corfu

A tree branch fell onto the roof of a house at 64 E. Main St. in Corfu. The location is between Meadowbrook Terrace and Thompson Drive. Corfu Fire Department is responding.

Up the 14 inches of lake effect snow could fall on parts of Genesee County between 1 a.m. Friday and 1 a.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

A winter storm warning has been issued.

The storm is most likely to hit west and south of Batavia, particularly Corfu.

In areas hit hardest by the storm, travel could be difficult.

Six probationary members of the Corfu Fire Department, all juniors and seniors at Pembroke High School, were recognized for their service to the fire department with the Service Person of the Year award. Collectively, they put in more than 800 hours of firefighter training in 2018.

The members are Casey Felski, Cyle Felski, Elizabeth Tebor, Megan Stiles, Ethan Librock, Jayden Eck and Dylan Lang.

In 2018, the department responded to 129 calls. Chief Brian Schollard said after the department fell just shy of 2,000 training hours in 2017 he set a goal of more than 2,000 training hours for the department in 2018. In 2018, collectively, members of the department reached almost 4,000 training hours.

To find out how you can join your local department, visit ReadyGenesee.com.

Installation of Officers

Installation of Fire Police

Jim Mallory was recognized by the department and Assemblyman Steve Hawley for 65 years of continuous volunteer service.

Jacob Stiles received an award for completing the most training hours.

Candle lighting in remembrance of members who have passed.

Ethan Librock, one of the probationary members from Pembroke HS, made this wooden flag for the department in his woodshop class.

In deciding how to sentence a 24-year-old from Oakfield who caused a serious injury accident while drinking and driving on Route 33 in Corfu on April 18, just weeks after a prior DWI arrest, Judge Charles Zambito said he had to wrestle with how to balance punishment, protecting the community, and providing the young man with the best chance at rehabilitation.

To that end, he decided that Jacob Szumigala should serve an intermittent jail sentence in the Genesee County Jail followed by five years under the watchful eye of the County Probation Department.

Nothing against state's parole supervision but Zambito said he believed Szumigala would be more closely monitored by local probation and if there was a violation, Szumigala would be returned quickly to Zambito's court.

"I'm more confident that this type of sentence will provide the community with more protection and you with more supervision," Zambito told Szumigala in Genesee County Court Tuesday afternoon.

Szumigala was stopped by State Police on Lockport Road in Oakfield in March and charged with DWI. With his driving privileges already revoked, Szumigala was driving through Corfu when his gray Hyundai Sonata was heading eastbound on Route 33 at high speed when it struck a Honda sedan.

That Honda struck a black pickup truck. The driver of the Honda, James Hoskins, of Corfu, suffered serious injuries -- considered so serious at the time of the accident that the Crash Management Team was called to investigate the crash in case the Hoskins didn't survive.

Assistant District Attorney Shirley Gorman said the injuries sustained by Hoskins are life-altering. She argued for a harsh prison term, especially in light of an alleged violation of Szumigala's terms of release while awaiting sentencing.

Szumigala's attorney, Tom Burns, didn't dispute Gorman's assertion that Szumigala tried to get high and when the drug was ineffective, he stopped taking medication to soothe his craving for alcohol and then got drunk.

"That decision to not only use alcohol but to deliberately use a substance intended to induce a high and then stop his treatments that he was authorized to be on and required by his treatment counselor," meant Szumigala deserved a prison term, Gorman argued.

"If there was a time in which you follow the letter of what is expected of you, it's while you're at the mercy of the court before sentencing. But within a month of his appearance, he used alcohol."

Gorman concluded, "how can anything here stop him from drinking other than state incarceration?"

Burns said everybody was disappointed in his client's relapse, including Szumigala. What separated Szumigala from many other defendants in a similar situation is that all the treatment Szumigala has been through -- in-patient, a halfway house, residential treatment -- have all been voluntarily, and other than the one relapse Szumigala's performance throughout treatment has been excellent.

"I was extremely disappointed in his relapse," said Burns, while several members of Szumigala's family sat in the first row of the gallery. "I know his family was disappointed in his relapse."

And unlike many other defendants, Szumigala isn't thinking just of himself, standing before the court expressing remorse over his addiction. Szumigala acknowledges the harm his actions caused other people.

Burns pointed out that if placed on probation, a violation would subject Szumigala to a potentially much longer prison term than available to Zambito under terms of the plea agreement reached in this case. Zambito later said Szumigala could be sent to prison for from five to 15 years if Szumigala violated his probation terms.

