batavia

A former director at GCASA is apparently no longer working for the drug and alcohol treatment agency after being arrested earlier this month for allegedly driving while impaired by drugs.

John T. Walker, 50, of Old Meadow Lane, Batavia, was arrested following a report of an erratic driver in the city at 5:07 p.m., Oct.14.

Until recently, Walker was listed on the GCASA Web site as director of clinical and residential services. He reportedly listed his employer at the time of his arrest as GCASA.

John Bennett, executive director of GCASA, said he could not comment on personnel matters.

Police responded to a complaint Oct. 14 of an erratic driver after a witness reported seeing a 2000 Chevy Tracker leave the roadway for about 25 yards on East Main Street near Tractor Supply. The driver appeared unable to maintain his lane, according to the witness. The witness followed the Tracker to the parking lot outside Eastown Beverage, at which point the driver parked and walked into the store.

"As he walked, his gait was slow and unstable," the witness wrote.

At that point, Officer Felicia DeGroot arrived on scene and approached the male driver. Officer Jason Davis arrived on scene and conducted a field sobriety test.

According to court documents, Walker passed a breath test but allegedly failed the field sobriety test.

He was taken back to the police station and processed for alleged driving while impaired by drugs, first offense, which is an infraction.

Walker has not yet appeared in City Court on the charge. He's not scheduled to appear until Nov. 6, yet he appears to be out of a job.

We attempted to contact Walker for comment. In the arrest report, Walker apparently gave officers his work phone number and the only home phone number listing we could find has been disconnected.

City firefighters, members of IAFF Local 896, have been volunteering their time to help with the revitalization of a house on Harvester Avenue by Habitat for Humanity.

Joining in the tasks today were Dave Adams, Tim Stengel, Chuck Hammon, Mike Dorgan, Adam Palumbo, Nathan Kinne, Mark Mikolajczyk and Christina Marinaccio.

Top photo, Kinne and Palumbo. Bottom, Marinaccio and Stengel.

Press release:

In the mood to see ghosts, vampires, and zombies this weekend? Then stop by Batavia Sports Park on Bank Street Road for the third annual Soccerween Tournament sponsored by New York Premier Soccer. Games start at 8 a.m. and continue until 4 p.m.

Soccerween brings together soccer players ages 9 to 14 for a weekend of fun competition. Park coordinator Ted Hawley says, “The accent is on the fun in this tournament. It’s a great way to celebrate the end (for some) of the soccer season.”

Teams typically choose a theme and each player dresses accordingly.

“We’ve had teams of Smurfettes, Cat in the Hat, and The Hulk,” Hawley said. “The coaches even get into the spirit and can often be seen wearing costumes.”

Trophies are awarded for Most Creative Costume and Best Dressed Teams/Coaches.

New York Premier Soccer organizes this event for travel- and premier-level teams. Each team is guaranteed at least three 7v7 or 9v9 games in a one-day tournament format.

“Aside from fostering team camaraderie, Soccerween is a great way to celebrate the season in a fun, healthy atmosphere,” said Robin Apholz, event coordinator. “Dozens of teams participate each year in what is becoming one of our most popular tournaments.”

Soccerween is free and open to the public. Food will be available to purchase at the park. For more information contact Ted Hawley at 585.343.3329. For additional information on New York Premier Soccer contact rapholz@globalpremiersoccer.com

A Batavia man accused of robbing the 7-Eleven on East Main Street in Batavia was denied a chance at bail today after pleading not guilty to the two felony counts against him.

Michael C. Kraatz, 34, is accused of robbing the convenience store Oct. 6 and is indicted on counts of of robbery, 2nd, a Class C violent felony, and grand larceny, 2nd, a Class C felony.

Kraatz was originally indicted on lesser charges, but the grand jury elevated the robbery charge and District Attorney Lawrence Friedman sought an elevated grand larceny charge after reviewing the statute and the alleged facts of the case.

"That (the robbery charge) was elevated based on testimony at grand jury that the robbery victim has suffered physical injury," Friedman said.

As for the grand larceny charge, Friedman said Kraatz was appropriately charged with third-degree grand larceny when he was arrested, but in an unusual quirk of the penal code, the same set of circumstances also apply to the higher level charge.

"He was properly charged with grand larceny in the fourth degree based on coercion and threat to cause physical injury or serious physical injury or the threat of death in the future," Friedman said. "In examining the statute, I discovered that not only does that spell out grand larceny in the fourth degree, but it also spells out grand larceny in the second degree. It's somewhat of an unusual situation, but the same elements make up grand larceny in the second degree."

Kraatz entered not guilty pleas to both counts today.

