batavia

John M. Forte, 23, of 4898 Ridge Road, Williamson, is charged with burglary, 3rd. Forte is accused of forceably entering a business in the Village of Le Roy on or about Nov. 8 and stealing copper from the basement of the building.

Eric Bratcher, 22, of 7 ½ North St., Le Roy, is charged with burglary, 2nd, and petit larceny. Bratcher is accused of entering the residence of a friend over the weekend and stealing a game system and games. Bratcher was arraigned and released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Marianne Dawson, 50, 20 N. Spruce St., Batavia, is charged with DWI. Dawson was charged with DWI. Dawson was arrested at 5:18 p.m. Monday on Seneca Avenue by Officer Kevin DeFelice.

A 16-year-old resident of Snipery Road, Darien, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. The youth got into an argument with her parents about getting ready and going to school. She allegedly became verbally abusive and threw an item at her father. Family Court had issued an order of protection requiring her not to engage in offensive conduct toward her parents. The youth was released after arraignment and transported to school.

Darleen Angie McComb, 53, of Lake Street, Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny. McComb is accused of stealing a $30 pair of boots from R and D Outlet Center on Clinton Street Road, Stafford.

Basillo Martinez, 48, of Clinton Street Road, Bergen, was arrested on a bench warrant for alleged criminal possession of stolen property and criminal possession of a weapon.

Jeffrey Allen Good, 36, of Route 98, Alexander, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, criminal use/possession of a hypodermic instrument and criminal use of drug paraphernalia. Good was allegedly found by his probation officer in possession of heroin in packaging along with hypodermic needles while in his home. Good was taken into custody by Deputy Brian Thompson. Good was jailed on $5,000 bail.

John Cheston Townley, 36, of Liberty Street, Bliss, was arrested on a bench warrant for DWI. Townley had been incarcerated on unrelated charges in Wyoming County.

A car has reportedly struck a pole in the area of 309 S. Jackson St., Batavia.

Unknown injuries.

Wires are down on the road.

City Fire Department and Mercy EMS responding. Law enforcement on scene.

UPDATE 2:19 a.m.: The driver reportedly fled the scene. The only description is he was wearing a sweatshirt.  He ran east on South Jackson.

UPDATE 3:26 a.m.: The alleged driver returned to the scene. He immediately started picking up his sporting equipment strewn in the road until a police officer came over and began an interview with him. The driver said he left the scene because he panicked. He said he didn't think he was going that fast, "but obviously I was." Adding, "my car is totaled." After a brief chat with police officers, he was examined by Mercy medics. He complained of back pain. He was transported by private vehicle to UMMC where he will be questioned further.  National Grid arrived on scene just before 3 a.m. City firefighters cleared the scene at 3:20 a.m. The pole replacement work is expected to take several hours. The identity of the driver has not been released yet.

View Larger Map

A Mercy EMS ambulance is being dispatched to the scene of an alleged attempted burglary where the would-be female burglar reportedly fell and hit her head.

She is semi-conscious.

Batavia PD is just arriving on scene at the Seneca Avenue residence.

Batavia PD responded to a 9-1-1 call this morning reporting a domestic disturbance at 110 Walnut St. and when officers arrived, one of the people allegedly involved in the disturbance fled the scene.

The subject was seen heading into the woods behind the house.

Joshua A. Harris, 22, of no permanent address, was taken into custody by Batavia officers after a short pursuit. Deputy Brian Thompson and his K-9 "Pharoah" assisted in the search.

Harris was wanted on three warrants related to charges of criminal contempt, 2nd.

This morning Harris was charged with obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest.

Press release:

The partners of the Perry Veterinary Clinic, PLLC, have purchased the Batavia Animal Hospital from Dr. Raymond Pray.  The transfer was effective Oct. 1, 2011.

The Batavia Animal Hospital was founded by Drs. Jack E. Wilkes and Irving W. Wiswall in 1955 on Lewiston Road. In 1958 it moved to its current location on W. Main St. Road. In 1961, Dr. Pray joined the practice and purchased it in 1974.

