Oakfield

Michael L. Jackson was clearly relieved to receive concurrent sentences on multiple felony convictions in Genesee County Court this morning.

After Judge Robert C. Noonan announced that Jackson's two-year prison term on a drug-dealing charge could be served while he's also in prison for breaking into and trashing the offices of Holland High Lift in Bethany, Jackson gave a little thumbs up and turned to his family sitting behind him and smiled.

Dressed in Genesee County Jail orange and with his wrists cuffed, Jackson was clearly anxious about his fate during the morning hearing, up until the point the second sentence was pronounced.

The former Oakfield resident, who's home was destroyed in a fire two years ago, entered a guilty plea to charges of burglary, 3rd, two counts of grand larceny, criminal mischief, 4th, and witness tampering, 4th.

Noonan noted that Jackson clearly recognized he had no defense to the charges when he entered his unconditional plea the day his trial was supposed to start.

He sentenced Jackson to two-and-a-third to seven years in state prison on the burglary and larceny charges and one year concurrent on the witness tampering charge.

After Jackson's June 10 guilty plea, the Batavia resident was caught selling prescription drugs to an undercover agent. Last week, Jackson entered a guilty plea to a charge of criminal sale of a controlled substance.

Jackson obtained no sentencing cap or a promise of concurrent sentences with either guilty plea.

Attorney Gary Horton said Jackson stayed out of trouble from 2003 until 2009, when he lost his home and seemed to go into a tailspin. He said Jackson was so drunk the night in broke into Holland High Lift that he had a blackout and remembers nothing about it.

When asked by Noonan if he wanted to make a statement before sentencing, Jackson said, "Sir, I don't really remember that night. If I did, I should not have done it. Other than that, I'm sorry."

Most of Holland High Lift's losses were covered by insurance, but there was a deductible and a damaged motorcycle that was not covered. Jackson was ordered to pay $2,500 in restitution.

Law enforcement has been dispatched to Galloway Road near Macomber Road, Oakfield, for a report of a longhorn cow or steer (unknown which) laying in the road.

The dispatcher said there were previous calls about a longhorn loose in the area, but now it's apparently laying in the roadway.

UPDATE: The owner was able to retrieve the animal.

A tractor-trailer reportedly hit a utility pole at 108 N. Main St. in Oakfield and kept going.

The power line is not down completely, but it's lower in the roadway, according to a deputy who responded.

The original caller was trying to catch up with the truck and alert the driver to the accident.

Oakfield Fire is being dispatched.

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There was no annual Labor Daze in Oakfield this year, but that didn't stop the community from coming together for a Labor Day picnic in the community park. It featured live music, food, games, crafts and lots of neighborly chatter.

More pictures after the jump:

Law enforcement is in route to the village of Oakfield where reportedly a large group of youths have gathered and may start fighting.

"There's just pushing and shoving right now," according to dispatch.

The group has gathered at Weber and Main.

UPDATE 5:57 p.m.: The group was breaking up just as deputies arrived. A deputy is talking with at least one of the subjects.

UPDATE 6:15 p.m.: All units back in service. No arrests.

Oakfield attorney Raymond Cianfrini will be honored on “Italian-American Night” Aug. 27 at Batavia Downs Casino. The lifelong Genesee County resident is well known as a civic leader and volunteer.

He will add the award “Batavia Downs Casino 2010 Italian-American of the Year” to his list of honors at ceremonies inside the winner’s circle at the Genesee County harness track.

After graduating from Oakfield-Alabama Central School, Cianfrini attended the State University of New York at Albany for his undergraduate studies. He received his doctorate in jurisprudence from the UB School of Law.

He has been a practicing attorney in the Village of Oakfield for 38 years and served as Genesee's assistant county attorney from 1972 to 1974 and its assistant district attorney from 1974 to 1976. Cianfrini also served for two years as an associate professor of Criminal Justice at Genesee Community College and as recording judge for the NYS Racing and Wagering Board at Batavia Downs.

The active 64-year-old currently represents Oakfield and Alabama (District 1) on the Genesee County Legislature after having served as Mayor of Oakfield from 2000 to 2007.

Cianfrini and his wife, Karen, a registered nurse at United Memorial Medical Center, have been married for 37 years.

They have three children and four grandchildren. Son Michael is a partner with him in the Cianfrini Law Firm at 31 Main St. in Oakfield. Daughter Christy Cianfrini Connor is an epidemiologist in San Diego. Another son, Steve, is a helicopter pilot serving with the Army in Afghanistan.

Raymond Cianfrini was the 2007 recipient of the coveted Paolo Busti Cultural Foundation Award of Excellence as Outstanding Italian-American and was a charter inductee into the Oakfield-Alabama Central School Hall of Fame in 2004.

