byron

Ronald T. Jackson is indicted for the crime of assault in the second degree, a Class D violent felony. It is alleged that on Jan. 3, having been charged with or conivcted of a crime, and while confined in a correctional facility -- the Genesee County Jail -- the defendant intended to cause physical injury to another person and did cause such injury to the person.

Victor J. Grimes is indicted for the crime of burglary in the second degree, a Class C violent felony. It is alleged that on May 28, 2013, Grimes knowingly entered or remained unlawfully inside a dwelling on Cockram Road in the Town of Byron with the intent to commit a crime.

Dmarcus A. Tallchief is indicted for the crime of driving while intoxicated, as a Class E Felony. It is alleged that on Jan. 23 in the Town of Pembroke Tallchief drove a 2013 Toyota on the Thruway while in an intoxicated condition. In count two, Tallchief is indicted for the crime of aggravated driving while intoxicated, per se, as a Class E felony, for allegedly having a BAC of .18 or more at the time of the incident.

 

Justin Sanders

A family who took a young man into their home and treated him like a son told Judge Robert C. Noonan today about the anger and sense of betrayal they felt after he stole thousands of dollars worth of jewelry, some of the pieces family heirlooms, and other items.

The attorney for 23-year-old Justin L. Sanders tried to convince Noonan that her client deserved a chance at probation and rehabilitation.  Noonan rejected the idea out of hand.

"One of the biggest surprises of my career was the recommendation by the Probation Department that you not be sent to prison," Noonan said. "You're a con man. You got a good deal for yourself in getting an indeterminate sentence. I could not in good conscious release you on a community-based sentence."

Noonan told Sanders he would go to state prison for one and a quarter years to four years.

Before the sentence was handed down, Sanders told Noonan he regretted what he had done and through the power of salvation, he was a changed man.

Sanders has spent the past several months in a Christian-based drug-rehabilitation facility and the pastor in charge of the camp wrote Noonan a letter extolling the progress Sanders has made at the facility and asking Noonan to return him to the facility to complete his rehabilitation.

One of the victims of the thefts, the mother of the young lady Sanders was dating, said she didn't believe Sanders ever had a drug problem and that he was a compulsive liar.

She told of how Sanders wrote to her daughter from jail and promised to repay the family for the items he stole using a portion of the more than $1 million he was inheriting from his grandfather.

"You can't believe a word he says," the woman said. "We know he's just saying those things to further his own gain."

Later, when Noonan asked his attorney Lisa Kroemer if there were indeed such funds available for Sanders to pay his more than $26,000 in restitution, Kroemer said she didn't believe any such funds existed.

The initial larcenies were reported from a residence on Route 237, Byron, in late November through December; two burglaries were reported at a residence on Townline Road, Byron, on Jan. 13 and Jan. 20. 

The mother of his ex-girlfriend said to this day, they're still discovering items that are missing that she believes Sanders stole.

"A home should be a place of safety and he destroyed all that," she said.

The woman said her daughters have always been told they could only date young men of faith who were full-time students or full-time workers. Sanders, a Culinary Arts student, had food industry jobs and professed to be a Christian when he was allowed to move into the home.

She said he was accepted as part of the family and called her "Mom."

When the thefts were discovered, there was a family meeting and Sanders denied any involvement and promised to find out who stole the items. He later planted stolen jewelry in another daughter's car and tried to blame her, she said.

As the investigation progressed, he left town saying he had to visit his mother who was undergoing cancer surgery and chemotherapy. It turned out, she said, his mother wasn't sick at all.

The woman then read a letter from her daughter who wrote of Sanders, "You disgust me" and "I hate you."

More than a thousand National Grid customers in Genesee County are without power.

There is a power outage the Byron-Bergen ara that extends south to Le Roy, and almost north and east to the Village of Bergen. More than 1,000 customers are without power. A reader reports a tree is down.

A smaller outage is affecting 44 customers in Alexander, near the county line, east of Route 98. There is an ETA of 7:45 p.m. for power restoration.

The initial call came in at 8:45 p.m. of a two-car accident in the area of 6312 Cole Road. Byron. Byron and South Byron fire departments are on the scene with Byron Rescue Squad and Mercy EMS.

More details pending investigation.

