batavia

Jeff Allen Good, 34, of 3700 W. Main St., Room 1, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, possession of a hypodermic instrument, driving while impaired by drugs and driving left of pavement markings. The Sheriff's Office responded to a report of an erratic driver at 5:58 p.m., Sunday, who was forcing other cars off the roadway. The vehicle was located at 3700 W. Main St., and Good was identified as the alleged erratic driver. He was arrested by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Jarred Ray Lewis, 21, of 50 Bloomingdale Road, Akron, is charged unlawful possession of marijuana. Lewis was stopped at 4:24 a.m., Sunday, for a vehicle check at Main and Oak streets in the city. He was ticketed by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Michael Joseph Elmore, 19, of 814 Sumner Road, Darien, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and possession of a controlled substance not in its original container. Elmore was arrested following a traffic stop 6:49 p.m., Saturday, on Route 33, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Mark Christopher Kahabka, 18, of 3991 Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Kahabka allegedly hosted an under-age drinking party Saturday night.

Nicole Marie Clark, 32, of 72 Blue Ridge Road, Penfield, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation, and failure to keep right. Clark was stopped by Deputy Eric Seppala at 1:20 a.m., Friday following a report of an erratic driver on Route 33, Town of Batavia.

Daniel Wayne King, 42, of 3481 Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. Following a traffic stop by Deputy Patrick Reeves at 2:35 a.m., Saturday, on Veterans Memorial Drive, King was allegedly found in possession of crack cocaine.

Nicole A. Wilson, 33, of 126 E. State St., Albion, DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and aggravated unlicensed operation. Wilson was stopped on Route 19 in Le Roy at 12:45 a.m., Friday, by Deputy Chad Minuto.

Brett F. Dieter, 31, of Alabama, is charged with menacing, 3rd, stemming for an alleged domestic dispute that was reported to State Police at 1:06 a.m., Friday. Dieter was arrested at 8:29 p.m. No further details available.

Michael J. Nugent, 21, of Le Roy, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal use of drug paraphernalia (scales) and unlawful possession of marijuana. Nugent was arrested in the Town of Batavia by State Police at 3:25 p.m., Friday. No further details available.

Dewey E. Towner, 43, of Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and a motorcycle helmet violation. Towner was stopped by State Police on Oak Street, Batavia, at 8:25 p.m., Friday.

Accidents from the State Police blotter:

11:44 a.m., April 3, Veterans Memorial Drive, Batavia, two vehicles; Driver 1: Norman G. Walsh, 79, Batavia; Driver 2: Tamera E. Carney, 55, of Warsaw. No injuries reported.

7:35 p.m., April 3, Lewiston Road, Batavia, one vehicle; Driver 1: Sherrill T. Langdon, 80. No injuries reported.

5:01 p.m., April 2, Gilmore Road, Pembroke, property damage accident (parked car); Driver 1: Kristin M. Pequeen. No injuries reported.

6:49 p.m., April 2, South Lake Road, Village of Bergen, two vehicles; Driver 1: Robert L. Reynolds, 23, of Bergen; Driver 2: Desarea M. Sherlock, 18, of Brockport. No injuries reported.

A teenage driver allegedly led law enforcement  on a four-mile chase early Sunday morning that started on Wortendyke Road in Batavia and ended in Alexander when the youth reportedly pulled over.

Charged with a long list of offenses was Chester Elmer Chase, 16, of 3189 Broadway Road, Alexander.

The initial pursuit started on Wortendyke when Deputy Patrick Reeves reported seeing a vehicle driven by Chase commit alleged traffic violations at about 2:38 a.m. Chase reportedly failed to stop at that time.

At one point during the pursuit, Chase allegedly turned off his headlights. Chase was also reportedly clocked at 102 mph at one point.

Chase reportedly did not pull over until he reached the intersection of Pike and Halstead roads, Alexander.

No injuries were reported a result of the pursuit.

The youth was charged with unlawfully fleeing a police officer, 3rd, unlawful possession of marijuana, failure to stop at a stop sign, operation without lights (two counts, Town of Batavia and Town of Alexander), speeding (80 in a 55 mph), driving left of pavement markings, failure to yield to emergency vehicle, failure to keep right, and speeding (102 in a 55 mph).

