Le Roy

A cow has been reported in the road on Route 5, just past Le Roy Motors, walking west toward Batavia.

West Bergen Road has grown into a street of nice homes with well manicured yards for the most part. It's a quint and quiet rural setting.

A trucking facility just doesn't fit the picture, but there's been a truck yard at 8560 W. Bergen Road since at least the 1960s, according to Gene Sinclair, code enforcement officer for the Town of Le Roy.

Sinclair has gotten plenty of complaints about the trucks (The Batavian received a complaint, as well, which is why I went out there today), many of which are refrigeration trucks that are left running day and night.

There isn't much Sinclair can do about it, though, the land was used for its present business long before more recent zoning laws would have kept the operation out of the neighborhood.

There have been unlicensed trucks stored at the property, according to Sinclair, and he can get those removed, but any licensed truck operation is "grandfathered in," Sinclair said.

The business is owned by George Heins. I haven't been able to reach Mr. Heins. Sinclair said George's father owned the land before him.

Fire units were dispatched to 52 Main St., Le Roy about 20 minutes ago to respond to a carbon dioxide alarm.

A few minutes ago, a request went out for fire police to respond to the scene.

UPDATE: A Le Roy chief just reported (5:52 p.m.) a negative reading on the gas meter and the residents have been allowed back into the house.

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Stephen W. Quigley, 55, who is reportedly homeless and traveling from Texas to Ohio, was arrested by Sgt. Timothy Hays of Detective John Condidorio of the Le Roy Police Department yesterday on a charge of petty larceny. Quigley is accused of entering a local church and attempting to steal money from the candle prayer offerings. He is being held on $500 bail.

Robert W. Walsh, 22, of Rochester, was stopped by Corfu police for allegedly driving without headlights. Upon further investigation, officers suspected he was driving while intoxicated. He was charged with DWI and issued an appearance ticket.

Alana M. Thompson, 18, of Lockport was charged with DWI following a traffic stop by Corfu police for allegedly speeding in the village. She was issued an appearance ticket.

Kelly J. Hinkle, 20, of Addison, Maine, is charged with DWI. Hinkle was reportedly spotted on Route 33 in Batavia making an unsafe lane change and then stopping. He is accused of having a BAC of .08 or higher. Hinkle was issued an appearance ticket.

There were two arrests at last night's Kenny Chesney concert at Darien Lake:

Jordon E. Burns, 18, of Orchard Park, is accused of taking a wallet with a debit card in it from a parked vehicle. He is being held in Genesee County Jail on $10,000 bail.

Jessica A. Sheer, 18, of Caledonia, is accused of slapping another person in the face.  She is charged with disorderly conduct. Sheer was issued an appearance ticket and released.

Amanda T. Sterzick, 37, of 3 Maple St., Batavia (pictured), allegedly sold 20 hydrocodone pills to an undercover agent with the Genesee County Local Drug Task Force. Sterzick has been charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance. At the time of her arrest, she had $1,237 in cash. She is held in Genesee County Jail without bail.

Jarrett M. Hoffman, 20, of 9307 Asbury Road, Le Roy, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and aggrevated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. Hoffman was stopped for allegedly making two turns without a turn signal. He was issued an appearance ticket and released.

UPDATE: Just in:

Timothy O. "Cricket" Lee, 28, of 20 Ross St., Apt. 2, Batavia, is accused of selling crack cocaine while being observed by members of the Genesee County Local Drug Task Force. At the time of his arrest, Lee allegedly had $1,840 in cash. Lee is charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana. He is being held without bail.

There were two arrests at the Coldplay concert last night at Darien Lake, according to a report released by the Sheriff's Office.

Matthew J. Norstrand, 24, of Le Roy, was arrested for allegedly possessing marijuana and smoking a pipe containing marijuana. Norstrand was ejected from the concert and told not to return. Later, Norstrand was reportedly spotted back inside the concert venue. He was arrested again and charged with trespass.

