Darien

Darryl P. James, 30, of Darien, is charged with felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, moving from lane unsafely, open container, failure to submit to breath test, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration. The Wyoming County Sheriff's Office received a complaint at 4:42 a.m., Christmas Day, of a vehicle operating on a resident's driveway on Church Road, Bennington, and James was arrested following further investigation. James allegedly has two prior DWI convictions. James was jailed on $25,000 bail.

Bryan Michael Wharton, 25, of Clover Crossing, Manchester, is charged with unlawful possession of untaxed cigarettes. Wharton was stopped at 4:16 p.m., Dec. 23, for alleged equipment violations on Gabbey Road, Pembroke, by Deputy Kevin McCarthy. He was allegedly found in possession of untaxed cigarettes.

A chimney fire is reported at 700 Reynolds Road, Darien.

The residence is evacuated.

Darien fire responding.

UPDATE 10:10 p.m.: Fire is out. Darien fire will be back in service shortly.

View Larger Map

The smell of burning plastic is coming from an oven at 10268 Smithley Road and the Darien Fire Department is responding. Smoke is showing but no flames.

UPDATE 6:25 p.m.: The problem is a malfunctioning stove. Darien fire will be leaving shortly.

Roxanne G. Rowe, 25, of Maple Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with animal cruelty and unlawful possession of marijuana. Rowe is accused of trying to harm a neighbor's dog by placing pieces of metal in a meat product and making it available for the dog to eat. At the time of her arrest -- 10:15 a.m., Saturday, by Deputy Brian Thompson -- Rowe also allegedly possessed marijuana.

Lakiesha A. Gibson, 26, of 13 Williams St., Lockport, is charged with disorderly conduct and endangering the welfare of a child. Gibson is accused of shouting obscenities while outside on Thorpe Street at 10:20 p.m., Saturday. Gibson also allegedly refused to remove two children out of the roadway and away from a dispute.

Timothy J. Wenzel, 19, of 13 Harvester Ave., Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Wenzel was allegedly seen with a person who is protected by a "stay away" order of protection.

Makeen K. Ithna-Asheri, 52, of 111 State St., Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass, 2nd. Ithna-Asheri allegedly entered a residence he had previously been advised not to enter.

Danielle M. Stevens, 36, of Ford Road, Elba, is charged with three counts of petit larceny. Stevens is accused of stealing $140 and a gold pendant from a relative's house within a six-week period. Stevens was jailed on $500 bail.

Brenden Kirstipher Steck, 23, of Broadway Road, Darien, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Steck was allegedly found to be the operator of a disabled motor vehicle on Route 20 in Darien at 1:15 a.m., Saturday, by Deputy James Diehl.

Joseph E. Marr, 34, of Attica, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Marr was reportedly involved in a motor vehicle accident at 10:13 p.m. Friday on Keeney Road, Le Roy. He was arrested by State Police.

Tips from readers of The Batavian have helped lead to the arrest a man suspected of driving his truck into the building of a restaurant in Darien Center on the night of Dec. 1.

Johny Bear's, on Broadway Road, reportedly suffered significant damage from a truck that spun out in the parking lot while the asphalt was covered with a dusting of snow.

N. L. Beglinger, 21, of Peaviner Road, Alexander, is being charged with reckless driving and leaving the scene of a property damage accident.

According to Deputy Brian Thompson's report, Beglinger drove into the parking lot at 12:35 a.m., with a 2006 Chevy pickup registered to Harlan L. George, of Peaviner Road. He drove in a northwesterly direction, spun counterclockwise and struck the building. He then allegedly headed southwesterly, and peeled out in the grass in front of a fire hydrant. Tire marks then showed the truck heading northwest and doing a donut in the parking lot.

Thompson said in his report that the investigation revealed that Beglinger intended to report to an insurance company that the truck struck a tree on Sprague Road.

The initial report in The Batavian suggested the truck involved in the accident also did donuts at the Triple C Shop Mart, Darien, and a video surveillance system captured some images of that truck.

It turned out the two incidents were unrelated -- different trucks -- though similar-looking -- and different drivers.

There were three passengers in Beglinger's truck, Shelby L. Fryer, 17, Douglas J. Knauss, 22, and Christopher King, 21.

Beglinger is scheduled to appear on the matter in Darien Town Court at 5 p.m., Dec. 18.

Deputy Kevin McCarthy assisted in the investigation.

