Oakfield

Some say, "I could have been a contender." Tim Edgerton got his chance at a title bout and won.

The 52-year-old Oakfield resident grew up in Batavia and fell in love with boxing when he was 15.

It all started on an annual family trip to New Jersey to see his mother's brother. Edgerton's Uncle Norman had been a boxer as a youth. When young Timothy expressed an interest in boxing, they talked a bit and then Uncle Norman took the lad into the basement and dug out his old boxing shorts from a box. Timothy tried them on and they fit. Edgerton said he was hooked.

In the late 1970s, there was only one competitive boxer living in Batavia, and that was Tim Edgerton.

At the time, there were no boxing gyms in Genesee County. The last public boxing ring in Batavia was probably dismantled in the 1950s or early 1960s, or even earlier.

There were still boxers in Batavia, but all were retired from the sport. Most of them fought during Batavia's Golden Era of boxing, the 1930s. One of those former prizefighters was Ken Pixley, who worked with Edgerton's father at Chapin Manufacturing.

According to the book "The Batavia Boxing Club" by Anthony "Butch" Zito, available through the County History Department, Pixley started his boxing career in 1934 as a bantam weight. In his own training, Pixley worked on conditioning and speed, moving in and out, picking his spots. He punched, hooked and jabbed.

Some of the records of Pixley's career are lost, but he never won a title and lost a couple of fights -- and won a few, most notably a 1938 bout in Kibbe Park against lanky Archie Smith of Hamilton, Ontario, in front of 400 local fight fans. Zito writes, "Ken forced the issue from the opening bell and never relented in his attack of left hooks and rights to the head. It was an impressive victory."

Pixley lost his next bout in Rochester later that year. Then he retired from boxing. He was a Mason and served in the Army Air Force during World War ll.

After Pixley learned of Edgerton's interest in boxing, he started working with him, training him.

Edgerton's dad built a boxing ring in the back yard of their home on Sunset Terrace. Pixley lived in a nearby trailer park. He'd help Tim with his training at home.

Once a month Tim's dad drove him to Buffalo to train with John Sudac at Singer's Gym.

It was on the second floor of an old building in a rough part of town. Edgerton said it was like something out of the first "Rocky" film (at the time, a hit movie). When Edgerton's father expressed concern, Sudac lifted his shirt and flashed a revolver. "That takes care of any of the riffraff," he said.

Edgerton had a hard time getting his fellow Batavia High Sschool students interested in boxing (he would eventually graduate from Byron-Bergen and is a member of the Byron-Bergen Hall of Fame). Friends and classmates would agree to spar, but just once. Once was all it took and they'd lose their interest in boxing.

There was an English teacher at BHS at the time, Dave Roberts, who apparently had done a little boxing, and he agreed to spar with Edgerton one summer day between Tim's 9th- and 10th-grade year.

Well, word got around the neighborhood that a teacher was going to fight Edgerton.

"Next thing you know my back yard is filled with 30 or 40 kids and my English teacher thought he was coming up just to spar with me and next thing you know it's turned into a match and it was pretty involved," Edgerton said. "My dad, he didn't want nothing to do with it. He just stayed in the garage and said, 'just let me know when it's over.' "

The late 1970s, those were the days. The top fighters of the day are legends now. Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Roberto Duran, Ken Norton and Joe Frazier.

In Edgerton's mind, the greatest of them all was Smokin' Joe.

Frazier owned a gym in Philadelphia and one day after school it popped into Edgerton's mind that Philly wasn't all that far away and maybe some day he could train in Frazier's gym.

"So I called up Joe Frazier's gym, and guess who answered the phone?" Edgerton said.  "Joe Frazier, Smokin' Joe. He was my idol. I tried to pattern myself after him. I took a lot of hits coming in, but just like Joe -- you get in there and as long as you could wreak some havoc, that was worth it."

It was a nice little conversation, Edgerton said. He explained his situation -- not much in Batavia for boxers and he was thinking of trying to come down to Philadelphia to train for a day.

