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Bethany

Bow hunter who fell from tree stand wants other hunters to learn from his experience

By Howard B. Owens

John Starkweather is lucky to be alive. He knows it. He wants other hunters to know it, too.

According to hunting safety instructor Bill Fox, in Western New York this past season, five people fell from tree stands. Four died. Starkweather made it, though he almost didn't.

"I love hunting," said Starkweather, whose father, a chicken farmer in Pavilion, first took him out looking for game 30 years ago. "If I can save one person, whoever it is, I would feel I've done my part. I don't want someone to go through what I've gone through."

An avid bow hunter and a truck driver for Wegmans, Starkweather scheduled his vacation to coincide with bow season, and on his second day out, Nov. 1, Starkweather went to a tree stand he's used a few times over the past four years.

He arrived at about noon on his aunt's property on Gilhooly Road in Alexander and climbed up to the stand with his bow and arrows.

And he waited. And he waited. And he waited. Starkweather was skunked.

As evening approached and an afternoon of zero game passing within range, Starkweather decided it was time to climb out of the tree stand.

The 45-year-old father of two teenagers unbuckled from his harness and climbed out of the stand.

"I've stepped on that branch many times over the years," Starkweather said. "This time, the branch broke."

He fell 26 feet.

He doesn't know how long he laid on the ground unconscious.

When he awoke, he knew he was badly hurt. But he was able to reach his mobile phone in his pocket and call 9-1-1.

Alexander Fire Department arrived within minutes, with firefighters riding a gator to his location, guided by information he gave to emergency dispatchers who relayed it to responders. 

Mercy Flight was called to the scene and he was airlifted to Erie County Medical Center.

His injuries were extensive and serious.

"I had eight broken ribs, a broken shoulder blade, collapsed lung, lacerated liver and two cracked vertebrae," Starkweather said, and looking at his wife, Stephani, "Is that it?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Oh, and two chipped teeth," John added. "There was so much. The list never stops."

After a week in the hospital, Starkweather returned home to begin his recovery.

On his fourth day home, Starkweather tried to scratch his back and the main artery to his liver broke open.

Stefani, an assistant physical therapist, said he stopped breathing and was turning blue. She could hear his heart, and also knew because of the cracked ribs, chest compressions were not an option. She started mouth-to-mouth and their son called 9-1-1.

When East Bethany firefighters arrived they put him on oxygen and he started to revive. He remembers being carried outside and when the cold air hit him, he said he was fully aware from that moment on of what was going on.

He needed another airlift, but Mercy Flight #5 was out of the area and too far away (Starkweather was likely the first patient on the brand new Mercy Flight #5 on Nov. 1). The State Police helicopter from Batavia was called to the scene and Starkweather was airlifted to Erie County Medical Center.

Surgeons opened Starkweather, who was in an induced coma, and left his body open for three days to ensure all bleeding was controlled. They inserted a stainless steal tube to replace his damaged artery.

"I was in the hospital for my vacation, my birthday and Thanksgiving," Starkweather said.

He still has visible bed sores on the back of his head.

"He's lucky," Fox said. "He's absolutely lucky. That's why I so intensely want him to come and talk (to a safety class). Hopefully, for the younger generation, instead of us telling them, 'This is what can happen,' he can show them."

Fox said it's especially important to stress tree stand safety with bow hunters. Because of the limited range of bows, they use tree stands in the hope of passing game and the chance to get within 20 or 30 yards in order to fire off a shot.

The week Starkweather was in the hospital, another bow hunter seeking game in Genesee County, fell to his death.

Charles E. Sossong, 42, of Lockport-Olcott Road, Newfane, was in a tree stand located off Sour Springs Road, Alabama. When he didn't meet his hunting partner, his partner went looking for him and found him on the ground seriously injured.

There are no details available on how Sossong fell or what safety device he might have been using.

"It's a big issue and we stress tree stand safety a lot in the course because it's especially important for bow hunters," Fox said.

