Scot Geoffrey Judd, 27, of Caroline Street, Albion, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Judd was stopped for an alleged traffic violation by Sgt. Brian Frieday on West Main Street Road in Batavia.
Lee J. Zawicki, 22, of Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Zawicki was cited by State Police at 1:05 a.m., Thursday, in Pembroke.
An apparent fight broke out in UMMC's emergency room Thursday evening, and two men were jailed as a result on $7,500 bail each.
The incident started around 7:35 p.m. while a Batavia Police officer and a State Police officer where at the ER on unrelated and separate investigations. The officers observed a commotion in the waiting room and moved to intervene and separate the parties.
One of the men in the waiting room struggled with officers and a woman who was in the ER for treatment of an earlier head injury jumped on the back of the Trooper.
She was Tasered by police.
Another man apparently involved in the altercation is accused of threatening to kill hospital staff.
Backup was called in from Batavia Police and State Police to help get the situation under control.
Charged with disorderly conduct and menacing, 3rd, was Ryan M. Norton, 35, of 45 Summit St., Le Roy. Norton is accused of threatening hospital staff.
Kyle W. Nash, 22, of 38 Church St., Le Roy, is charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.
Alexandria M. Zarty, 18, of 38 Church St., Le Roy, is charged with obstructing governmental administration.
Norton and Nash were jailed. Zarty was released on her own recognizance so she could receive treatment in ER for her earlier head injury.
No he's not high on drugs, he is high in the air! Richard Ohlson, Founder and the kids from the Ride to Recovery were invited to the neighborhood cookout held at St. Paul Lutheran Church Wednesday evening. Ride to Recovery is a non profit mountain biking organization. Their mission is to share the love of Jesus Christ, promote physical activity, and help keep todays youth on the right track and off of drugs.
They take the kids out and show them that they can have fun without the use of drugs and alcohol. They do weekly rides, go on trips and even have an annual camp held in Varysburg. Extreme Faith Fridays is held the third Friday of the month at the Assembly of God church from 7PM until 9 PM where they do devotions, games eat pizza and fellowship. If you know of a youth that would like to get involved, give Rich a call at 585-993-2180
Just so you know, girls can do it too!
Opthamalic surgeon Alan Siegel made a difference in the lives of countless patients over the course of his career and when he stopped performing surgery, it was because he had their best interests at heart.
After being diagnosed a year and a half ago of pancreatic cancer, he worked as long as he could using 100 percent of his skills. But when he grew weaker, he decided the delicate microsurgery he performed was no longer something he ought to do -- the last thing he wanted was to harm a patient.
"He loved his job, he really did," said Rosemary Siegel this afternoon, his wife of 28 years. "He had a wonderful practice with very fair and supportive people."
Dr. Siegel was with University Eye Specialists, on Summit Street in Batavia, for 15 years. He was known to be honest, intelligent and caring -- the rare kind of doctor who typically called patients after surgery to ask how they were doing.
Born in Brooklyn, raised in New Jersey, his first practice after medical school was on Long Island. Before that, he had been a physician's assistant, which is what he was when he met a certain registered nurse named Rosemary at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx.
They fell in love, got married and he went to medical school.
"He went into opthamology because he liked microsurgery, he enjoyed that," Rosemary said. "And he had big hands, too, it's amazing."
The couple have two children, 26-year-old Jacqueline, and 22-year-old William. Both are residents of Millport, NY, and have taken leaves of absence to stay with their mother awhile. For nearly seven years, Rosemary has contended with ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as "Lou Gehrig's disease."
"Everyday when he'd come home from work, he'd pick me up off the couch and put me in my wheelchair. He took care of me. He never, ever once complained. That's the kind of man he was."
She said at times she felt like she was a burden, and told him so.
"He said 'I never want to hear you say that again. Ro, this is what we've been dealt in life and we just have to deal with it.'"
Like every couple, they occasionally had their differences but they never had a fight. At some point it dawned on William as a boy that his parents didn't fight like a lot of other parents.
"Mom, you and Daddy never fight. Why?" he asked.
I don't know, she told him, "maybe because we're best friends."
You've got to love a guy whose wife is so proud of the way he always loved and cared for his own mother, who lives in Florida. And who never missed his children's school plays or dance recitals or hockey games.
"Al loved hockey and he would scream so at the high school hockey games that he'd come home hoarse."