He is also a photographer who worked for the Buffalo Bills from 1988-94, which included the team’s four visits to the NFL Super Bowl.

Anyone wishing to make reservations to attend the Aug. 27 festivities may contact Arna Tygart at (585) 343-3750, ext 437. A special Italian buffet will be served and live music will be featured with The Formula Band.

The young deaths in Oakfield will not be forgotten thanks to Shanda Mabon and the Jarvella family that has worked to team up with TopLine Shirt Company to bring memorial merchandise to friends family and the Genesee County community.

Shanda Mabon, whose sister Amanda Mabon was killed in a car accident about three years ago, organized the ordering of wristbands for Josh Durham, Matt Ware and Allyson Galens. The purple wristbands will say "Live, Laugh, Love" and will have hearts as well as each of the three names.

The Jarvella family, friends of Justin Dickes, contacted TopLine to have shirts made up for his family.

"The proceeds will go to his father to help him cover his (funeral) costs," says Angela Jarvella. The shirts will have his initials "JD" and a cross on the front as well as his name and a guitar, which was one of his passions, on the back.

"It's something we really wanted to help with," says Tim Walton, owner of TopLine. "This has been a tragedy for the families and community and we are glad we could help in whatever way we can at this time"

Mabon has already sold over 200 wristbands and is waiting for another order to come in within the next two weeks. The shirts can be pre-ordered this week by contacting a member of the Jarvella family or TopLine at 585-219-4311. Both the bands and shirts will be available for purchase inside TopLine Shirt Company at 214 E. Main St. in Batavia.

The bands are available for $2 and the shirts are available for $10. Proceeds from the sales benefit the families of the crash victims.

Mabon also has other ideas she is planning to benefit the families. If anyone is interested in helping her with any events you can contact her at shandamabon@hotmail.com.

It's another sad day in Oakfield. Twenty-one-year-old Justin M. Dickes was killed in a motorcycle accident as he left the funeral for Joshua Durham, who was one of three killed this past weekend in a car accident. Durham was killed along with friend Matthew Ware, 22, of Oakfield and his girlfriend Allyson Galens, 20, of Stanley.

It is believed that Dickes was trying to pass a van, that was turning into a driveway, when he hit the side of it and was ejected from the motorcycle. The accident was witnessed by Dickes' brother and other friends that were also leaving the funeral.

Dickes was taken to UMMC where he was then pronounced dead. When the accident originally occured, Mercy Flight was dispatched to the accident but was not used.

The van, owned by Ben's Appliance, was driven by 47-year-old Edward Shultz of Elba. He was not injured in the accident.

Above photo from Dickes' Facebook page.

A former Oakfield resident who is a person of interest in a local unsolved murder reportedly told a cellmate in a Pennsylvania jail that he killed a couple there for money.

Stephen Patrict Rebert, 45, will stand trial for the double homicide of Victoria and James Shugar, both 61, of Jefferson County, following a preliminary hearing in which District Judge David Inzana said the prosecution presented sufficient evidence to try Rebert.

District Attorney Jeffrey Burkett presented a signed statement at the end of the hearing from Rebert's cellmate saying Rebert was motivated by his desire to steal rare coins and currancy, according to the Punxsutawney Spirit.

Rebert was arrested in Genesee County on June 3 and turned over to Pennsylvannia law enforcement. Investigators there say they found evidence on Rebert's computer tying him to the 2005 murder of Bill Fickel in Oakfield as well as the unsolved murder of Kevin Smith in Orleans County.

Photo courtesy of the Punxsutawney Spirit.

While investigators continue to suspect that alcohol may have been a factor in the one-car crash in Oakfield early Saturday morning that claimed the lives of three young people, it appears speed may have been a factor, as well.

Chief Deputy Gordon Dibble said Monday that crash investigator Deputy John Duyssen believes the initial indications are that the speed of the vehicle was too great for the driver to negotiate the curve at the accident scene, resulting in the crash.

The car rotated clockwise when its tires hit the shoulder. The drivers side hit the utility pole by the side of the road and it rolled over on its roof. A passenger in the back seat was ejected from the vehicle, according to Dibble.

Matthew Ware, 22, Joshua Durham, 21 and Allyson Galens, 20, were killed in the crash.

The group had been at the Elba Onion Festival earlier in the evening, but Dibble said investigators have yet to determine what time they left.

It's not yet known where they might have gone -- if any place -- after leaving the festival.

There were empty beer bottles at the scene of the crash, but investigators do not know if they are in any way related to the crash.

"We are still looking into that and will know more when the medical examiner's office completes its investigation," Dibble said.

More flowers, notes, gifts and two signs have been added to an informal memorial created by friends and family of three young people killed in a one-car auto accident early Saturday morning. The accident claimed the lives of Matthew Ware, 22, Joshua Durham, 21, and Allyson Galens, 20. Ware lived in Batavia and was a graduate, along with Basom-resident Durham, of Oakfield-Alabama High School. Galens, a GCC student, was from Stanley.