"He said, you know what, you come down here, you make the effort to come down here, and I'll personally spend some time with you," Edgerton said. "It was great, just talking to him was fantastic."

Alas, Edgerton never made the trip.

"I was pushing it once a month with my dad to go to Buffalo," Edgerton said. "He wasn't going to Philly."

It's a shame Batavia's once thriving boxing scene died out after the 1950s.

At one time in the 1930s, there were at least 40 competitive boxers living in Batavia. Some of the top local fighters of the day included Tony DiCarlo, Norfe Colombo, Joe Goodsell, Nick Tundo, Dick Warboys, Lou Cecere, Butch Zito, Joe Church, Frankie Flynn, Anthony Sciolino, Angelo Yannuzzi and Mickey Devine.

Devine's given name was Joe Cintorino. He was one of a handful of local boxers to turn pro and perhaps the most successful.

The Brooklyn-born Cintorino came to Batavia with his family while still a child. He was coaxed into the gym by DiCarlo. He fought for the first time in 1930 at the American Legion Hall in Buffalo. The decision went to Rochester's Joe Ryan, which sent the crowd into a frenzy of boos -- they thought Cintorino was the better man.

A power puncher who could land devastating body blows, Cintorino was known as Batavia's Blonde Terror. By 1932, he was considered one of the top four amateur bantam weights in the nation and was invited to the Olympic Trials in San Francisco. He missed a shot at a state NAA title when a referee, just before the title fight, discovered he was running a high fever and canceled the fight.

Cintorino had a history of lost decisions that were unpopular with fight fans in the crowd. The crowds booed when he lost the final Olympic Trials match to Joseph Lang of San Francisco.

He fought under the name Mickey Devine for the first time later that year in a bout in Rochester representing a group that wasn't sanctioned by the New York Boxing Commission. He beat a fighter from Saratoga Springs that night.

On Nov. 8, 1932, Cintorino beat Canada's reigning bantam weight champion, Jackie Cullura. Zito said it was the biggest bout of his amateur career.

The Blonde Terror turned pro as Mickey Devine in late 1933 and started fighting at 126 pounds.

Devine won his first seven fights and was 7-2-1 when "Ring" magazine named him one of the top featherweight prospects in the nation.

The closest Devine got to a title match was in 1936. The reigning light heavyweight champ, Lou Ambers, kept dodging the fight however, not wanting to take on a talented southpaw.

In 1940, Devine retired with a record of 25-9-2. He died in 1999 and is buried at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Batavia.

It's unclear what happened to boxing in Batavia after 1940. We hear there was boxing locally for at least another decade. Angelo Prospero, who graduated from Batavia HS in 1947 and now lives in South Carolina, is a boxing historian and has written about local boxing. We tried to arrange an interview with Prospero but breaking news on Tuesday and Wednesday got in the way. Hopefully, we can catch up with him some time and find out more.

Whatever happened, it's clear that by the time Edgerton entered the scene, there was no boxing scene in Batavia. He was on his own.

He had Pixley to help. He had Sudac to help. He also bought and watched boxing films -- Joe Louis, Frazier, Ali, Tony Zale and Sugar Ray Robinson.

"I'd watch those fights over and over studying their moves and techniques," Edgerton said.

He had a speed bag and heavy bag in his garage and he would shadow box, trying to imitate what he'd just seen on film.

Uncle Norman had been a pretty good boxer in his local area, but was defeated in his three tries at a Golden Gloves title.

"Tim, I don't know what happened, but the lights went out three times," Uncle Norman told Edgerton. "They carried me out of the ring. Those guys were good, a different caliber."

Edgerton always thought maybe he could win the Golden Gloves title his uncle never did.

First, of course, there had to be a first fight.

Tim lost.

But learned a valuable lesson, one that would eventually make all the difference in the world.