In Starkweather's home are a few trophies bagged with his bow, from a bear to a deer with a nice eight-point rack and the skull of a wild boar he killed on a hunting reserve overseas.

He said he knows all about safety, but on Nov. 1, maybe he got just a little bit complacent, a little too comfortable with something he's done many times.

Starkweather said the harness he was using that day was kind of old-school. It's designed to hold the hunter in the tree stand once he takes position. It offers no protection while getting in and out of the stand, which is the most dangerous time.

A newer harness would connect from the top of the stand to the ground, and if a hunter started to fall, the belt clip would catch, much like a car's seat belt, preventing a fall.

The systems are expensive, though, which may be why hunters still don't use them as much as they should, though Starkweather is now convinced they're worth it.

"You always say, it can't happen to me," Starkweather said. "That's the cliche, right? Well, it can happen to you."

As for Starkweather, he said the only tree stands he will climb into in the future will use a ladder. He's not taking any more chances.

"There's never been any doubt he would keep hunting," Stefani said. "He loves it too much. It's who he is."

Just like John, Stefani doesn't want to see another hunter's family go through what the Starkweathers have been though, which is why she supports John talking about his injuries so publicly.

"He's always been so active, so strong and so on the go," said Stefeni, who for the first time while we talked, struggled against a few tears. "Seeing him so injured, having to put his life on hold, has been hard, especially for somebody you love so much."

Starkweather knows just how fortunate he is, and part of the reason he's alive, he acknowledged, are the emergency personnel who responded, first to his accident, and then to his medical emergency at home.

He especially wanted to thank the personnel of the Alexander and East Bethany volunteer fire departments, Mercy EMS, Mercy Flight, the Sheriff's Office and State Police.

"I'll never get another piece of paper from Mercy Flight or a volunteer fire company asking for money and just throw it out," Starkweather said.

New youth football and cheerleading program planned in Alexander area

By Billie Owens

Tri-Town Youth Athletics is planning to start a youth football program and has scheduled a meeting for Thursday, Feb. 16 to provide more information to interested parents. It begins at 7 p.m. in the Alexander Elementary School Gym, located at 3314 Buffalo St. between routes 20 and 98.

Tri-Town Youth Athletics primarily serves the Alexander Central School District -- covering Alexander, Darien and Bethany -- but kids from all over the area are welcome to take part. It also offers baseball, softball, basketball and soccer programs.

The new football and cheerleading programs, which the organization last sponsored more than 20 years ago, are open to boys and girls ages 6 to 13.

Tri-Town Youth Football will be led by several experienced football coaches and youth sports administrators. Additional football and cheerleading coaches, as well as a cheerleading commissioner, are wanted.

Anyone interested should call 356-7571 or email Tritownyouth@hotmail.com. Other opportunities for parents to take part in planning, fundraising and game-day operations are also available.

Driver involved in head-on collision succombs to injuries

By Howard B. Owens

A driver involved in a head-on collision on Route 63, Bethany, on Jan. 20 died at 7 p.m., Tuesday, at Strong Memorial Hospital.

Gene L. Kelsey, 70, reportedly died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash.

According to a Sheriff's Office investigation, Kelsey failed to stop at a stop sign coming off of Fargo Road.

He was also allegedly driving drunk.

A passenger in Kelsey's truck, Michael Snyder, age unknown and no listed address, was also injured in the crash.

Vehicle rollover, no injuries, in Bethany

By Billie Owens

A one-vehicle rollover accident without injuries is reported on Route 20 in the area of West Bethany Road. The driver is out of the vehicle. Bethany Fire Department is responding. So are medics as a precaution.

Multiple cars involved in crash on Route 63, near Transit Road, Bethany

By Billie Owens

An accident involving multiple vehicles is reported on Route 63 near Transit Road. It is completely blocking the roadway. There is no entrapment. Wires are everywhere. National Grid is called. Bethany Fire Department is responding along with Mercy EMS.

