elba

A trash can is on fire under the pavilion at the Veterans Memorial Park on South Main Street. Elba Fire Department is responding

A rider is down in the road and not moving following a car and motorcycle crash at 4575 Barrville Road in Elba. Two ambulances -- a Mercy rig and one from Oakfield -- are called to respond and Mercy Flight as well. The accident is blocking traffic and injuries are serious.

UPDATE 6:33 p.m.: A second helicopter is requested. A portion of Barrville Road is being shut down.

UPDATE 6:38 p.m.: The location is between Bridge Road and Chapel Street. The second helicopter is directed to the scene, to land between two homes, for the more seriously injured patient.

UPDATE 6:43 p.m.: One bird has landed safely and the other one is going to land at the ARC facility's parking lot.

UPDATE 6:46 p.m.: Elba Fire Department is on scene as are fire police.

UPDATE 6:49 p.m.: The first helicopter is airborne to Strong Memorial Hospital with the most seriously injured patient -- the rider. The second bird is about 5 minutes out from the landing zone at the ARC parking lot and will be transporting a 20-year-old female who has an extremely severe slash at the joint on her right knee. She had no loss of consciousness.

UPDATE 6:58 p.m.: The second Mercy Flight ship has landed safely.

UPDATE 7:07 p.m.: The second helicopter is airborne and also headed to Strong.

UPDATE 7:15 p.m.: The Oakfield ambulance is inbound to UMMC with a 9-year-old girl who has cuts on her wrist, arm, knee and ankle as well as back and neck pain. She is accompanied by her mother, who was not injured in the accident. The child was a passenger in the backseat on the driver's side of the vehicle, which was struck from behind by the motorcycle.

UPDATE 7:42 p.m.: The motorcycle is still in the roadway and fire police are remaining on scene until it's removed. The bike is said to be a 1999 yellow Honda, registered to a man in Penn Yan.

UPDATE 8:03 p.m.: The road is reopened. Elba is back in service.

Ty Demmer of Batavia High School ran a new course record of 17:32 in the 3rd Annual Elba 5K this morning.

Jackie Moyer of Aquinas High School was the female winner with a time of 22:58.

Full results available by click here.

Photos provided by Dave Bateman.

Kimberly Dawn Moore, 45, of South Main Street, Warsaw, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. Moore was stopped at 1:34 p.m., Saturday, on Ellicott Street, Batavia, by Deputy Brian Thompson and Officer Eric Hill. Moore was found to allegedly be in illegal possession of hydrocodone. Also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance was Jon Hoyt Bush, 29, of Oak Orchard Road, Batavia.

Kyle K. Shultz, 18, of Norton Road, Elba, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08, failure to keep right, open container, mobile phone use in a motor vehicle. Shultz was stopped at 6:14 a.m., Saturday, at Byron Road and Fotch Road, Stafford, by Deputy Brian Thompson. Shultz allegedly had a BAC of .16.

At around 4:45 p.m., dispatchers received a report of a 3-year-old who had gone missing in the area of Pekin Road, Elba.

Law enforcement along with volunteer firefighters responded and initiated a search.

The child was located at about 5:15 p.m. and did not require medical attention.

All units going back in service.

UPDATE 5:41 p.m. (by Billie): I think the initial call came into dispatch around 4:15  p.m. The tot, clad in jeans and an orange T-shirt, was said to have left the house and could not be located. The caller was the child's older brother. The parents were both home but aren't fluent in English. Law enforcement asked that they scour the house once more to double-check for the child but that turned up nothing. The child was later heard yelling in the woods by officers.

A subject may have a broken nose following a fight on North Main Street, near Chapel Street, in the Village of Elba.

An ambulance is being requested to the scene.

A witness notified dispatchers of a fight less than five minutes ago and a deputy responded.

The suspect, described as a 25-year-old Mexican, is wearing black shorts and shirt and flip-flops, and is believed to be on foot in the area.

UPDATE 11:39 p.m.: The suspect lost a flip-flop. A deputy found it. The suspect may be heading south on Route 98 on foot.

UPDATE 11:40 p.m.: Suspect may actually have left in a red Mazda.

UPDATE 11:42 p.m.: The ambulance is responding to the area of 42 Chapel St., the apparent location of the victim.

UPDATE 11:45 p.m.: There are apparently multiple suspects.  A couple are with deputies now.

UPDATE 12:21 a.m.: The flip-flop wearing suspect, who is now completely flip-flopless, seems to be in custody. Also, I heard something earlier about a knife being recovered, and it sounded like a deputy involved in this call, but not certain.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported at 6508 Oak Orchard Road, near Lockport Road, in Elba.

Elba Fire Department and Mercy EMS responding.

State Police on scene.

UPDATE 6:17 p.m.: Mercy is transporting one person to Strong Memorial Hospital. Elba is back in service.

