batavia

The most satisfying part of his job, Det. Pat Corona said, was solving crimes for victims. The worst part -- "call ins." Getting called in to work on a case at two or three in the morning.

"When the phone rings, whatever time of the morning, whatever day of the week, it's because something bad happened," Corona said. "That's the most stressful part of the job."

Corona has basically been on 7/24 call since 1988.

That ends today. After 33 years in local law enforcement, Corona has turned in his badge and announced his retirement, primarily so he could take a job with the U.S. Marshal's Office providing court security in Rochester and Buffalo.

"I love this work," Corona said. "I still do. I love this community. The people have been so good to me. It's been a pleasure to serve them."

But it's time to move on, in part, Corona admitted, because it's clear he'll never be chief of the department, a job he said he did seek.

"They made a different decision and that's fine," Corona said. "That's not coming and this is a great opportunity."

Corona's roots go deep in Batavia, back to his grandparents. He was born here and went to high school in Alexander.

That's where he made his career decision.

"In high school, people tell you, 'you should decide what to do with your life' and law enforcement appeared interesting to me."

His parents both worked in corrections, which may have helped guide his decision.

After graduating, he enrolled in the Criminal Justice program at Genesee Community College and when those studies were successfully completed, he worked security at the college.

"That was a fun job," Corona said.

In 1983, the Sheriff's Office hired him to work in the jail (a job that would play a role six years later in helping him solve one of the most notorious cases he handled in his career). Two years later, he graduated from the Erie County Police Academy and was placed on road patrol as a deputy.

Corona said he's thankful for the great start to his career that the Sheriff's Office provide him, but in 1985, when he was offered a job with Batavia PD, he felt that police department -- at that time -- had a better retirement package. So he made the switch.

Three years later, he and Charles Dudek were both accepted into the detectives bureau at the same time.

"I've loved working with Chuck Dudek," Corona said. "He's been a great partner. He's a brilliant detective. I've learned a lot from him."

Corona had only been in the bureau for a year when he happened into one of the most dramatic murder cases that has ever been handled by Batavia PD.

Officer Ned Murray responded to a report of a man threatening to kill a baby.

Murray came upon Joe Schlum with a pillow over the baby's face and a knife pointed at the baby's heart. Murray tried to convince Schlum to lift up the pillow and drop the knife, but he wouldn't move. As the seconds ticked and the situation became more dire, Murray warned Schlum that he would shoot him if he had to. Just before Murray was about ready to pull the trigger, Schlum lifted the pillow. The baby was saved and Schlum was arrested.

Young Det. Corona was called in to interview Schlum.

Schlum had been a trustee in the jail during Corona's two years working as a guard.

"What benefited me on that case was my time working in the jail," Corona said. "I became very acquainted with Joe Schlum. We were on a first-name basis. I think perhaps, he trusted me."

During the interview, Schlum made a confession that at first seemed impossible to believe.

"I was asking him about the child abuse and he said, 'I've done something really bad,'" Corona said. "I was thinking to myself, 'Joe, what you've done is pretty bad,' but I said, 'What is it?' He said, 'well, I killed somebody.' "

There was no immediate unsolved murder case that came to his mind, so Corona was skeptical.

"OK, Joe, who'd you kill?"

"Pam Smith."

That's an obvious name to invent, Corona thought.

Schlum said he strangled her.

Corona called the dispatch desk and Sgt. Ed Doody answered the phone. Corona asked if there was a missing person report on a Pam Smith. Doody did a few minutes research. No missing person report. But there was a warrant more than two years old for a Pam Smith. She hadn't shown up for court on some Batavia Municipal Code violation.

Corona told Doody what Schlum had said and Doody kind of chuckled. He didn't believe Schlum's confession, either.

"He was skeptical," Corona said. "I was, too. The more we talked, the more it seemed like a possibility."

Corona decided to take Schlum over to the Friendly Motel on Ellicott Street (now Charles Court) where Schlum said he killed Smith and buried her under his room.

"He brought us into one room and he walked into the corner of the room and he stepped on the corner of the floor and he said no this is the wrong room," Corona said. "I thought, 'oh, no, he's being untruthful.' We tried the next room and then the next room and he stepped on the floor and I saw the floor go (he makes a gesture with his hand going up and down), you know it went 'er-ert' kind of went in. That's when I thought, 'Ok, there's something here.' "

Officers and detectives removed the floor boards and Schlum and Corona climbed into the crawl space and Schlum showed Corona where he had buried Smith's body.

Smith had never been reported missing. Her family thought she had taken off for Texas, Corona said.

