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The grave marker is of a young girl on her knees hands clasped in prayer.

Elmwood Cemetery caretaker Steve Davis has been on the job for 20 years and the little headstone always reminded him of his daughter.

"My daughter, when she was little, always made a pose like that when she wanted something," Davis said. "Every time I go past that statue, if I'm trimming or working in the area, I always think of my daughter. When I came in and saw (it knocked down), it broke my heart."

The girl's praying headstone along with 28 others were knocked over by vandals sometime over the weekend.

It's the second time this month -- the first being around April 7 -- that vandals have rampaged through the cemetery knocking down headstones.

Det. Rich Schauf said the vandalism certainly has the attention of Batavia PD and patrols will be stepped up in the area.

"This is an intolerable crime," Schauf said. "Any criminal mischief isn't tolerable, but this is intolerable because of the lack of respect for the deceased. This isn't just about the police being upset. It should offend anybody with any common sense."

There's quite a bit the public can do to assist the police, Schauf said.

First, if young people are involved, they'll talk. They may even post pictures to social media.

"There's an old saying," Schauf said. "If three people know a secret, the only way it stays a secret is if two of them die."

The police would welcome any tips about pictures posted on Facebook or Twitter or Instagram or if anybody hears anything related to the crime; tipsters should call Batavia PD.

Second, if you're out and about at 10 or 11 at night, or 2 or 3 in the morning, take a drive down Harvester or Buell.  Normally, Schauf said he wouldn't recommend calling the police just because a group of youths are out, but in this case, if they're in that area, call the police.

"Normally, just because three people are out walking doesn't mean they're going to do damage to a cemetery, but if there's anybody in the area, we're going to want to know about it," Schuaf said. "Nobody is going to say, 'I'm not going to that.' We're hypersensitive about it right now and we're going to respond."

Whatever you do, Schauf said, don't go into the cemetery. It's closed after dark, so not only would you be trespassing, you would make yourself a suspect, and if the real suspects were ever arrested, part of their defense could then be that this other person was in the cemetery as well.

Batavia PD is budgeted for a new mobile surveillance camera in 2014 specifically to deal with troubled crime areas, but Det. Kevin Czora said it will be months before the department makes the purchase.

Davis said he might bring up with the board of directors at its next meeting the idea of the cemetery investing in its own camera system. There isn't much money for such a purchase, however.

He said he has spoken with kids who come around the cemetery about helping protect the cemetery.

"When I come by after supper, there's a ton of kids here riding their bikes or whatever and I try to befriend them only because this is their cemetery along with everybody else's and I ask them to keep an eye on it," Davis said. "I don't know what the answer is -- not let people in here anymore? You can't do that. How do you keep the bad ones out? I try to tell them keep an eye out. Let me know if something is going on."

Officer Jason Davis, who took the report on this weekend's vandalism, said patrols are certainly aware of the need to increase their presence in the area, especially at night and on weekends, but it's difficult to catch the vandals in the act.

"Obviously, it's dark inside the cemetery so it's very difficult for us see in there without driving in there and when a patrol car drives in there, usually people can duck in between the shadows and it's difficult for us to see them," Officer Davis said.

The cemetery can apply to the state for compensation for grave-marker repair, but it's a long process to get the funds. The total damage at this point exceeds $1,000.

Volunteers can't be used to help repair the damage, Davis said, because of possible liability. If somebody hurt their back lifting a stone, he wouldn't want to see the cemetery sued.

This weekend's damage forms almost a straight line from the front entrance on Harvester to a hole in the fence near Buell Street.

"They use bolt cutters or something to cut the hole," Davis said. "We fixed it the first time a long time ago, but as many times as I can fix it, they break it."

Because the aggregate damage of each of the two recent incidents exceeds more than $250 each, the vandals are facing possible felony charges for tampering with a cemetery, Officer Davis said. And each headstone knocked over constitutes its own misdemeanor criminal tampering charge.

Cemetery vandalism is a decades-old problem, Davis acknowledged. Elmwood records in the 1920s and '30s record acts of vandalism, but this latest round certainly has Davis feeling weary.

"It's going to be a long summer," Davis said. "It never starts this early. Usually it's in the summertime when the kids are out of school and this year it started early, and I've never had it so close together, so I'm just afraid of what's going to happen this summer."

Davis has had a rough month. Last week his shop on Buell Street was hit by burglars. They stole more than $3,000 in tools.

A driver says he may have fallen asleep while on Route 63 in Stafford at 2:13 a.m., leading to a rollover accident.

The truck driven by Cody A. Paxton, 21, of New Providence, Pa., is owned by Norfolk Southern Railway, and it came to rest on all four wheels.