Pavilion Fire Department is asked to respond as mutual aid and shut down Route 63 at Bethany Center Road. Southbound traffic is to be shut down at Bethany Center Road / Batavia Stafford Townline Road at Route 63 by Town of Batavia Fire Department, responding as mutual aid.

The roadway is slippery and wet. One person in a minivan has minor injuries, according to law enforcement on scene. At least one car is off the road.

UPDATE 1:33 a.m.: Traffic on Transit Road is backed up at least all the way to East Bethany Le Roy Townline Road. Pole number 6084 6072 is damaged.

UPDATE 1:36 a.m.: The person in the minivan is "all set," and medics are asked to check on the driver of a tractor-trailer. The transformer on the damaged pole is leaking. National Grid has an ETA of 35 minutes. Northbound traffic is also shut down on Route 63 at the juncture with Route 20.

UPDATE 1:50 a.m.: One car struck the utility pole. And a tractor-trailer that followed pulled down the wires. (It is considered two separate accidents, and other drivers involved responded to that sequence of events.) Mercy medics are back in service. The mother of the minivan driver responded to the scene.

UPDATE 1:59 a.m.: At this point, it appears to be just a matter of getting vehicles towed as needed and clearing the roadway so traffic flow can resume.

UPDATE 2:08 a.m.: There will be no further updates to this post.

Driver in guarded condition after head-on crash with semi on Route 63

By Howard B. Owens

A pickup truck driver reportedly blew right through a stop sign coming off of Fargo Road, Bethany, just before 11 a.m., Friday, and struck a semi-truck head on that was northbound on Route 63.

Investigators are trying to determine if alcohol and prescription medication were factors in the crash.

The pickup driver, Gene L. Kelsey, 70, of Pekin Road, Oakfield, was taken by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital where is his listed in guarded condition.

Kelsey's passenger, Michael Snyder, unknown age and residence, was initially transported to UMMC -- after walking to the ambulance -- but was later transferred to Strong. He remains hospitalized in satisfactory condition.

The semi-truck driver, George Wolwerk, 51, of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, was not injured.

"When I first saw him (Kelsey) he was already past that stop sign and he was traveling at a fair amount of speed," Wolwerk said. "I saw him and next thing I knew all the steam from the radiator was coming out over the top (of the front of the cab)."

Investigators said they believe Kelsey, driving a 2001 Dodge 1500 pickup, did not stop at the stop sign and yield to traffic on Route 63.

Neither Kelsey nor Snyder were reportedly wearing safety belts.

NYSP's commercial vehicle enforcement unit conducted a level one inspection of the tractor-trailer and found no deficiencies. 

The Sheriff's Office Crash Management Team is working on a reconstruction of the accident.

Bethany Fire Chief Jeff Fluker said the intersection "has been a problem in the past, with a curve like this and the angle coming off the road," but most people he said, know to stop for the stop sign and take a good look before proceeding onto Route 63.

Wolwerk said he's quite familiar with the road and know he needs to slow down as he approaches the curve on Route 63 just north of Fargo Road.

He said he did the best he could to avoid the accident.

"At that moment you're helpless and you just do what you can to try and minimize the loss," Wolwerk said.

This isn't Wolwerk's first serious accident. He said some years ago a "dear old lady" failed to stop for a stop sign and wrapped her car around his axels. She didn't survive, he said.

Asked if that's the kind of thing a truck driver ever gets over, Wolwerk said, "You have to have the guts to get over that type of thing, and yeah, you do. Truck drivers out here, they got a job that is very demanding."

The accident is being investigated by Deputy John Duyssen and Sgt. Scott Williams. Assisting at the scene where the Bethany Volunteer Fire Department, Pavilion Volunteer Fire Department, Mercy EMS, Mercy Flight and the State Police.

(Initial report)

Serious accident at Route 63 and Fargo Road

By Billie Owens

A serious motor-vehicle accident is reported at Route 63 and Fargo Road, which is near Little Canada in Bethany. A passerby who called it in said it looked like a head-on collision of a tractor-trailer and a pickup truck. There are two three victims, one with a head injury.

