Oakfield

Meagan Victoria Finzer, 21, of Clarendon Street, Albion, is charged with petit larceny. Finzer was allegedly confronted by loss prevention officers at Kmart shortly after 6 p.m., Tuesday, and she reportedly did not cooperate, and instead got into her car and drove off. A description of the vehicle, with license plate, was provided to local law enforcement and her car was stopped a short time later on West Main Street by Batavia Police. Following further investigation, she was taken into custody by a Sheriff's Deputy.

Michael John Coffta, 18, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Coffta is accused of shoplifting from Kmart.

Joshua A. Kitanik, 22, of Oakfield, is charged with trespass. Kitanik was arrested at 4:48 p.m., Monday, by State Police on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation. No further details released.

David Wayne King, 53, of Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road, Oakfield, is charged with petit larceny. King is accused of shoplifting cigarettes from Jan's Smoke Shop on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation.

Andrew R. Osborne, 18, of Drake Street, Oakfield, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Osborne is accused of sending inappropriate pictures to a female victim.

Joshua Charles Brownell, 19, of South Pearl Street, Oakfield, is charged with stalking, 4th, and harassment, 2nd. Brownell is accused of blocking a road with his vehicle and then exiting his vehicle and threatening another person.

Patrick Raymond Krieger, 20, of Genesee Street Road, Corfu, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Krieger was approached at Kmart by Deputy Brian Thompson regarding alleged illegal tinting of his windows. During the interview, Thompson allegedly found Krieger to be in possession of marijuana.

Thomas William Glass, 37, of Steven Drive, Cheektowaga, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Deputy Brian Thompson stopped Glass in the Village of Corfu for an alleged traffic violation at 1:40 p.m., Tuesday. During the traffic stop, K-9 "Jay" alerted on the vehicle.

Douglas James Karek, 50, of Geary Street, Buffalo, was picked up on a warrant out of Erie County Family Court. Karek was identified during a traffic stop on Route 33 in Corfu (Karek was reportedly a passenger in the vehicle driven by Glass above).

A Batavia man who admitted to attempted robbery for trying to steal oxycodone from the Oakfield Pharmacy will spend one-and-a-half to three years in prison.

He must also receive substance-abuse counseling.

Cain Catino, 39, was sentenced in Genesee County Court today for the Sept. 20 attempted robbery, which was thwarted when the store owners wrestled Catino to the ground. It was revealed in court later that Catino had a knife on him at the time.

Last month, his mother, Kathleen Catino, 60, admitted she tried to smuggle oxycodone into her son at the Genesee County Jail. She is scheduled to be sentenced in January.

A 48-year-old Oakfield resident died overnight as a result of a fire at 7154 Pine St., Oakfield.

Jeffery D. Repass, a resident at the address, was pronounced dead at the scene following the 12:39 a.m. blaze, which started in a bedroom.

Four other occupants escaped safely.

The house was heavily damaged and the cause of the blaze is under investigation by the Oakfield Fire Department, the Genesee County Sheriff's Office and Genesee County Emergency Management.

Assisting at the scene were the Elba Fire Department, Alabama Fire Department, East Pembroke Fire Department, Mercy EMS and the Genesee County Coroner's Office.

(Initial Report)

A structure fire, believed to have begun in a bedroom, is reported at 7154 Pine St. in Oakfield. It's off of Maple Avenue, the last street coming out of the village.

Oakfield, Alabama and Elba fire units are called to respond.

UPDATE 12:56 a.m.: Firefighters are working on extricating people from the building.

UPDATE 12:58 a.m.: An investigator requested to the scene. At least one person is out of the building and requires medical attention.

UPDATE 1:06 a.m.: National Grid notified. No ETA.

UPDATE 1:24 a.m.: Fire's been knocked out.

UPDATE: Further updates on this fire will be available in the morning.