The Perry Veterinary Group includes 28 veterinarians with additional small animal clinics in Perry, Livonia and Yorkshire (Arcade). In addition, it provides veterinary services to dairy, equine and other farm animals in a 13-county area.

Dr. Pray and his associate veterinarians are continuing to practice at the Batavia Animal Hospital. Dr. Pray said that he is looking forward to the new arrangement which will allow him more free time while providing the opportunity to continue practicing veterinary medicine. He also stated that he was happy to see the clinic moving forward and knows that the clients that have supported him for many years will continue to receive excellent veterinary care for their pets from the Perry group.

Dr. Stephen Stoddard, senior managing partner, for Perry Veterinary Clinic stated: “The Partners are delighted with the purchase of the Batavia Animal Hospital. Dr. Pray and his associates have excellent reputations and we look forward to working with them. The Perry Veterinary group has long had a significant presence in Genesee County with residents from the Southeast corner of the county coming to our Perry clinic for their pets medical care. In addition, the practice is currently servicing dairy, equine and livestock clients in Genesee County. The Batavia Animal Hospital is a natural fit and we are excited about the opportunity it presents.”

Theodore Murphy, 51, of 29 Central Ave., Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd. Murphy is accused of possessing an electronic stun gun on Sept. 25 while on Central Avenue. Murphy was jailed without bail.

Reginald J. Hawker, 56, of 220 W. Main St., #4, Batavia, is charged with trespass. Hawker is accused of entering Wilson Farms on West Main Street after previously being barred from the store.

Jerome S. Dennis, 25, of 15 Thorpe St., Upper, Batavia, is charged with harassment. 2nd. Dennis is accused of spitting on another person.

Phillip Michael Busch, 19, of Bowen Road, Attica, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to signal and moving from lane unsafely. Busch was stopped at 3:06 a.m., Sunday, on Bowen Road in Alexander by Deputy Jason Saile.

Jennifer Lynn Hoehn, 38, of Dublin Road, Bergen, is charged with criminal mischief. Hoehn is accused of damaging a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado belonging to another person.

Ryan Donal Spencer, 22, of Sumner Road, Darien, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and inadequate exhaust. Spencer was stopped at 12:51 a.m. Saturday by Deputy Jason Saile.

The 90 or so employees of the Lowe's store in Batavia were called in for a mandatory meeting Sunday night and told that the store will be closing.

While employees after the meeting said the closing date is set for Jan. 13, store Manager Ray Robare said there is "no sure, hard date" for the closing.

Starting tomorrow, every item in the store will be 10-percent off, Robare said, and the store will start operating on reduced hours. Tomorrow it will open at 7 a.m. and close at 9 p.m.

The employees we spoke with said there is a severance package available, perhaps as long as three-months pay, but the clock starts ticking on it tomorrow, even for those employees who finish out the final weeks of the store.

Robare said, however, that those details are still being worked out and, "it's something that tomorrow we'll start discussing with employees."

As for whether some employees, especially managers, might have job opportunities at other Lowe's locations, Robare said that's something that is still being worked out.

Robare said he couldn't discuss the reason for closing that corporate leaders might have shared with managers.

One employee said, "If I told you the real story, I might get in trouble."

The Lowe's location is leased and sits directly across Veterans Memorial Drive from The Home Depot.

UPDATE 9:26 a.m., Monday: Lowe's issued the following press release this morning:

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW), announced today the company is closing 20 underperforming stores in 15 states. Ten locations closed at the end of business Sunday, Oct. 16. The remaining 10 locations will close within approximately one month, following an inventory sell-through.

In addition, after completing a comprehensive review of its pipeline of proposed new stores, the company announced it has discontinued a number of planned new store projects. Lowe's now expects to open 10 to 15 stores per year in North America from 2012 forward, compared to a prior assumption of approximately 30 stores per year. The company is on track to open approximately 25 stores in 2011, as planned.