Bethany Fire Department and Mercy medics are en route. A deputy on scene reports southbound Route 63 is to be shut down. Mercy Flight is called to the scene.

Pavilion is asked to shut traffic down at Route 63 and Route 20, which is Texaco Town. Stafford is asked to shut down traffic on Town Line Road.

UPDATE 11:08 a.m.: Another ambulance is needed. One victim is refusing treatment but the medic "won't let him." The 53-foot trailer of the big rig is intact. It is loaded with 18 tons of laundry detergent.

UPDATE 11:11 a.m.: Mercy Flight will be landing in a cornfield east of the accident site.

UPDATE 11:13 a.m.: Traffic will be shut down at Route 63 and Little Canada Road.

UPDATE 11:14 a.m.: Mercy Flight has landed.

UPDATE 11:25 a.m.: Mercy medics are headed to UMMC with one patient on board.

UPDATE 11:28 a.m.: The patient going to UMMC is coming in for evaluation with complaints of general aches and pains. He is 33. In an unrelated call, a man near the accident scene called dispatch to say his rear window was blown out of his vehicle and he believes he was shot at. He asked that a deputy respond and law enforcement on scene says one will but they are all tied up at the moment.

UPDATE 11:33 a.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne and headed to Strong Memorial Hospital. Roadways are being reopened. Another victim is also being taken to UMMC. The male is suffering from broken ribs and shoulder pain.

UPDATE 12:51 p.m. (by Howard): We'll have more on the accident later this afternoon or evening after the Sheriff's Office releases its report; however, it appears that the driver of the blue pickup truck didn't stop at the intersection and turned left onto Route 63 into oncoming traffic. The semi-truck driver said he barely had time to react before hitting the smaller truck head on.

Wire down and reportedly on fire on Clipknock Road, Bethany

By Howard B. Owens

A wire is reportedly down and on fire in the area 9309 Clipknock Road, Bethany.

Bethany Stafford Fire Department dispatched.

UPDATE  8:38 p.m.: National Grid contacted, no ETA given.

UPDATE 8:42 p.m.: National Grid reports 252 customers without power. ETA for restoration is 11:15 p.m.

UPDATE 9:05 p.m.: National Grid on location. Stafford fire back in service.


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Excavator stolen from Holland High Lift in Bethany

By Howard B. Owens

In the early morning Friday, a 2005 CASE excavator was stolen from Holland High Lift on East Road, Bethany, and the Sheriff's Office is looking for information to help recover the excavator and identify the suspects.

A person or persons were seen loading the excavator onto a dual axle trailer being pulled by an extended cab pickup truck at 1 a.m., Friday.

The CASE is described as yellow and black with an extendable digging arm/backhoe with an 18-inch bucket. It has a small dozer-style blade and rubber dozer-style treads. The model number is CSX36B.

Holland High Lift is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect(s) who stole the excavator.

People with information that may assist in the investigation can contact the Sheriff's Office at (585) 343-5000.

Brothers in Bethany trying to craft a living making and selling goat cheese

By Howard B. Owens

Two brothers (Trystan and Max Sandvoss) bought a former horse farm in Bethany a year ago and are now raising goats and making cheese, according to a lengthy article in the Buffalo News.

No one was selling cheese they made from goats who grazed in the green fields of Western New York. "Here, between Buffalo and Rochester there's a bigger market than Seattle," Trystan said.

Spreadable chevre, in double cream, garlic, dill or other flavors? Fresh cheddar curds that squeak between your teeth? For those, First Light Creamery would have first dibs on local cheese fans' wallets.

So the Sandvosses moved to Genesee County in April 2010. They worked on their cheese labels, each bearing the name reflecting their double mission: First Light Farm and Creamery. They retrofitted the stables to house goats, built sanitary rooms for making, storing and packaging cheese. They reached out to nearby farmers to trade byproducts, like their whey (cheese runoff), for a couple of the pigs it would feed.

