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Lost cat at MedTech Center

By Howard B. Owens

This orange tabby kept trying to get into the MedTech Center on R. Steven Hawley Drive (across from GCC) this morning. Workers there think it's a house cat who is lost. It's being kept at the nursing office. Call (585) 343-0055, ext. 6355.

Friends raising money for woman displaced from Pavilion home after truck hit it

By Howard B. Owens

Friends of a Pavilion resident who was displaced when a truck rammed into her house Friday are trying to raise money to assist her.

JoAnn Dumbleton has been staying with family since the accident, according to Mary Conway-Doody.  

Dumbleton is a child-care worker in the before and after school program at Pavilion.

The fundraiser is intended to help Dumbleton, who was renting the house, find a new place to live and replace damaged items.

To donate, visit this GoFundMe.com page.

Law and Order: Teen accused of assaulting corrections officer

By Howard B. Owens

Terrance Lee Falk, 17, of Woodsmeadow Lane, Brighton, is charged with third-degree assault and second-degree obstructing governmental administration. Falk allegedly engaged in a physical struggle with a corrections officer at the Genesee County Jail leading to an injury to the officer.

William John Velky, 34, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, following too closely, passing on right and moving from lane unsafely. Velky was stopped at 5:08 p.m. Monday on Chapel Street, Elba, by Deputy James Diehl following a complaint of an erratic driver.

Cassandra Y. Dauber, 32, of Lock Haven, PA, Cindy L. Dauber, 58, and David T. Suzenski, 57, both from Phoenixville, Pa., are charged with trespass for allegedly entering Rolling Hills Asylum on Bethany Center Road without permission.

Andrew Charles Webster, 22, no permanent address, is charged with petit larceny. Webster is accused of shoplifting from Walmart. He was jailed on $500 bail.

City firefighters extinguish kitchen fire on Tracy Avenue

By Howard B. Owens

City fire responded to a kitchen fire at 27 Tracy Ave., Batavia, this afternoon that caused an estimated $1,000 in damage.

The fire was reported at 4:38 p.m. and was deemed accidental, according to a press release.

Engine 11 arrived three minutes after the alarm and reported smoke showing. The residents evacuated.

Once inside, firefighters found a pot of grease on fire on the stove with flames extending into other combustibles nearby. The crew smothered the fire by putting a lid on the pot and used a fire extinguisher to knock down the remaining fire on a cabinet and wall paneling.

Crews were also able to locate and remove a pet rabbit from the home.

City fire remained on scene for about an hour checking for extension and ventilating the structure.

The estimated building damage is $200 and contents damage is put at $800.

Football Preview: Lancers bring experience to gridiron in 2015

By Howard B. Owens

Some key starters from the 2014 edition of the Elba/Byron-Bergen Lancers have graduated and moved on, but Head Coach Mike Cintorino is confident in the squad he will put on the field in 2015.

"This is the most veteran group we've ever had," Cintorino said. "We have a lot of guys who played with us as freshman and sophomores and we've got 15 seniors returning, mostly starters, so we lost some names such as (Steele) Truax, (Mike) Shanley and (Garrett) Chapell, and guys like that, but in all reality, we had guys with us last year already ready to fill those roles who have been with us for a couple of years."

John Hockmuth, a standout at tight end last season, has been waiting his turn to lead the offense and is ready to step in as QB-1, Cintorino said. Richard Flores, perhaps the fastest running back in the Genesee Region, returns as half-back and there are younger guys ready to contribute at receiver and tight end.

Size and experience will benefit the offensive and defensive lines.

"They've been playing together actually since they were in seventh or eighth grade, so this line is probably the most experienced line that we've ever had in terms of them playing together and having that continuity," Cintorino said.

There are no pushovers in the GR this year, Cintorino said, so preperation for each game is going to be a key to a successful 2015 for the Lancers.

"It's that old cliche, one week at a time," Cintorino said. "We don't want to look ahead. Right now, our number-one focus is Pembroke. In a league like this, you can't take any team for granted."

State Police warn of random spree of thefts from cars

By Howard B. Owens

State Police authorities are asking the public to be on the lookout for a person or persons stealing from unlocked cars in Genesee County.

An investigator said there have been recent thefts in Darien, Alexander and Pembroke that may be related.

Members of the public are asked to take two actions: Lock up their valuables and report suspicious activity to police.

The perpetrators may be driving around looking for opportune targets.

For reports of suspicious activity, dispatchers can be reached at (585) 343-5000.