When the local team went to the state competition, the distinguished surgeon went wearing war paint on his face, toting a specially designed hockey stick.
"Oh God, they were a riot."
At the pro level, he was a die-hard fan of the Buffalo Sabres and in baseball, the Yankees.
His daughter has an extra-special memory of the time she spent with her dad on The Great White Way.
"My dad took me all over for auditions when I was applying for undergraduate (studies)," Jacqueline said. "We had to fly all around to private schools. One time we got off the plane, got on the subway, got a hotel and then went to see a couple of shows -- "The Producers" and "Chicago."
"My audition was the next day. I didn't get in, but we didn't care because we had a great vacation together, just the two of us."
Another great vacation took place three years ago at Christmas, when the whole extended family went on a cruise to the Mexican resort of Cozumel and Belize, in Central America.
The last vacation they would take as a family was last summer, after Alan had already been diagnosed with cancer. They rented a house in Hilton Head, S.C., were William was working as a lifeguard. They stayed a week, went parasailing, had a ball.
Great times were also had when Dr. Siegel and his friends jumped in their cars and went on a "road rally," a sort of mystery game.
"They'd get a clue, and blast off to the next clue," Rosemary said. "It took weeks to figure out the clues. People got lost, went to the wrong place. When they got all the clues, then they'd go back over the route.
"One year Al and Dr. (Gary) May put on masks and wigs on the road rally. They went into an old church. Then Dr. May didn't see or hear Al. Al had dropped through the floor. The next day he couldn't move his arm and Dr. (Matthew) Landfried had to give him a shot."
Whether it was electronics or snow skiing or any of the above, Dr. Siegel was a "take charge kinda guy" who enjoyed the camaraderie of friends. He didn't talk about doing things, he did them.
But this take-charge man also made a mean meatloaf, a tradition which began when Rosemary used to work nights on Mondays back in Long Island. Monday was meatloaf night.
Anytime was cookie time, however.
"He was a Cookie Monster," Rosemary said. "I made the chocolate chip cookies and he ate them."
This activity, more often than not, may have occurred while Dr. Siegel was in the company of his three-pound "terror." A rescued chihuahua named "Oji," who was his best pal and fiercely guarded him in his final days.
"When my husband was dying, 'Oji' never got off the bed," Rosemary said. "And if anybody tried to touch him, he went crazy. He protected him so much."
It's safe to say "Oji" is grieving for his master. Dr. Alan Siegel was only 57. He will be missed by many.
Dr. Siegel's obituary is available here.
Late this afternoon, Chris Hamel and his friend James Bonning were on the Tonawanda at the falls fishing.
Batavia Polcie are looking for a man allegedly involved in an altercation on Wood Street around 5:30 p.m.
The man allegedly stuck another person in the face with an unknown object.
According to Det. Kevin Czora, the suspect and the victim were involved in a verbal argument. The assailant went to his car, grabbed some sort of object, came back and struck the victim in the face.
The victim suffered facial cuts and was transported by ambulance to UMMC.
The suspect is described as a black male in his late 20s. He fled the scene in a red Chevy Monte Carlo. The Monte Carlo may already have had a busted passenger window.
It's unknown, Czora said, whether the suspect was also injured.
Batavia's First Presbyterian Church is running its planting project, "God's Little Acre," for the second year in a row. Volunteers are needed to help plant crops at the garden on South Main St. Rd. in Batavia on Saturday, June 5.
Volunteers will meet at the church, at 300 E. Main St. in Batavia, around 9:45 a.m. to carpool. Planting will end around noon. Volunteers will also be needed to weed, water and harvest throughout the summer.
U.S. Secret Service Special Agent Greg Gramiccioni and Letizia Tagliafierro of the New York State Attorney General's Office will be giving a presentation on fraud at the Office for the Aging, at 2 Bank St., in Batavia.
Free and open to the public, this presentation will be from 1 until 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4. It will include information on the different types of fraud currently being practiced, as well as how consumers can protect themselves. Topics include:
A former corrections officer admitted in Genesee County Court this afternoon that he filed false workers compensation claims and stole thousands of dollars from the state.
James S. Gibbs, 34, faced a 24-count indictment, but reached a plea agreement to admit to one count of grand larceny and one count of filing false instruments.
As part of the plea, Gibbs will be required to pay back to the state $40,000, with a $20,000 payment due before he is sentenced.
The maximum sentence under the plea agreement is four months of intermittent incarceration and five years probation and a $5,000 fine.