Appearance tickets were issued to Chase for town courts in both Alexander and Batavia.

Two months of running has come to an end for Christopher A. Laird.

The 17-year-old was found in Le Roy last night after police received a tip that he was at a Lake Street residence.

Laird has been sought on a warrant for alleged burglary, 2nd.

Sgt. Michael Hare and Officer Robert Tygart made the arrest at 10:50 p.m.

Following his arrest, Laird was transferred to the custody of the Sheriff's Office.

On Friday, Laird was the subject of a manhunt in the City of Batavia after he was reportedly spotted on State Street. Officers for Batavia and the Sheriff's Office were called in, as well as a State Police helicopter, but Laird managed to elude the dragnet.

The Batavian first reported Laird's status as a fugitive on Feb. 2.

A pair of Batavia men are in jail, held on $10,000 bail each, charged with burglary and assault for allegedly refusing to leave an apartment and beating up the occupant.

The two men were apparently friends with the victim.

The alleged incident happened yesterday at 4:47 a.m. The apartment is located on East Avenue.

Taken into custody were Daniel J. Gilbert, 18, of 10 Tracy Ave., and Dustin N. Garrett, 20, of 24 Tracy Ave..

Arresting officers were Frank Klimjack and Daniel Coffey.

A bicyclist has been struck by a car at Ellicott Street Road and Swan Street.

The victim is still down and reportedly bleeding from his head.

Batavia Fire and Mercy EMS have been dispatched.

UPDATE: Patient transported by ground ambulance to UMMC. Fire and police clear scene.

Kristen Anderson catches a Frisbee tossed by her friend Steve Martino (below) while they were out enjoying the sun at Centennial Park this afternoon with their friends Lauren Rohan and Katie Porter (not pictured) and dogs Tucker and Milo.

Above, Ian Fuchs, 7, helps with the family car wash on State Street.

An unidentified bicyclist tooling down Washington Avenue.

John P. Vanderzell, 62, of 9732 Summit Street Road, Le Roy, is charged with DWI and aggravated DWI (driving with a BAC of .08 or greater). Vanderzell was reportedly observed at a store in Le Roy by Sgt. Michael J. Hare in an intoxicated condition. Sgt. Hare then reportedly observed Vanderzell get into his car and drive away. Sgt. Hare stopped Vanderzell and arrested him for alleged DWI.

Kyle B. Bacon, 19, of 679 E. Main St., Apt. 4C and Ryan T. Nugent, 19, same address, are charged with unlawful possession of alcohol by a person under 21. Batavia Police were dispatched to 679 E. Main St., Apt. 4C to check a report of underage drinking. Upon arriving, police allegedly found Bacon and Nugent in possession of alcohol.

Robert L. Drozdowski, 28, of 15 Washington St., Castile, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Drozdowski was reportedly issued a stay away order out of City Court, which he allegedly violated by contacting the subject person by leaving voicemails on the person's mobile phone.

Accidents reported on the State Police blotter:

2:04 p.m., March 31, Boyce Road, Pembroke, one vehicle; Driver 1: Daniel M. Johnston, 58, of Corfu. No injuries reported.

Seven or eight trucks carrying wide loads, along with multiple escort vehicles, passed through Batavia on Main Street this morning.

At about 11:30, traffic was tied up between Ellicott and Oak streets, as at least four police cars were used to block traffic, allowing the convoy to pass safely along the route.

The trucks appeared to be hauling windmill parts.

Sath Paul Dhanda, 29, of 5458 Clapsaddle Road, Bethany, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Dhanda was arrested at 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, after his mother phoned in a complaint about him allegedly breaking items in her home. Dhanda was allegedly drunk. He reportedly threw a sewing machine and knocked over two television sets. He was jailed on $5,000 bail. This is the fourth time Dhanda has been arrested since October.

Farah St. Cloud, 18, of 1196 Lake Ave., #2, Rochester, is charged with disorderly conduct. St. Cloud is accused of engaging in violent and threatening behavior by attempting to fight with other residents at College Village. During the 3 a.m. incident, St. Cloud reportedly had to be held back by roommates and College Village staff.

Joshua Cordero McIver, 22, of 130 3rd Ave., Apt. 18H, Brooklyn, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd. McIver was reportedly at College Village after being banned from the property.