The hotel's owner, Charlie Pero, had thought a couple of years earlier that the stink around one of the rooms was from a tenant's boa constrictor that had escaped.

Officer Murray had been a fraction of a second away from shooting and probably killing Schlum. If he had, nobody would have ever known that Smith had been murdered.

Schlum is serving 17 years to life in the Auburn State Prison. He's eligible for parole in August.

The story illustrates a truth Corona learned about being a detective. You never know what's going to happen next.

"Every time you think you've seen all the cases you think you could see, something new comes up," Corona said.

The murder of Desean Gooch was another big case for Corona. He said he's extremely proud of the work of the entire detective bureau in that case.

Gooch was a Dellinger Avenue resident in 2006 when he was murdered by other young men Corona said were gang members.

The big break came when detectives were able to connect Jessie Foreman with the crime. The police had enough evidence on Foreman that they could get him to talk.

"Gang members are not going to cooperate unless you present to them that you have the evidence to proceed with something to charge against them, then they want to cooperate so they can do the best they can for themselves," Corona said. "Until they see you have evidence against them, they won't talk."

Andrew Figgins was identified as the murderer and is now serving 25 years to life at Elmira State Prison. Foreman was also arrested, along with Rondell Breedlove and Thomas Banks (an associate who was charged with a prior robbery of Gooch).

Murder cases are dramatic, but they're all important Corona said. Solving a larceny can sometimes be as much work as bigger felony cases.

"It's always rewarding to solve the mystery, to bring a case to its conclusion, to bring somebody to justice," Corona said.

Solving crimes is really about helping victims, he said.

"Years ago, through Genesee Justice, Ed Minardo gave me some advice," Corona said. "The system should victim-oriented rather than offender-oriented. It's rewarding to help victims."

The biggest change Corona has seen in law enforcement in Batavia -- besides the introduction of DNA evidence, which didn't exist when Corona started his career -- is the first local gang-involved crimes.

There was the Gooch murder, followed by a shots fired case on Tracy Avenue in 2009, and of course the shots-fired cases this past fall on State Street and Jackson Street.

"I don't want to sound the alarm here, but there has been a few legitimate gang-related activities that have gone on," Corona said.

Corona said he's a very ambitious person and the awards and plaques in his office are markers of his dedication, from the certificates for completing all kinds of detective and police work training to the five or six medals he's won from running 5K races.

"I always had a skill for running, but in high school, I didn't put it to good use," Corona said. "My first official 5K was the Friends and Family 5K through ARC. That was in 2007. I was first for my age group. I thought, 'must be a pretty slow age group,' but I was hooked."

Soon, Corona's replacement will be announced by Chief Shawn Heubusch, and Corona has some advise for that rookie detective: "Work well with others. Develop good interdepartmental relationships. When you need help, know who to call. You can't be shy about asking for help. Work well with the public. That's who you're serving."

Clearly, words of advice that served Corona well in his own career.

Photo: Corona in his office at BPD headquarters with his original "Manual for Police."

The City has been awarded another grant in the amount of $400,000 for housing rehabilitation projects over the next two years. The Community Development Block Grant is from the NYS Office of Community Renewal.

The first housing rehabilitation grant the City received was in 2010 for the same amount, which led to successfully rehabilitating 19 homes. Major projects completed in many of the homes included roof repair/replacement, porch repair/replacement, heating, plumbing, electrical, masonry work, window and door replacement, siding and rain gutters.

“Nearly all of the rehabilitation work in 2010 was performed by Genesee County contractors, keeping local dollars in the community,” City Manager Jason Molino said.

The program will assist single-family, owner-occupied homeowners to upgrade their properties. Assistance will be provided in the form of grants, up to $24,500, for the cost of home improvements. It is estimated that the program will be able to assist 15-18 homeowners with needed repairs.

“This is another $400,000 that will be invested in City housing stock and contributing towards revitalizing our neighborhoods. This is a great opportunity for our community and I look forward to another successful program,” City Council President Brooks Hawley said.

“This grant is citywide and income-eligible property owners may apply. The city expects to start working with property owners within the next 90 days and would expect the program funding to be committed by the end of the Summer of 2015. Home repairs should be completed within a year of when the funds are committed,” Molino said.

Anyone interested in applying for the grant program should call the Office of the City Manager at (585) 345-6330 and have your name added to the list. Once the office receives the necessary paperwork from NY State, the people on the list will be contacted to fill out applications. Recipients will be chosen from those who meet the necessary criteria and whose earnings have been verified. The income requirements are based on HUD guidelines for Genesee County.  