Gibbs was also required to resign from New York State Corrections.
Gibbs was arrested in October for receiving disability benefits while operating a company plowing snow and sealing driveways.
Dr. Alan L. Siegel died Wednesday evening, according to an obituary posted by Michael Tomaszewski this morning.
The 57-year-old Siegel was a partner in University Eye Specialists, located on Summit Street in Batavia.
The obituary notes that Siegel had been under the care of hospice.
According to the company website, Dr. Siegel received his BA from Colgate University, an MD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and performed his residency at Boston University Medical Center. Dr. Siegel specialized in cataract, eye muscle and laser surgeries.
No further details are available at this time.
Genesee ARC Mary Anne Graney Memorial Scholarship recipients Emily Hopkins, Danielle Hirtzel and Ashlea Harmon with Scholarship Committee Chair, Charles Graney.
Teens from Batavia, Oakfield-Alabama and Churchville-Chili High Schools are the recipients of the 2010 Genesee ARC Mary Anne Graney Memorial Scholarships. The $1,000.00 scholarship awards were presented May 25 at the Genesee ARC Community Center to Ashlea Harmon, Danielle Hirtzel and Emily Hopkins.
A member of the Batavia High School Class of 2010, Ashlea plans to attend Genesee Community College, then transfer to a four-year school to complete her course of study in Elementary Education, specializing in Special Education. Ashlea has given her time and talent to several volunteer opportunities such as Special Olympics, Challenger Sports, the Down Syndrome Parent Support Group Auction, Salvation Army and numerous Genesee ARC community events. She is also an active member of the National Technical Honor Society.
Danielle is graduating from Oakfield-Alabama High School and intends to pursue her career in Childhood Special Education. Danielle has dedicated many hours of community service helping with Challenger Sports, Stephen’s Table, Friends of Rachel program and other worthy causes. She is active in Girls Scouts, high school band, swim team, Library Club and a member of the National Honor Society. She will be attending SUNY Brockport in the fall.
The third recipient, Emily Hopkins, plans to attend SUNY Oneonta, to study Psychology, with aspirations of obtaining her Master’s Degree in School Psychology. A student at Churchville-Chili High School, Emily has volunteered many hours of service with Special Olympics, Batavia YMCA, Ronald McDonald House, Challenger Sports and Genesee ARC special events. She is very active in extra-curricular activities with her school and is a member of the National Honor Society.
Three $1,000.00 scholarships are awarded to high school seniors each year interested in working in human services, special education or related fields. The scholarship is in honor of Mary Anne Graney, a special education teacher, who died in 2004. According to Genesee ARC Scholarship Committee Chair, Charles Graney, “The scholarship is a living memorial, honoring Mary Anne’s commitment to Genesee ARC and enriching the lives of people with disabilities.”
Grace Anne Stewart, 50, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with grand larceny, 4th. Stewart is accused of stealing more than $2,000 in cash over a seven-month period while working at Home Depot.
James Matthew Rodriguez, 30, of Spring Road, Brockport is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation. Rodriguez was stopped by Town of Ogden Police and turned over to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office on a warrant.
Michael John Coffta, 18, of Burns Road, Medina, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of alcohol by a person under 21. During a school-requested K-9 sniff search of school grounds at Oakfield-Alabama High School, the K-9 reportedly alerted on Coffta's vehicle.
Micheal J. Hodgins, 50, of Batavia, is charged with DWI and aggravated DWI with no prior offense. Hodgins was arrested by State Police at 11:40 p.m., Tuesday, on Pearl Street in Batavia.
From the Batavia Lions:
The Batavia Lions Club recently presented its annual scholarships and awards to several local students at a ceremony held at the Batavia Party House.
Each spring, several graduating seniors at Batavia High School and Notre Dame High School apply for these scholarships, are interviewed by a committee of Lions Club members, and are chosen by the committee to receive $1,000 Scholarships.
In addition, selected students from both schools are awarded the Arthur Roth Fine Arts Award and the Bill Cook Scholar-Athlete Award.
A final award is the Batavia Lions Club Award in Communications which is awarded to a Genesee Community College student in memory of two former Batavia Lions and local media legends – Paul Bostwick, the former managing editor of the Batavia Daily News and James H. Gerrety, the former News Director of WBTA.
