Stories from

City station is being dispatched to 400 Towers, 400 E. Main St., Batavia, for a general fire alarm.

There's a light haze hanging over Batavia. It reminds me of smog, which I've seen plenty of in San Diego, Los Angeles and Bakersfield -- a place with the distinction of having the worst air quality in the nation.

There is an air quality alert here in effect until 10 p.m. today, issued by the New State Department of Environmental Conservation.

The air-quality index is at 125.

According to Wikipedia, when the API is between 100 and 200: "People with existing heart or respiratory illnesses may notice mild aggravation of their health conditions. Generally healthy individuals may also notice some discomfort."

The Department of Health recommends limiting strenuous outdoor activity. People, especially the very young or those with asthma or heart disease, should consult with a physician immediately if any adverse symptoms arise.

City firefighters are being dispatched to the city schools administration building at 39 Washington Ave.  Initial report is that a four-year-old accidentally pulled the alarm.

View Larger Map

A former Batavia firefighter who operates a train museum in Medina is accused of sexually assaulting a 27-year-old woman Friday at the museum and may have installed a videotaping system in the building.

Martin Phelps, 67, is accused assaulting the woman at 4:30 p.m.. Medina police have also removed an "extensive" videotaping system from the building.

Phelps bought the museum in 1991 and opened it in 1997 after spending six years remodeling the location.

He was remanded to Orleans County Jail on $5,000 bail.

(Source, the Batavia Daily News)

A motorcycle group out on a fundraising ride through Alabama on Sunday was confronted by a shotgun-wielding motorist when he apparently didn't like an intersection being closed by members of the group while the caravan passed.

William E. Buncy, 64, of Depew, was arrested by State Police and charged with a misdemeanor count of menacing.

The shotgun, which was reportedly unloaded at the time, along with three other unloaded firearms, were taken from Buncy at the time of his arrest. Buncy was returning from an event at a local gun club at the time of the incident.

The motorcycle group had 150 riders, and a few members of the group blocked the intersection at Lewiston Road and Route 63 to make it easier and safer for the entire group to pass through the intersection.

Titled the Jonathon Cote Memorial Motorcycle Run, it featured 150 riders and began in Amherst and was headed to Wilson Boat House in Wilson.

Buncy will be arraigned on the charge on Aug. 25 in the Town of Alabama Court.

Two men from Medina were taken into custody at 1:46 a.m. Monday on McAlpine Road in Pembroke after being found in possession of a number of reportedly stolen items.

All of the items appear to have been taken from parked cars.

Raymond J. Molina, 23, of 332 W. Oak Orchard St., Medina, and Shawn R. Wisniewski, 20, of 400 Erie St., Medina, are charged with criminal possession of stolen property.

They were jailed on $10,000 bail each.

Both Molina and Wisniewski were allegedly found with stolen GPS units, stolen purses and assorted stolen currency.

The case was investigated by Deputy Jason Saile, with assistance from Deputy John Weis and Sgt. Brian Frieday.

UPDATE: Chief Jerome Brewster clarifies that the items allegedly stolen were taken that night in the Pembroke area.

The Six Star Body Shop at 101 Lehigh Ave. Batavia, was apparently hit by a burglar on Thursday night or early Friday morning.

Batavia Police Officer Andrews is investigating the incident, in which a person or persons kicked in a door and ransacked the office.

The owner of the business is taking an inventory to determine what items are missing.

Beaver Road, between Pike and Dodgeson roads, in Alexander will be closed for the next week. A bridge is being replaced.

View Larger Map

Chad M. Johnson, 23, of 15 Fairway Drive, Batavia, is charged with obstructing governmental administration. Batavia Police Officer Frank Klimjack reports that he encountered Johnson as a suspicious subject on South Main Street and when Klimjack requested to pat him down for weapons, Johnson allegedly refused. At that point, Johnson allegedly tried running away. After being ordered to stop, Klimjack used his Taser, at which point, Johnson stopped running. Upon further investigation, Batavia Police learned Johnson is reportedly on parole and was allegedly in violation of his terms of release from a state correctional facility. State parole officers were notified and further action is pending.

William Lyons, 36, of unknown address, Medina, is charged with harassment. Lyons was allegedly involved in a fight with another family member at 149 Ross St.. He was jailed on $1,500 bail.

Shane D. Vandenberg, 29, of 20 S. Main St., Batavia, is charged with harassment, menacing and endangering the welfare of a child. Vandenberg allegedly choked a female in front of the couple's child.

A 16-year-old boy is charged with criminal contempt. The boy was arrested at a roadside check point on Clinton Street Thursday night after allegedly being found in the company of a person whom he's been ordered not to contact.

Steven R. Goodrich, 27, of 649 E. Maine Road, Johnson City, is charged with DWI following a stop at a roadside checkpoint Friday night on Pearl Street. He is also accused of driving an uninspected vehicle.

UPDATE: The item below came in later this morning.

Andrew R. Miles, 20, and Benjamin M. Rogalia, 19, residences not given, were arrested at Darien Lake Theme Park on Monday at 3:07 a.m. for allegedly stealing a golf cart and running it into a locked gate. Both the gate and the cart were damaged. Both were jailed on $1,000 bail.