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Submitted by Cheryl Chaddock:

Brad Chaddock of Oakfield bagged his very own monster 9pt. buck last Saturday morning with his bow. Brad is a dedicated bow hunter during the season. He and his dad, Rob Chaddock, of Elba, spend many hours throughout the year practicing archery and it has paid off. He has had very successful hunts in the past, but this is his biggest to date. Congratulations to Brad.

Darrell Smith, 43, of Queens Drive, West Seneca, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation and improper stopping on a highway in the Town of Alexander. Smith was arrested following a report of a one-car accident at 3:32 a.m. on Oak Street in the City of Batavia. Smith allegedly fled the scene of the accident in his car. Smith also faces charges in the city for allegedly leaving the scene of a property damage accident, moving from lane unsafely and aggravated unlicensed operation.

A 17-year-old from Attica Road, Attica, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property, 5th. The youth was allegedly found in possession of a stolen a black Diamond Back BMX-style bicycle. The bicycle had been reported stolen from a person in the Village of Attica on July 3.

Peter J. Gravante Jr., 21, of Townline Road, Byron, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, no license plate lamp and operating without brake lights. Gravante was stopped at 4:08 a.m., Friday, on Route 5, Town of Batavia, by Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Alexander Kae Zorich, 18, of Batavia-Stafford Townline Road, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Zorich is accused of shoplifting from Kmart.

A 16-year-old from Route 20, Alexander, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property. The youth was arrested following an investigation into car break-ins in the Village of Alexander during the night hours of Aug. 6-7. A younger defendant was also arrested, and considered the prime suspect. That case was handed over to family court.

Wesley Herrick Marean, 20, of Bronson Avenue, Avon, is charged with petit larceny. Marean is accused of shoplifting from Kmart.

Tiffany Monea Gaulden, 19, of Taft Avenue, Rochester, is charged with criminal trespass. Gaulden was allegedly found in a controlled access building at College Village. Gaulden was reportedly barred from the property. On Nov. 4, Gaulden was also arrested for alleged trespass and issued an appearance ticket. For the alleged trespass on Friday, Gaulden was jailed on $500 bail.

Gina Lee Schmidt, 21, of Elm Street, Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny. Schmidt is accused of using a fraudulent check at Walmart.

Peter S. Brigzna, 21, of Townline Road, Bergen, is charged with felony DWI and stopping on a highway. Brigzna was arrested following a report of a car stopped in the middle of the road on Bank Street Road, Batavia, at 6:52 p.m., Friday. Brigzna was allegedly found passed out in the car with the car running and the lights on. He was jailed on $1,500 bail.

Travis J. Schultz, 22, of 3620 Maltby Road, Oakfield, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Schultz is accused of recklessly damaging the entry door of Sport of Kings restaurant during a fight with another person.

Clinton A. Anderson, 25, of 8 Walden Creek Drive, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Anderson was allegedly involved in a domestic incident with a woman he was ordered to stay away from. He was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Brandon T.C. Johnson, 20, of Culver Road, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and uninspected motor vehicle. Johnson was stopped at 5:14 p.m., Nov. 3, on Main Road, Corfu, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

A 16-year-old from Oakfield is charged with harassment, 2nd, and aggravated harassment, 2nd. The youth is accused of sending threatening text messages to another student and then issuing a threat in-person to the other student.

Richard Dean McKague, 20, of Colorado Avenue, is charged with petit larceny. McKague is accused of attempting to leave Kmart with merchandise he did not purchase.

Janet L. Grossman, 43, of Clipnock Road, Stafford, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The marijuana was allegedly found during a probation search of her home.

Last week the attorney for Justin Amend, who previously admitted to a sex act in Farrall Park, said the former Oakfield resident was too embarrassed by his notoriety to even walk into Tops Market.

Yesterday, he was apparently too embarrassed to even show up in city court.

Today, Amend is a wanted man. (Source: Buffalo News)

Amend reportedly failed to appear in court Wednesday and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Last week, Judge Robert Balbick informed Amend that because the 29-year-old former Oakfield resident moved to Florida, the option of a no-jail sentence had been eliminated.