The Sandvosses aren't quite farmsteaders yet. Their young herd includes 45 goats, with 23 producing milk -- not enough yet to meet demand for their cheese, found at more than 10 farmers' markets this summer and outlets like Premier Gourmet, Farmers and Artisans and the Lexington Co-Op. So for now they blend their herd's milk with high-quality, organic Jersey cow milk from neighbor Brent Tillotson's farm.

So far they've sold pretty much everything they've made, Trystan said. Staffing their farmers' market booth puts them directly in touch with customers, and they appreciate the chance to explain the fine points of their labors.

Law and Order: Batavia man faces coercion charge

By Howard B. Owens

Patrick Shawn O'Neill, 46, of Holland Avenue, Batavia, is charged with coercion, 2nd. O'Neill was arrested following an investigation into a complaint that allegedly occurred Sunday morning in Bethany.

Brandy L. Hare, 30, of 38 Rochester St., Bergen, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater and passed stop sign. Hare was stopped at 2:24 a.m. Tuesday on Clinton Street by Officer Darryl Streeter.

Law and Order: Worker accused of stealing CO detector from home where he was employed

By Howard B. Owens

William Lee Lantz, 25, of South Main Street, Castile, is charged with petit larceny. Lantz is accused of stealing a CO detector from a residence in Stafford where he had been working.

Albert Ackerman, 47, of 930 George St., Mumford, is charged with DWI, driving on a suspended registration, driving on a suspended driver's license and operating with an open container. Ackerman was stopped by a Le Roy police officer at 11:50 a.m., Sunday, for an alleged traffic violation at Main and Mill streets. Ackerman was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Angel Gregory Andujar, 26, of Perry Road, Pavilion, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of marijuana. Andujar was allegedly found in possession of metal knuckles and a small baggie of marijuana while walking on Perry Road. Andujar was reportedly walking away from a domestic incident involving family members.

Thomas Ralph, Gianvecchio, 60, of Mountain Ash Drive, Greece, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Gianvecchio is accused of writing letters to his estranged wife in violation of a protection order out of Monroe County Family Court.

Jason W. Killion, 30, of 5155 E. Main St., Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation, 1st, and failure to keep right. Killion was stopped at an unspecified time Tuesday on Ellicott Street at Swan Street by Lt. James Henning.

Nathan Michael Haag, 20, of Steel Circle, Niagara Falls, is charged with petit larceny. Haag is accused of stealing two bottles of 5 Hour Energy Drink from Kmart on Monday.

Justin R. Martin, 28, of 232 Henrietta St., Rochester, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater and passing a red light. Martin was stopped at 2:27 a.m., Sunday, on West Main Street at Oak Street, Batavia, by Officer Frank Klimjack.

Mathew J. Pentycote, 23, of 22 Spencer Court, Batavia, is charged with DWI, refusal of breath test and moving from lane unsafely. Pentycote was stopped at 1:16 a.m., Sunday, on West Main Street, by Officer Matthew Fleming.

A 17-year-old resident of 5270 E. Main St., Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of alcohol by a person under age 21. The youth's car, while parked on school property, was allegedly found to contain alcoholic beverages.

Jason L. Cramer, 27, of Central Avenue, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, aggravated unlicensed operation, improper right turn and failure to keep right. Cramer was stopped at 1:02 a.m., Sunday, on Elm Street, Batavia, by Deputy James Diehl.

Gloria Susan Moretti, 34, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 3rd, a felony, and harassment, 2nd. Moretti was allegedly involved in a domestic dispute at 2:10 a.m., Oct. 29, at an address on Indian Falls Road, Pembroke, in which Moretti allegedly bit the victim twice and caused heavy damage to the victim's parked vehicle.

