronald J. Wendt").

Two teenagers were injured yesterday when one of them apparently lost control of the car he was driving on Sandpit Road.

The 2000 Chevy Pickup flew into a barn at 10298 Sandpit, Alexander, and landed on its roof in the basement of the barn.

Joseph Edel, 16, of 11 North St., Attica, was taken by Mercy EMS to UMMC with neck pain. His passenger, Michael A., Bigouette, 15, was transported by ambulance to UMMC complaining of chest pain.

The 4:35 p.m. accident remains under investigation by Deputy Cory Mower and no tickets have been issued.

Previously: Report of vehicle into a barn on Sandpit Road, Alexander

Alexander Fire is being dispatched to a report of a vehicle crashing into a barn, with a possible roll over, on Sandpit Road.

The exact address is unknown at this time.

UPDATE 4:42 p.m.: No address yet, but the vehicle is upside down in the basement in the barn.

Notre Dame (7-1) beat Alexander 56-43 in game one of the Batavia Rotary Girls Basketball Tournament.

Liz Geandreau scored 16 points and had 11 rebounds for Notre Dame. Trish Pike had 12 points, five rebounds and three steals.

For Alexander, Anna Dominick scored 17 points and Chelsea Turcer added 11.

This was the first appearance for Alexander in the annual tournament.

More pictures after the jump:

An Alexander woman who reportedly fled after she got wind of deputies going to her residence to arrest her on a warrant, entered a guilty plea today to a probation violation.

Brittany L. Frey failed to appear at Genesee Justice on four occasions under terms of her probation, so Judge Robert Noonan issued an arrest warrant.

According to a Sheriff's Office release in November, Frey heard deputies were looking for her, so she parked her car on Attica Road and fled into the woods. She was later found at a Batavia apartment.

An Alexander Central School District teacher has been accused of conducting an inappropriate relationship with a student.

He's been charged with three misdemeanor counts, which are official misconduct, endangering the welfare of a child and forcible touching.

Sheriff's investigators say they found mobile phone data and phone records linking Mark R. Hamilton, 49, of 8011 Caswell Road, Stafford, with the alleged inappropriate relationship with the student.

Sheriff's Office Youth Officer C.M. Erion obtained data from Verizon Wireless as part of his investigation, which was assisted by Western New York Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory in Buffalo.

Hamilton, a graduate of Geneseo State College, was hired in 2000 by the Alexander Central School District as an elementary school teacher. While the Sheriff's Office press release lists him as a high school teacher, the district's Web site indicates he was most recently a science teacher in the middle school. He coached Batavia girls basketball from at least 2000 until 2008. WBTA reports he's been on adminisrative leave for a month.

Emergency crews from Alexander are responding to 2864 Pike Road for the report of an accident in which a garbage truck struck a utility pole, causing wires to fall. The wires are across the roadway and believed to be live. But the pole has fallen into a swamp and may require special equipment to remove it.

UPDATE (1:05 p.m.): The nearest cross street to the accident site is Wortendyke Road. Three or four poles have been affected, including one reported at 3220 Pike Road. The area is about a mile in length, "quite a stretch," "quite a Slinky." Alexander Fire is requested to provide traffic control. A wire is also reported to be laying across Beaver Road near Pike. Beaver Road will be shut down in order to handle the situation. National Grid has been advised.

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Ronald J. Wendt, accused of driving drunk in Darien and getting into an accident that claimed the life of a Dansville girl, is back in jail.

Wendt had been released on $50,000 bail pending his trial, but on the condition he not drive (his license was revoked).

On Nov. 18, Wendt was stopped by a State Trooper in the Town of Batavia while riding a reportedly unregistered and uninsured dirt motor bike.

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said Wendt readily admitted to the Trooper who he was and volunteered information about his case.  The Trooper arrested him and brought him before a Town of Batavia justice, who set his bail at $500, which Wendt immediately paid.

Friedman brought the arrest to the attention of Judge Robert Noonan, who ordered Wendt to appear in County Court.  Noonan adjusted Wendt's bail to $250,000.

Alcohol was not a factor in the latest arrest, Friedman said. 

He couldn't confirm whether Wendt was trying to get to work at the time of his arrest.

Wendt has not yet raised that bail amount.