"I was beating the guy pretty good, but I ran out of gas," Edgerton said. "When I went into the fight, I didn't know where I stood as far as conditioning. The second time I dropped my mouth piece, the ref stopped the fight. After that fight, I knew how to train, how to gauge myself, how to pace myself."

By the summer of 1976, Edgerton could drive himself to Rochester to train at Ossie Sussman's gym.He signed up for a 10-week course.

He had been fighting and winning. He was ready for the Golden Gloves championships in Buffalo.

He would have Pixley and Sussman in his corner.

The winter of 1977 was particularly harsh. There was, of course, a blizzard. Twice, the bouts in Buffalo were cancelled.

Still, the Buffallo Golden Gloves organizers needed champions to move onto the next round and time was running short.

"They said they drew names out of a hat to pick the final contestants for each weight class," Edgerton said. "Those people went on to represent Buffalo. When I was looking at the roster, I thought, 'Gee, nobody from outside of Buffalo got selected. It must just be a coincidence.' "

After that, Edgerton thought he needed to buckle down and concentrate on school, so he stepped away from boxing.

Put on the shelf with his gloves was the idea of avenging his uncle's three Golden Gloves defeats.

Edgerton graduated from Byron-Bergen and went to GCC for a year. He then transferred to Sam Houston University in Texas, where he majored in criminal justice.

In Texas, friends encouraged him to box again. He started working out and training and when it came time for the Golden Gloves championship in Houston, he decided to enter.

He drove to Houston with his future wife, Lettie, a Texas girl. He was unaffiliated and only had Lettie to work his corner.

While he was signing up, he noticed a big man in suit watching him. The man motioned him over, so Edgerton walked over. The man asked him if he had anybody to work his corner.  Edgerton said he didn't.

The man said he represented the team from Cut and Shoot, Texas. They were a few boxers short for the team and if Edgerton joined their team, they could provide people to work his corner. That way, Ederton gets help and if he scores any points, the Cut and Shoot team gets the points.

That sounded like a fair deal, Edgerton said.

"Of course they had no idea what my skill level was," Ederton said. "They just went into it blind, kind of like I went with them blind."

Then this man from Cut and Shoot, Texas had another proposal for the 174-pound fighter.

"The guy says, 'what would you think about fighting as a heavyweight?' and I said, 'Are you kidding me?' "

Edgerton would be giving up at least 25 pounds to every fighter he faced.

"You'll be giving up a lot of weight, but you're quick, you're fast," the man said. "Jab and move, stay away from them, try to score some points. Your chances are better as a heavyweight. I know some of the kids in the lightweight division. They're really good. I don't know you, but that's the best I can offer."

Edgerton and Lettie talked it over. The man, whom Edgerton still didn't know from a fence post, seemed to know what he was talking about.

After winning the preliminary bouts, Edgerton was facing a man 45 pounds heavier in the finals.

"He had had to go 220 maybe 225 pounds," Edgerton said. "He was bigger. He was taller. and I won. I don't know how. Maybe out of fear. But I was able to take it to him pretty good.

"It did work out where he was bigger and stronger, but he was slower," Edgerton added. "I could out maneuver his punches, you know, duck. A couple of times he swung and I could just literally feel the air rush over head. If he ever hit me, I would have been gone. They would have been carrying me out."

The fight went all three rounds, and for a moment, Edgerton thought he could score a knockout.

"In third round, I almost has had enough to put him down," Edgerton said. "He was stumbling back into the ropes, but I didn't have enough.

"In my corner, they yelled out, 'stick and move, stick and move, you got the fight won, just stick and move,' so that's what I did," Edgerton added. "I got on the bicycle, started sticking, moving, moving, sticking. He couldn't catch me. He was tired. I was in better shape, thank God, and I ended up winning."

With the victory, Edgerton won his Golden Gloves title, and as a heavyweight. Those points also put the team from Cut and Shoot, Texas, over the top for a team championship.