Aside from the 2010 CDBG award, the City also received a $450,000 grant in 2011 from the New York Main Street program to assist 10 Downtown building owners that have invested more than $1.2 million in Downtown buildings, including nine residential units. All three grant awards, 2010, 2011 and 2014, are in line with the City’s Strategic Plan focusing on Neighborhood Revitalization as one of the City’s seven strategic priorities.

Photos showing before and after views of Batavia homes that have received grants provided by the city. From top, 175 Summit St., 164 Ross St., and 47 Hutchins St.

David J. Swartz, 53, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Swartz is accused of punching another person while at The Harvester at 1 a.m., Thursday. Swartz was issued an appearance ticket and released.

A 16-year-old resident of Thorpe Street is charged with harassment, 2nd. The youth was allegedly involved in an incident on State Street at 3:09 p.m., Monday. She allegedly grabbed the hair of another person and began a physical altercation with her.

Wassim S. Issa, 50, of Sunnyside Road, Shinglehouse, Pa., is charged with issue a bad check. Wassim was arrested by Lancaster PD and turned over to Batavia PD in Corfu. Issa posted cash bail and was released.

Chad Ryan Smith, 19, of Church Street, Middleport, is charged with unlawful possession of alcohol by a person under age 21 and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle. Smith was reportedly a passenger in a vehicle stopped at 1:13 a.m. Thursday on Judge Road, Oakfield, for alleged traffic violations by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Daivid Lea Stanley, 20, of Nichols Street, Lockport, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle, speeding, failure to dim lights and side wings/windows non-transparent. Stanley was stopped at 1:13 a.m. Thursday on Judge Road, Oakfield, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Debra Lynn Haccket, 55, of Craigie Street, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to keep right and moved from lane unsafely. Hackett was stopped at 12:39 a.m. Wednesday on Main Road, Stafford, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Alex S. Dumbleton, 20, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and criminal mischief, 4th. Dumbleton was allegedly involved in a domestic dispute with his girlfriend at 1:30 p.m. Monday. Dumbleton was jailed on $2,500 bail or $5,000 bond.

Brandon P. Duell, 32, of Saint Helena Street, Perry, is charged with failure to appear. Duell is accused of failure to appear on a traffic citation. Duell posted cash bail and was released.

Miguel A. Vargas, 23, of Rochester, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Vargas was stopped at 7:15 p.m. Monday on Route 237, Stafford, by State Police.

Via WBTA:

A Batavia woman injured early this week when struck by a car in Erie County has died.

Thirty-one-year-old Jacqueline Dotzler died yesterday at Erie County Medical Center.

Dotzler was struck by a car Monday night as she crossed Camp Road in Hamburg.

The driver of the car was not charged.

A four-car accident, no injuries, is reported at West Main and River streets in the city. City fire and police are responding.

Ladder trucks from Town of Batavia Fire and City Fire were used this morning to hoist a large American flag over East Main Street for the funeral procession of Melvin Loder.

Loder was a volunteer firefighter with the Elba Volunteer Fire Department. He died at home Saturday (full obituary).

Photos by Sloan Martin, WBTA.

A fight is reported outside The Harvester bar on Harvester Avenue in Batavia and the caller says there are chairs being thrown. City police are responding.

UPDATE 1:21 a.m. (by Howard): Apparently, two of the people involved in the original fracas tangled again. Police are looking for a suspect and an ambulance has been requested to The Harvester to treat a victim with an injured nose.

Batavia resident Rashaad Santiago, whom we featured in a story last month, is one of three finalists in the reality TV series "Face Off."

The show airs at 8 p.m. on the SciFi Channel. 

Santiago will be at City Slickers tonight for the season finale to celebrate the event and answer any questions people might have about the show.

Maleak H. Green, 21, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, was charged with menacing, 3rd, and trespass following an incident which occurred at about 9:30 p.m. on April 18 on Ellicott Street. He allegedly walked onto the property of another person and struck the door to that person's residence with a baseball bat. He was released on an appearance ticket. The incident was investigated by officer Peter Flanagan, assisted by officer Chad Richards. But the next day, April 19, Green was jailed after being charged with resisting arrest and disorderly conduct following an incident that occurred at a coffee shop on Main Street. Green allegedly entered the building and started throwing chairs around and demanding that police be called. When police arrived, Green was allegedly observed brandishing a can of peas and allegedly saying he wanted to strike someone with the can of peas. Green allegedly refused to comply with verbal demands to drop the can of peas and he then allegedly struggled with officers who were trying to arrest him. He was arraigned and jailed with bail set at $1,500. The latter incident was investigated by officer Chad Richards, assisted by officer Jason Ivison. Green is to appear in City Court this afternoon on all of the charges.

