batavia

There isn't much new news in Genesee County so far this morning.

There was a massive fire in Wyoming County over night, in Castile and several fire departments from Genesee County responded.

A 25-year-old restaurant, the village offices and town offices along with some apartments were destroyed. There is some concern for the safety of at least one person, though no confirmation of injuries or fatalities. Water had to be trucked in because the water main to the village is being repaired, so fire hydrants were not working. Here's coverage from WIVB and WHAM13.

We don't know what winter will bring weather-wise, but no matter how cold it gets, we can expect to pay 3 percent less for natural gas to heat our homes and businesses, National Grid announced yesterday. It's the lowest price level in eight years.

And Genesee County Economic Development Center shared this video created by Buffalo Niagara Enterprise to promote the Genesee Valley Agribusiness Park.

A 29-year-old Batavia man was arrested by federal authorities today and accused of transporting a minor to another state with the intent of sexual activity.

Timothy Logsdon was taken into custody following an investigation that started Saturday when the parents of a 16-year-old girl contacted the Genesee County Sheriff's Office to report her missing.

During an interview with FBI agents, the parents indicated the girl might be with Logsdon.

Authorities obtained a court order and traced Logsdon's mobile phone activity and determined he was in Kentucky.

That same day, State Police in Kentucky located Logsdon in Bowling Green and he was allegedly with the teenager.  

“Thanks to the awareness of the victim’s parents and the hard work by the FBI and Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, this case was investigated and closed in extremely rapid fashion,” said U.S. Attorney William Hochul in a news release. “This is yet another example of how the public coming forward to police with important information can stop criminal conduct before it gets too far.” 

Logsdon remains in federal custody pending further legal proceedings.

UPDATE AND CORRECTION: The first name of the alleged perpetrator contained in the original post was wrong. The story has been changed to contain the correct first name.

Press release:

With October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and National Car Care Month, Grease Lightning auto repair shops are for the third year partnering with AutoTex to sell AutoTex PINK wiper blades in their stores.

With each sale of AutoTex PINK products, a donation will be made to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The blades can be found locally at: Grease Lightning, 4003 West Main St., 2418 North Main St., Warsaw and at Castrol Premium Lube Express, 50 Liberty St. Batavia and 29 East South St., Geneseo.

AutoTex Pink wiper blades come in black with a pink ribbon insignia or an all pink style

Grease Lightning Founder Ben Thompson is thrilled to be partnering with AutoTex again.

“There is almost no one alive who isn't affected by breast cancer, either personally fighting the deadly disease, or watching a friend or loved one deal with the tragic consequences of breast cancer. Our team is happy to support the cause, and our customers seem happy when they make a purchase -- knowing that they are supporting the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

AutoTex PINK is a women-owned and created company based in Pine Brook, NJ that is among the nation's leading global suppliers of windshield wipers. Get more info at www.autotexpink.com

Grease Lightning is on the Web at mygreaselightning.com

Brandon M. Maldonado, 24, of 146 Summit St., Batavia, was arrested on warrants for alleged petit larceny and criminal mischief. Maldonado was located at the scene of the fire Sunday night at 140 Summit St.

Bethani M. Dibble, 20, of 146 Summit St., Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Dibble allegedly drove her vehicle into the porch and fence of her residence and then left the scene of the accident at 2:38 a.m., Saturday.

Daniel E. King, 36, of 2058 Phelps Road, Basom, is charged with petit larceny and harassment, 2nd. King is accused of stealing a can of Mike's Hard Lemonade from a convenience store on West Main Street and then hitting the store manager when confronted.

Daryl R. Hamler, 18, of 6786 Westcott Road, Le Roy, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Hamler was charged after allegedly being found in possession of marijuana while driving through a DWI checkpoint on Clinton Street.

Alicia M. Stanwick, 21, of 318 E. Main St., Apt. 2, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and inadequate stop lamps. Stanwick was stopped at 1:36 a.m., Sunday, on Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Katelyn Louise Hodgins, 24, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving left of pavement markings and open container. Hodgins was stopped at 1:17 a.m., Saturday, on Seven Springs Road, Batavia, by Sgt. Greg Walker.

Thomas Allen Pfalzer, 45, of Harper Road, Darien, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving while on a mobile phone, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle and unlawful stopping or parking in the roadway. Pfalzer was allegedly located at 2:04 a.m., Saturday, in his vehicle stopped on Sumner Road, Darien, talking on his mobile phone. Upon investigation by Deputy Jason Saile, Pfalzer was allegedly found to be intoxicated.