Devontre Levar Harvey, 27, of Garfield Street, Rochester, is charged with illegal possession of untaxed cigarettes. Harvey's car was stopped on Route 77 at 2:46 p.m., Nov. 5, after Genesee County dispatchers received a tip from a caller that a car occupied by two males were in possession of a large amount of untaxed cigarettes. Also charged was Holsey Wedlow, 59, of South Avenue, Rochester.

Scott Howard Baker, 49, of Fargo Road, Bethany, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Baker was allegedly found in possession of marijuana at 3:08 a.m., Nov. 5, at an address on Ellicott Street Road, Bethany.

Gregory James Baker, 31, no permanent address, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and criminal use of drug paraphernalia, 2nd. Baker was allegedly found in possession of more than a dozen hypodermic needles and other paraphernalia while at his mother's residence.

James Anthony Dean, 54, of Brown Road, East Bethany, is charged with felony DWI, aggravated DWI (driving with a BAC of .18 or greater with one or more prior convictions), leaving the scene of a property damage accident, changing lanes when hazardous markings are in place and failure to keep right. Dean was arrested following an accident at 8:41 a.m., Nov. 2, on Herkimer Road, Darien.

Fabrication company gets tax abatements for move to Stafford

By Howard B. Owens

A service company from Bethany will receive $45,956 in tax abatements to assist in its expansion and relocation to Stafford, announced the Genesee County Economic Development Center today.

Adams Welding and Fabrication is constructing a new 5,616-square-foot building at 5782 Main Road, Stafford (next to the Batavia Party House).

The project will create half a job and retain one.

Adams is investing $175,000 in the project.

The estimated PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) on the project is $39,131. Adams will also receive a sales tax exemption on construction materials of $5,200 and a mortgage tax exemption of $1,625.

The company is also seeking $25,000 from GCEDC's revolving loan fund.

The direct economic benefit to the community is estimated at $855,000 ($18.61 for every $1 of abatement).

Photos: Genesee County Park

By Howard B. Owens

One of the things I've wanted to find time to do all fall is take Pachuco for a walk in Genesee County Park. Today, we took a short walk and, of course, I brought my camera. Above was taken by a pond on the north side of the park.

Law and Order: Registered sex offender accused of not registering change of address

By Howard B. Owens

Steven A. Mullen, 24, of 123 Liberty St., Batavia is charged with failure to report change of address within 10 days. Mullen is a Level 2 sex offender and required to report a change of residence. Mullen is accused of reporting in June 2011 that he was living on Law Street. An investigation revealed that Mullen was allegedly living on Liberty Street. The charge is a Class E felony.

Katelyn Christen Kubala, 22, of Meadow Lane, Attica, is charged with petit larceny. Kubala was arrested on a bench warrant out of City of Batavia Court. Kubala was jailed on $1,000 bail. Kubala was also arrested on a warrant related to a petit larceny charge out of Town of Batavia Court.

Brittany Megan Kuhn, 22, of Clipnock Road, Bethany, is charged with unlawful dealing with a child, 1st. Kuhn is accused of hosting an underage drinking party at 11:20 p.m., Monday.

Rosemary Renee Waters, 26, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Waters is accused of shoplifting from the Wilson Farms store in Oakfield.

Joseph Stanley Shaffer, 47, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with DWAI - Drugs, unlicensed operator and moving from lane unsafely. Shaffer was charged following a property damage accident at 3:04 p.m., Tuesday, on Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road, Batavia. Shaffer's car reportedly sideswiped another vehicle.

Bradley Robert Jordan, 18, of Silver Road, Bethany, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Jordan is accused of pushing another person to the ground during a dispute.

Rafael Louis Munoz Ramos, 36, of South Pearl Street, Oakfield, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Munoz Ramos is accused of striking a coworker in the face.

Kelsey Lee Eksten, 20, Alexander Street, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Eksten was charged following a traffic stop on Monday by Deputy Brian Thompson.

Matthew John Mistretta, 22, of Alexander Street, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 4th. Mistretta was allegedly found in possession of a cane sword during a traffic stop by Deputy Brian Thompson on Monday.