The man who recruited Edgerton turned out to be Roy Harris, once a top professional who made it as far as 12 rounds with the heavyweight champion of his day, Floyd Patterson.

That was Edgerton's last fight. He finished with a career record of 19-6.

Five of those loses were TKOs. Edgerton said he was a nose bleeder and if he got caught on his sniffer, the ref would usually end up calling the fight.

"I thought, thank God I didn't get hurt in all those fights I had and I said, 'that's enough,' " Edgerton said. "The one thing, though, I set the scale straight for my uncle and I proved to myself I could do it."

Edgerton married Lettie and they moved away from Texas. He wanted to return home, but couldn't land a crime-fighting job in Genesee County. He went to work for the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, living in Detroit for a while.

Eventually, the job brought him back to Batavia

In 1993, he developed Operation Child Intercept, which has been adopted nationwide, to combat the illicit transportation of missing and abducted children across the international borders into the U.S.

He currently manages the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Criminal Alien Program out of ICE's office in Batavia.

The Edgertons have two daughters, Casey, 20, and Emily, 16. He serves on the Oakfield-Alabama School District Board of Directors.

There was no boxing gym in Batavia for Edgeton when he was growing up, but today's youngsters can't say the same thing.

A few weeks ago, Hands Up MMA opened on Harvester Avenue.

While mixed martial arts is kind of a specialty there, owner Joseph Bailey is a big boxing fan and would love to see more boxers make use of his ring. It's probably the first one in Batavia opened to the public in 50, or maybe 70, years.

Edgerton said he would like to see more young people drawn to the art and science of boxing.

"As long as you do boxing safely and take the right precautions, it's one of the greatest sports and one of the oldest sports for a person to be involved with on an individual level," he said.

The individual nature of boxing is what attracted him to boxing over team sports, he said.

"I love team sports, but that's what intrigued me about boxing," he said. "It's all up to you. You train hard. You climb in that ring, and man, it's just you and that other guy. That other guy is out to try to do harm to you and you're out to try to inflict some punishment on him to win. It changes the whole complexion of everything."

UPDATE: Added photo of Joe Church, sent to us courtesy by Bob Caico, of the Buffalo Veteran Boxing Association.

Jeremy K. Hogeboom, 38, of South Pearl Street Road, Oakfield, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, speed not reasonable nor prudent, failure to keep right and unlawful possession of marijuana. Hogeboom was stopped at 12:06 a.m. Friday on Phelps Road, Pembroke, by Deputy James Diehl.

Tyler J. Aina, 21, of 13929 Waterport Circle Road, Albion, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation, driving left of pavement marketings and failure to stop at stop sign. Aina was stopped by Officer Darryle Streeter at 1:09 a.m. June 15 on Oak Street.

Derrick R. Kio, 22, of 5471 Hudson Road, Pavilion, is charged with disobeying mandate. Kio is accused of violating an order of protection by calling the protected person.

Keith B. Besaw, 42, of 61 1/2 North Lyon St., Batavia, is charged with operating a motor vehicle without an inspection certificate. Besaw was taken into custody by Batavia PD on an arrest warrant issued in City Court.

Brad C. Doward, 23, of 10 Hall St., Batavia, is charged with aggravated harassment, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. Doward was allegedly involved in a domestic incident.

A 17-year-old resident of Swamp Road, Byron, is charged with petit larceny. The youth is accused of shoplifting $39.72 in merchandise from Walmart.

Debra M. Davis, 53, and Samantha B. Steiner, 22, both of 620 Yacht Club Drive, Machias, are charged with petit larceny. Davis and Steiner were arrested by State Police in connection with an alleged incident reported in the Town of Alabama in October. No further details released.

A group of people are reportedly fighting outside at 26 30 S. Main St. in Oakfield. Sheriff's deputies are responding. At least one of the suspects is a male who lives on Sunset Parkway and allegedly drove away from the scene in a black and red pickup truck with chain link around the license plate.