Daniel Norstrand, 53, of Le Roy, was charged with criminal trespass after allegedly jumping a fence and entering the backstage area.

Also from the Sheriff's Office:

Christopher Stewart, 40, of Avon, is charged with criminal contempt. He allegedly called and spoke with a person he has been ordered not to contact.

Seventeen people, including 11 children, managed to avoid injury after a tractor ride went wrong Sunday night when the trailer hitch broke on the tractor pulling them down Conlon Road.

Gregory J. Luetticke, 46, of Le Roy, who was driving the tractor, did report an injury. He complained of neck pain.

Luetticke was reportedly pulling the wagon down a grass laneway on Conlon when the hitch broke. Luetticke said when the hitch broke, he steered to the west and lost control of the tractor, causing the tractor to overturn. Luetticke was ejected from the tractor and came to rest to the northwest. The wagon stopped moving.

In the wagon were Billie J. Kennedy, 31, Alexa M. Kennedy, 6, Madailein M. Blonski, 5, Ashley Bottonfield, 10, Erica Ulrich, 15, Amber A. Williams, 8, Dominque M. Williams, 14, Mariah A. Williams, 12, Teresa Annecharicle, 35, Tyler M. Annecharicle, 35, Isabell Annecharicle, 10, Nicholas Rogers, 6, Zachary M. Rogers, 10, Colleen M. Rogowski, 39, Allison M. Rogowski, 8 and Lauren E. Wood, 8.

Bradley Brooks, 25, of Spencerport, failed to negotiate a turn on South Lake Road in Bergen Sunday afternoon and drove his motorcycle into a ditch. Brooks was ejected from the bike. He was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Brian D. Whitmore, 25, of Darien Center, suffered a fracture in his arm and collar bone after striking a deer while driving his motorcycle eastbound on Conway Road in Darien. The accident occurred Wednesday about 9 p.m.

No injuries were reported in a single-vehicle accident last night at 11:30 p.m. on Quinlan Road in Le Roy.

The 1996 Dodge coupe was driven by Matthew Derooy, 20, of LeRoy. Deborah J. Derooy, 24, was a passenger.

Derooy reportedly driving the car westbound on Quinlan Road when he drove off the north shoulder and hit a support wire to a National Grid utility pole. The vehicle then continued through a field and landed in a ditch.

No apparent cause is cited in the accident report.

It seemed like a good idea at the time: Le Roy resident John Garner happened to own an old DOT variable message sign, so he offered it as a promotional device to the organizations and businesses of the village.

We reported on the sign in January. The sign was placed on Route 19 and promoted local businesses and community events.

Just as spring started to get sprung, the sign disappeared.

Yesterday, Ann Walters, owner of the Hobby Horse on Main Street, told me the Department of Transportation asked that it be removed.
 

"What a marketing technique," said, Walters, who regrets seeing the sign disappear. "I wish I could say I thought of it."

She said it did help bring business into the village.

Walters impression was that the DOT didn't like one of their signs being used to advertise businesses, and there were concerns about it being a distraction, that the sign should be used only for its intended purpose, which is providing traffic information for drivers.

"How can you control use of a sign when you sell it?" Walters asked. "If you want to control it, you don't sell it."

Garner couldn't be reached for comment (Walters identified Garner as the owner of the sign).

DOT regional spokesman Lori Maher said there's an explanation -- not necessarily simple, but an explanation nonetheless -- for the DOT's position.

The state controls the right-of-way on state routes, which is 66 33 feet (66 total) on either side of the center line (though there are numerous exceptions and variables, so that measurement may not apply on this section of Route 19). There are also strict regulations dealing with commercial sites in visual range of a state road.

Even if the sign was outside of the right-of-way, Maher said, it would still violate sign advertising rules.

"The whole purpose (of these regulations) is to restrict the proliferation of signs containing all kinds of messages, which becomes clutter and a safety issue," Maher said. 

The rules are both state and federal and have their roots in the 1965 Highway Beautification Act, she said.