Jorge Rodriguez Martinez, 31, of South Main Street in Batavia, was charged with obstruction of governmental justice following his arrest on April 19 for allegedly attempting to keep a police officer from investigating a disturbance on South Main Street. Martinez allegedly physically placed himself between the officer and another person during the incident and also allegedly attempted to fight with the officer. Following his arraignment in Batavia City Court, Martinez was jailed and bail set at $1,500. He is scheduled to return to Batavia City Court this afternoon. The investigating officer was Peter Flanagan, assisted by officer Devon Pahuta.

Alex S. Dumbleton, 20, of Jackson Street, Batavia, was charged with disorderly conduct following his arrest at 2:45 p.m. on April 19 for allegedly yelling obscenities at a female acquaintance earlier in the day on South Jackson Street. He was issued an appearance ticket for Batavia City Court. The investigating officer was Eric Foels, assisted by officer Frank Klimjack.

Tanya L. Parsons, 29, of Hutchins Street in Batavia, was charged with petit larceny following an investigation into an incident which occurred April 18 at a bargain store on East Main Street. She is accused of concealing sidewalk chalk and a package of Andes Mints in her purse and leaving the store without paying for them. She is set to appear on the charge this afternoon. The incident was investigated by officer Jamie Givens who was assisted by officer Stephen Cronmiller.

Candace M. Sanchez, 48, of Jackson Street in Batavia, is charged with petit larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, 5th, possession of a forged instrument, 2nd, and forgery, 2nd. She had an active arrest warrant out of the City of Batavia due to an incident April 1 in which she allegedly possessed and passed a forged check. Sanchez was taken into custody April 17 following an investigation and jailed without bail. The incident was investigated by officer James DeFreze and Sgt. Christopher Camp.

Kelly J. Woodrow, 34, of Hutchins Street in Batavia, was charged with petit larceny following an investigation into a complaint of a larceny April 18 at a bargain store on East Main Street. He was arraigned today in City Court, issued an appearance ticket and released. He is to return to City Court on Wednesday. The incident was investigated by officer Stephen Cronmiller who was assisted by officer Jamie Givens.

Tamara L. Butler, 36, of North Main Street in Albion, was charged with petit larceny following her arrest on April 21 at about 2 a.m. after an arrest warrant from Orleans County was executed. She was issued an appearance ticket for Batavia City Court. The investigating officer was Peter Flanagan.

Eric. R. Swede, 25, of Perry Road in Pavilion, was arrested in Monroe County on a bench warrant issued by Batavia City Court. He posted $100 bail and was released. He is scheduled to be in City Court on April 29. The incident was investigated by officer Kevin DeFelice.

A tractor-trailer and car have been involved in an accident -- the big rig may have lost a tire -- on Route 98 near Pike Road.

There are no injuries reported, but there is a fuel leak.

Town of Batavia Fire Department responding.

Press release:

The Showtime Sports Academy has partnered with the Buffalo 716ers (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Erie Hurricane (Erie, Pa.), who participate in the Premier Basketball League (PBL). The objective of the Showtime Sports Academy is to provide high quality AAU basketball programs, which service the youth in grades K-12, throughout Western New York.

Showtime Sports Academy is owned and operated by Batavia native, Jerry Smith, who is committed to providing opportunities for the youth in Batavia.

“I am thrilled to be working with professional organizations that are just as dedicated to helping the youth as we are,” Smith said.

The Buffalo 716ers and Erie Hurricane will be working to provide camps and clinics for the youth of Batavia this summer, tournaments, and assisting with Showtime Sports Academy events.

“We are excited about the opportunity to mentor, volunteer, and work with youth of the Showtime Sports Academy,” said Buffalo 716ers and Erie Hurricane team owner, Tawan Slaughter. 

For more information on the Showtime Sports Academy please visit www.showtimesa.com. Also, for more information on the Buffalo 716ers and Erie Hurricane, please visit www.buffalo716ers.net or www.eriehurricane.net.

Two males are reportedly fighting at State Street and Richmond Avenue and bystanders are taping it. City police are responding.

The culvert that collapsed Saturday under a Byron resident and his two children while out on a bike ride was scheduled to be replaced this summer, said County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens.

"I don't think any of us realized how bad it was in terms of being rotted out," Hens said. "We did a visual inspection, but I wasn't going to crawl into a two-foot pipe, but you can never tell without getting in there. The middle was in a lot worse shape than we thought."