During the high school football season each fall, members of the Batavia Lions Club man the refreshment stands at both the Batavia and Notre Dame High School home football games to sell snacks. All of the proceeds are used exclusively for the scholarship and awards program.
The primary aim of Lionism is best expressed in our motto, “We Serve.” Each year, Lions perform services and provide goods for thousands of people throughout the world. Lions Clubs are non-political, non-sectarian service organizations composed of community members from all walks of life. The Batavia Lions Club has 53 men and women who enjoy good fellowship while working to assist their fellow Batavians and to make Batavia a better community. We currently meet on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 6:30 PM at Bohn’s Restaurant.
For more information, please write Membership Chairman, Batavia Lion Club, P.O. Box 456, Batavia, NY 14020 or simply speak to any member. The Batavia Lions Club congratulates all of these fine students as well as their parents and wishes them the very best in all of their future endeavors. It is comforting to know that our future rests in the very capable and talented hands of such outstanding young people.
Top photo: This year’s Lions Club Scholarship winners are Melissa Levins, BHS, Woodams “Woody” Clark, ND, Kristen Drilling, BHS, Benjamin Nowacki, GCC, Carissa Hyde, BHS, Erin Dobbertin, BHS, and Nichole Hart, ND.
Bottom photo: This year’s Bill Cook Scholar-Athlete Awards were presented to Matthew Hoye, BHS and Matthew Thompson, ND. The Art Roth Fine Arts Awards were presented to Angel Ramos, BHS, and Erin Kruppner, ND. Erin is not pictured because she was away on a school sponsored fine arts field trip to New York City.
Harpist Patricia Worrad will play at GoArt!'s Seymour Place, at 201 E. Main St. in Batavia, from 6 until 8 p.m.
Worrad will be playing traditional Irish tunes and classical pieces on a floor-standing lever harp, the design of which is based on the Celtic tradition. A themed dinner will also be served.
Advance reservation is required. The cost of the event is $18 per GoArt! member and $20 per non-member.
The sun is shining and all systems are “go” for the 2010 Tuesday Night Cruises at Batavia Downs Casino.
Cruise director Darrell Mase (pronounced “Mays”) and Batavia’s Lone Wolf Cruisers are supervising the shows in cooperation with Batavia Downs Casino.
Hours are 6 to 9 p.m. in the north end of the BDC parking lot on Park Road (near the OTB Simulcast Center – formerly Matty’s Pizzeria). The cruises will take place every Tuesday – weather permitting - through Aug. 31.
The shows are free and open to cars, trucks and motorcycles. All cruisers receive $5 in casino free play and the chance to win other prizes from the casino’s promotion staff. A cruisin’ soundtrack will be provided by DJ Dennis.
"Scruffy" just did what his breed is wont to do when a person in his care is assaulted -- he attacked the aggressor.
An East Main Street woman was sent to UMMC around 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, after she allegedly went onto a neighbor's property and started fighting with a woman who was staying there.
Her leg was reportedly bitten pretty badly.
The woman whom "Scruffy" was reportedly protecting also suffered a dog bite, probably accidentally, when she tried pulling "Scruffy" off the other woman. She was also transported to UMMC.
When the incident started, "Scruffy" was quietly sitting on his own porch at 516 E. Main St., doing what he normally does -- just watching -- when the fight started. He jumped off the porch and attacked the woman who had allegedly come onto his property.
"Scruffy," if that's his real name, Sgt. John Peck wasn't 100 percent sure, is part pit bull.
Neither "Scruffy" nor his owner face any chargers since "Scruffy" did not leave his owner's property and didn't break any laws.
Peck said neighbors were familiar with the dog and described him as normally very friendly. The dog has no prior history of attacks or aggression. Peck said "Scruffy" was friendly with him when he approached.
Whether either of the women will be charged with any crime is unknown, Sgt. Peck said. The case is still open.
Peck said the women had been taunting each other recently, which seemed to precipate the alleged altercation last night.
The police are not releasing any names until and unless actual charges are filed.
(This is a follow up to this initial report.)
A youth who was wanted by local law enforcement, and allegedly led Batavia Police, State Police and Sheriff's deputies on a manhunt in the city two months ago, was sentenced to prison time for a violation of probation.
Christopher Laird, 17, originally from Elba, but has also lived in Le Roy and Batavia, failed to report for probation meetings in early 2010.
Police eventually caught up with Lair in Le Roy on April 4, two days after the manhunt, which involved a State Police helicopter.