The expected financial impact of today's announcements of $0.17 to $0.20 per diluted share was not contemplated in the business outlook for fiscal 2011 which the company provided on Aug. 15 when it released its second-quarter earnings. Additional details regarding the impact of the store closings will be provided in the next quarterly earnings release on Nov. 14.

"Closing stores is never easy, given the impact on hard-working employees and local communities," said Robert A. Niblock, chairman, president and CEO. "However, we have an obligation to make tough decisions when necessary to improve profitability and strengthen our financial position.

"Lowe's remains committed to making strategic investments and focusing resources in a manner that will generate the greatest shareholder value, enhance the customer shopping experience and create sustained customer loyalty over the long term," added Niblock.

Approximately 1,950 employees will be affected by these closings. Employees will receive pay and benefits for 60-90 days. In addition, Lowe's will be working with local government agencies to help employees with outplacement assistance.

The stores affected by today's announcement are located in:

Los Banos, CA        Biddeford, ME        Old Bridge, NJ 
Westminster, CA    Ellsworth, ME    Batavia, NY 
Denver, CO    Ionia, MI    N. Kingstown, RI 
Aurora, IL    Rogers, MN    Emporia, VA 
Oswego, IL    Claremont, NH    S. Tacoma, WA 
Chalmette, LA    Hooksett, NH    Brown Deer, WI 
Haverhill, MA    Manchester, NH

St. Joe's hosted its 52nd annual Popcorn Ball on Saturday night, with the music of Rochester-based Up 2 Somethin’, featuring local bass player Rickey Ellis.

There were 500 tickets sold for the 2011 Wine Walk in Downtown Batavia, and despite some strong winds, a bit of a chill and a little rain, attendance for the second annual event was still high.

And everybody had a good time.

This year, 20 downtown merchants participated -- up from 13 last year.

UPDATE: Carlson's Studio had their photo booth set up for wine walk guests, and Kevin Carlson was also shooting group photos on the studio couch. Below are two of the shots from the evening.

The following indictments were issued last week by the Genesee County Grand Jury.

Rodney A. Barber is charged with one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, a Class B felony, after he was allegedly found on March 17 to possess the narcotic cocaine with the intent to sell it. The location was 3967 W. Main St. in the Town of Batavia. He is also charged with one count of criminal possession of a controlled subtance, 4th, for allegedly knowingly and unlawfully possessing one or more preparations, compounds, mixtures or substances containing cocaine which had an aggregate weight of an eighth of an ounce or more.

Mark C. Gregori is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, a Class B felony, after he was allegedly found on Nov. 3, 2010 in the Town of Elba in possession of the narcotic cocaine with the intent to sell it.

Michael B. Pfaff is charged with one count of driving while intoxicated, a Class E felony, after he was allegedly found driving a 2008 Suburu on Myrtle Street in Le Roy on April 17 while intoxicated. He is also charged with one count of driving while intoxicated with a BAC of .08 or greater, a Class E felony.

Thomas J. Torres is charged with one count of driving while intoxicated, a Class D felony, after he was allegedly found driving a 2004 Chevrolet on Route 237 in Stafford while intoxicated on April 23. He is also charged with one count of aggravated driving while intoxicated, also a Class D felony, for allegedly having a BAC of .18 or greater.

Jamie L. Broadbent is charged with criminal possession of stolen property, a Class E felony, for allegedly knowingly possessing stolen property with the intention of benefitting herself or a person other than the owner. She was allegedly found in possession of a public benefit card belonging to someone else while in the City of Batavia on May 9.

Chester L. Sherman II is charged with one count of driving a 1998 Chevy pickup truck while intoxicated and one count of driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. The charges stem from his arrest April 20 on Route 262 in Byron.

Jonathan J. Langenfeld is charged with one count of burglary in the first degree, a Class B violent felony, after he allegedly entered private property on Ellicott Street Road in Pavilion on April 17 with the intent to cause, then actually causing, physical injury to a person who was not a participant in the crime. He is also charged with burglary, 2nd, a Class C violent felony, for allegedly entering private property with the intent to commit a crime. And he is charged with assault, 2nd, a Class D violent felony, for allegedly intending to seriously injure a person and then causing serious injury to that person.