For more information on the NYS sign policy, click here.

In the wee hours of Thursday morning, a terrible fire gutted the modest two-story home at 8489 East Main Street Road in LeRoy. And the loud and urgent barks of "Rocket" may have helped alert people, thereby saving lives.

As it was, Daniel Bovee, 46, sustained burns to his face and feet when he tried to re-enter the house to grab his car keys. Rita Teeter, 54, and, Jennifer Coombs, 25, along with Bovee also suffered smoke inhalation.

But Rocket, who lives across the street at 8484, was on to something amiss from the get-go. He barked, neighbors said, and yelped, and though no one has proof, probably did back flips and Tarzan yells to get someone to pay attention.

The residents made it out alive. Obviously, this was no canine crying wolf. The alert, solid, light-brown dog, with one blue eye and one green, was simply responding to an emergency -- smoke, fire, ashes -- and then people scurrying and yelling as emergency crews responded.

Incredibly, 79-year-old Minnie Cory who lives next door to the gutted home, heard nothing as terror was rampaging next door. Her sister called to tell her about the mayhem and she later learned about the sounding alarm of Rocket.

"Isn't that something," she said. "It's a good thing he was barking."

He barked some more at a picture taker later that day, tail wagging all the while, tethered to a long leash at the rear of the property owned by Gary Dempsey. He's friendly, but he's no bench warmer. Rocket dog's on duty in his neighborhood and no one seems bothered by his barking.

In addition to our breaking news post this morning, Chief Tom "Woody" Woods e-mail this report this afternoon:

Call came in at 12:01 a.m. first chief of location in about 5 minutes. Reported heavy with everyone out of the structure. An additional alarm was transmitted bringing Pavilion Caledonia and Bergen to the scene. Town of Batavia dispatched as the Fast Team.  It took about 45 minutes to get the fire under control. Three residents were transported to Strong with one having some second-degree burns.

Just after midnight, the Le Roy fire department was called to a structure fire at 8484 E. Main St. Road where upon arrival they found the house fully engulfed, according to reader Gary Spencer.

Lorie Longhany also e-mailed reports of the fire.

Neighbors from across the streets dog barked, woke owner up, he crossed the street and alerted the homeowners.  The husband went back in after car keys and he was burned and taken to the hospital -- wife and daughter also taken in for smoke inhalation.  House is a total loss.

Longhany, who lives on Lime Rock, said units from Le Roy, Stafford, Caledonia, Bergen and Pavilion responded. Route 5 was closed and traffic was sent around York Road and Church Road.

Also from Lorie: 

The hero in this fire was a dog named Rocket that is no stranger to alerting danger.  A couple years back this dog was out of his yard and barking around our friends pool.  His owner was calling him to come home.  He wouldn't -- kept barking around the pool.  When his owner went to retrieve him, he found that in the pool was my neighbors and good friends dog, Buddy who would have drown.  Last night, from what my neighbors first hand account, Rocket's barking alerted his owners to the burning house across the street.  The neighbor saw the flames and ran across the street and woke up the homeowners.  That dog may have saved three lives last night.

That's all the information we have on the fire at this time.

UPDATE: Lorie sends along this note this morning:

We took a ride by this morning, and as I said, we kept away from the scene and stood in our friends driveway after being awoken to all the commotion, but it appears that the structure is heavily damaged, but not burned to the ground by any means.  The fire fighters did a tremendous job.  It is really amazing the organizational skills that these volunteers put into play as they are battling a fire.  We watched in amazement.  Probably a good many of them were there till the early hours and then had to get up and go to their paying jobs this morning.

Also, she "cautions" that her account of Rocket is third person, having been told by a neighbor who spoke with Rocket's owner.

UPDATE II: WBTA reports:

The home was occupied by 54-year-old Rita Teeter, her 54-year-old boyfriend Daniel Bovee and her 25-year-old daughter, Jennifer Coombs.

Rita and Jennifer were treated at Strong Hospital for smoke inhalation and released.