Law and Order: Employee accused of selling products, pocketing proceeds

By Howard B. Owens

David Michael Johns, 46, of East Street, Gainsville, is charged with grand larceny, 4th, falsifying business records, 1st, and petit larceny. While employed at Kistner Concrete Products, 10056 East Road, Bethany, Johns allegedly loaded merchandise valued at more than $1,100 into a customer's vehicle and failed to turn in funds to the business from the transaction. Johns is accused of falsifying a packing slip and turning it over to his supervisor in an attempt to account for reportedly missing merchandise. In a separate incident, Johns is accused of loading merchandise into a customer's vehicle with a value of $150 and failing to turn funds over to the business.

Joseph James Lloyd, 40, of 100th Street, Niagara Falls, NY, is charged with grand larceny, 3rd. Lloyd, operating as M. Franklin Home Improvement, Inc., is accused of accepting a payment of $15,000 from a Town of Pembroke resident in October 2010 to build a garage on her property, but Lloyd allegedly failed to use any of the money towards the project.

Matthew C. Higgins, 29, of 2823 Graney Road, Caledonia, is charged with felony DWI. Higgins was taken into custody by Le Roy Police after a concerned citizen initially reported an occupied vehicle parked in the driving lane of Perry Road just south of Route 20. When the citizen approached the vehicle, the driver took off north on Perry and continued into the village. A car reportedly driven by Higgins was stopped on East Main Street in the village after allegedly failing to keep right. Higgins was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Seokjoon Suh, 25, of Batavia Stafford Townline Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 4th. Suh is accused of possessing a collapsible baton while at College Village.

Cody James Sundown, 21, of Skye Road, Tonawanda, was turned over to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office by the Niagara County Sheriff's Office on a bench warrant out of the Town of Pembroke for criminal mischief, 3rd. Bail was set at $750 or $5,000 bond.

Robert Lee Williams, 21, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Williams is accused of violating an order of protection by going to the place of employment of the protected party. The order specifically barred Williams from going to that business location.

State considering $1.8 million roundabout for Route 20 at Suicide Corners

By Howard B. Owens

Suicide Corners has a reputation, and as the name implies, it's not a good one.

While accidents may not be frequent where East Road crosses Route 20, when they have occurred -- at least until a few years ago -- they've been deadly.

There were fatal accidents at the intersection in June 1998, April 1999 and June 2004. One was a triple fatal and another a double fatal.

After the 2004 accidents, Bethany residents gathered 2,633 signatures asking the NYS Department of Transportation to do something about the intersection.

Their thought -- regrade Route 20.

The state's response: No physical changes to the roadway were necessary. The DOT put up bigger and brighter signs.

There hasn't been a fatal accident at the intersection since, only fender-benders, according to Tom Douglas. He said accidents have been reduced by 36 percent.

Douglas, who with his wife, Debbie, raised six kids in a 200-year-old house (formerly an inn with a second-story dance floor) on property abutting Suicide Corners.  He and his son personally witnessed the 2004 accident, which claimed the life of an infant and two other people (inset photo from the memorial on a pole across East Road from the Douglas residence).

Now, seven years after the last fatal accident, DOT officials have apparently decided it's time to take more drastic measures to make the intersection safer.

The proposal: A $1.8 million traffic circle, a roundabout like the one on Oak Street in the City of Batavia.

If the project is approved, Tom and Debbie Douglas will lose their home. The state will seize their property through eminent domain (providing fair market value and relocation expenses).

About a quarter of the traffic circle will be on their current property, with the roadway through the area moving moved southward several dozens of feet.

Tom Douglas said not only will his family lose their home, a home with some local history, he doesn't believe the project serves any useful purpose.

"Statistically," he said, "It's not needed."

Lori Maher, public information officer for the DOT in the Genesee Region, said what the DOT is looking at is the entire history of the intersection, not just the past few years.

"That (no fatalities since 2004) doesn't mean that the problem is corrected and we should walk away from it, so we are pursuing a safety improvement program," Maher said.