In November, Szumigala entered a guilty plea to aggravated vehicular assault and DWI as a misdemeanor and aggravated unlicensed operation. The DWI case in Oakfield is still pending and under terms of his plea agreement, he must plead guilty in that case.

Zambito said that if he sent Szumigala to prison, that would mean he would be taken out of treatment at the Oxford House, cause him to lose his job, and eventually return Szumigala to the community without treatment. That would mean, Zambito said, Szumigala would still be a potential threat to the community.

Szumigala will serve his intermittent jail term on Mondays through Wednesdays.

There is still the issue of restitution to the victims to be resolved and a hearing on restitution was set for March.

Julie Marie Neale, 37, of Alexander Road, Alexander, is charged with: driving while ability impaired by drugs; driver's view obstructed, uninspected motor vehicle, and failure to keep right. At 2:20 p.m. on Nov. 16, Neale was stopped on Oak Street in the City of Batavia following the observation of vehicle and traffic violations. Upon investigation, it was determined that Neale was allegedly operating her vehicle while her ability to do so was impaired by drugs. She was processed at the jail and released on appearance tickets and is due in Batavia City Court on Nov. 27. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong.

Dave W. Case, 60, of Corfu, was arrested Nov. 20 and charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle, inadequate headlamps, and unsafe tires. He was arrested on Route 354 at Burrough Road in the Town of Bennington by Wyoming County Sheriff's Sgt. Colin Reagan following a traffic stop because a headlight was out. He was released to a family member and is due in Town of Bennington Court on Dec.17 to answer the charges.

Officials in Corfu neglected to properly manage budgets and accounting for the village's sewer fund according to a recent office by the state's comptroller's office.

The three key findings of the audit:

• The board routinely adopted budgets that were not reasonably estimated, which resulted in operating deficits;
• The board did not develop and adopt multiyear capital and financial plans;
• The board did not annually audit financial records and therefore did not identify inaccuracies.

There is no accusation of malfeasance in the report.

The auditor found that the lack of realistic budgets led to a gap between actual revenues and expenditures. The board did not "adequately consider the effect that problematic cash flow issues and the formation of two new sewer districts would have on the annual budgets," according to the report.

The auditor said estimates were inadequate because the board anticipated the village would receive additional revenue from new sewer districts sooner and greater amounts than it actually did. The board also underestimated expenses.

The clerk-treasurer, according to the report, did not include a cash flow analysis in her reports to the board.

"In addition, the Clerk-Treasurer recorded that the sewer fund owed the general fund $61,0003 as of May 31, 2017, but she could not explain the purpose of these entries or provide evidence for their accuracy," the report reads. "As a result, we question the accuracy of her records."

These discrepancies would have been detected by the board with annual audits but board members told the auditors that the board did not hire a CPA annually for an audit as a cost-saving measure.

Annual audits are required by law.

The audit did find that sewer customers were billed properly and the proper amount of sewer rents were collected.

In a letter to the auditor from Mayor Joseph Johnson, the board said it would correct the discrepancies by adopting the auditor's recommendations, including drafting more realistic budgets, develop a multi-year financial plan, and hire a CPA to annually audit the district's financial records. 

A 24-year-old Oakfield resident involved in a serious injury accident in Corfu in April is facing up to six years in prison after pleading guilty this afternoon in County Court to aggravated vehicular assault.

Jacob J. Szumigala also agreed to plead guilty to DWI as a misdemeanor and aggravated unlicensed operation.

As part of the plea deal, Szumigala must also plead guilty in Town of Oakfield on a pending DWI case.

Szumigala is out of jail pending sentencing at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 15 and must abide by court instructions and the agreement or statutory enhancements could be added to his guilty plea, which would mandate a five- to 15-year prison term.

There is no minimum prison term and Szumigala could receive a probationary sentence if he abides by the terms of the plea agreement.

On April 18, Szumigala was driving a 2008 Hyundai Sonata with North Carolina plates on West Main Street Road through Corfu when his car rear-ended a Honda driven by James M. Hoskins, of Corfu. Hoskins' car then struck a westbound pickup truck. Hoskins was seriously injured in the accident.

In court today, Szumigala admitted that his BAC exceeded .18 percent at the time of the accident and that he was driving recklessly.

A month earlier, Szumigala was arrested by State Police for allegedly driving drunk on Lockport Road, Alabama. That case is still pending in the Town of Oakfield Court.

Photo: File photo of April 18 accident.