UPDATE (By Traci) 10:06 p.m.: According to State Trooper Stephen Kosowski, the driver of the Saturn was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The driver of the Saturn was traveling eastbound on Tower Hill Road and the pickup truck was traveling northbound on Route 237. Witnesses said the driver of the Saturn failed to yield and entered the intersection in front of the pickup truck causing the collision. 

A one-car accident with unknown injuries is reported in the area of 6679 N. Bergen Road, Byron.

Byron and South Byron fire departments dispatched along with Mercy EMS.

 

Via our news partner, WBTA:

Joseph Kuzma, a 35-year-old Byron resident, has been sentenced to four months of weekend jail time for stealing hundreds of veterans markers from local cemeteries and selling the metal for scrap.

Kuzma was sentenced Thursday in County Court by Judge Robert C. Noonan.

Previously, he had pled guilty to grand larceny, 3rd.

He will be required to pay more than $17,000 in restitution.

Last fall, Kuzma hit cemeteries in Byron and Bergen and then sold the metal to a scrap yard in Rochester. 

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Byron-Bergen High School held its pre-prom DWI fatal accident simulation this morning to help remind students not to drink and drive. Bergen Fire Department with assistance from Mercy EMS and State Police conducted the drill. 

Participating students were Andrew Sczepanski, Sean Donovan, Celeste Brownwell, Joelle Meister and Nathan McCarthy. EMS Explorer students assisting were Aurora Zinter, Maddie Wittman, Katie Simmons and Jeremy Boeff.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

A grass fire is reportedly burning its way toward a barn at 6912 Lyman Road. Byron and South Byron fire departments are responding. The location is between Coward and Beaver Meadow roads.

UPDATE 5:09 p.m.: The dispatcher says a small building and several vehicles are now involved in the fire.

UPDATE 5:13 p.m.: The dispatcher says they are on the phone with "DEC police."

A field fire is reported in the area of 6945 Byron Road. The location is between Tower Hill Road and Byron Elba TL Road. Byron and South Byron fire departments are responding.

UPDATE 7:40 p.m.: Fire is out. Byron and South Byron firefighters are back in service.

A grass fire is reported at 6369 Cole Road. South Byron Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 7:49 p.m.: South Byron #86 is on scene.

UPDATE 8:44 p.m.: Byron Fire Department also responded. The fire is out and the responders are back in service.

UPDATE: Byron Chief Durkee sent in these pictures. Durkee said Byron arrived on scene first. He said, "These pictures were of the mop up. We had about a 100-yard stretch of fire that was barrelling into the marshes of the swamplands. The DEC officer ticketed the owner. There is still a no-burn law and people just don't seem to care. If this took off we would have been in a real battle."

Four people remain hospitalized in satisfactory condition as a result of a head-on collision on Clinton Street Road, South Byron, on Monday.

Both drivers involved in the crash were cited by State Police.

Still hospitalized are: Malik Dietz, 20, of New York City, who was transported by ground ambulance with a complaint of pain in the lower leg; and Zemirah Huges, 18, of the Bronx, who had a complaint of back pain, according to Trooper Victor Morales. 

Cited, and still hospitalized, are: Gracien Ibambasi, 20, of Greece, who is charged with moving from lane unsafely and unlicensed operation; and Brittany Breedlove, 26, of Rochester, charged with aggravated unlicensed operation. 

According to the State Police investigation, Ibambasi was driving eastbound, crossed in the westbound lane, missing one vehicle then striking the car driven by Breedlove.

Also injured were: Alexis Thomas, 19, of Chili, who had facial bleeding; Macayla Brown,18, of Gates, who had minor facial bleeding; and Sade Brown, 18, who had a complaint of pain throughout her body.

All patients were taken to Strong Memorial Hospital by ground ambulance.

Hank is missing. Hank is 6 months old and escaped from home on Transit Road in Elba/Byron two days ago. If found, or with other helpful information, call (585) 297-0088 or (585) 490-3335. A reward is offered for Hank's return.

Out and about late this afternoon, I found myself in a situation that hasn't come up for a long time -- I was driving on a road in Genesee County that I've never been on. In this case, Upper Holley Road, Byron. And I saw this barn I've never seen before. I also found both batteries in my Nikon were dead, so this was actually shot with my iPhone.