As part of a plea bargain, Amend pled guilty to public lewdness, a Class B misdemeanor, in exchange for a promise of no jail time.

But Florida is unlikely to accept supervision of a probation case, attorneys said, for a misdemeanor violation.

Balbick gave Amend's attorney, Tom Williams, a week to explore weekend jail options and make his own inquiries with Florida about probation.

Two men who reportedly ran from Walmart yesterday afternoon allegedly carrying hundreds of dollars of stolen merchandise were quickly tracked down by law enforcement.

The first suspect was taken into custody in the Kmart parking lot by Batavia Police Officer Chris Camp, who spotted the second suspect running across Lewiston Road and in between the Town of Batavia Fire Hall and Baker's Frontier Kitchens.

Deputies Chad Minuto and Timothy Wescott jumped a fence behind Baker's and pursued the suspect down Colonial Boulevard.

A citizen was able to help locate the suspect after seeing him run into the back yard of a residence on Colonial.

Wescott suffered some minor cuts going over the fence, was checked at UMMC later, and is fine, according to Chief Deputy Gordon Dibble.

Taken into custody were Phillip William Czaja, 27, of Drake Street, Oakfield, and Jarell JT Jones, 22, of Lewis Place, Batavia. Both were charged with petit larceny.

Jones was also wanted on an arrest warrant out of Genesee County Family Court. Following an arraignment in front of Judge Adams, he was committed to Genesee County Jail for six months.

Jones allegedly stole $179.88 in merchandise from Walmart. Czaja was allegedly found in possession of $256.76 in stolen merchandise.

Czaja was jailed on $200 bail.

(initial report)

We don't usually think of bed-sheet-robed and pointy-hatted white men burning crosses as a New York kind of thing.

That only happened in the deep, racist South, right?

Several years ago a client delivered a set of pictures to Oakfield attorney Ray Cianfrini that were clearly shot decades before in his hometown, showing men dressed exactly like Ku Klux Klan members.

While Cianfrini knew his parents had faced prejudice because of their Italian heritage -- his mother was denied a job in an insurance agency and his father was barred from the volunteer fire department -- nobody had ever told him that the Klan was once quite popular in Genesee County.

"I was shocked," Cianfrini said. "I had never seen that depicted in a picture before. I never knew that the Klan was here."

The set of pictures -- which were taken to document the funeral of a top Klan official in Oakfield in 1922, including a cross burning -- started Cianfrini on a effort to completely research the history of the Klan locally.

But not because he wanted to show anybody up, embarrass the families of former Klan members, revenge the prejudice shown against his parents or otherwise seek some sort of retribution.

He just thought it was an interesting bit of Genesee County history that should be preserved.

"I don't hold any grudges," said Cianfrini, a former mayor of the Village of Oakfield and currently a county legislator.

From about the turn of the century until the Great Depression, large portions of the American population were gripped by anti-immigrant prejudice (see The Gangs of New York).

In the 1920s, the Klan -- originally founded in 1865 -- was resurgent and recruiting millions of members in all parts of the nation. Genesee County was no exception.

At its height of popularity, there were an estimated 3,500 to 4,500 Klan members in Batavia, Oakfield, Pembroke, Bergen, Byron, Le Roy and Alabama.

Cianfrini said the members were community leaders -- the bankers, shop owners, politicians and farmers. So long as you were native born, descended from Northern European stock and Protestant, you could join the Klan.

The primary thrust of the Northern Klan's hatred was not African-Americans, although its members certainly did hate them. It was the most recent immigrants -- primarily Italians, Poles and Jews -- who concerned them the most.

Cianfrini charted how Genesee County's populations changed in the early part of the 20th Century, when the percentage of foreign-born residents went from primarily Irish, English and German to the Irish and Polish.

The change in population corresponds to the rise of the Klan.

By 1915, for example, 55 percent of all foreign-born residents were Italian.