Darrell Jerrod Holloway, 44, of Crowydon Road, Rochester, was arrested on a bench warrant for alleged failure to pay a fine. Holloway was taken into custody following his release from the Elmira Correctional Facility, where he was held on an unrelated matter. Holloway was jailed pending a court appearance.

Tyanna Desiree Green, 17, of Lewis Place, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Green allegedly stole two CDs from Kmart.

A stove is reportedly on fire inside the residence at 146 Summit St., Batavia.

City Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 8:47 p.m.: Engine 12 on scene reporting smoke coming from front door. First platoon requested to the scene. Second platoon requested to stand by at fire headquarters.

UPDATE 8:52 p.m.: There is fire reported in the ceiling. A firefighter requests the back windows of the structure be broken out.

UPDATE 8:55 p.m.: A Mercy rig requested to the scene for standby.

UPDATE 9:10 p.m.: National Grid requested to the scene.

UPDATE 9:16 p.m.: Fire under control.

UPDATE 11:08 p.m.: City fire picking up on Summit.

PHOTOS: Submitted by Frank Capuano.

UPDATE: Press release from City fire:

The City of Batavia Fire Department was dispatched at 8:45 pm, Sunday, Sept. 30, to a reported stove fire at 146 Summit St. Engine 11 and Ladder 15 arrived on location at 8:47 p.m. with smoke showing from the front doorway and eaves. All occupants were out of the structure on arrival.

Interior crews found a fire in the kitchen and dining room on the first floor with extension into the ceiling, second floor and attic. The fire was quickly extinguished and salvage and overhaul completed. Damage to the structure and contents is estimate at around $40,000. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Captain Craig Williams was the incident commander. Assisting at the scene were City of Batavia Fire second-alarm personnel, Genesee County Emergency Management Office, Mercy EMS and National Grid.

The displaced occupants are staying with family members.

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A 42-year-old male inmate of the Buffalo Federal Detention Center on Federal Drive in Batavia is requesting transport to the hospital because he is "dazed and confused."

When Batavia scheduled Hornell for its homecoming game some people thought it was crazy, Head Coach Brennan Briggs admitted after last night's 30-14 loss to the Raiders.

Hornell came into the game with a 43-game winning streak and is arguably the best team in the state of New York in any class.

But at the half, with the score tied 14-14, and the Blue Devils' defense coming up big on some key plays, it didn't look so crazy.

The theme for the team all week in preparing for the game, Briggs said, was "great moments come from great opportunities."

The second half didn't go as well for Batavia, but Briggs came out of the game believing the Blue Devils, in his first season as head coach, are ready to play with anybody.

"These kids showed they can come out and play with the best and compete with them," Briggs said. "Yes, obviously, we got beat by 16. We’re not super excited about getting beat by 16, but we know we can play with them. We really do."

Justin Washington and Brett Scheuerlein had big games for the Blue Devils.

Washington snagged an interception in the first quarter and returned it 30 yards for a TD. He also nabbed a 20-yard reception from Scheuerlein in the second quarter for a touchdown (top photo).

Scheuerlein was 7 for 12 passing for 93 yards.

The Raiders played a tight, disciplined defense all night however and the Blue Devils were forced to punt four times in the second half.

In the third quarter, Brendan Buisch hit Richie Harkenrider on a 40-yard TD play. A Batavia defender got a hand on the ball as Buisch hauled it in, but when he couldn't strip it, there was nobody between Harkenrider and the end zone.

With the lead, the Raiders turned their offense over to Zach Bacon, their big, strong full back, who wasn't unstoppable (defenders a couple of times took him down for losses), but could also shake off tackles (or jump over) and get big gains.

In the fourth quarter, Bacon (#40 in photos)  scored on a 50-yard run, just plowing through blue jersies for the first 20 yards like a combine in a cornfield.

"The kid’s a stud," Briggs said. "You can’t really coach against that. You do what you can against him, but he’s one heck of a football player."

In preparing the Blue Devils for Hornell, Briggs reminded them that 31 years ago, Batavia (Correction: It was Notre Dame) snapped Cal-Mum's 49-game winning streak on Woodward Field.

"I told them, 'this field's made for breaking winning streaks,' " Briggs said.

While the final score was disappointing, Briggs said the game will give Batavia great confidence going into the final two games of the season and into, hopefully, sectionals.

"We know that if we continue with the same intensity, the same enthusiasm, the same execution, we can have a great ending to our season," Briggs said.