Barry L. Posey, 19, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Posey was arrested following a traffic stop on a bench warrant out of the Town of Batavia Court. He was jailed on $2,000 bail.

Gina Lynn Schmidt, 22, of Forest Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with disorderly conduct. During an investigation into an unrelated matter it was discovered that there was an active bench warrant in place for the arrest of Schmidt. She was held on $175 bail.

City fire is on scene at North Street and Chandler Avenue, the site of a natural gas leak.

The call originally came in from UMMC as a report of a natural gas smell in the hospital, but the strongest concentration of the odor turned out to be at Chandler and North, where construction is taking place.

A two-inch line was struck, but workers didn't want to shut off the gas because many of the older homes in the area have pilot light systems that would cause the houses to fill with gas.

The leaked gas was apparently being picked up by the hospital's HVAC system, so the hospital has switched to recirculated air until the problem is mitigated.

National Fuel is on scene.

Members of the Town of Batavia Fire Department stopped by Grandma's Luv'n Care on Clinton Street Road on Thursday afternoon to help educate the children there about how they save lives and prevent fires.

Oct. 9 through 15 is Fire Prevention Week and departments throughout the county are taking part in similar education and outreach programs.

At the child-care center today, Assistant Chief Nate Fix (top photo, right) and firefighter David Tran (bottom photo) showed the children what firefighting gear is and Tran suited up so the children can learn that a firefighter in their house during an emergency isn't a scary monster, but a friend there to help them.

Earlier in the day, the volunteers were at GCC's child-care center. They've made similar presentations at BOCES and will be at Lucky Duck Day Care next week.

Joshua Gerald Bachorsk, 26, of South Spruce Street, Batavia, is charged with three counts of criminal possession of stolen property, 4th, and petit larceny. Bachorsk is accused of possessing a Pembroke woman's credit card without her consent and using it on three separate dates to purchase gift cards at a retail store on Veterans Memorial Drive. Bachorsk also allegedly removed a washer and dryer set from the basement of the same woman's home and sold them without her consent. Bachorsk was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Aaron Walter Pahuta, 19, of Route 20A, Warsaw, is charged with petit larceny. Pahuta is accused of shoplifting from Kmart.

Matthew Scott Williams, 23, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with aggravated harassment, 2nd. Williams is accused of sending threatening text messages to another person.

Matthew S. Williams, 23, of Hundredmark Road, Elba, is charged with grand larceny, 4th. Williams is accused of stealing his father's RG Industries .22 caliber revolver from their residence. Williams was jailed on $10,000 bail.

William Heany, 75, of 400 E. Main St., Batavia, is charged with forcible touching. Heany is accused of touching the intimate parts of a woman by force.

name redacted, 25, of Tracy Avenue, is charged with petit larceny. redacted is accused of shoplifting from Kmart.

Kelly M. Stalker, 33, of Indian Falls Road, Pembroke, is charged with burglary, 3rd. Stalker allegedly broke into a locked storage area in a trailer on Indian Falls Road and removed prescription medication and money belonging to somebody else. Stalker was jailed on $5,000 bail.

An accident has been reported at West Main and Oak streets.

A mother is reporting that she and her 3-year-old may have hit their heads on airbags.

The cars have been moved to the parking lot of Oliver's Candies.

Batavia Fire Department and Mercy EMS are requested to the scene by Batavia PD, non-emergency.

Stella was quite happy posing for her mother, Anna Molino, at Centennial Park this morning until she noticed me starting to take pictures, too. Then she got camera shy.

UPDATE: Anna sent over some pictures from her photo session with Stella. Here's two of them.

By this time next year, there will be a factory in Batavia turning out 4,000 tons of yogurt on an annual basis, employing 55 people and buying milk from local dairy farmers.

The first step toward that goal was taken today with a ceremonial groundbreaking by South America-based Alpina Products at the site of its planned 40,000-square-foot facility.

“Alpina’s decision to locate in Batavia is a success for the entire region,” said Town of Batavia Supervisor Greg Post.