The driver of a car that reportedly pulled in front of a truck on Route 98 in Elba on Tuesday told the deputy investigating the accident, "the truck just kept coming and didn't stop and he struck me," according to the accident report released by the Sheriff's Office.

The driver, 22-year-old Brandi-Lyn Heidenreich, of Garibaldi Avenue, Oakfield, was cited for alleged failure to yield the right of way at an intersection.

Neither Heidenreich nor the truck driver, Robert J. Hippert, 62, of East Stenzil Street, North Tonawanda, were injured.

Hippert, who was trapped in his vehicle by building debris, was transported to UMMC for observation.

After hitting Heidenreich's white 1996 Mazda sedan, Hippert's truck slammed into an antique store, The Mill, in a large, old red barn at the intersection of Route 98 and Route 262. A beam pierced the trailer of his truck just a foot or so above his head and several other beams crumbled against his windshield.

The truck wiped out six supporting beams in the barn and the barn structure had to be braced before the truck was moved late yesterday.

According to Deputy Brian Thompson's report, Heidenreich was eastbound on Route 262 and stopped at the intersection before pulling out onto Route 98 to make a left-hand turn.

Heidenreich apparently expected the southbound truck to stop for her, but there is no stop sign for either north nor southbound traffic on Route 98 at that intersection.

A two-vehicle accident is reported at routes 98 and 262. One vehicle is blocking the intersection. The other has struck The Mill Co-op Gifts & Antiques or a building by that location and there's "a lot of structural damage as a result." The vehicle that struck it is a 10-wheel box truck and the driver is not injured, but is trapped inside. Elba Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding along with law enforcement.

UPDATE 1:43 p.m.: A unit from Oakfield is asked to stand by in its quarters. A code enforcement officer is requested to the scene.

UPDATE 1:45 p.m.: The truck has a possible fuel leak.

UPDATE 2 p.m.: National Grid is called to the scene.

UPDATE 2:38 p.m.: According to Deputy Jon Szumigala at the scene, the box truck swerved to avoid a sedan which had turned in front of him. As a result, the truck hit a storage building owned by The Mill. The trucker got lucky. His vehicle was struck by large pieces of wood and beams in the crash and although no beam pierced the cab, one went through his trailer like a spear, about a foot above his head. The 60-year-old had to be extricated by firefighters and was taken to UMMC with no complaints of pain. The sedan is totaled and the front end is completely mangled, the driver unhurt. "The building appears to be weakened tremendously," Szumigala said, adding that they can't remove the vehicle until code enforcement says it's OK to do so. The roadway is reopened.

Todd Allan Betts, 35, of Transit Road, Elba, is charged with reckless endangerment, 1st, endangering the welfare of a child, menacing, 2nd, criminal obstruction of breathing and harassment, 2nd. Betts was charged following the report of a domestic incident. Betts allegedly grabbed a woman by the throat and threw her to the ground. He allegedly pointed a shotgun in the direction of the woman and a child. Betts was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Tametha A. Wentland, 40, of Harlow Road, Darien, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Wentland is accused of physically contacting a victim. The incident was reported at 11:59 p.m., Saturday. Wentland was arrested by State Police.

Levi Winnie, 26, of 590 Council House Road, Basom, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. The alleged incident was reported at 4:15 a.m., Saturday. Winnie was arrested by State Police on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation. No further details were released.

Elba crowned its 2012 Onion Queen on Saturday evening and she is Jamie Marshall (blue dress). First runner-up is Makenzie Bezon, left, and second runner-up is Paige Pangrazio.

If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here. To purchase prints of these photos, click here.

Stephen A. Lewis, 32, of 130 W. Main St., Apt. A, Batavia, is charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and harassment, 2nd. Lewis was arrested following a report at 3:45 p.m., Friday, of two men arguing, with one of them possibly carrying a baseball bat, at East Main and Summit streets. According to Batavia PD, when a patrol officer attempted to interview Lewis, Lewis became irate and yelled obscenities. He continued, according to police, even after being warned to stop yelling and clean up his language. Lewis was placed under arrest and charged with disorderly conduct. Lewis struggled with officers. Once taken into custody by officers Eric Hill and Kevin DeFelice, Lewis was arraigned at city court and jailed on $1,000 bail. On the way to jail, Lewis allegedly threatened to kill Batavia PD officers, leading to the harassment, 2nd, charge. (Initial Report)

George M. Hodges, 22, of 9 Pringle Ave., lower, Batavia, is charged with disorderly conduct. Batavia PD officers responded to 9 Pringle Ave. at 11:46 p.m., Saturday, to investigate the report of a property dispute. While Officer Frank Klimjack was on scene, Hodges was allegedly irate and yelled obscenities. Klimjack reportedly warned Hodges to calm down, but Hodges allegedly continued yelling obscenities.

Brodes J. Gibson, 51, of 13 Thorpe St., Batavia, is charged with two counts of petit larceny. Gibson is accused of entering the Kwik Fill at 99 Jackson St. on two occasions and stealing two 18 packs of beer.