When Kraatz was originally arraigned in City Court, because of his prior felony convictions, the lower court judge did not have the authority to set bail. County Court Judge Robert C. Noonan could have set bail today, but ordered Kraatz held without bail.

The next scheduled court appearance for Kraatz is Dec. 13, when attorneys are expected to argue any motions in the case.

Also in County Court today, Jon T. Magliocco, entered not guilty pleas to the 17-count indictment filed against him. Magliocco is accused of being 21 or older and having sexual relations with a person less than 17 years old. He is being held on $50,000 bail.

Jaime Lynn Killinger, 37, of West Main Street Road, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, driving while on a suspended or revoked license and improper left turn. Killinger is accused of driving a car into a ditch at 10:40 p.m., Oct. 18, on Route 5 in Le Roy, and then leaving the scene of the accident. The accident was investigated by Deputy Matthew Butler.

Jeanine Lynn Calica, 41, of South Spruce Street, Batavia, was arrested on a bench warrant for an alleged violation of probation. Calica is accused of failing to appear in Town of Pavilion Court on a violation of probation charge.

Paul Michael Gelardo, 28, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Gelardo is accused of not showing up for an original appearance in Batavia City Court on a CPCS charge. He was arrested by Batavia PD, turned over to the Sheriff's Office, arraigned in City Court and jailed on $1,000 bail.

Denise A. Kingsley, 30, of Silver Springs, is charged with petit larceny. Kingsley, who was arrested by State Police, is accused of stealing from Kmart.

City Republicans, Democrats and the Genesee County Libertarian Party couldn't agree on a debate format, but they have agreed to come together for a meet the candidates night prior to the Nov. 5 election.

The event is 7 to 8:30 p.m., Nov. 1, in the Batavia High School Library.

Along with the nominees for the three at-large seats on the Batavia City Counci from the three parties, independent candidate Rose Mary Christian will be participating.

Voters are invited to come and chat with the candidates. Coffee and snacks will be provided.

Former Batavia PD officer Eugene Jankowski had another successful showing at a gun competition, finishing in the top 25 percent out of 202 competitors and winning 1st Place in the senior tactical optics division.

The competition, the 2013 Blue Ridge Mountain Three-Gun Championship, was held last week  at the Rockcastle Shooting Center in Park City, Ky.

Competitors shot nine stages of fire in natural terrain over three days.  

All stages required the use of a modern sporting rifle, semi-auto shotgun and semi-auto handgun.  The targets were required to be engaged from awkward shooting locations and positions. Targets ranged from 3 to 425 yards for the rifle, 3-70 yards for the pistol and 10-75 yards for the shotgun.

Jankowski is sponsored by Metal Spinning Targets in Le Roy, CMC Triggers in Fort Worth, Texas, Wolf Gunsprings and Offhaus Farms in Batavia.

The U.S. Marshall's Fugitive Task Force apprehended a man in Albion today who was wanted in Batavia for alleged sexual abuse of a child less than 11 years old.

Terrell Goodson, 25, was taken into custody on a felony warrant for alleged aggravated sexual abuse 2nd and sexual abuse 1st.

The Task Force assisted in locating Goodson.

The investigation into Goodson's alleged crime was handled by Det. Kevin Czora.

Goodson was arraigned and jailed without bail.

Don't miss the 54th annual Popcorn Ball starting at 6 p.m. this weekend at St. Joseph's School. Tickets will be available at the door. $60/couple.

The World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals will have a very familiar feel for Batavia Muckdogs fans when it gets under way tonight in Boston.

Nine Cardinals players, including three starters, and one member of the Red Sox passed through Batavia at some point in their young careers.

Matt Carpenter, who played nine games in Batavia in 2009 and hit .469 in 32 at bats, will see the first pitch of the 2013 series as the Cardinals' lead-off hitter.

Somewhere in the middle of the line up, perhaps hitting clean up, will be Matt Adams, who really put himself on the map in the Cardinals organization in Batavia.

Adams was the 699th player taken over all in the 2009 draft and wasn't on anybody's list of elite prospects coming out of Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. He distinguished himself as a Muckdog, hitting .346 while drawing 11 walks and slugging four monster home runs in 31 games.

Lance Lynn, on the other hand, was signed with nearly a $1 million bonus in 2008 before starting his pro career in Batavia, where he quickly demonstrated to fans why he was so highly regarded by the Cardinal scouts. In six games with the Muckdogs, he posted a 0.96 ERA, striking out 22 in 18 2/3 innings before being promoted to Quad Cities.

Also on the Cardinals' roster for the series are Daniel Descalso (2007), Pete Kozma (2007), Tony Cruz (2007), Joe Kelly (2009), Kevin Siegrist (2009, 2010) and Seth Maness (2011).