Paxton suffered minor injuries and was transported by Mercy EMS to Strong Memorial Hospital.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Joseph Graff.

Photos submitted by a reader.

Wall Street Journal: Cheerleading Gets Serious in New York

City fire is on scene at 116 Harvester Ave. for the smell of smoke in the residence.

A commander reports smoke in the residence and firefighters are investigating.

UPDATE 7:34 a.m.: The smoke has been traced to a burned-out motor in the refrigerator.

UPDATE 7:48 a.m.: City fire back in service.

Kilian Lewis, 14, of Corfu, bagged his first turkey yesterday morning in Alexander as part of a Youth Turkey Hunt, the first day of the Spring youth hunt season (the adult season begins May 1). The turkey had a 10-inch beard. Killian's older brother, Collin, 18, helped call it in. (Photo and info submitted by M. Lewis).

John Zambito, 14, of Elba, got his first turkey this morning while hunting with his uncle Kelly Creegan. (Submitted by Chantal Zambito)

At Genesee Community College today, students put together its 33rd Annual Fashion Show, which showcases the design and merchandising talents of students graduating from the Fashion Design and Marketing program.

The show is also produced with the help of other programs at the college, such as Hospitality, Criminal Justice, Multimedia and Graphic Design.

A record number of designers showcased their work this year.

There were shows at 3 and 7 p.m. These photos are from the first show, including a look behind the scenes and shots from the after-party.

To purchase prints, click here.

Deputies are searching the area of Telephone Road and Perry Road for a man with a possible self-inflicted knife wound who fled an area residence on foot.

A deputy said, "We're not sure how bad it is. He's definitely injured. We're going to have to find him somehow."

The man is described as 5' 2" tall and thin. He is a white male from Rochester with no friends or family in the area. He fled in a southeasterly direction.

There may be another knife-cut victim at the residence.

Pavilion fire and Mercy EMS are staging at the nearby salt barn. Mercy Flight is on ground standby.

UPDATE 10:42 p.m.: It appears there is nobody injured back at the residence. The subject who fled is described as more of a threat to himself than police. It's not believed he has any weapons on him at this time.

UPDATE 11:05 p.m.: The subject is wearing blue jeans.

UPDATE 11:49 p.m.: Mercy Flight, which has remained on ground standby, is told to stand down.

UPDATE 11:57 p.m.: Pavilion fire is told to go back in service. No other update on the situation.

UPDATE 12:12 a.m.: It sounds like a resident spotted him lying down in some brush and he's been located. Pending confirmation ...

UPDATE 12:13 a.m.: Deputies are with the subject.

UPDATE 12:15 a.m.: Pavilion fire and Mercy EMS requested back to the scene. The subject has minor cuts.

Maddie Keen and Courtney Jones took part in a Rustic Riders 4-H program today at the Genesee County Fairgrounds aimed at helping them learn the muscle and skeletal structure of a horse. Their project today was to paint the placement of bones on their horse.

Officer Jamie Givens collects a drop-off from a local resident during drug drop-off day at Batavia PD.

Officers filled 13 boxes (about 4-feet tall, 18x18 inches square) and nine buckets of sharps.

The drugs are turned to the DEA for safe destruction.

There were also drug drop-off events today in Pembroke and Corfu.

Robert Given, of Elba, is the first winner of the first raffle put together by the brand new Elba Betterment Committee.

A group of Elba residents have come together to help improve and promote Elba and they kicked off things with a raffle for a basket filled with more than $1,000 worth of gifts.

Given's name was picked during a drawing Friday at Chap's Elba Diner.

All items in the basket were donated by Elba merchants small businesses and farmers, according to Pauli Miano (who submitted the photos). Prizes included an iPad mini, bags of potatoes, Lottery tickets, a weed eater, over $300 worth of gift cards, craft items, pet supplies, books autographed by local authors, shirts and sweatshirts.

In a second raffle, anyone who came to Chap’s today was able to buy a chance on a hundred dollar bill. Sandi Chappius of Elba was the winner.

Story and photos by Dan Fischer, WBTA.

The Batavia Business Improvement District (BID) honored two local businesses on Friday with its “Spirit of Downtown Business Award.”

The new business Spirit award was given to The YNGodess Shop. Proprietor Christine Crocker received the award with her son, Ben, at her side.

Accepting the Spirit award for the Established Business of the Year was Gregory Gluck, proprietor of Alberty Drugs.

Also recognized for their volunteer efforts on behalf of the BID were Steve Coraci and Beth Kemp.