Thomas Dale Young, 38, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with: criminal sex act in the third degree -- being age 21 or more with a victim less than 17; criminal sexual act in the first degree -- by forcible compulsion; and sex abuse in the first degree -- contact by forcible compulsion. Young was arrested at 4:58 a.m. on Oct. 9 after allegedly committing the crimes for which he is charged. Batavia police were called to a residence on Ellicott Street for an incident that had recently occurred. After an investigation, Young was arrested, arraigned and put in jail in lieu of $50,000 bail or $100,000 bond. He was due in City Court on Wednesday. The case was investigated by Batavia Police Officer Felicity DeGroot, assisted by Officer Nicole McGinnis.

Susan Ann Samanka, 55, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with a sex offender registry violation. She was arrested at 10 a.m. on Oct. 10 at 4054 W. Main Street Road, Room #7, in Batavia following an investigation for allegedly failing to register her change of address. The registered sex offender was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Batavia Court and is scheduled to appear there on Nov. 1. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong.

Jamie L. Edenholm, 31, of Gabbey Road, Corfu. She was arrested at 4:13 p.m. on Oct. 5 on Richmond Avenue in Batavia and charged with: driving while ability impaired by drugs; criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree; possession of a hypodermic needle; criminal use of drug paraphernalia; and failure to keep right. The arrest was made after a car vs. telephone pole accident. She was issued appearance tickets and is due in City Court on Nov. 7. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay, assisted by Officer Frank Klimjack.

Katty L. Jackson, 22, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree criminal trespass. She was arrested at 6:45 a.m. on Oct. 8 on Central Avenue in Batavia after previously being told she was not welcome at her ex-boyfriend's residence. She allegedly entered the residence and knocked at the interior door for an extended period of time. She was released on an appearance ticket. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider, assisted by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Elena E. Vega-Vazquez, 36, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with: aggravated DWI -- with a BAC of .18 percent or more; common law DWI; and failure to keep right. She was arrested at 12:17 a.m. Oct. 5 on Harvester Avenue after a traffic stop for allegedly failing to keep right. She is due in City Court again on Oct. 17. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen, assisted by Officer Stephen Cronmiller.

Joshua D. Sumeriski, 33, of Buffalo Road, Alexander, is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He was arrested after allegedly operating a motor vehicle at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 5 on West Main Street in Batavia without the owner's consent. He was arraigned on Oct. 8 in City Court and put in jail in lieu of $1,000 bail. He was due back in City Court on Oct. 9. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jamie Givens.

Janeen A. Young, 21, of William Street, East Randolph, is charged with petit larceny in connection with an incident which occurred at 11:20 a.m. on Jan. 3 at an apartment on Jackson Street in Batavia. Young was arrested on Oct. 5 on an outstanding City Court warrant. She was arraigned and released on her own recognizance. She is due in City Court again on Nov. 20. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Catherine Mucha.

Christopher J. Wiegman, 30, no permanent address, Batavia, is charged with failure to appear. He was arrested on a warrant out of City Court for failure to appear on Sept. 27 in court. He was due in City Court on Oct. 9. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen, assisted by Officer Chad Richards.

Brian P. Suttell, 41, of Lake Street Road, Le Roy, is charged with criminal possession of marijuana in the fifth degree. He was arrested at 9:20 p.m. on Oct. 6 on East Main Street in Batavia after police allegedly witnessed him smoking marijuana in a public parking lot in the city. He was issued an appearance ticket for City Court and is due there Oct. 23. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen, assisted by Officer Nicole McGinnis.

Attention juniors and seniors at Pembroke High School, BOCES and home-school students and their parents and guardians: the third annual Corfu-Pembroke Dollars for Scholars Meet, Greet & Eat will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 10, at Denny's Restaurant in Corfu.

It is located at in the Flying J Travel Plaza at 8484 Alleghany Road.

Denny's will award 20 percent of all meal proceeds generated between the hours of 4 and 10 p.m. on Oct. 10 to Corfu-Pembroke Dollars for Scholars.

By attending, you can learn how to increase your chances of winning one or more of 17 locally provided scholarships, which range from $250 to $4,000.

Corfu-Pembroke Dollars for Scholars plans to award $13,000 in scholarships next June. The smaller graduating classes put ODDS of winning one or more of these scholarships from our organization in your favor!

In the last 10 years, Corfu-Pembroke Dollars for Scholars organization has awarded more than $65,000 dollars to 107 Pembroke graduates.

Grades count, in some instances, so do service, character and intended area of study after graduation. Scholarships are available for those interested in being involved in art, the medical field, health care, special education and much more.