UPDATE 5:46 p.m.: Deputies on scene report the fighters are gone, but they are going to check some addresses, including 19 Sunset Parkway, for information.

Five people are reportedly fighting at Sunrise Parkway, Oakfield.

Deputies are responding.

UPDATE 9:40 p.m.: Deputies on scene. "Things have calmed down."

Some non-hazardous material has spilled in the roadway at 2864 West Main Street Road, just east Hartshorn Road. Fire Police are called to shut down one lane of traffic so the material can cleaned washed from the asphalt.

UPDATE 5:56 p.m.: The East Pembroke Oakfield assignment is back in service and the lane is reopened.

John E. Vauss, 51, of Kohlman Street, Rochester, is charged with public lewdness, criminal possession of a weapon, 4th, unlawful possession of marijuana and no/improper child restraint for a child 4 years old or less. Vauss was allegedly seen by an employee of the Buffalo Federal Detention Center urinating from the Route 98 overpass onto the Thruway below. The employee followed Vauss to the facility where he was detained by Deputy Chris Parker for further investigation. During the investigation, Vauss was found to allegedly possess a bag of marijuana in his front pants pocket A black pipe that was weighted and studded with bolts was found in his vehicle. Vauss was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Batavia Court on all four charges.

Robert C. Fochler III, 50, of 8 East Ave., lower, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny and trespass. Fochler is accused of stealing a 23.5-ounce can of Four Loko Fruit Punch malt liquor from the Hess station at the corner of Oak and Main, Batavia. Fochler was allegedly banned previously from entering the store.

David C. Truesdale Jr., 23, of 18 Tracy Ave., Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Truesdale was allegedly in possession of marijuana when he was arrested on a City Court warrant related to an aggravated unlicensed operation charge.

Brandi-Lyn Heidenreich, 23, of Garibaldi Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with petit larceny. Heidenreich is accused of stealing $97 in merchandise from Walmart.

Shelin Marie Herold, 20, of Clipnock Road, Bethany, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Herold is accused of punching and slapping another person during an argument.

Christopher Jason Koenig, 17, of Summit Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Koenig is accused of stealing $159 in merchandise from Kmart.

Richard A. Demmer, 20, of Oakfield, is charged with criminal mischief, 3rd, and criminal contempt, 1st. Demmer was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported May 25 in Oakfield. No further details released.

Several people are reported fighting at Sunrise Parkway in Oakfield.

Sheriff's deputies are responding.

Ryan D. Shumway, 33, of 104 Jackson St., rear, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, 5th. Shumway was arrested following an investigation by Officer Arick Perkins and Sgt. Dan Coffey into a theft reported Monday of an item from the porch of a residence on Pringle Avenue.

Jacob T. Bell, 21, of 205 Washington Ave., lower, Batavia, is charged with assault, 3rd. Bell is accused of being involved in a fight with a family member at 5:10 a.m., Wednesday.

A 17-year-old resident of Coe Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with trespass. The youth is accused of trespassing on property owned by Bonduelle USA, Inc., in the Village of Oakfield. Three other youths were referred to Juvenile Court.

Drew M. Frost, 24, of Attica, is charged with DWI. Frost was stopped on Bowen Road, Darien, by State Police at 12:30 a.m Tuesday.

Robert P. Leiser Jr., could be out of jail today, but according to Judge Robert C. Noonan, Leiser couldn't do one simple thing: follow a court order.

Noonan gave Leiser, originally indicted on two counts of assault, 2nd, a chance at a sentence of credit for time served after Leiser entered a guilty plea in the middle of his trial in April to a lesser charge of second degree attempted assault.

It's probably the first time Noonan has ever allowed a plea bargain after a trial has begun, but according to Noonan it was the most bizarre trial he's presided over and it was clear to him, he said, that the main witness against Leiser wasn't telling the truth.

"Mr. Burns (attorney Thomas Burns) saying that this was a dysfunctional relationship between you and the complainant, that's probably the understatement of the decade," Burns said. "This was a relationship that was nothing short of bizarre between two people who share a responsibility for the conduct that brought us here today."