Quintin Berry (2006), plays for the Red Sox.

Interestingly, only one of the series-bound former Muckdogs (Lancy Lynn) spent any time on the 2008 team, which won the NYPL championship.

The Muckdogs have long promoted that one reason to come to games is to see the major league stars of tomorrow. With 10 former Muckdogs carrying two teams to the World Series, that pretty much proves the point.

Photo by Michelle Taylor.

A motor-vehicle accident is reported on West Main Street Road in the Town of Batavia, which has its fire department responding along with Mercy medics. Mercy Flight is called to the town's Highway Department.

UPDATE 7:46 p.m.: Sheriff's deputies are also responding. The highway department is located at 3833 W. Main Street Road.

UPDATE 7:49 p.m.: The accident is blocking both lanes of traffic.

UPDATE 7:50 p.m.: One patient has an "angular fracture to the right leg."

UPDATE 7:57 p.m.: Mercy Flight has landed in the parking lot of the Town Hall. That option was chosen due to concern about the gravel on the ground at the adjacent Highway Department.

UPDATE 8:45 p.m.: Town of Batavia's assignment is back in service and both westbound lanes are reopened.

Michael C. Kraatz is indicted on a count of robbery, 2nd, a Class C violent felony, and grand larcney, 2nd, a Class C felony. Kraatz is accused of robbing the 7-Eleven store at 505 E. Main St., Batavia, on Oct. 6, and in the process injuring another person who was not a participant in the crime. Kraatz is accused of stealing cash from the store, regardless of value, by extortion of the victim.

Jon T. Magliocco is indicated on eight counts of rape, 3rd, a Class E felony, and nine counts of criminal sexual act, 3rd, a Class E felony. Magliocco is accused of being older than 21 years old and on at least eight different occasions, engaging is sexual intercourse or oral sexual contact with a person less than 17 years old. All but one occasion is alleged to have occurred in a house in the City of Batavia and the other incident was allegedly sexual intercourse in a tent in the Town of Batavia.

Aaron W. Clark is indicted on one count of burglary, 2nd, a Class C violent felony, and 11 counts of criminal possession of stolen property, 4th, a Class E felony. Clark is accused of entering a garage of a house on South Bennett Heights, Town of Batavia, on Aug. 3, with the intent of committing a crime. He is accused of unlawfully possessing eight credit cards and three gift cards.

Patrick M. Hackett is indicted on a count of rape, 3rd. Hacket is accused of being 21 or older and engaging in sexual intercourse with a person less than 17 years old.

Heather D. Stone is indicted on a count of burglary, 3rd, a Class D felony, and a count of petit larceny. Stone is accused of entering a residence on Hebard Road, Town of Le Roy, on Aug. 2 or Aug. 3, 2012, with the intent to commit a crime. Stone is accused of stealing deep cell marine batteries.

Brett C. Bartolotta indicted on a count of DWI, a Class E felony. Bartolotta is accused of driving drunk in the Village of Corfu on July 6. Bartolotta was allegedly convicted of a prior DWI in the City of Rochester in July 2010.

Local law enforcement agencies will host another drug take-back day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday in Batavia, Le Roy and Pembroke.

Drug take-back days are times when residents and turn in no-longer-needed prescription drugs so they can be disposed of safely.

Drugs can be disposed of with no questions asked.

The locations are at the Batavia Police Headquarters in the back parking lot, at the Le Roy Police HQ at the Village Hall, and at the Town Highway garages at Route 77 and Route 5 in Pembroke.

For people unable to make it to the designated locations during those times, both Batavia PD and Le Roy PD will accept discarded prescription drugs during normal business hours. The State Police Batavia Barracks, on West Saile Drive, also has a disposal bin in its foyer for drop off at any time.

Press release:

On Friday, Nov. 8th at 11 a.m. a dedication of an historic marker for the former Richmond Mansion will be held at the Richmond Memorial Library. The Mansion, built in the 1830s by Col. William Davis and enlarged by Dean and Mary Richmond in the 1850s, stood in the parking lot that now serves St. Joseph’s Church and the Richmond Memorial Library. For many years after the death of the Richmonds, it housed the Children’s Home. The structure was torn down in 1970.

Dean Richmond amassed a fortune in Great Lakes shipping. He was instrumental in the creation of the New York Central Railroad and served as the railroad’s second president.  Dean Richmond was also instrumental in bringing the State School for the Blind to Batavia, which is why the street running in the front of the School is named Richmond Avenue. The Richmond Memorial Library was a gift to the community from Mary Richmond in memory of a son who died in early adulthood.

The historic marker is being placed at the foot of the walkway between the parking lot and the Library. It has been funded by a $1,050 grant to the City by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse.