Trevon L. Armstrong is indicted on counts of burglary, 2nd, criminal possession of stolen property, 4th, two counts of criminal mischief, 4th, falsely reporting an incident, 3rd, six counts of forgery, 2nd, three counts of offering a false instrument for filing and tampering with a witness, 4th. Armstrong is accused of entering a residence on East Avenue on Oct. 9 with the intent to commit a crime inside the residence. Armstrong is accused of possessing stolen property, a 46-inch Hisense LCD TV, a HP laptop computer and two boxes of jewelry. Armstrong is accused of damaging a window at the East Avenue property, as well as a door. Armstrong is accused of falsely reporting a burglary at a neighboring residence. He is accused of falsely implicating another person in possessing the stolen property. He is accused of signing a fake name on a fingerprint card, a witness statement and a deposition, as well as other government documents. Armstrong also allegedly tried to keep another person from testifying before the grand jury.

Earl F. Sprague III, is indicted on a count of criminal solicitation, 2nd. Sprague is accused of trying to engage another person in a Class A felony, murder in the second degree.

Janet M. Brady is indicted on counts of felony DWI, felony DWI with a child under age 15 in the car. Brady is accused of driving drunk Aug. 9 in the parking lot of Darien Lake Theme Park, Darien.

Martin F. Jones is indicted on counts of felony DWI, two counts of aggravated unlicensed operation and criminal mischief, 4th. Jones is accused of driving drunk Oct. 9 in the City of Batavia in the parking lot of Settler's Restaurant and Hess Mart. He is accused of damaging property at Settler's Restaurant with a value that exceeds $250.

Dennis E. Hopkins is indicted on charges of burglary, 3rd, and grand larceny, 4th. Hopkins is accused of entering a residence in February on Lewiston Road, Batavia, with the intention of committing a crime inside. He is accused of stealing $2,000 in cash.

Guillermo Roman Roque is indicted on three counts of incest, 3rd. Roque is accused of having sexual relations with a person he knew to be a family relative.

Elaina J. Mead is indicted on counts of menacing a police officer, assault, 2nd, criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd, and obstructing governmental administration, 2nd. Mead is accused of placing a knife to the chest of a deputy while attempting to block the arrest of her son, Michael Mead Sr., on June 17. Mead is accused of intentionally injuring a Le Roy police officer with a knife. She is accused of unlawfully using a knife as a weapon. She is accused of attempting to prevent the arrest of another person.

James Smith Jr.,  is indicted on counts of criminal possession of a weapon, two counts of menacing, 2nd, and assault, 2nd. Smith is accused of using a weapon with the intent to injure another person. He allegedly displayed a knife. He allegedly injured another person using a knife on July 22.

A Sheriff's deputy investigating the case of a pickup truck doing donuts in the snow at two locations in Darien, one where a building was damaged, obtained a close-circuit videotape that showed a black Chevy pickup truck with a female passenger.

Any damage on the vehicle would be on the driver's side rear.

The time frame has been narrowed to 1 a.m. to 2 a.m., Saturday.

The photo above is NOT of the truck, but the truck is believed to look a lot like it.

A motor vehicle accident with injuries is reported on Route 77, just south of Herkimer Road.

Darien fire and ambulance dispatched.

UPDATE 4:48 p.m.: It's a car/deer accident at 1784 Route 77.

UPDATE 5:10 p.m.: Accident victim signs off on medical treatment. All Darien units returning.

The Sheriff's Office is investigating some property damage at two different locations in Darien apparently caused by a driver doing donuts, rubber burns and spinouts in the parking lots of two establishments.

One building, Johnny Bears Family Restaurant, 1415 Broadway, was struck during the overnight incident and sustained damage.

The vehicle is believed to be a pickup truck and it struck the building with it's rear driver's side.

After damaging Johnny Bears, the pickup traveled to Triple C Shop Mart on Route 20 and did extensive burn outs and spins, damaging the parking lot and gas tank covers.

All of the damage was caused between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m.

Anyone with information about the incident can contact the Sheriff's Office at (585) 343-5000.

A gunshot into a residence on Broadway Road, Darien, passed within a foot of the head of an occupant at about 4:30 p.m., Thursday, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Nobody was injured in the incident, but investigators are looking for information that might help them determine who fired the shot.

The projectile is identified as a .45 caliber sabot slug. The type is commonly used in a rifle-barreled shotgun, according to the Sheriff's Office.

The slug passed through a sliding glass door at the rear of the home from a southerly direction. It stopped when it struck a panel door.

Damage at the residence is estimated at $1,000.

The location of the residence is between Tinkham Road and Route 77.

Anybody with information that may assist in the investigation is asked to call (585) 343-5000.