Authorities can't prove live birth, so mother charged with murder released from jail

By Howard B. Owens

The Batavia woman accused of murdering her own newborn baby and storing it in an ice chest for three months has been released from jail after the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office was unable to determine whether a live birth occurred.

A charge of murder in the second degree is still pending against Christina M. Colantonio, 28, of Liberty Street, Batavia, but in a statement the office of District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said without being able to prove live birth, the prosecution is unable to make a presentation to a grand jury within the prescribed amount of time and so Colantonio is being released from custody.

"Circumstances present when the body was discovered are very indicative of the intentional homicide," Friedman's statement says. "However, in order to establish a homicide, we have to prove that a live birth occurred. Yesterday, we learned from the Monroe County Medial Examiner that, based upon their examination of the body, they were unable to conclude that a live birth occurred. This apparently is due in large part to the lengthy passage of time between delivery and discovery of the body."

In the charging document on file with Batavia City Court, some portion of the underlying evidence to sustain the charge of second-degree murder was based on statements made by Colantonio. None of those possible statements have been made public either through court documents or statements by authorities.

The DA's statement today says that Colantonio was arrested and charged after a "thorough investigation by the Batavia Police Department and included interviews with multiple witnesses."

Friedman's statement said neither he nor anyone in his office would answer media questions about the case given the fact that the murder charge is still pending and the investigation is continuing.

Colantonio was arrested Saturday and held without bail until her release today.

No date was provided for any possible future court appearance.

Brother of assistant chief in Byron murdered in Raleigh, N.C.

By Howard B. Owens

A murderous crime spree by a recently released convict in Raleigh, N.C., has hit close to home for members of the Byron Fire Department, according to Chief Charles Durkee.

The brother of First Assistant Chief John Durand was shot and killed at the pawn shop he owned in Raleigh. The perpetrator has also shot another person and raped a teenager.

Thomas Melvin Durand, 64, was shot and killed, about 7 p.m., Monday.

The suspect is 21-year-old Kendrick Keyanti Gregory. He is wanted on charges of murder, two counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, inflicting serious injury and first-degree rape.

Police said Gregory, who was released from the Wake County jail on Aug. 25, is still at large and the public in Raleigh is warned that he is armed and dangerous.

Durkee said he and other members of the department are upset that their fellow volunteer and friend has his life end in such a tragedy.

"He's a guy who works so hard doing nothing but trying to help people out," Durkee said. "And then to have something like this happen is just unbelievable."

Court documents reveal months of injuries to child in Le Roy case

By Howard B. Owens
     Christina Pahura

Court documents in the case of a Le Roy mother accused of assaulting her 2-year-old daughter paint a months-long trail of multiple injuries to the tot, a boyfriend who admits to being a heroin addict, and a young woman who allegedly didn't know how to properly discipline a child.

The documents include a deposition from a man identified only as the boyfriend of Christina Pahura (the court redacted his name), who was arrested on charges of assault in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child, and a deposition from a licensed day care provider in Le Roy.

Both documents recount more than two months of these adults observing injuries on the little girl, including broken limbs, bruises on the her butt and vaginal area and welts on her head.

The depositions are tough reading and Det. John Condidorio said it was a hard case to investigate.

"The pictures are really difficult to look at," Condidorio said. "It was a difficult process."

The case took months to get through because investigators wanted to make sure to build a case they were confident in, Condidorio said. As soon as the investigation started in February, the child was removed from the mother's care, Condidorio said.

According to the depositions, Pahura either had explanations for the injuries and, later, couldn't explain the injuries. At one point just before police were called in, Pahura allegedly told her boyfriend that she blacked out while spanking the child and snapped back to reality to find she was punching the child.

The Batavian's news partner, 13WHAM, contacted Pahura outside her apartment in Le Roy yesterday, and Pahura declined an interview request.

"You're not getting any other side," Pahura told a 13WHAM reporter. "Do whatever you want. Goodbye. Tell your camera man to turn around, too."

According to the depositions, documentation of the injuries to the child began in the Fall of 2014. First, there was bruising, then the child showed up to daycare with a cast on her arm, a cast that was removed a month later. Then the child started to limp, and during this time, bruises started appearing on her butt and vaginal area.

Finally, in early February, Pahura took the child to the hospital in Brockport, which is about the time Le Roy PD began its criminal investigation.

The boyfriend states in his deposition that he didn't call police because "it is not in my nature" and that he didn't call CPS anonymously because he didn't know that was an option. He also feared being blamed for the alleged abuse because he already has a criminal record.

The deposition was taken July 15 with his attorney present.