Alpina started marketing yogurt products aimed at U.S. consumers in the Northeast several years ago. The Batavia plant will be its first U.S.-based manufacturing facility.

Managing Director Carlos Ramirez Zavarce said Alpina was built on European tradition and now embraces American pride in expansion in New York.

Batavia, he said, was part of a list of 50 potential sites for the plant when Alpina first started planning for growth, but quickly moved to the head of the class.

Besides a strong dairy tradition and an abundant supply of milk, as well as trained workers and easy access to a market area of 125 million potential consumers, local leaders demonstrated, he said, that they would be as committed to Alpina's success as the company's executives.

"We understood that you got the message that if we were successful, you would be successful," Ramirez said. "That was very important for us. We have no doubt we're going to have success here. This is the right location, the right place."

After the groundbreaking, attendees were invited to sample Alpina's yogurt products and there was a strong sense of excitement about this initial factory opening in the long-anticipated agri-business park.

“Today’s groundbreaking of Alpina Foods’ first manufacturing facility in the United States is proof that Batavia is a great place to do business,” said Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer. “Alpina’s $15 million investment and its decision to create 50 jobs sends a clear message that other private-sector companies should consider Genesee County for their next investment.”

GCEDC CEO Steve Hyde has said previously that there are other prospects for the business park in the pipeline, but until deals are signed, he is unable to provide public details.

VIDEO: Promotional video from Alpina.

Alpina CEO Julian Jaramillo

Alpina Managing Director Carlos Ramirez Zavarce

Roger Parkhurst, who will be director of operations at the new plant

Sen. Mike Ranzenhoffer and Assemblyman Steve Hawley

GCEDC CEO Steve Hyde

An allegedly intoxicated mother who apparently lost track of the whereabouts of her children initially told a Sheriff's sergeant who knocked on her door that she lost track of her youngsters during a game of hide-and-seek.

From WBTA:

Genesee County Sheriff’s Sgt. Greg Walker says 31-year-old Jolene Goodell of Attica Road was drinking at her own home on Monday evening. Her 10 and 7-year-old daughters were home with her, but left the house and walked over to the neighbors' place, telling the folks next door that mommy couldn’t make them dinner right now.

The neighbors called 9-1-1, and lawmen showed up and found Jolene Goodell alone.

"We asked her where her children were," says Sgt. Walker, "and she originally said she didn't know. Then she said she'd last seen them about 30 - 45 minutes ago...and then she said she was playing 'hide-and-go-seek' with them."

Goodell was jailed on $1,500 bail, charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Previously: Law and Order: Allegedly intoxicated woman accused of not knowing whereabouts of her children.

"In for a dime, in for a dollar" seemed to be the argument that won the night at Batavia City Council meeting when it came time to vote on a proposal to hire a facilitator to help the Consolidation Charter Task Force do its job.

The facilitator will cost $55,000, but will be paid for by a state grant.

Bill Cox and Rosemary Christian -- the two no votes in a 6-2 vote -- argued that consolidation has no chance of approval by Town of Batavia voters and therefore the money should be spent.

But other council members argued that state grant money has already been spent on consolidation studies so the city should support finishing the process.

Perhaps some good ideas will come out of the task force with a facilitator's help, said Tim Buckley.

"We're on our own 10-yard line," said Tim Buckley. "We've got 90 yards to go. Let's get to the end zone."

Frank Ferrando said that he could be pursaded to vote against the proposal if voting no would actually save taxpayers money, but if the city doesn't spend the grant money, he said, then some other municipality will.

"Any time we can take advantage of money from a broader base of taxpayers to do something that could save our taxpayers money, we should," Ferrando said.

As for the town voters possibly not approving a consolidation plan, Ferrando argued that first, the town's leadership must believe consolidation has a chance of passing in the town, or they wouldn't keep voting to approve consolidation measures.

"I want to see information on consolidation because there is a possibility it could be very beneficial to the city," Ferrando said. "It could it be beneficial to the town, we’ll see, but I don’t represent the town. I represent the city."