However, Noonan said, the only person with an order of protection in place was Leiser.

Leiser was arrested in August and accused of hitting a woman in the head with a flashlight.

In deciding to sentence Leiser to one-and-a-third to three years in prison, Noonan said he also considered Leiser's criminal record, which includes at least 40 arrests and two stints in prison.

"In 25 years of criminal history, you just get arrested, go to jail, get out, go to prison, get out," Noonan said. "I don't know when you're going to wake up and say, 'I'm a grown man now, I'm in my 40s, and I need to take charge of my life and not go back to prison.' "

Noonan had hoped, he said, that Leiser could prove he was ready for that change after his guilty plea when Noonan released him from jail under supervision (RUS) of Genesee Justice.

Burns argued that Leiser wasn't accused of using drugs while he was on RUS and there is no evidence that he used drugs, but Noonan said Leiser violated his RUS contract in numerous other ways.

A large tree and multiple wires are reportedly down on South Pearl Street Road in Oakfield. Power is out in the area as a result, including traffic lights at Main Street and Maple Avenue. Oakfield fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 7:05 p.m.: National Grid is notified and has a 25-minute ETA. A utility pole is sheared off, a tree is on a vehicle, and a pole is in the roadway in the area of 39-42 South Pearl Street Road. Traffic is being shut down at South Pearl and Main.

UPDATE 7:16 p.m.: National Grid arrived a couple of minutes ago.

UPDATE 8:28 p.m.: South Pearl has been reopened.

UPDATE 8:41 p.m.: Photo from Jeremy Yasses. Unrelated to Oakfield, but related to heavy rainfall: Peaviner Road in Alexander is closed due to high water.

UPDATE 8:50 p.m.: Oakfield assignment back in service. A street off South Pearl remains closed.

A former Oakfield resident admitted in County Court today that prior to his sentencing on burglary charges in March 2012, he violated his release under supervision agreement and fled the area.

Benjamin W. Muntz, 24, is currently in state prison on a burglary conviction, but the pre-sentence report done previously for his grand larceny conviction is now out of date and must be redone.

There also needs to be a new report done on his conviction for bail jumping prior to sentencing.

Sentencing on both charges was set for Sept. 4.

Muntz is currently serving three and half to seven years on his burglary, 3rd, conviction. He faces another three-plus years for burglary, which could be served either concurrently or consecutively, depending on Noonan's decision in the fall.

The sentence on the bail jumping charge, which could be from one and half to three years, must be served consecutive to any other sentence, according to state law.

Muntz was returned to Genesee County after serving a brief jail sentence in Arkansas and he is wanted in Georgia.

Rhonda L. Reisman, 40, of 105 State St., is charged with dog running at large. Batavia PD received a complaint of a dog running at large on State Street. Reisman was identified as the owner.

Heather E. Schramm, 33, of 48 South Main St., Batavia, is charged with aggravated harassment, 2nd. Schramm is accused of sending a threatening message to another person.

Arron Lee Zimblis, 49, of 114 Vine St., Batavia, is charged with DWI, failure to stop, unsafe movement of a stopped motor vehicle and failure to yield right of way to an emergency vehicle. Officer Jamie Givens allegedly observed Zimblis commit traffic infractions Wednesday after receiving a report of an intoxicated person leaving a residence.

Daniel S. Anderson, 37, of 239 S. Swan St., Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd. Anderson was arrested Friday following an investigation into a prior complaint. He was ordered held pending a court appearance today.

Billy Joe Johnson, 35, of 3910 W. Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Johnson was arrested following an investigation into an alleged incident reported at 7:02 a.m., Sunday, at a location on State Street.

Shawn Allen Bush, 43, of Alleghany Road, Pembroke, is charged with two counts harassment, 2nd. Bush allegedly threatened to harm his ex-girlfriend and son while in an intoxicated condition.