Previously:

• Drunken driving suspected in Darien accident that kills Dansville girl
• More serious manslaughter charge levied against Alexander man accused of drunken driving
• Alexander man accused of manslaughter pleads not guilty to 11 felony counts

Alexander Fire was dispatched to Molasses Hill Road to check the report of an unknown type of fire on the railroad tracks.

It turns out to be a gas-powered deicer for the tracks.

While a lot people shop at the big-box stores for brand names, others choose to support local businesses because they offer unique items and provide good customer service.

Alexander's Molasses Hill Bulk Foods, located at the four corners on Main Street in Alexander, is a successful hometown business that has developed a loyal, local clientele.

Opened by sisters Lucinda and Meghann Morse in December of 2005, Molasses Hill has prospered in a small town.

"Alexander is our hometown. We wanted to be close to home." said co-owner Lucinda Morse.

Though the store is small, it is packed to the brim with quality products. The front of the store carries their baking items and the back of the store is where they serve their well-known subs, salads and soups.

The store carries a wide variety of cooking items, too.

"We have all the baking supplies, candies, spices, dried beans, jellies, soup mixes, and this time of the year we carry the seasoning for jerky." Morse said.

"I like that it's close and convenient," said Connie Bruggman, a longtime resident of Alexander.  "I go there for the bakery items. They have lots of special chocolate chips for cookies; the raspberry ones are really good."

Molasses Hill Bulk Foods is worth a trip.

"They're comparable for their quality, you get what you pay for. They buy bulk and break it down to offer their products for a cheaper price." Bruggman said. "I just think it's a nice addition to the town. It brings people into the village and gives the school kids somewhere to go."

Michael P. Murphy, 24, of 38 Columbia Ave., Batavia, is charged with assault in the third degree and harassment. Murphy is accused of entering his brother's residence and pulling him out of bed and punching him in the back of the head. He allegedly pulled his arm in such a way as to injure his brother. Murphy's brother was treated at UMMC and released. Murphy was held on $2,500 bail.

David R. Gross, 19, of 7421 Seldon Road, Le Roy and two teen-agers also from Le Roy have been charged with petit larceny and possession of alcohol under 21. The trio allegedly stole alcohol from Tops.

Susan M. Shell, 28, of 2226 12th Place, Washington, D.C., is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and improper tail light. Shell was reportedly stopped on East Main Street by Officer Dan Coffey on Saturday at 12:53 a.m. for the alleged broken tail-light.

John W. Szabo, 54, of 9233 Main St., Lot 50, Clarence, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle and failure to notify DMV of a change of address. Deputy James Diehl responded to a "check the welfare" for a car parked on Route 77 in Alabama. Diehl reportedly found Szabo in his car allegedly intoxicated and with an open container.

John D. Baudhuin, 28, of 92 Marks Place, Apt. 3E, Staten Island, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and failure to keep right. Baudhuin was stopped by Deputy Patrick Reeves on Route 33 in Pembroke for an alleged traffic violation and found to allegedly be driving drunk.

Joseph Isadore Brenon, 58, of 349 Wright Road, Alabama, is charged with menacing in the third degree. Brenon allegedly verbally threatened a person.

Jacquelyn M. Siverling, 28, of 3747 S. Main St. Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08, a speed-zone violation and failure to keep right. Siverling was reportedly spotted driving 51 mph on West Main Street by Officer Darryle Streeter on Wednesday. Her vehicle was pulled over in the parking lot of Billy Goats.

Brian A. Merritt, 35, of Alexander, has been arrested by State Police and charged with unlawful imprisonment and criminal contempt. The alleged incident was reported at 12:10 a.m. Sunday. No further details were released.

An Alexander woman reportedly heard Sheriff's Deputies were looking for her at a house on Griswold Road, so rather than return that residence Sunday evening, she parked her car on Attica Road and ran off into the woods.

After her car was spotted on Attica Road, Sheriff's deputies searched the wooded area, but that's not where they found Brittany L. Frey.

The 19-year-old woman was allegedly hiding in an apartment in Northside Meadows in Batavia.

Frey, whose residence is listed as 9568 Alexander Road, Alexander, was wanted on a bench warrant for an alleged violation of probation.