UPDATE II: More items that came in later in the day.

Darren W. Spencer, 26, of Springville, is charged with assault in the third degree after he allegedly punched the driver of another vehicle during a road-rage confrontation.  Spencer and the other driver confronted each other after an incident took place between the two of them on the roadway. The victim suffered a dislocated jaw in the incident.

Lawrence R. Laude, 22, of Corfu, is charged with robbery, criminal mischief and harassment in connection with a domestic incident last night. Laude was jailed in lieu of bail.

Valerie R. Mullen, 20, of Batavia, is charged with DWI following a property damage accident Thursday at 4:25 a.m. at 6835 Knowlesville Road in Alabama. Mullen was also charged with driving with a BAC of .08 percent or greater.

UPDATE III: And just missed this one this morning:

Charles P. Yaeger, 69, of 17 Madison Ave., Akron, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08, endangering the welfare of the child and violations of moving from a lane unsafely, failing to keep right and having an unsafe tire. Yesterday at 4:25 p.m., the Sheriff's Office received a complaint that a car had struck two parked cars at 1288 Little Falls Road, Pembroke, and then fled the scene. Yeager's car, which suffered a broken axle and flattened tire, reportedly left skid marks over eight miles of roadways, which Sheriff's deputies Patrick J. Reeves and Timothy Wescott said they followed from the scene of the accident to Yaeger's Akron home. Upon investigation, Reeves and Wescott found that Yaeger reportedly had a 17-year-old passenger in his car.

(UPDATED 9:41 a.m. with information on passenger)

A 49-year-old Hamlin man is charged with drunken driving following a one-car accident on North Byron Road yesterday at 2:23 p.m..

Thomas G. Lentz, of 4 Locust Drive, was reportedly driving on North Byron Road when his car went off the road and struck a tree.

His passenger, Daniel F.  Morabito, Jr., 59, of 25 Locust Drive, Hamlin, suffered a minor head wound and was transported to Strong.

He is charged with misdemeanor charges of DWI and aggravated DWI, as well as violations for allegedly driving too fast, having an open container and making an unsafe lane change.

His passenger is not identified in the report released by the Sheriff's Office.

Investigating the accident were Deputy Joseph Graff, Deputy C.W. Mower and Sgt. T.A. Sanfratello.

This is an upate to an accident we reported yesterday.

The following arrests were made during the Brad Paisley concert at Darien Lake Theme Park on Friday night:

Timothy Meade, 20, of 7326 Lakeshore Road, Derby, is charged with trespassing for allegedly re-entering the concert after being ejected.

Garrett Lang, 23, of 7195 Fish Hatchery Road, Bath, is charged with trespass after allegedly climbing a fence and going for a swim in the Grizzly Run Ride.

Today, Billie and I drove around Genesee County a bit just to look around.  After lunch at the Darien Cafe, we spotted a roadside fruit stand, and upon looking more closely, Billie saw a woman in the barn just behind it sitting and weaving, so we stopped.

Dale and Mary Jacobs sell their handcrafted blankets, towels, shoestrings and place mats from their barn -- all the items are handmade from locally grown material.

They also sell vegetables from their garden -- everything organically grown.

"I was a weaver already and Dale was a gardener, so when we retired, we just expanded on what we already did," Mary said.

Dale, is, in fact, a master gardener through the Cornell Extension.

They've had their business about 10 years.

Crooked Creek Farm is located at 1438 Broadway Road in Darien Center.

Billie and I stopped by Kutter's Cheese in Pembroke today, and while I waited in the car with our dog, I started looking at this old tree and decided to snap a few pictures. It wasn't until after I got home and opened this shot in PhotoShop that I notice what looks like the face of an angry old man in the knotted bark.  Can you see it?

The Amazing Kayden grabs a tennis ball after leaping through hurdles at top speed.  He was part of the fun at the Festival of Fur today on West Main Street Road in Batavia.

The event was co-sponsored by Genesee Feeds, Dave's Ice Cream and Volunteers for Animals. 

Dogs could enjoy the day with some ice cream and making new friends, as well receive a microchip for more reliable identification if lost or stolen.

Larry Dewitt and Lauren Paluta give a car a free car wash at Center of Attention Auto Spa on Park Road (next to Alex's Place).

Owner Dan Kemp opened up his shop today to members of SADD so they could offer free car washes to anybody who brings a vehicle by. A donation, of course, is requested, either in cash or in school supplies.

The car wash is on until 2 p.m. today.

Dancing Derrick is also there.

A Batavia man was found dead at 7:57 p.m. Friday along Route 98 in Alexander.

The body of Michael J. Falk, 55, a resident on East Main Street, was found about six feet down an embankment by a passing motorist, who initially spotted a bicycle leaning against a guard rail.

The motorist called 9-1-1 and the Alexander Volunteer Fire Department responded to the call. County Coroner Donald Coleman pronounced Falk dead at the scene.

Foul play is not suspected.

The investigation is ongoing. It is being conducted by Deputy Joseph Graff, Sgt. Greg Walker, Sgt. Steve Mullen, Investigator William Ferrando and the Genesee County Coroner's Office.