In other football action on Friday:

• Le Roy's winning streak was snapped by Perry, 44-36. Perry's QB Cory Dillon hit Jake Kiehle on a fourth-down, less than two minutes to play, 11-yard TD pass to put Perry in the lead. Dillon passed for 299 yards and 4 TDs. He was 25 of 40 passing. Perry, now 4-1, last beat Le Roy in 1991. Peter Privitera carried the ball 18 times for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Le Roy is now 4-1.
• Notre Dame is 4-1 after beating Pembroke 35-7. Andrew Mullen carried the ball 14 times for 180 yards and one TD. Jason Hart also scored on the ground and had 13 attempts for 14 yards. (Nick Taylor apparently did not play Friday). Tim McCulley was 4-7 passing for 105 yards and three touchdowns. Hart had one TD reception of 12 yards. Josh Johnson's only reception was for a 46-yard TD, and Jared Thornton's lone catch was for a 29-yard score. John Lapple notched Notre Dame's only sack. He had three tackles. Anthony Paladino had 5.5 tackles. Peter Thomas had 10.5 tackles for Pembroke.

This afternoon, Oakfield-Alabama is at Elba/Byron Bergen and Alexander hosts Holley. The other game of significance is Attica at Livonia. Both Elba/BB and Attica are undefeated. The Genesee Region rivals meet next week.

If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here. To purchase prints of these photos, click here.

At half-time, the football game between between the Batavia Blue Devils and Hornell is tied 14 to 14.

Hornell came into the game with 43 straight consecutive wins.

Look for complete coverage Saturday.

UPDATE 8:54 p.m.: Complete coverage is currently available via WBTA radio.

UPDATE: At end of third, Hornell 20 to 14.

UPDATE: Final, 30-14.

Four men, including two with reputed ties to the Hell's Angels, were convicted by a jury in Federal Court today of stealing scrap metal in Batavia.

Convicted of conspiracy to steal an interstate shipment and theft of an interstate shipment were Richard E. Riedman, 39, of Webster, Anthony Toscano, 47, of Rochester, Anthony J. Russell, 39, of Rochester and Timothy M. Stone, 32, of Chili.

Riedman and Stone were indicted in April 2011 on federal racketeering charges for their part in an alleged plot to help James Henry McAuley Jr. (aka "Mitch"), 62, an alleged Hell's Angel vice president, avoid apprehension for an alleged assault on a person viewed as a threat to the motorcycle club.

McAuley is married to 45-year-old Donna L. Boon (aka Donna L. McAuley), a Town of Batavia resident, who was first arrested in July 2009 as an alleged member of a methamphetamine ring headed by Donald G. Vanelli, 48, of 8394 Lake St., Le Roy. Vanelli is currently serving a lengthy federal prison sentence, but the original charges against Boon were later dropped.

In February, Boon, along with Riedman, was re-arrested by federal authorities and accused of being part of a meth distribution ring.

All of those charges are still pending.

Riedman, Toscano, Russell and Stone face a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The four men, along with Christopher Monfort, who was previously convicted in the case, were caught June 30 by Sheriff's deputies using a logging truck and pickup truck to steal more than 16 tons of scrap steel from a rail car at the CSX Transportation yard in Batavia, along with 17 tons of processed scrap steel.

The stolen scrap was awaiting shipment to a steel mill in Pennsylvania.

The federal case was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey.

Sentencing is scheduled for January.

Nabbed through DNA evidence in May for a Dec. 15 break-in of a Town of Batavia home, a 19-year-old Buffalo man entered a guilty plea in Genesee County Court today and faces up to seven years in prison.

Steven Carnell McKnight, already sentenced to a prison term of one to three years for an unrelated crime in Erie County, will be sentenced Oct. 15.

McKnight will be sentenced on two charges. There's today's guilty plea on second- degree attempted burglary, plus an earlier plea to the same charge for a break-in Dec. 14 in the Town of Pembroke.

All three sentences -- Erie County, Pembroke and Batavia -- will be served concurrently.

The entire sentence range, from probation up to seven years in prison, is available to Judge Robert C. Noonan. McKnight could have been sentenced today under the plea arrangement, but there is paperwork that must be completed first.

Press release:

The Batavia Muckdogs and Miami Marlins today announced the signing of a new two-year Player Development Contract through at least the 2014 New York-Penn League season. A joint announcement was made by Marlins Farm Director Brian Chattin and Brian Paris, president of the Genesee County Baseball Club, the non-for-profit that owns the Batavia Muckdogs franchise.

The agreement ends a six-year affiliation with the St. Louis Cardinals, who signed a two-year agreement with the State College Spikes last week. The Marlins had been affiliated with the Jamestown Jammers since 2002. During that time, the Jammers posted a combined record of 370-451 (.451), with two post-season appearances.