Joel S. Shelhorse, 24, of 23 West Ave., Elba, is charged with DWI, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle, operating in violation of a restricted use license, aggravated unlicensed operation and opening a vehicle door interfering with traffic. Shelhorse was taken into custody following a report at 8:46 a.m., Sunday, of a male and female arguing on South Main Street.

David A. Kendall, 40, of 215 Bank St., Batavia, is charged with trespass. Kendall is accused of entering a neighbor's property at 4:45 p.m., July 21, without permission.

David M. Smith, 26, of Pavilion, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 4th. Smith was arrested by State Police following an incident reported at 10:20 p.m., Sunday, in Darien. No further details released.

A possible farming accident has been reported in the area of Transit Road and North Byron Road.

A person may have fallen off a tractor, or a box may have fallen somebody in a cabbage field.

It's unknown yet whether the location is in the Elba Fire District or Byron Fire District. Personnel from both departments are responding.

State Police are responding.

The call came through Orleans County and the caller doesn't speak good English.

UPDATE 12:03 p.m.: A thousand pound object fell on the victim. The patient is conscious and alert; however, Mercy Flight is being put on in-air standby is responding (Mercy Flight 5 out of Batavia). The accident is in Elba's district.  Byron and South Byron are cancelled.

UPDATE 1:47 p.m.: The patient was taken to Strong via Mercy Flight. His name is Ferando Jereonro, age 29.  ccording to Sgt. Greg Walker, Jereonro was working on a platform with three crates of cabbage. The welds on a chain apparently gave out and the platform fell and a 1,000-pound crate of cabbage fell on Jereonro. Workers quickly removed the cabbage and the crate. Jereonro was conscious and alert when we was transported.

Also, just as I arrived on scene for this (too late to get any pictures), there was a call for a motor vehicle accident on Route 5 in Le Roy, in front of the Le Roy Country Club. By the time I arrived on scene there, the accident was clear and the roadway was reopened. Minor injuries.

This year Elba's 76^th annual Onion Festival will be held outside the Firemen’s Recreation Hall on the edge of town rather than in its usual location in the village park.

Fire Department President Bill Hynes said the decision to move the festival stemmed from the aging demographics of members of the department.

“We don’t have as many firemen as we used to, and some of them are getting older,” Hynes said. “It just got to be too much to move everything from the rec hall down to the village park.”

Festival coordinator Barbie Starowitz says that though the location will be different, many of the same traditions will remain, such as the Ladies Auxiliary’s roast beef dinner and the ever-popular bingo game “Dart-O.” Both will be held inside the rec hall.

The crowning of the 2012 Onion Queen, which would normally take place in the park gazebo, will “tentatively” be held inside the hall as well, according to Hynes.

The relocation has received mixed reviews, according to Starowitz: “There’s good and there’s bad.”

One of the less-favorable reactions was voiced by Leon Watson, a retired longtime member of the fire department who believes that these changes are “driving people away.”

“I think they’re going to lose a bundle on this,” Watson said. “There’s no place to park, and it’s a hazard with two roads coming together right there. I’d like to see them move it back to the park."

Watson, who belonged to the fire department for “about 60 years,” has been attending Onion festivals since he was a small boy and the festival was held at the Four Corners in Elba. Shortly after the birth of “Field Day” in 1937, it was moved to the village park due to a lack of space at the Four Corners, and has been there ever since.

“We get a lot of graduates who come back just for the Onion Festival,” he said. “They like it at the park. There’s space and there’s shade.”

So has the Onion Festival found a new permanent home at the rec hall, or will it return to the park in 2013? Hynes says it’s too early to tell:

“There will be a vote of the department. We’ll just see what happens.”

A one-car rollover with possibly minor injuries is reported at 4857 N. Byron Road. The occupants are out of the vehicle. Elba Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 11:44 a.m.: Fire police are responding to the scene for traffic control.

UPDATE 11:46 a.m.: Mercy medics are now available and will be responding.

Daniel Clarence Merrell, 45, of Rose Road, Batavia, is charged with grand larceny, 3rd. Merrell is accused of stealing scrap metal form his employer in June. Merrell was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Daniel W. Brown, 26, of Oneida, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .13 and speeding. Brown was stopped by State Police on Monday, on Route 77 in Darien as part of an enforcement detail in the area. During the detail, troopers issued 16 tickets to motorists for various alleged violations.

Danielle M. Stevens, 35, of Elba, is charged with possession of a forged instrument. Stevens was arrested by State Police on Friday for an alleged incident reported July 10. No further details were released.

Brittany B. Simmons, 19, of Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Simmons was cited in Bergen on Friday by State Police.

A subject was reportedly struck by a 4-wheeler at 3999 Ridge Road in Elba. Mercy EMS is responding along with Elba Fire Department.

UPDATE 7:18 p.m.: A responder on scene reports there are two patients.

UPDATE 7:39 p.m.: Turns out, no need for an ambulance. Elba is back in service.