Bovee was admitted to the hospital in satisfactory condition with burns to his face, head and feet.

When Jeffrey D. Bald, 27, of Wolcott Street in LeRoy, allegedly fled from police following a reported domestic disturbance, he did more than just send law enforcement officers on a chase, he also reportedly disrupted 9-1-1 service for the village.

Bald reportedly lost control of his vehicle on Myrtle Street and struck a utility pole. That accident caused disruption to the emergency call service, which has now been restored.

UPDATE: We just received this correction from Chris Hayward, chief of police: 

911 service still an issue.  Frontier working on it and they hope to have it resolved by this afternoon.  911 calls being forwarded to 768-2527, if that is busy calls then route to the County.  If they call 911 and still experience a problem call 768-2527 directly. 

Events began around 9:15 p.m. at Bald's residence, where police were called because of a possible domestic dispute.  En route to the residence, police say they spotted Bald driving from the scene on Wolcott.

Bald reportedly drove into the intersection of Route 5, turning westbound on Route 5, nearly striking another vehicle head-on.

Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but Bald reportedly headed the wrong way down Bacon Street. Upon reaching Route 19, Bald reportedly drove his car southbound to Myrtle Street, which is where he apparently lost control.

Bald then reportedly attempted to flee the scene on foot and he was taken into custody about a half mile from the site of the accident.

Police report speeds in the vehicle chase never exceeded 50 m.p.h.

Bald is charged with DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation, resisting arrest and leaving the scene of a property damage accident, along with other violations. He is being held in Genesee County Jail on $5,000 bail.

Amanda Wittmann, 21, of Bennington, is charged with rape. Wittmann is accused of sexual relations with a 16-year-old in Washington, where authorities issued a warrant for her arrest. She was arrested in Pembroke.

Micahel Innes, 55, of Rochester, is likely going to pay more for his untaxed cigarettes than he anticipated. Yesterday, Innes was stopped in Oakfield for an alleged traffic violation. A Sheriff's deputy noticed more than 400 cigarettes in his car, which is a violation of New York State tax code. Innes will appear in Oakfield Town Court to answer the charges June 8.

Lamarr Randell, 23, of Buffalo, was stopped for allegedly speeding in Pembroke. Deputies report they found marijuana in his possession.  He was cited for both alleged violations.

Timothy Mcjury, 21, of Alexander, is charged with petty larceny for allegedly shoplifting at Home Depot in Batavia.

Joseph Henrick, 59, of Stafford, is accused of violating an order of protection. He is charged with criminal contempt.

Attention parents and kids in the LeRoy Central School District: there's no holiday on Friday, May 8. That's VE Day -- as in Victory in Europe -- in honor of the unconditional surrender of the Nazis in World War II.

As of 4:30 p.m. May 5, VE Day was still cited on the district's website calender as an official school hoilday.

Oops! It was some sort of administrative error and it's certainly no school holiday.

But it was practically a world holiday in 1945. Millions of people poured into the streets of London, Chicago, Paris, Los Angeles, New York City and elsewhere. Light had overtaken darkness and its synonym, the Third Reich.

On the balcony of Buckingham Palace, King George VI, Princess Elizabeth and Prime Minister Winston Churchill waved to jubilant Londoners. It was also President Harry S Truman's 61st birthday and he dedicated the victory to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, our president who died less than a month earlier, on April 12.

VJ Day -- Victory over Japan -- was still to come, on Aug. 14, 1945 (North American Time). When it was announced, another wave of gleeful hysteria broke out in American streets and the sailor bent over the nurse in Times Square and gave her a big smooch.

(The kissers in the famous Alfred "Eisie" Eisenstadt photo were later determined to be, although there's still debate about this, Carl Muscarello and Edith Cullen Shain. The photo was probably shot with a Leica 250 "Reporter," which used 10 mm film and offered 250 shots before having to reload. The photojournalist's work was featured in the first one-man exhibit offered by the International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House Museum in Rochester.)