The BID was created in 1997 creating a core group of Downtown property owners and city officials to organize a formal Downtown management association. Today, the BID is comprised of 143 properties that pay a total annual assessment of $120,000 and the City of Batavia’s contribution (for capital projects) is $41,300 to fund the organization.

The BID will meet on Tuesday to elect a new slate of officers.

The man who went to the residence of John Lavarne Robinson the afternoon of Jan. 13, 2013 and allegedly found himself face-to-barrel with a shotgun said in a statement to police that he only had a simple question for Robinson: Why was the Bergen resident communicating with his wife?

The Brockport resident said he had previously confronted his wife about the communication with Robinson and said he believed she had gone out on a couple of dates with Robinson. After checking phone records online, the man said he found there were new, recent communications between Robinson and his wife.

"I wanted to talk with John about his involvement with (my wife) and tell him to stop talking with her," the man wrote in his statement.

The statement, and Robinson's statements, along with the charging document were acquired by The Batavian from the Sheriff's Office through a FOIL request.

Members of Robinson's family and his supporters have left comments on The Batavian, through e-mails and on social media defending his actions.

Their version of events has consistently said that the alleged victim was banging on Robinson's door, threatening Robinson and that Robinson called 9-1-1 and was told by dispatchers to use his shotgun to protect himself.

Family members have also said the alleged victim was arrested by State Police the day of these alleged events, but Trooper Victor Morales, spokesman for Troop A, said there is no record of such an arrest.

Deputy Matthew Butler, who investigated the case and arrested Robinson, included several statements he attributes to Robinson in part of the charging document. He said Robinson told him, "I called 9-1-1." "He was kicking the shit out of my door." "I loaded my shotgun." "I yelled that I had a gun." "9-1-1 told me to do that." "He was calling me a coward and that he was going to kill me." "I thought he was coming in."

The Brockport resident said, "At no time did I want to cause harm to John. I just wanted to discuss his relationship with my wife. When I saw that shotgun pointed at my face, I was scared to death that John was going to shoot me."

In his statement, the man said he had reason to believe Robinson was in his house and kept knocking on the door. He said when he went looking for another doorway, he walked past a window and saw movement so he took a closer look into the window.

He says he did call Robinson "a coward" for not coming out.

He said he saw Robinson on the phone and Robinson screamed at him, "get out of here or I'm going to (blow) your (sic) f---ing head off." He wrote, "John was saying this and pointing the gun at my head and he was only a few feet away from me."

The most satisfying part of his job, Det. Pat Corona said, was solving crimes for victims. The worst part -- "call ins." Getting called in to work on a case at two or three in the morning.

"When the phone rings, whatever time of the morning, whatever day of the week, it's because something bad happened," Corona said. "That's the most stressful part of the job."

Corona has basically been on 7/24 call since 1988.

That ends today. After 33 years in local law enforcement, Corona has turned in his badge and announced his retirement, primarily so he could take a job with the U.S. Marshal's Office providing court security in Rochester and Buffalo.

"I love this work," Corona said. "I still do. I love this community. The people have been so good to me. It's been a pleasure to serve them."

But it's time to move on, in part, Corona admitted, because it's clear he'll never be chief of the department, a job he said he did seek.

"They made a different decision and that's fine," Corona said. "That's not coming and this is a great opportunity."

Corona's roots go deep in Batavia, back to his grandparents. He was born here and went to high school in Alexander.

That's where he made his career decision.

"In high school, people tell you, 'you should decide what to do with your life' and law enforcement appeared interesting to me."

His parents both worked in corrections, which may have helped guide his decision.

After graduating, he enrolled in the Criminal Justice program at Genesee Community College and when those studies were successfully completed, he worked security at the college.

"That was a fun job," Corona said.

In 1983, the Sheriff's Office hired him to work in the jail (a job that would play a role six years later in helping him solve one of the most notorious cases he handled in his career). Two years later, he graduated from the Erie County Police Academy and was placed on road patrol as a deputy.

Corona said he's thankful for the great start to his career that the Sheriff's Office provide him, but in 1985, when he was offered a job with Batavia PD, he felt that police department -- at that time -- had a better retirement package. So he made the switch.

Three years later, he and Charles Dudek were both accepted into the detectives bureau at the same time.

"I've loved working with Chuck Dudek," Corona said. "He's been a great partner. He's a brilliant detective. I've learned a lot from him."

Corona had only been in the bureau for a year when he happened into one of the most dramatic murder cases that has ever been handled by Batavia PD.

Officer Ned Murray responded to a report of a man threatening to kill a baby.