Ricky A. Marsceill, 45, of Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and aggravated unlicensed operation. Marsceill was stopped by State Police at 11:10 p.m., Tuesday, on Route 33 in Stafford.

Justin M. Quaintance, 18, of Bergen, is charged with grand larceny, 3rd. Quaintance was arrested Tuesday by State Police on charges that stem from a Sept. 26 incident. No further details were released.

Tanya M. Tomlin, 41, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny and criminal impersonation, 2nd. Tomlin is accused of shoplifting from Kmart at 12:55 p.m., Tuesday. She was arrested by State Police.

Jeffery D. Appleberry, 33, of Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Appleberry was stopped by State Police on the Thruway in Stafford at 10:30 p.m., Monday.

To commemorate the last steel beam being put in place on UMMC's $19.5 million expansion, the hospital held a "topping off" ceremony this afternoon.

A worker placed a flag -- for national pride -- and an evergreen tree -- for growth -- atop the beam.

The beam was painted white and signed by employees, administrators and board members.

When completed, the expansion will add 44,000 square feet to the front of the hospital on the North Street side. Construction is expected to be completed in December.

(Updated 4:10 p.m.)

Reginald M. Wilson passed up a plea deal that would have limited his prison time to two- to four-years in State Prison on a charge of criminal possession of stolen property.

This afternoon, a jury convicted him of burglary, 2nd, and criminal possession of stolen property, 3rd, and now Wilson has to wonder if Judge Robert C. Noonan will want to lock him away for life.

Because of Wilson's prior violent felony offenses, his upcoming stint in prison won't be a short one either way.

On the burglary charge, Wilson is facing a possible 5 to 15 year sentence. The possession charge carries a maximum sentence of 3 1/2 to 7 years.

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said he's not ready to indicate whether he will ask Noonan to consider a life sentence.

Noonan set the sentencing for May 12 and revoked Wilson's $100,000 bail, which was never posted.

Wilson showed little reaction when the verdict was read. There were four additional law enforcement officers in the court room when the jury came back. The jury forewoman's hands were visibly shaking when she handed the verdict slip to the court deputy.

Defense Attorney Fares Rumi said he still believes the jury should have returned a not-guilty verdict.

"I felt we put on a strong defense," Rumi said. "I felt we exposed the weaknesses in the prosecution's case. I'm obviously disappointed in the verdict. I didn't feel the People met the burden of proof.  But the law is the law. We have a good system."

Friedman said he was pleased with the verdict, that he felt all along that Wilson was guilty.

"As I told the jury (this morning), I really could not believe that this witness (Dillon Brito) who testified for us, the accomplice, as a 17-year-old, would falsely implicate this particular defendant. I just could not fathom what his motivation would be for doing that. He was consistent. I thought he was believable. Obviously, the jury thought so, too."

UPDATE: After court, I failed to ask Mr. Rumi why he didn't have Gibson and Dash testify. Readers may remember that Gibson and Dash were reportedly willing to say that Wilson did not participate in the burglary.  I spoke with Mr. Rumi again a few minutes ago. He said even though the trial is over, he didn't want to go into detail on his strategy, but it was a strategic decision based on his review of all the statements in the case.  "I still believe it is the right decision."  Also, in a previous story I said Rumi is "from Batavia."  He said he grew up in Batavia, but now lives and is based in Rochester.

For previous coverage of this case, click here.

The joint was hopping Saturday night at Batavia Downs, with more than 6,100 patrons on hand for a muscle car drawing and a live band in the Paddock Room.

There were 3.1 million credits played Saturday, and Marty Biniasz, director of marketing, said that is a new record, beating the 2.8 million credits played one night last march.

The muscle car -- a 2010 Camero SS -- was won by a guy named Jim (last name not released) from Le Roy. He opted for the $20,000 instead.

Players eligible for the drawing earned chances to win through play at the casino over the previous seven weeks.

Last year, the an OTB employee won the Dodge Challenger given away by the Downs. This year, Biniasz said, before the winner was announced officials made sure he wasn't an employee of the Downs, of OTB or the dealership sponsoring the contest.

To accommodate the large crowd, the Downs opened up the Paddock Room, where an 80s tribute band played live, and the grandstands were open with TVs tuned either to basketball or the Buffalo Sabres game.