These days, VE Day is a holiday commemorated in the former East Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. But, again, not in the LeRoy Central School District where Friday will simply be another opportunity to teach and to learn.

A firefighter suffered possible heat exhaustion and the family of a home at 70 Church St. in Le Roy has been displaced after a blaze that may have been caused by a discarded cigarette caused extensive damage to the residence.

We received an e-mail this morning from Chief Tom "Woody" Wood confirming the fire we first reported last night (thanks to notification of two alert readers).

The fire was reported at 11:15 p.m.

The firefighter, who is not identified, remains hospitalized this morning for observation.

Here's the full text of Wood's e-mail:

Last night's fire came in about 11:15pm.  First chief on location with a confirmed working bedroom fire.  An additional alarm was transmitted requesting one engine from Bergen and Pavilion to the scene along with Town of Batavia Fast team while Stafford did our fill-in.  At this time we are not releasing the names of the three occupants that were displaced and had to be relocated by the red cross.  Preliminary result indicate a POSSIBLE discarded cigarette.  One firefighter was transported to the hospital for possible heat exhaustion and currently remains there for observation.  The residence suffered extensive damage and the figured amount has yet to be determined. 

A house fire at 70 Church St. in the Village of Le Roy has been mostly knocked down, according to a county dispatcher.

Firefighers from Le Roy, Stafford, Bergen and Byron responded to the blaze.

No other information available at this time.

Thank you to two alert readers who e-mailed The Batavian about the late night fire. If anybody has any pictures, please e-mail or post.

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A reader e-mailed us this morning and asked why Main Street in LeRoy was shut down last night.

In response to our inquiry, we just received this e-mail from Deputy Chief Tom Wood:

There was a natural gas leak in the Vintage and Vougue store. The gas leak was in the basement on one of the meters.  Gas odor had spread to to other buildings additional alarm was tramitted for Caledonia and Pavilion Fire Dept.  and residents were evacuated and Main St was shut down for the call.  RG&E arrived and fix the problem

Today's Deal of the Day: A $25 gift certificate from Vintage and Vogue Inspirations in LeRoy. The Batavian's Good Deal Price: $12.50 -- HALF off!

If you've not been in Vintage & Vogue yet, it's a new store in the village that is well worth a visit. It features great handcrafted goods for the home.

Rules: The gift certificate must be used by within 30 days of purchase. It is not valid with other offers and has no cash value. Previous winners, within the past 30 days, of this item are not eligible.

How to Win: Purchase using the PayPal "Buy Now" button below. After the first person to hit the "buy now" button completes the purchase, PayPal will let you know that the item has been sold. Ideally, the winner will arrange to stop by my office on Main Street before 5:00 p.m. to pick up gift certificate. Mail is an option, but it would be better to hand you the gift certificate.

If you want to be notified via e-mail of future Deals of the Day, sign up for the Deals of the Day e-mail list by clicking here.

SOLD

Nicholas A. Cinquino III, 25, of Batavia, was allegedly observed driving down the center lane of West Main about 2:30 this morning. After a traffic stop, Cinquino was taken into custody. He is charged with DWI, with a BAC of more than .18 and ticketed for improper lane usage.

Misty D. Palmer, 21, of LeRoy, is accused of trying to walk out of Wal-Mart with three DVDs. She is charged with petty larceny. Palmer was reportedly caught after the inventory control sensor was activated as she tried to walk out the front door. She was issued an appearance ticket.

This is my interview yesterday with LeRoy 2nd Asst. Fire Chief Tom "Woody" Woods.

Woods was the chief overheard asking for more help yesterday, saying if he didn't help quickly, "we're going to lose this truck and us."

When I first spoke to Wood yesterday, he said it was quit a battle with the fire jumping out of the woods quickly before he and his crew beat it back.

Wood said the recent spate of brush fires have kept firefighters pretty busy and he said the only way the fire season is going to slow down is if people stop burning stuff.