A two-car accident with minor injuries is reported at Sumner and County Line roads. Darien Fire Department and medics are responding.

UPDATE 1:13 p.m.: One car is blocking westbound traffic.

UPDATE 1:39 p.m.: Two people, including a small child, are being transported to Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital.

Leaha Rae Anne Wimmer, 20, of an undisclosed address in Darien, is charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument, 2nd. Wimmer is accused of using a forged/stolen check. She was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Brandon Nicholas Benz, 17, of Clinton Street Road, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Benz is accused of pushing and shoving another person.

Joseph Anthony Mogavero, 19, of State Street Road, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and possession/consumption of alcohol under age 21. Mogavero was arrested Saturday after Deputy Patrick Reeves was dispatched to Route 238 in Alexander for investigation of a suspicious vehicle off the roadway. Also charged with possession/consumption of alcohol under age 21 were Sean Patrick Francis Bodkin, 20, of Affinity Lane, Cheektowaga, Matthew Robert Blevins, 20, of Vernon Avenue, Batavia, and Nathan Alexander Demare, 19, of Brigham Road, Ferdonia.

Lucas George Yauchzee, 23, of West Bergen Road, Bergen, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and criminal possession of marijuana. Yauchzee's arrest comes after an investigation that began Dec. 26 when law enforcement responded to a report of a domestic incident at his apartment. Yauchzee is accused of possessing marijuana and hydrocodone.

A car struck a fire hydrant and broke a utility pole before leaving the scene at 10653 Alleghany Road. High tension wires were said to be hanging low to the ground, but Darien Fire Department, now on scene, says that's not the case.

The vehicle is now in the parking lot of the Darien Town Hall and law enforcement is out with it. The location of the accident is between Route 20 and Erie Road. The fire hydrant is dislodged but not leaking. The pole is upright, but sheared at the base, "somewhat attached to the ground" and will need immediate attention. The utility company has been notified and is sending out a crew right away.

UPDATE 2:40 p.m.: The driver is not injured and the vehicle is not leaking fluids. The officer who spoke with the driver is leaving the town hall parking lot and returning to the accident site.

UPDATE 2:42 p.m.: National Grid has a 20-minute ETA.

UPDATE: Photo submitted by Steven Easton.

The Grand Jury of Genesee County has issued the following indictments:

Kevin C. Johnson is indicted on a count of failure to register change of Internet access. Johnson, a convicted sex offender, is accused of not notifying authorities within 10 calendar days of a change in Internet access accounts.

James D. Ferguson is indicated on counts of DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and aggravated unlicensed operation. Ferguson is accused of driving drunk May 28 in Pembroke while having a revoked license due to a prior conviction in Buffalo in 2011 of driving while ability impaired.

Xzavier A. Davis is indicted on felony counts of DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater and aggravated unlicensed operation. Davis is accused of driving drunk May 13 in the Town of Darien. Davis has a prior DWI conviction in the Town of Cambria in 2012.

Shawn A. Johnson Jr., is indicted on four counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument, 1st. Johnson is accused of possessing forged $20 bills in the Town of Darien.

Robert L. Hizer is indicted on counts of felony DWI, aggravated felony DWI and robbery, 3rd. Hizer is accused of driving drunk June 23 in the Town of Le Roy while children under age 15 were in the vehicle. He is accused of, on that same date, stealing $138 and a pack of cigarettes from the Wilson Farms store at 13 Lake St., Le Roy.

Laszlo Szabo is indicted on counts of felony DWI and driving with a BAC of .18 or greater. Szabo is accused of driving drunk Sept. 23 in the Town of Le Roy. Szabo has a prior DWI conviction from 2005 in the Town of Greece.

Crystal L. Kiebzak (inset photo), 30, of Darien, is charged with identify theft, 1st, criminal possession of stolen property, 5th, and unlawful possession of personal identification information, 3rd. Kiebzak was arrested after a three-month investigation by State Police into the suspected unlawful use of personal information to obtain merchandise at the Walmart in Batavia. Kiebzak is accused of using the identification of a relative to obtain more than $3,000 in merchandise.

Michael P. Murphy, 27, of 38 Columbia Ave., Batavia, is charged with assault, 3rd, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal mischief. Murphy is accused of punching and pushing another person during a domestic incident at 7:32 p.m., Monday. A child was allegedly in the vicinity of the incident. Murphy was jailed on $3,000 bail or $6,000 bond.