But she said that doesn't mean the state will necessarily build a roundabout and that the Douglases will lose their home.

The proper corrective action is still under review and state engineers may yet determine that a roundabout is not the best solution (weighing, in fact, the serious decision of proceeding with eminent domain on the Douglas property).

The project, however, has been funded for construction to begin in the summer of 2013.

There will be public meetings and ample time for the public to provide feedback on the project, Maher said, but because fact-finding is not yet completed, no dates for those hearings have been set.

Douglas, town building inspector (Debbie is town clerk) and Bethany Town Supervisor Louis Gayton also question the wisdom of spending money on a roundabout when the Bethany Town Center Road bridge over Route 20 is in such drastic need of replacement or repair. Chunks of it regularly fall off onto Route 20.

"One of these days, somebody is going to get injured," Douglas said.

The main issue, Douglas said, isn't the traffic on Route 20. It's drivers on East Road, mostly northbound drivers, blowing through the intersection.

Douglas and others have suggested rumble strips on East Road, but both the state and the county highway department have rejected the idea as impractical.

"They think people will just drive around them," Douglas said. "But if they're driving around them, they're slowing down. It would still alert them to the intersection."

Gayton wonders if the roundabout will even improve safety.

"Trucks come through there at 60 to 65 mph," Gayton said. "Now they've got to slow down to 15 mph. I don't need to tell you what will happen."

Tim Hens, the county's highway superintendent, in an email sent Monday to county legislators obtained by Douglas, also questioned the DOT's decision.

This is not set in stone yet as it has to muster a public review process and final board adoption, but if adopted, we stand to lose funding for three bridge projects in the immediate TIP period covering 2011-14. This may only be the tip of the iceberg if new transportation reauthorization is not clear by the end of the year.

I did find it odd that they decided to keep the NEW Rt 20/East Rd (Suicide Corners) roundabout in the plan versus EXISTING bridges that are deteriorating. I know there has been loss of life at this corner, but not sure the roundabout is a popular solution with many local people.

Maher said, however, that the funding sources for bridges are different than the funding sources for intersection improvements. If an improvement -- roundabout or not -- for Suicide Corners isn't approved, then the $1.8 million slated for the project will just go to another intersection in the Genesee Region in need of improvement.

Sheriff Gary Maha, who attended a May 24 meeting with the DOT where the plan was first presented said he will leave the decision about how to improve safety to the experts, but he does know the state is increasingly using roundabouts throughout the state to improve safety on major roadways. He just visited two in Saratoga Springs.

"There's been a lot of serious accidents there over the years," Maha said. "I support anything that could improve safety in the area, certainly."

Law and Order: Man accused of stealing child's dirt bike in Alabama

By Howard B. Owens

Benjamin W. Muntz, 22, of 6966 Knowlesville Road, Basom, is charged with burglary, 3rd. Muntz is accused of entering a barn on a residential property on Judge Road, Alabama, and stealing a small-sized, child's dirt bike.

Janet Rae Langer, 33, South Street, Pavilion, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Langer is accused of striking another woman in the head and pulling her hair. The alleged incident was reported at 7:20 p.m., Saturday.

Spencer J. Hilderbrant, 17, of South Street Road, Pavilion, and Jamie L. Gutowski, 18, of Alleghany Road, Corfu, are charged with trespass. Hilderbrandt and Gutowski are accused of being on the property of Rolling Hills Asylum, Bethany Center Road, Bethany, without permission of the owner.

Roy K. Way, 31, of 32 Brooklyn Ave., Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle, speeding and no seat belt. Way was stopped at 12:06 p.m., Monday, on Brooklyn Avenue after allegedly being observed speeding on Pearl Street by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Jared L. Diehl, 23, of 4563 Chapel St., Elba, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and operating without headlights. Diehl was stopped at 12:02 a.m., Tuesday, on Gateway Drive, by Officer Darryl Streeter.

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