Interested? Then contact Mr. Beahan in the PHS Guidance Office. (585) 599-4525, ext. 1922, or lbeahan@pembrokecsd.org and please attend Wednesday's Meet, Greet & Eat at Denny's.

Dr. Paul J. Mroz, Treasurer, Corfu-Pembroke DFS

P.O. Box 72

Corfu, NY 14036

Press release:

At the Sept. 28 meeting of the GLOW Region Solid Waste Management Committee, Ed Arnold Recycling was recognized for its support of the GLOW Committee and its efforts, along with its overall recycling work.

Unbeknownst to the Arnold family, at its June 22 meeting, the Committee passed a resolution that noted, among other things, Ed Arnold’s valuable input to GLOW in GLOW’s formative years, the support they have given to GLOW’s efforts to promote recycling; and contributions to GLOW’s household hazardous waste collection from the time it began in 1996.

Ed Arnold takes numerous lead acid vehicle batteries and propane tanks each year at the collections at no charge to GLOW. Ed Arnold Jr. attended the meeting, not knowing why he was asked to attend.

Dan Pangrazio, GLOW chairman and Peggy Grayson, Recycling Administration, presented the award. Pangrazio noted that Grayson felt the award was essential that the company be recognized and Committee members agreed. Grayson added that at least in her 20-plus years with GLOW, and most likely since GLOW began in 1987, it was the only time such an award was given.

After Grayson read the resolution, Ed Arnold Jr. was presented with a recycled glass award with an inscription that read “In appreciation for contributions toward regional recycling efforts and assistance given to GLOW Solid Waste through the years” by Pangrazio and Grayson on behalf of the Committee. Arnold thanked the Committee and gave members an overview of how the materials collected are recycled.

Press release from the GC Department of Social Services:

Edwin Stancliff, 39, of Corfu, was sentenced to a five-month intermittent jail term in Batavia Town Court on Monday, Sept. 24, after pleading guilty to one count of petit larceny.

Stancliff was originally charged with grand larceny in the fourth degree and offering a false instrument in the first degree in June 2017 after an investigation by the Genesee County Department of Social Services revealed he had failed to report his receipt of NYS Disability.

He subsequently received $1,933.21 in assistance benefits to which he was not entitled.

Stancliff accepted the plea deal to the reduced charge of petit larceny and was sentenced to the five-month intermittent jail term, was disqualified from receiving cash assistance and Food Stamp (SNAP) benefits and has made full restitution to the Genesee County Department of Social Services.

Anyone wishing to report suspected cases of Welfare Fraud in Genesee County can contact the Genesee County Department of Social Services Investigation Unit at (585) 344-2580, ext. 6417 or 6416.

Pistol has been missing from the Indian Falls Road area of Corfu since Tuesday.

He's a friendly pooch and greatly missed at home.

If you find him or know where he is, call Tom (585) 233-0095 or Danielle (585) 356-5592.

Submitted photo of John and Charlene Drogi with their little grandson, Mason Gowenlock.

Press release:

The PCD Kiwanis 11^th Annual Car Cruise and Fall Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 16^th, at the Pembroke Town Park, rain or shine. It is located at 8799 Alleghany Road (Route 77 next to the high school).

At 9 o'clock that morning, the 2018 Unique Dash Plaque will be revealed; cruise registration also begins at 9.

There is something for all ages: more than 40 vendors, food trucks, food booths, music, kids games and activities as well as a bounce house/slide for the kids.

This year a train will provide rides for all ages.

Usually, 200 cars register for the show and each year it continues to grow. If you would like to preregister your car, please download the application from www.pcdkiwanis.com for the discounted registration fee. Preregistration fee is $10; day-of-event fee is $15 per vehicle. (Includes free ticket for a hot dog and pop.)

Vendors…there are only a few days to complete the registration form and sell your goods at this awesome event. The vendor form is also available on the website.

Many people come to see the HUGE Basket Raffle that Crossroads House has at this event. There are more than 50 baskets. This year Kiwanis is going to raffle a party package that consists of a 10’x10’ pop-up tent, two XL quad chairs, a stainless steel tabletop grill, cooler filled with many goodies, and a $50 gift certificate from M&M Meats and Archery. There's also a unique Wine Raffle this year.

Trophies will be awarded for vehicles at 2:45 p.m.

Please mark your calendar, and if you need to register your vehicle, do so right away!

Any questions, please contact John Drogi at (716) 937-9918, or email:  drogicd@gmail.com