Murray came upon Joe Schlum with a pillow over the baby's face and a knife pointed at the baby's heart. Murray tried to convince Schlum to lift up the pillow and drop the knife, but he wouldn't move. As the seconds ticked and the situation became more dire, Murray warned Schlum that he would shoot him if he had to. Just before Murray was about ready to pull the trigger, Schlum lifted the pillow. The baby was saved and Schlum was arrested.

Young Det. Corona was called in to interview Schlum.

Schlum had been a trustee in the jail during Corona's two years working as a guard.

"What benefited me on that case was my time working in the jail," Corona said. "I became very acquainted with Joe Schlum. We were on a first-name basis. I think perhaps, he trusted me."

During the interview, Schlum made a confession that at first seemed impossible to believe.

"I was asking him about the child abuse and he said, 'I've done something really bad,'" Corona said. "I was thinking to myself, 'Joe, what you've done is pretty bad,' but I said, 'What is it?' He said, 'well, I killed somebody.' "

There was no immediate unsolved murder case that came to his mind, so Corona was skeptical.

"OK, Joe, who'd you kill?"

"Pam Smith."

That's an obvious name to invent, Corona thought.

Schlum said he strangled her.

Corona called the dispatch desk and Sgt. Ed Doody answered the phone. Corona asked if there was a missing person report on a Pam Smith. Doody did a few minutes research. No missing person report. But there was a warrant more than two years old for a Pam Smith. She hadn't shown up for court on some Batavia Municipal Code violation.

Corona told Doody what Schlum had said and Doody kind of chuckled. He didn't believe Schlum's confession, either.

"He was skeptical," Corona said. "I was, too. The more we talked, the more it seemed like a possibility."

Corona decided to take Schlum over to the Friendly Motel on Ellicott Street (now Charles Court) where Schlum said he killed Smith and buried her under his room.

"He brought us into one room and he walked into the corner of the room and he stepped on the corner of the floor and he said no this is the wrong room," Corona said. "I thought, 'oh, no, he's being untruthful.' We tried the next room and then the next room and he stepped on the floor and I saw the floor go (he makes a gesture with his hand going up and down), you know it went 'er-ert' kind of went in. That's when I thought, 'Ok, there's something here.' "

Officers and detectives removed the floor boards and Schlum and Corona climbed into the crawl space and Schlum showed Corona where he had buried Smith's body.

Smith had never been reported missing. Her family thought she had taken off for Texas, Corona said.

The hotel's owner, Charlie Pero, had thought a couple of years earlier that the stink around one of the rooms was from a tenant's boa constrictor that had escaped.

Officer Murray had been a fraction of a second away from shooting and probably killing Schlum. If he had, nobody would have ever known that Smith had been murdered.

Schlum is serving 17 years to life in the Auburn State Prison. He's eligible for parole in August.

The story illustrates a truth Corona learned about being a detective. You never know what's going to happen next.

"Every time you think you've seen all the cases you think you could see, something new comes up," Corona said.

The murder of Desean Gooch was another big case for Corona. He said he's extremely proud of the work of the entire detective bureau in that case.

Gooch was a Dellinger Avenue resident in 2006 when he was murdered by other young men Corona said were gang members.

The big break came when detectives were able to connect Jessie Foreman with the crime. The police had enough evidence on Foreman that they could get him to talk.

"Gang members are not going to cooperate unless you present to them that you have the evidence to proceed with something to charge against them, then they want to cooperate so they can do the best they can for themselves," Corona said. "Until they see you have evidence against them, they won't talk."

Andrew Figgins was identified as the murderer and is now serving 25 years to life at Elmira State Prison. Foreman was also arrested, along with Rondell Breedlove and Thomas Banks (an associate who was charged with a prior robbery of Gooch).

Murder cases are dramatic, but they're all important Corona said. Solving a larceny can sometimes be as much work as bigger felony cases.

"It's always rewarding to solve the mystery, to bring a case to its conclusion, to bring somebody to justice," Corona said.

Solving crimes is really about helping victims, he said.

"Years ago, through Genesee Justice, Ed Minardo gave me some advice," Corona said. "The system should victim-oriented rather than offender-oriented. It's rewarding to help victims."

The biggest change Corona has seen in law enforcement in Batavia -- besides the introduction of DNA evidence, which didn't exist when Corona started his career -- is the first local gang-involved crimes.

There was the Gooch murder, followed by a shots fired case on Tracy Avenue in 2009, and of course the shots-fired cases this past fall on State Street and Jackson Street.

"I don't want to sound the alarm here, but there has been a few legitimate gang-related activities that have gone on," Corona said.