Linda L. Henry, 49, of 6 Maple St., Batavia, Michael J. Henry, 45, of 6 Maple St., Batavia, and Katrina L. Thigpen, 30, of 18 Maple St., Batavia, are charged with harassment, 2nd, and disorderly conduct. The trio were arrested following a police response by officers Jason Ivison and Eric Dibble to a report of a fight on Maple Street at 1:25 p.m., Monday. Thigpen is accused of punching another person in the face. Michael Henry is accused of pushing another person and causing that person to fall through a porch railing. Thigpen and Michael Henry were charged with harassment, 2nd. Linda Henry is accused of repeatedly yelling obscenities at police officers. She was charged with disorderly conduct.

Kevin J. O'Connell Jr., 32, and Samantha L. Johnson, 25, both of 466 Ellicott St., Batavia, are charged with criminal nuisance, 2nd, falsely reporting an incident, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, and moving from lane unsafely (O'Connell on the vehicle charges). Batavia PD officers Thad Mart and Darryle Streeter responded to a report of a car hitting a house at 3:35 a.m., Saturday, at 499 Ellicott St., Batavia. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene before officers arrived. The investigation revealed that a vehicle was northbound on Ellicott Street when the driver lost control of the car and it left the roadway on the northeast side of the road. The vehicle drove through a lawn at 451 Ellicott St. before striking and becoming stuck underneath the front porch at 449 Ellicott St. Following interviews with witnesses, officers identified O'Connell as the suspected driver. During the investigation, officers determined that O'Connell and Johnson allegedly hosted an underage drinking party at their residence. Johnson is accused of initially telling officers that her car had been stolen by an unknown person.

UPDATE, to add arrest out of Wyoming County.

Andre Roberts, 20, of Perry Road, Pavilion, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, and uninspected vehicle. Roberts was stopped by a Wyoming County Sheriff's deputy at 4:50 p.m., Nov. 8, on Keeney Road, Warsaw. He was jailed on $2,000 bail.

Todd Eric Weaver, 43, of Seven Springs Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 2nd, and attempted assault, 2nd. Weaver was allegedly involved with a police pursuit at 5:45 a.m., Friday, when he allegedly used his car to strike a Medina PD cruiser on Skye Road, Tonawanda Indian Reservation, causing damage to the cruiser. Weaver is also accused of striking a mailbox on Skye Road. He was also issued citations for alleged failure to keep right, driving left of pavement markings and moving from lane unsafely. The reported pursuit of Weaver began in Orleans County and ended on Clinton Street Road, Stafford. Following his release from ECMC, Weaver was arraigned and jailed without bail.

Todd Eric Weaver, 43, of 8510 Seven Springs Road, Batavia, is charged with unlawful fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, 3rd, criminal possession of a weapon, 4th, criminal mischief, 4th, aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, reckless driving, unlicensed operation, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, improper right-hand turn, open container, speeding and 11 counts of failure to stop for a stop sign. After receiving notification of a vehicle involved in a pursuit with Medina PD earlier in the morning, Officer Thad Mart observed a vehicle matching the description of the earlier pursuit. Mart attempted to initiate a traffic stop in the City of Batavia. The vehicle did not stop and led Mart and responding Batavia PD units on a pursuit. Weaver allegedly drove his vehicle over a lawn on East Avenue causing damage to the lawn. Weaver allegedly drove his vehicle to Clinton Street Road and proceeded north on Clinton Street Road, out of the city and into the Town of Stafford. Sheriff's deputies joined the pursuit. Weaver's vehicle reportedly managed to avoid spikes placed in the road in an attempt to end the pursuit. Weaver's vehicle stopped on Clinton Street Road when it ran out of gas. A .22-caliber rifle was allegedly found in the vehicle. Weaver is reportedly barred from possessing firearms because of a prior felony conviction. Weaver was jailed without bail. Additional charges are pending from the Sheriff's Office, Batavia PD and Medina PD.

Dawn Marie Gagliano, 33, of Broadway Road, Darien, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, failure to keep right, open container and criminal possession of a controlled substance. 7th. Gagliano was charged following a one-vehicle accident at 1:52 a.m., Saturday, on County Line Road, Darien. The accident was investigated by Deputy Matthew Fleming.

Philip M. Robinson, 22, Ellicott Street Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Robinson's 2006 Pontiac was located at 2:21 a.m., Sunday, unoccupied with its lights on. Robinson was reportedly located a short distance from the vehicle by Sgt. Greg Walker. Upon investigation, Walker determined Robinson had allegedly been operating the vehicle while intoxicated.

Michael Thomas Coffey, 43, of Heritage Estates, Albion, is charged with petit larceny. Coffey is accused of consuming food at the Yellow Goose in Elba and then leaving with out paying for the food.