Brian Russell Wilson, 24, of Back Street, Pembroke, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Wilson was allegedly found in possession of marijuana during a traffic stop at 12:58 a.m. Sunday on Main Street, Oakfield, by Deputy Patrick Reeves. Matthew Metehan Osmancikli, 20, of Lewiston Road, Basom, was also charged.

Anthony Mark Matla, 42, of Park Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Matla allegedly threated to harm another person Saturday during an argument at a residence on Pratt Road.

A 16-year-old resident of Warboys Road, Byron, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. The youth was allegedly found in possession of half a hydrocodone pill while at Byron-Bergen High School.

Jennifer L. Sprague, 30, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a child neglect charge out of Family Court. Sprague was arrested after a bit of an alleged confrontation with police at her residence. Deputy John Baiocco reports that Sprague slammed the door after he arrived at the residence and locked herself inside. The house was surrounded with the help of Batavia PD and following some negotiations, Baiocco was able to arrest Sprague.

Heather D. Stone, 18, of Ellwood Drive, Rochester, is charged with burglary, 3rd, and petit larceny. Stone was turned over to the Sheriff's Office after being released from the Monroe County Jail on an unrelated matter. A warrant had been issued in Town of Le Roy Court for Stone's arrest. She was jailed on $2,500 bail.

A caller reports there's a man lying on or near the roadway on Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road. Meanwhile another caller reports coming home on that same street and finding the front and back door had been opened and a pair of sneakers on the porch. The man lying down is believed to be sans shoes. Law enforcement is responding, and will no doubt be checking to see if the sneakers fit the man.

UPDATE 4:10 p.m.: "Where was the subject supposed to be laying?" asks an officer. The address given is 2847 (Batavia-Oakfield TL Road).

Youths are reportedly tipping picnic tables over at the Elroy D. Parkins Memorial Park on Drake Street in Oakfield. Sheriff's deputies are responding.

This weekend, once again, baseball teams from throughout the region are in Batavia for the 2013 Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation Tournament.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

Bruce Jeramie Brade, 32, of Stroh Road, Attica, is charged with identify theft, 3rd. Brade allegedly used the personal information of another person, including a credit card number, for personal benefit.

Llani Marie Gerrastzu, 18, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Gerrastzu was allegedly found in her home with marijuana at 6:35 a.m., Wednesday.

Shannon Ann Caton, 38, of Fisher Road, Oakfield, is charged with harassment. Caton was allegedly involved in a fight at her place of employment on April 2.

Eric A. Ion, 40, of Brant, is charged with criminal contempt. Ion is accused of violating a court order in Alexander at 4:14 p.m., May 14. Ion was arrested by State Police. No further details released.

Michelle G. Robb, 55, of Corfu, is charged with driving while impaired by drugs. Robb was stopped at 8:06 p.m., May 14, by State Police on Route 77, Pembroke. No further details released.

Richard A. Demmer, 20, of Oakfield, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Demmer was arrested by State Police related to an alleged incident reported at 5:20 p.m., May 14.

A possible structure fire is reported at 7475 S. Pearl Street Road in Oakfield. It is believed to stem from an electrical problem in the basement, which is showing some white smoke. Oakfield Fire Department is responding and mutual aid is requested from East Pembroke, Town of Batavia, and Alabama, which is called to fill in at Oakfield's hall. Everyone is out of the building.

UPDATE 6:42 p.m.: The electrical circuits have been shut off and Oakfield is waiting for National Grid to arrive. All mutual aid responders back in service.

From my drive to Alabama and back today, a tractor and silo off Route 77, Alabama, and below, a dead tree off Judge Road near Maltby.

You don't see these old iron plows used much any more, so when I saw Mike Gibson plowing a field off Lockport Road, East Oakfield, I stopped for a picture. Gibson said he plants about three acres of corn annually that he burns in his corn-fueled heater during the winter. It's a big cost savings, he said, over the $180-per-bag price for store-bought corn.