After learning that Frey was at Northside Meadows, deputies responded to that location and reportedly saw Frey inside the apartment, but Frey allegedly refused to come to the door. Eventually, she did come out and was arrested.

Frey was jailed Sunday night without bail.

Morima Custodo, 27, of 65 Mead St., Rochester, is charged with harassment. Custodo was arrested yesterday following an alleged fight between employees at Allen Canning in Bergen. She is accused of grabbing the other employee's hair and pushing her head to the ground.

Matthew Thomas Holmes, 30, 14 W. Main St., Batavia, was arrested on a bench warrant for allegedly failing to pay fines and restitution. Holmes was arrested following his release from Monroe County Jail.

Joseph Lee Shanley, 37, of 7199 Dublin Road, Bergen, is charged with harassment. Shanley is accused of threatening a person while using his mobile phone.

A 12-year-old boy from Bethany has been arrested by State Police and charged with sexual contact with an individual under 11 years old. No further details were released.

A zoning regulation in the Village of Alexander that requires all new commercial buildings to line up along the sidewalk is facing a first-time challenge from an existing business that wants to change locations.

The owners of Country in the Village, a cafe on Route 98, want to build a new drive-thru business on Buffalo Road, but the business would have be set back from the street by 63 feet.

That violates the village plan to have all businesses line up in a block.

Tonight, the Genesee County Planning Board denied Gary and Bea Dominick's request for a special-use permit.

Planning Director Jim Duval said it will be up to the village to decide if it wants to waver from its commercial development plan, not the county planning board.

In other planning news:

The board denied a request for a variance at 3589 Pike Road in the Town of Batavia for a building to stable animals. Duval said the 25-foot set back put the building too close to the roadway.

A temporary-use permit was granted to the Town of Bethany to allow a retail store in its old Town Hall. The town is planning a country store, with a craft shop, grocery items, historical exhibit and learning center. The facility will also offer classes in fly tying and cake decorating, as well as craft classes for children. Multiple vendors will be offered space in the store.

In the Town of Darien, the developer of East Bonnie Brae is ready to build the second half of its housing project, filling out the east side of the development. The original plan called for the street that now serves the west side to loop around. But a landowner who would need to sell his land to make a portion of the street continuation possible, no longer wishes to sell. The proposed development addition would have a cul-de-sac. The problem with the proposal, according to Duval, is that 11 parcels do not have the required 100-foot set back. The developer, Duval said, disagrees with how the planning department is calculating the set back. The Town of Darien also advised the applicant that a required recreational area was not included. The board disapproved the preliminary plan for the development.

Indicted on a rarely used aggravated vehicular manslaughter charge and facing up to 25 years in prison, 24-year-old Ron Wendt, Jr. appeared in County Court today to formally plead not guilty to all 11 felony accounts against him.

Wendt, a resident of Alexander, is out of jail on $50,000 bail and appeared before Judge Robert Noonan in navy blue slacks, a blue shirt and blue tie. His family was with him.

Also in court was the family of Katie Stanley, an 18-year-old girl who was a back-seat passenger in  a 1993 Toyota Camry on Aug. 14, when Wendt reportedly made a left-hand turn from Route 20 into the parking lot of My Saloon just as the Camry entered Darien Center.

The Camry struck the rear of Wendt's 2001 Dodge Ram truck.

Stanley died as result of the injuries she sustained in the accident.

Wendt was allegedly found later to have a BAC of .08.

His attorney, Thomas A. Burns, now has 45 days to file motions and prepare his case.

Previously:

• Drunken driving suspected in Darien accident that kills Dansville girl
• Driver accused of manslaughter in accident will have case go to grand jury
• More serious manslaughter charge levied against Alexander man accused of drunken driving

A driver involved in an accident on Walker Road last night apparently fled the scene and is still at large this morning.

A helicopter from the Erie County Sheriff's Department was brought in to help locate the suspect and law enforcement officers searched the area on the ground, but the suspect was not found by 2 a.m. and the search was called off.

Investigators are following up this morning, trying to contact the possible driver.

The plates on the car came back to a man from Hamilton, Ohio. A small amount of blood was found on the air bags.

The car came off the road at a curve and hit an embankment. Sheriff Gary Maha said the cause of the accident was likely unsafe speed.

Initial Report.