Laird's probation was revoked. He will spend one to three years in state prison.
Jesse Adam Dispenza, 24, of Union Street, Scottsville, is charged with trespass. Dispenza is accused of trespassing on the Dolomite property in the Town of Le Roy at 6:20 p.m., Saturday.
Marissa Christine Zeiner, 19, of Sunset Circle Lane, Brockport, is charged with trespass. Zeiner is accused of trespassing on the Dolomite property in the Town of Le Roy at 6:20 p.m., Saturday.
A 17-year-old resident of Maple Avenue in Le Roy is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The youth was allegedly found in possession of marijuana during a traffic stop by Deputy Matt Butler at 5:03 p.m., Saturday.
Ami Kadar, 64, of Albion, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Kadar was arrested this week by State Police on Maple Avenue, Elba, in connection with an alleged incident at 12:01 p.m., March 30. No further details are available.
Jorge L. Portugal-Pineda, 22, of Elba, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, unsafe tires and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. Portugal-Pineda was arrested by State Police on Transit Road at 3:15 p.m., Monday.
Ethan R. Kitanik, 19, of Oakfield, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, and ticketed for no headlights. Kitanik was stopped by State Police on Oak Street in Oakfield at 10:55 p.m., Sunday.
A juror in the Scott Doll murder trial contacted The Batavian today and after confirming the juror's identity, we agreed to anonymously publish this account of the juror's experience.
I just have a couple things to say about the Scott Doll trial. I was a juror who sat in the front row. I would not like to give my name or my number as I am not trying to cause any problems with this statement, just want to clear some things up, that have been on my mind since last Thursday.
I wanted to start off by saying that none of us in the jury chose to be in that box for the three weeks, we were chosen by both sides of the case as they felt we were the most impartial and non-biased individuals out of the pool they had to choose from. That being said, I would like to also tell everyone that none of us had preconceived notions as to the guilt or innocence of Mr. Doll. And for those of you who have comments such as "shame on the Jury," you were not in that deliberation room discussing the facts/evidence so you have no idea what we went through.
No one but the 12 of us that were locked in that room for 12 hours knows what we discussed, and let me tell you there was quite a lot of discussion taking place. I do not like the fact that almost instantly people comment that we locked up an innocent man, that there is a "real" murderer on the streets. To you all, we all examined the evidence, and listened to all the testimonies. We all listened to the opinions and concerns that each of us had, and NO ONE was forced into making a guilty verdict when we took our final vote.
We DID NOT rush things to get it over with. Anyone who had reservations on coming up with a verdict was allowed to voice their opinions. It all comes back to the evidence. Mr. Cambria told us to use our "common sense" when it came to deliberating on a verdict. We all felt that the evidence all pointed back to Mr. Doll, and to us that was "Common Sense" as that is what the evidence showed us. If there had been other evidence showing otherwise we would have considered it.
For the record, it's not the easiest thing to give a guilty verdict either. Knowing someone's life was in our hands weighed on our hearts and minds those final minutes of the trial. And it is definitely not easy to hear the cries and look at the faces of the family either, even when you know that the right thing was done according to the evidence that was presented to us. I'm sorry if that upsets some of you reading this, but trust me I have not nor will I ever forget this event. I have certainly not moved on with my life and left it behind. And I hope to never have to do something like this again.
My thoughts and prayers are with both the Doll family as well as the Benaquist family. I know that both families are now missing a member, and things will never be the same, and that is something that I will think about daily, for the rest of my life. If anyone thinks otherwise they are greatly mistaken.
Sixty-two drivers in Batavia received traffic citations in May as part of a joint Batavia PD and State Police effort to crack down on mobile phone use and seat belt violators.
The Batavia Police received a grant earlier to help fund increased enforcement of these laws as part of a statewide effort.
In May, checkpoints were set up on Law, Clinton and Oak streets.
The State Police cooperated in the last location, setting up its Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit. Nine tickets were issued to truck drivers at the checkpoint near the Thruway entrance.
The city will conduct future enforcement actions as part of the grant it received from the governor's Traffic Safety Committee.
CORRECTION: Lt. Henning informed me that I got my enforcement grants mixed up. The grant for this particular set of checkpoints was for police to look for vehicle violations. You drive through a check point and the police check your registration and inspection, etc. There is another grant, also still active in the city, for seat belt and mobile phone violations. The May results of that enforcement effort have not been released yet.
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