H.E. Turner and Sons has posted obituaries for Matthew Ware and Joshua Durham.

Ware and Durham, along with Allyson Galens, died early Saturday morning in an accident on Albion Road in Oakfield.

(UPDATED 12:49 p.m.)

One of Oakfield-Alabama's football stars of the past decade was among three people killed in an accident on Albion Road in Oakfield overnight.

Matthew Ware, 22, and Joshua Durham, 21, were declared dead at the scene, according to a statement issued by the Sheriff's Office.

Ware, a running back for O-A, was named to the All-State second team in 2004 and 2005.

Durham was on the track and baseball teams during those same years. He was a Genesee Region League track All-Star in 2007.

Allyson E. Galens, 20, of Stanley, was a passenger in the 2005 Scion TC. She was taken by Mercy Flight to ECMC. Galens was declared dead at 4 a.m.

The trio had been at the Elba Onion Festival prior to the accident, according to Sheriff Gary Maha. Maha said investigators believe alcohol was a factor in the accident.

The accident occurred at 1:37 a.m. on Albion Road just past Lockport Road. The car collided with a utility pole.

Oakfield Fire responded to the scene.

No further information about the accident was released.

The investigation is ongoing and being handled by Investigator Timothy Weis, Sgt. Greg Walker, Deputy Frank Bordonaro, Deputy James Diehl and Deputy John Duyseen of the Crash Management Team.

Photos: Top, Matthew Ware, from his Facebook Page; Joshua Durham, from his MySpace page; Josh and Allyson Galens from Josh's Facebook page.

UPDATE 6:10 p.m.: Top photo, flowers left at the scene of the accident. Below, sign in the beer tent at the Elba Onion Festival. I wanted to talk with somebody from the organization about the positive steps they take to discourage drinking and driving (not that that has been established in this case), including having firefighters available to give free rides home, but officials steadfastly refused to speak.

Sheriff Gary Maha has confirmed that there was a triple-fatal accident last night.

He said details will be provided to local media as soon as family notifications are completed.

Based on information from readers, the accident occurred around 1:37 a.m. on Lockport Road.

We will update this post as soon as information becomes available.

An interesting situation arose tonight that's just kind of worth noting for the record: Mercy EMS ran out of ambulances.

When a girl fell from a scooter on Summit Street at about 10:45 p.m., just a block from UMMC, a dispatcher asked Batavia City Fire who should respond. The city asked for Oakfield.

Seconds later, a Mercy EMS ambulance noted they were in service (meaning free to take a call). The dispatcher asked city fire if Mercy EMS should respond. City fire responded that it was only a "BLS call" (basic life support).

Dispatch informed the Mercy EMS unit that Oakfield was responding. The unit, with a siren blaring in the background, informed dispatch it was only three minutes out. The dispatcher responded that the agency with jurisdiction had already requested Oakfield.

Oakfield's ambulance was on scene within minutes and had the patient quickly transported to UMMC.

I can't think of another time in which I've personally heard a volunteer ambulance service responding to a call in the city since Mercy took over ambulance service.

A man who admitted in July that he tried to steal a truck from a local car dealership will spend two to four years in prison.

He will also be given a chance at rehabilitation for substance abuse.

Carl Rivers, 41, apparently obtained a 2000 Chevy Silverado from an Oakfield car dealership, drove it until it broke down, and took some money that was supposed to go toward purchase of the vehicle and used it to buy drugs.

Rivers admitted on July 1 to attempted grand larceny, 4th.

For the purposes of sentencing, it was his second felony offense. The first was a burglary charge in Orleans County in 1996. That conviction falls within the 10-year limit for a predicate felony because of time Rivers spent in jail in the intervening years.

Assistant District Attorney Melissa Cianfrini told Judge Robert C. Noonan that Rivers had a lengthy criminal record with numerous arrests in several states, but Public Defender Gary Horton noted that Rivers' arrests in North Carolina and California did not lead to convictions.

Horton said all of Rivers' difficulties with the law can be traced to his substance abuse.

"Mr. Rivers has reached point in life where he knows he must change where he is going," Horton said. "He must address the substance abuse problem or he’s going to spend the rest of his life bouncing in and out of penal institutions, and he doesn’t want that to happen."

Prior to sentencing, Rivers acknowledged he had a substance abuse problem and said he wasn't interested in making excuses.

"I want to deal with my addiction," Rivers said. "I don't want to say being in jail is easy, but doing time isn't hard. Anybody can do it. Dealing with my addiction is what I’m ready to do."

Noonan said it was important to ensure Rivers, with his record, spend some time in prison, but he also ordered him to participate in a CASAT substance abuse program, if he is accepted.