More than once, according to the deposition, the man offered to handle disciplining the children.

"Christina had a history of what I believed to be excessive punishment," the man said.

He describes incidents of Pahura hitting and slapping the victim along with two other children.

He said the alleged broken arm occurred sometime before Nov. 11. He said he and Pahura were in the basement. He was lifting weights and she was doing laundry. They heard a loud thump upstairs and then crying. When they went upstairs, the girl was on the floor and another child was on the couch. 

"The following morning," he states, "(the child) was favoring her arm and Christina had her father take (the child) to the doctor and the arm was splinted."

The cast was removed around Christmas, but the boyfriend doesn't say who removed it.

The first leg injury, the boyfriend believes, occurred New Year's Day. After spending New Year's Eve without any of the children, the couple picked them up that evening and were walking down a hill back to the house when the child stopped on the sidewalk and was hesitant to go down the hill on a dark, snowy night. He said Pahura's hands were full of gifts and he believes she pushed the child with her knee, told her to hurry up, then pushed her with her foot and the child fell forward, striking her head on the sidewalk. 

"This caused a large, good egg about the middle of (the child's) forehead and I believe (she) broke her leg at this time also," the boyfriend reportedly told police. "I say this as directly after (the child) got inside, she started having difficulty walking and this continued for six to seven weeks. When (the child) put too much pressure on her foot she would almost cry."

Pahura allegedly wouldn't take the child to the doctor, saying she was fine, the boyfriend said. 

The boyfriend recalls getting involved with drugs again in October and was spending about half his paycheck on drugs during this time. He recalls more incidents that may have led to bruising and cuts on the child early in the new year.

The daycare provider started documenting injuries to the child on Oct. 1, (The child started care a month earlier.) but it's unclear why the provider did not contact authorities sooner.

Initially, the provider said, Pahura said the child was injured from falls or bumping against objects in the home and when the child appeared to have a leg injury, Pahura reportedly said the child had just slept on it wrong.

Accident reported in Bergen, three ambulances requested

By Howard B. Owens

 

Three ambulances are requested to the scene of a motor-vehicle accident at Buffalo Road and Apple Tree Avenue, Bergen.

Extrication is required.

Mercy Flight is grounded due to fog.

Bergen fire and Mercy EMS responding. Le Roy fire requested mutual aid. 

UPDATE 8:35 a.m. From the scene: Three people injured, including a child. None seriously. Two transported to Strong, one to UMMC. An SUV heading toward Batavia on Buffalo Road appears to have crossed center line striking pickup truck head on.Truck veered to west shoulder into apple trees. 

Photo: Hometown Heroes

By Howard B. Owens

Charles Men's Shop always has interesting and attractive window displays, but the clothing featured are usually the in-season fashions for the sharp-dressed man.  For the past several weeks, the store has been featuring a line of clothing it doesn't even carry -- the uniforms of heroes. One window is dedicated to hometown heroes -- police and fire -- and the other to the U.S. military. Don Brown said he and Dave Howe saw the display as a way to give back to the community by showing appreciation for the men and women who put their lives on the line to keep us safe and free.

Hearing for murder suspect moved to Thursday

By Howard B. Owens

A scheduled court appearance for Christina M. Colantonio, the 28-year-old Liberty Street resident accused of murdering her newborn baby sometime in May or June and keeping the body in her apartment, has been adjourned until 11 a.m., Thursday.

Colantonio, who is being held in jail without bail, was originally scheduled to appear this afternoon to answer to the murder in the second degree charge for the first time with a defense attorney present.

She was initially arraigned on the charge Saturday afternoon.

There is little available in the court file on Colantonio, just a document known as an accusatory instrument. It indicates the murder, 2nd, charge is substantiated by verbal statements made by Colantonio. If those statements were written down by investigators, that document has not yet become available.

A spokesman for Batavia PD said he couldn't answer whether such a document exists and said he's been told to direct all questions to the District Attorney's Office. Attempts to reach District Attorney Lawrence Friedman were unsuccessful.

Colantonio reportedly gave birth to a child in May or June. Authorities have not disclosed how soon after giving birth they believe Colantonio killed the female infant.  

The body of the infant was seen being removed from Colantonio's residence at 208 Liberty St., Batavia, in a 48-quart ice chest. The body was taken to the Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office and information from any ME's report is not yet available.

Authorities have not disclosed how they believe the baby died.

Football Preview: Pembroke will present a challenge for GR rivals

By Howard B. Owens

It's been a few years since the Pembroke Dragons have been a force in Genesee Region football, and nobody is predicting a championship title for the team in green, but coaches in the league are all saying pretty much the same thing: Don't take Pembroke for granted.