Byron-Batavia Road between Griswold Road and Walkers Corners Road will be closed for two weeks while the culvert is replaced.

The cost of the replacement is approximately $50,000.

"Mother nature and time beat us to the punch," Hens said.

The husband of Korinne Haymon, who contacted The Batavian about the incident, said her husband and their two children were on a Saturday afternoon bike ride when the culvert gave out from under them. 

Mr. Haymon was pulling a bike carrier with their 4-year-old and 7-year-old riding along when he decided to stop out of curiosity and look at a small hole by the side of the road. It was about the size of a groundhog hole.

As soon as he put his foot down, the ground gave way.

The 7-year-old was able to jump over the hole "like Superman," Korinne said.

As soon as he realized the 4-year-old had fallen to the bottom of the hole, Mr. Haymon jumped to the bottom and he was able to lift the child over his head and push him out of the hole. He yelled for the child to move away from the hole. Then he pulled the bike and carrier the rest of the way into the hold and use it like a ladder to climb out.

"He said every time he grabbed earth, it was just crumbling," Korinne said. "They were hysterical, like screaming."

Outside of some cuts and scrapes, nobody was injured.

"He was petrified," Korinne said. "He said he just keeps playing it over in his head but I told him to just focus on everybody is all right."

The children are doing fine, Korinne said.

"They just laugh about how my oldest Supermanned over the hole," she said.

Hens said in his 16 years this is only the second culvert to collapse. The other one was in Darien in 1998 or 1999 and rain helped wash out a sinkhole.

"Most of the time we're ahead of the game in identifying (culverts for replacement)," Hens said. "We wait for a dry time to check on them. It's unusual for them to collapse like that and just from a visual inspection point of view, we have ones that are way worse. It's an odd combination of weather, timing, cold weather -- all of that plays into it."

County parks workers were at Dewitt Recreation Area this morning getting the lake ready for another spring, summer and fall of fishing and recreating. The lake was stocked with 500 2-year-old brown trout and the piers were put into place. Parks Director Paul Osborn said he was surprised to find the water temperature this morning is 54 degrees. Normally it's in the 30s on stocking day. The lake had a thick and long-lasting ice cover this year. The water level is also higher than it's been in recent years.

Scott and 6-year-old Trenton Shuler.

Michael Atkinson, in the red, and Marcus Palvino.

UPDATE: Photo of the stocking operation from this morning provided by Paul Osborn.

A two-car accident with believed to be minor injuries is reported at the intersection of Bank Street and Washington Avenue. City fire, Mercy medics and law enforcement are on scene.

UPDATE 11:25 a.m.: Mercy just arrived at UMMC with a patient complaining of pain between the hip and knee.

Contractors have begun road reconstruction work on the south end of Cedar Street, Batavia.

Brandon Michael Woodham, 22, of Wheeler Road, Medina, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful dealing with fireworks. Woodham was stopped at 5:27 p.m. Friday on Veterans Memorial Drive by Deputy Joseph Loftus and found to allegedly possess fireworks and marijuana.

Scott M. Walton, 57, of Spencerport, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and failure to dim lights. Walton was stopped at an unspecified time and unspecified location by a Le Roy PD officer.

Jamie L. Rennicks, 30, of Pembroke, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Rennicks was stopped at 2:10 a.m. Saturday on West Main Street Road, Batavia, by a State trooper.

Pat and John Brumsted, of East Road, near Creek Road and Putnam Road, Batavia, are missing their beagle, DYNO. The pooch has been missing since 10 a.m. yesterday. DYNO is 7 and tan and white and very friendly. Their phone numbers are: (585) 343-6173 or (585) 813-3595.

Via WBTA:

A one-car rollover with injuries is reported on School Street in Downtown Batavia. City fire and Mercy medics are on scene. The car is on its roof but the victims are extricated.

UPDATE (by Howard): It appears a blue sedan was westbound on School Street from Swan Street when it struck a parked SUV. The passenger-side front tire struck the rear tire on the driver's side of the SUV. The SUV was pushed forward about five feet and its rear wheel assembly was broken. The fender was scraped but not dented. The frame of the sedan was broken. The owner of the SUV said he just recently got the vehicle. It still had a temporary registration in the window, he pointed out. He hasn't even made a payment on it yet, he said. He was at a friend's house for Easter Dinner. Police conducted a field sobriety test on the driver of the sedan. He was taken into custody pending further investigation. 

UPDATE 10:30 a.m., Monday (by Howard): The driver was released after further investigation found neither drugs nor alcohol were a factor in the accident.