Corona said he's a very ambitious person and the awards and plaques in his office are markers of his dedication, from the certificates for completing all kinds of detective and police work training to the five or six medals he's won from running 5K races.

"I always had a skill for running, but in high school, I didn't put it to good use," Corona said. "My first official 5K was the Friends and Family 5K through ARC. That was in 2007. I was first for my age group. I thought, 'must be a pretty slow age group,' but I was hooked."

Soon, Corona's replacement will be announced by Chief Shawn Heubusch, and Corona has some advise for that rookie detective: "Work well with others. Develop good interdepartmental relationships. When you need help, know who to call. You can't be shy about asking for help. Work well with the public. That's who you're serving."

Clearly, words of advice that served Corona well in his own career.

Photo: Corona in his office at BPD headquarters with his original "Manual for Police."

David J. Swartz, 53, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Swartz is accused of punching another person while at The Harvester at 1 a.m., Thursday. Swartz was issued an appearance ticket and released.

A 16-year-old resident of Thorpe Street is charged with harassment, 2nd. The youth was allegedly involved in an incident on State Street at 3:09 p.m., Monday. She allegedly grabbed the hair of another person and began a physical altercation with her.

Wassim S. Issa, 50, of Sunnyside Road, Shinglehouse, Pa., is charged with issue a bad check. Wassim was arrested by Lancaster PD and turned over to Batavia PD in Corfu. Issa posted cash bail and was released.

Chad Ryan Smith, 19, of Church Street, Middleport, is charged with unlawful possession of alcohol by a person under age 21 and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle. Smith was reportedly a passenger in a vehicle stopped at 1:13 a.m. Thursday on Judge Road, Oakfield, for alleged traffic violations by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Daivid Lea Stanley, 20, of Nichols Street, Lockport, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle, speeding, failure to dim lights and side wings/windows non-transparent. Stanley was stopped at 1:13 a.m. Thursday on Judge Road, Oakfield, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Debra Lynn Haccket, 55, of Craigie Street, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to keep right and moved from lane unsafely. Hackett was stopped at 12:39 a.m. Wednesday on Main Road, Stafford, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Alex S. Dumbleton, 20, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and criminal mischief, 4th. Dumbleton was allegedly involved in a domestic dispute with his girlfriend at 1:30 p.m. Monday. Dumbleton was jailed on $2,500 bail or $5,000 bond.

Brandon P. Duell, 32, of Saint Helena Street, Perry, is charged with failure to appear. Duell is accused of failure to appear on a traffic citation. Duell posted cash bail and was released.

Miguel A. Vargas, 23, of Rochester, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Vargas was stopped at 7:15 p.m. Monday on Route 237, Stafford, by State Police.

Via WBTA:

A Batavia woman injured early this week when struck by a car in Erie County has died.

Thirty-one-year-old Jacqueline Dotzler died yesterday at Erie County Medical Center.

Dotzler was struck by a car Monday night as she crossed Camp Road in Hamburg.

The driver of the car was not charged.

Via WBTA:

The case of a Canadian man accused of seriously injuring an Alden native at Darien Lake with a single punch will head to trial.

Jury selection will begin for 34-year-old Craig Lawson of Ontario June 23. He’s charged with second-degree assault.

The deadline passed today for a plea deal. Although defense attorney Joel Daniels said in county court today that there was an offer, he said it was not accepted by the prosecution.

Lawson’s accused of punching Jason McNeil of Tuscaloosa, Ala., at a Kid Rock concert last July. McNeil was in a coma after the accident.

Daniels said he expects the trial to run a full week.

New York Times: F.D.A. Will Propose New Regulations for E-Cigarettes

Ladder trucks from Town of Batavia Fire and City Fire were used this morning to hoist a large American flag over East Main Street for the funeral procession of Melvin Loder.

Loder was a volunteer firefighter with the Elba Volunteer Fire Department. He died at home Saturday (full obituary).

Photos by Sloan Martin, WBTA.

The Batavian: GCC students ready to pitch Batavia Loop Trail project in statewide competition for funding

Well, here it is 1:20 a.m. and I have to get up in a couple of hours to head to Rochester to catch a flight to New Jersey.

I'll be at Montclair University to participate in a conference called Innovating the Local News Ecosystem. Specifically, I've been asked to share about how The Batavian has become so successful.

As for coverage: I'm taking some work with me and we have some other stories lined up, and of course, Billie will be here to cover what needs to be covered. There should be a supply of news to keep things interesting over the next two days.

Lisa Ace can help local businesses with any advertising needs, as always. Employers with job openings should call Lucie Ann Griffis. Both can be reached at (585) 250-4118.