Legendary Head Coach Dick Diminuco is heading into his second full season leading the Dragons and that in itself is enough to tell other coaches that Pembroke will come in to each week's game ready to play, but GR coaches have also seen the Dragons in summer seven-on-sevens and combines. The Dragons have some talent, but most impressively, they have some size on the line, a fact Diminuco was eager to show off when a photographer showed up to a recent practice.

"We're not a great team yet," Diminuco said. "We're not going to win the state championship or anything like that, but we're going to be better. We're going to compete. Thank God, hopefully, we don't have any injuries because we're thin. We've got 25 kids."

The Dragons will be a mix of veterans and the inexperienced. There are seven returners starting on offense. There are also five sophomores who will be starting on offense or defense. With exception of tight end, all of the skill positions, including QB, will be staffed by young players.

Even the offensive/defensive line is a mix of veterans and neophytes. The largest player on the squad, Dan Prichett, who is well over 6 foot tall and looks strong enough to flip Toyota Corollas, is inexperienced. The junior transfer never played football before.

"He's a wonderful boy, just raw," Diminuco said.

A year ago in pre-season camp, Diminuco clearly had his hands full. His frustration was palpable. This year, the energy is completely different. Diminuco and the players were loose and having fun and lessons were being learned.

Last season, Diminuco, was plagued by discipline issues. So far, everybody is showing up to every practice this year.

"These kids are good kids," Diminuco said. "They come here every day. They work hard. They're really a pleasure to work with, this group. I think they're getting used to me. Last year, we had some ups and downs, some battles, discipline, but this year, they've bought in. They've been good."

So what's Diminuco's prediction for 2015?

"Predictions? We're going to get better," Diminuco said. "We're going to be better. How's that for a prediction?"

Photos: GLOW Ducks kickoff 2015 season with new Mighty Mites team

By Howard B. Owens

The GLOW Ducks youth football program opens its 2015 season today at Notre Dame's football field, and for the first time, it fielded a team of 5-,6- and 7-year-olds, who needed quite a bit instruction as the game progressed.

Woman accused of abusing 2-year-old in Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens

A Stafford resident who was charged with the care of a 2-year-old child in the Village of Le Roy has been accused of intentionally breaking that child's bones and then not seeking proper medical treatment for the child.

Le Roy PD began investigating the allegations in February after it was discovered the child had suffered multiple fractures to a leg and arm and had significant, "highly suspicious" bruises on its body.

Arrested was Christina Pahura, 28, of Main Road, Stafford. She's been charged with second-degree assault, a Class D felony, and endangering the welfare of a child.

The assault charge carries an enhancement because Pahura is over 18 years old and allegedly intentionally harmed a child under age 7.

Investigators allege that while a resident on School Street, Le Roy, Pahura intentionally caused physical injury to the child and then allowed the child to remain in a residential situation during a time when several additional bruises developed and a limp developed. Pahura was advised -- by whom is unstated -- to seek medical treatment for the child, but did not, which resulted in further bruising and an untreated leg fracture.

Pahura was released under supervision of Genesee Justice. 

Four arrests reported following Rascal Flatts concert

By Howard B. Owens

The following people were arrested by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office during the Rascal Flatts concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Saturday.  

Morgan Jensen, 20, of Gleason Circle, East Rochester, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd, after allegedly reentering the concert venue after having been ejected and told not to return.

Emily M. Campbell, 20, of Birch Run, Orchard Park, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd, after allegedly reentering the concert venue after having been ejected and told not to return.

Calin C. Hotelling-Defrance, 22, of Durant Place, Fairport, is charged with harassment, 2nd, after allegedly punching CSC security officer.

Jacob M. Robinson, 18, of Dolores Drive, Greece, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana after allegedly being found in possession of marijuana.

Photo: People who steal ...

By Howard B. Owens

The other night the neighborhood around Ganson and Maple in Batavia was hit by a series of thefts. This sign appeared on a tree on Ganson.

Photo: Genesee County Park celebrates 100th anniversary

By Howard B. Owens

There was a birthday party at the Genesee County Park & Forest today. The park is now 100 years old.

The first series of pictures are of lumberjacks engaging in a competition to start a fire and generate enough heat to boil water. They are Mike Koers, originally from Alexander, John Dailey, Tim Benedict and Connor Slate. The group put on lumberjack competition demonstrations throughout the day.

The daylong event included guided hikes, information booths and crafts and games for children.

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