Attending the dedication ceremony will be Harold Richmond III of New Jersey, the great-great-grandson of Dean and Mary Richmond. Also in attendance will be a representative of the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. City Historian Larry D. Barnes will lead the dedication.

Later in the day, historic markers funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation will also be dedicated in Stafford and at the former county home in Bethany.

Michael Joseph Dorigo, 56, of Buxton Avenue, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or higher and moving from lane unsafely. Dorigo was reportedly involved in a motor-vehicle accident at 10:10 p.m., Sunday, on Fotch Road, Stafford. Dorigo's 2009 GMC was reportedly traveling north on Fotch Road and Dorigo failed to negotiate a curve in the road and drove off the road into a ditch where the vehicle hit an old utility pole base and a large rock. Dorigo's passenger was transported to UMMC with minor injuries. The accident was investigated by Deputy Joseph Graff.

Nina M.E. Kelso, 29, of 142 Hutchins St., Batavia, is charged with unlawful possesion of marijuana. During a check on the welfare of a child at Kelso's residence, Officer James DeFreze allegedly observed marijuana in plain view.

Zackary H. Kelly, 19, of 8 Dartwood Ave., Cheektowaga, is charged with petit larceny. Kelly is accused of shoplifting Amp Engery Drink from Southside Deli.

David Bernard Marsceil, 36, of Arnold Road, Elba, is charged with attempted criminal contempt, 1st. Marsceil, an inmate in the Genesee County Jail, allegedly attempted to send a letter to a person protected from contact by court order.

Colton Andrew Cole, 22, of Warner Road, South Byron, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or higher and no seat belt. Cole was stopped at 4:41 p.m., Sunday, in Byron, by Sgt. Ron Meides after Cole allegedly accelerated quickly and squealed his tires.

After having difficulty yesterday while covering the Batavia Bulldawgs with the auto focus on my camera, I wanted to test some alternate settings while shooting sports, so I went out this afternoon to see if I could find any kids playing football or basketball.

There was a three-on-three football game being played by a group of Batavia High School students on Woodward Field.

Thanks to Ty Armison, Griffin Moore, A.J. Marcello, Richard Lamkin, Alex Snell and Alex Sugerman (all pictured in the bottom photo) for accommodating my experiments.

Top photo, Marcello celebrates his interception.

What was initially reported about 10 minutes ago as possible gunshots in the area of Porter and Washington avenues by at least two callers to emergency dispatch, turned out to be fireworks. After searching the area police found the source of the noise: some people firing off so-called bottle rockets on Willow Street. Police spoke with the individuals, then cleared the scene.

In its third year, the Batavia Bulldawgs football program is putting up some good numbers, both in the number of players on each roster and on the field.

Today, the JV and varsity squads posted big wins against the Hawks in Holley, with a 35-0 win for JV and a 35-6 win for varsity.

There are 120 kids participating. For the beginners (ages 6-7), the minis (8-9), JV (10-11),  there are 35 players on each team. Varsity (12-13) has 25 players and five cheerleaders.

Varsity is 7-2 and JV is 5-4.

"I think overall things are going very well," Head Coach Matt Della Penna said. "I think our numbers speak well for themselves. We've got some good numbers throughout and we're winning some games. We're beating some teams that have been in the league for awhile. I think that's a pretty good pat on the back for us."

The Bulldawgs wrap up the regular season next Saturday with games on Woodward Field at Van Detta Stadium.

For pictures of the minis' game against Holley by Pete Welker, click here.

To purchase prints, click here.

Information and photos provided by Greg Ireland.

City firefighters hosted a lunch today for winners of the first fire safety poster contest sponsored by IAFF Local 896.

Above, Ian Keberle, with Chief Jim Maxwell and Local 896 President Greg Ireland.

Emma Bigsby with Maxwell and Ireland.

Children who participated today.

Here are the winners of the contest:

• First Place: Andrew Beal -- “Turn off the Stove”; John Kennedy School, Mrs. Grammatico, Room 20, second grade.
• Second Place: Sophie Fryer -- “Call 9-1-1”; John Kennedy School, Mrs. Grammatico, Room 20, second grade.
• Third Place: Emma Bigsby -- “Blow out Candles”; John Kennedy School, Mrs. Grammatico, Room 20, second grade.

• First Place: Amelia McCulley -- “Turn off the Oven”; St. Joseph School, Mrs. Clattenburg, third grade.
• Second Place, Maylee Green -- “Don’t Leave Candles Lit”; St. Joseph School, Mrs. Clattenburg, third grade.
• Third Place, Ian Keberle -- “Keep an Eye on what you Fry”; St. Paul Lutheran School, Mrs. Porter, Art Room, third grade.