“We are excited to have the Miami Marlins as our new affiliate. I look forward to developing a relationship with them and to welcome them into our community. The Marlins are a fine organization that brings with them solid baseball experience and good people. This is a good fit for us as we enter our 74^th season of baseball in Batavia. On behalf of the entire community and the Genesee County Baseball Club, we are anxious to get started with another year of professional baseball in Batavia,” Paris said.

“We’re very pleased to sign a new working relationship between Batavia and the Miami Marlins. The Marlins are everything a Minor League franchise could hope for in an affiliation. They also understand how important small town Minor League Baseball is to the Batavia Community and we can’t wait to play host to some extremely talented young players,” said Naomi Silver, president and CEO of Red Wings Management, LLC, the company which has managed the Muckdogs since 2008.

"The Miami Marlins are very excited to begin an affiliation with the Batavia Muckdogs. With its rich baseball history, supportive front office and loyal fan base, Batavia will be the ideal place for our players and staff to call home each summer,” the Marlins' Chattin said. “The Marlins are proud to have Batavia as our player development partner and look forward to a long and productive partnership together."

The Muckdogs are one of seven affiliates in the Marlins’ player development system, joining the New Orleans Zephyrs (AAA/Pacific Coast League), Jacksonville Suns (AA/Southern League), Jupiter Hammerheads (Advanced A/Florida State League), Greensboro Grasshoppers (A/South Atlantic League), Dominican Summer League Marlins (Rookie) and Gulf Coast League Marlins (Rookie).

Press release:

The Batavia City School District Board of Education’s Public Relations Committee continues to explore cost-effective ways to increase communication with the public and is looking to expand the amount of coverage of district news and accomplishments, the methods of delivery, and opportunities for interaction and feedback.

To help with this, a survey was developed to gather input from a full spectrum of Batavians -- including parents, students, staff, business leaders, and all other community members. The short survey asks about preferences in terms of what kind of communication is important as well as what are the most accessible means for receiving information and responding to district news.

In addition to the survey being available on the district Web site where it can be completed in a few minutes (http://www.bataviacsd.org/news.cfm?story=958&school=0), a paper copy has been included in all school newsletters and will be in the A+ Batavia Communicator newsletter scheduled to be in district residents’ mailboxes the first weekend of November.

Completed surveys can be returned to any school office, mailed to the Administration Building (39 Washington Ave.) or to the high school (260 State St.), which is where administrative offices are moving. Please mark envelopes with “Attn: Public Relations Committee.”    

Communication with the community we serve is important; we hope you will take a few minutes to share your thoughts so we can better serve you.

It's red. It's shiny. It's big. And it's in service.

Though Engine 11, Batavia's newest fire truck, has been dispatched on a call or two in the past week, but at 4 p.m. today it officially went in service.

Purchase of the $342,000 fire truck was approved by the city council in April using funds specifically set aside for the fire department.

Engine 11 replaces Engine 14, which was retired due to escalating repair costs to keep it up to standards.

Press release:

The City of Batavia Fire Department will be flushing fire hydrants on Friday, Sept. 28, at approximately 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the general area north of West Main Street and west of Bank Street.

Homes and businesses nearby will be affected. These tests may result in a temporary discoloration of water in that area. As in the past, please do not attempt to wash any clothing if your water appears discolored.

A 26-year-old woman who recently relocated from Florida to Le Roy was arrested today, accused of stealing a purse from a local business and then using debit and credit cards to make purchases at local stores.

Maria A. Matos was taken into custody after an employee of a retail store in Le Roy became suspicious of a woman who was carrying multiple credit and debit cards and so contacted authorities.

The employee said the woman left in a local taxi and Le Roy PD began a search for the cab.

When located on Route 5 in Stafford, the taxi had no passenger and the driver said he had dropped off a woman at a business on Lake Street because she admitted she didn't have cash for the fare.

That led police to the residence of Matos, who was staying in a boarding house on Lake Street.

According to Le Roy PD, Matos was allegedly found in possession of two stolen credit cards and the identification of a Medina resident.

Numerous items purchased with the allegedly stolen cards were also found in the room.

About this time, Batavia PD received a report of a purse being stolen from an office in Batavia.

Police accuse Matos of allegedly stealing the purse and then securing a taxi ride to Le Roy, where she used the stolen credit cards.

Matos was arraigned on two counts of criminal possession of stolen property, two counts of identity theft, two counts of unlawful possession of personal identification, two counts of petit larceny and one count of theft of services (for allegedly not paying for taxi fare).

Following arraignment, Matos was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Further charges are pending in Batavia.