Matthew K. Surdyke, 26, of Greeley Street, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, unregistered motor vehicle and uninspected motor vehicle. Surdyke's vehicle was stopped by Deputy Brian Thompson at 5 p.m., Thursday, on Buffalo Road, Bergen, for a passenger allegedly not wearing a seat belt. Surdyke was allegedly found in possession of suboxone.

Lena M. Evans, 25, of 34 Maple St., upper, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Evans is accused of shoplifting from Dollar General merchandise valued at $8.64.

Woodrow C. Horseman, 36, of 5049 E. Main St. Road, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Horseman is accused of stealing $91.98 in merchandise from Plaza Spirits in Eastown Plaza at 3:42 p.m., Friday. Horseman was located by Officer Eric Dibble on Sunday.

Gregory Seppe, 54, no permanent address, is charged with appearance in public under influence of narcotics or drug other than alcohol. Seppe allegedly had three police contacts in less than four hours early Sunday morning where he appeared to be under the influence of narcotics.

Otis E. Hardy, 54, of Pensacola, Fla., is charged with forcible touching and criminal trespass. Hardy was arrested by State Police at 11:10 a.m., Saturday, at 8204 Park Road, Batavia. Hardy was held in jail. No other details released.

A family's Sunday drive through Darien turned fatal today after a driver swerved into oncoming traffic to avoid a car making a left-hand turn from Route 20 onto Warner Road.

Audrey Gleason, 55, of Baldwinsville, was pronounced dead ECMC after being transported there by Mercy Flight following the 3:08 p.m. accident.

Gleason was in the passenger seat of a white Toyota Rav 4, driven by her husband, Dennis Gleason, 58.

Their 16-year-old dauther, Kelly, was in the back seat and was also seriously injured. A second Mercy Flight helicopter transported her to Women's and Children's Hospital in Buffalo.

Their vehicle was hit head on by a red Chrysler 300 driven by Gerald Kania.

Kania was westbound after getting off work.

At Warner Road, a black 2007 Chevy Trail Blazer driven by Darlene Clark had stopped to make a left-hand turn.

Kania said he was distracted for a moment and did not see Clark stopping to turn. He swerved left to avoid rear-ending her vehicle. He sideswiped the Chevy, damaging a taillight and the driver's side mirror.

A fraction of a second later, the Rav 4 and the Chrysler slammed head-on.

The accident location was directly in front of 1081 Broadway, the location of a house fire in January 2011. The owner of the property has numerous stored items she has been selling in her front yard recently, including today. She said she did not see the accident.

Dennis Gleason was transported by Mercy EMS to ECMC.

Kania suffered a leg injury and was transported to ECMC by ground ambulance.

Darien Fire Department responded to the scene and Corfu fire and Alden fire provided traffic control on Route 20.

Route 20 was closed from 3 p.m. until 6:40 p.m.

A head-on collision is reported at Route 20 and Warner Road. One person is unconscious. Mercy Flight is on in-air standby. Darien Fire Department, Mercy medics and law enforcement are responding.

UPDATE 3:21 p.m.: Mercy Flight is called to the scene and it has about a five-minute ETA. Corfu Fire Police are asked to shut down traffic at Route 20 and Route 77. Traffic will also be stopped at Broadway and Harlow roads. Several ambulances are headed to the scene.

UPDATE 3:25 p.m.: Corfu responders are told to use caution when approaching the scene as southbound traffic on Route 77 "is busy and there's no where to pull over." It appears there are only two vehicles involved. Mercy Flight 5 out of Batavia is about to land.

UPDATE 3:28 p.m.: A second Mercy Flight helicopter is called for.

UPDATE 3:30 p.m.: Mercy Flight 7 out of Buffalo is flying in, with a 12-minute ETA.

UPDATE 3:35 p.m.: A third vehicle was also involved in the accident.

UPDATE 3:48 p.m.: The second bird has landed. Two patients will be transported in Mercy rigs and each helicopter will have a patient on board. Buffalo General Hospital is the only destination mentioned so far.

UPDATE 4 p.m.: All patients are going to Erie County Medical Center.

UPDATE 4:10 p.m.: The roadways will remain closed until the accident investigation is completed.

UPDATE 6:40 p.m.: Route 20 is reopened.

This morning, I was out of the house early with the specific intention of driving to Darien Lakes State Park to get a picture of the sunrise over Harlow Lake. It's sort of been on my list of local pictures to get for a couple of years.

Below, another picture from Darien Lakes, and a landscape taken on Walker Road in Darien.