They were drawn here by factory work, and even though they had been farmers in their native countries, agriculture opportunities were closed to them here, so they took unskilled labor jobs.

Two events helped both kill the Klan locally and allow Italians and Poles to join the mainstream of the community, Cianfrini said.

The first occurred in 1924. 

The Klan announced a march down Main Street in Batavia, and a judge issued an order against the march. A regional daily newspaper had obtained a list of all of the Klan members in Western New York and threatened to publish the list if the march took place.

More than 20,000 Klansman showed up in Batavia on Labor Day, 1924.

The newspaper published the list.

"It drove the Klan underground," Cianfrini said.

Nobody wanted to be associated publicly with the Klan.

The second significant event was World War II.

"They always say there are not atheists in foxholes," Cianfrini said. "I say, there is no prejudice in foxholes."

When veterans returned from the war, they were much more willing to accept each other as neighbors. It wasn't long after the war that Oakfield had its first Italian board member and its first Italian firefighter.

"We can talk about how prevalent it was, but I'm impressed by how in this era, we've gone from a time when a father was subject to prejudice, (to when) his son became mayor of the village where he couldn't become a firefighter."

All of the rumors you heard on Facebook are true -- a man in Oakfield bought a $1 million scratch-off ticket at Wilson's Farms.

Randy Bennett, 64, plans a trip to Alaska and some new landscaping in his back yard, but he will also take care of the people he said helped him in tough times.

He's also going to keep working at Mizkan's in Lyndonville. He said he loves his job and the people he works with.

"I'm used to working 10 hours a day, six days a week," he said. "I plan to continue working, but my retirement date just moved up a few years."

Bennett seems to be the lucky one with scratchers. Previously he's won $5,000 and $25,000.

There's no secret to his success, he said.

"When I'm feeling lucky and I stop and buy some tickets with the money in pocket," Bennett said. "If I win, I play with that."

He said playing scratches is just something fun to do.

The scratcher he played this time was a $20 ticket for the "$500,000,000 Extravaganza" game.

His pay out will be $33,015, after taxes, per year for the next 20 years.

Andrei P. Sliker, 19, of 15 Thorpe St., Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and criminal contempt. Sliker alleged grabbed and pushed a woman who had a court order of protection against Sliker. Sliker was jailed without bail.

Matthew R. Hinze, 19, of Batavia, is charged with driving while impaired by drugs, loud/inadequate muffler, a license plate violation and unlawful possession of marijuana. Hinze was stopped at 11:09 p.m., Friday, on Route 63 in the Town of Batavia, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Jennifer Pearl Hepp, 28, of Walker Avenue, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or higher, aggravated unlicensed operation and driving left of the pavement markings. Hepp was stopped at 2:42 a.m. on Route 238 in Alexander by Deputy Jason Saile.

A 17-year-old from Walker Road, Pavilion, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Walker was charged after a drug-sniffing K-9 reportedly alerted on his vehicle.

A 17-year-old from Big Tree Road, Pavilion, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Walker was charged after a drug-sniffing K-9 reportedly alerted on his vehicle.

Michele Marie Davis, 27, of Wyoming Road, Pavilion, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and speeding. Davis was stopped at 1:48 a.m., Sunday, on Perry Road in Pavilion by Sgt. Brian Frieday.

Charles William Wilder, 27, of Crane Raod, Oakfield, is charged with felony DWI, aggravated DWI with a BAC of .18 or greater and improper left turn. Wilder was stopped at 2:29 a.m., Sunday, on South Main Street, Oakfield, by Deputy Jason Saile.

Angela A. Snyder, 32, of 432 E. Main St., Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Snyder is accused of shoplifting from the Dollar General.

Cain Catino, 39, who tried to steal oxycodone from the Oakfield Family Pharmacy last month pled guilty this morning to attempted robbery, 3rd, in Genesee County Court.

The Seven Spring Roads resident had a knife in his pocket at the time of the attempted robbery, District Attorney Lawrence Friedman revealed this morning.

Friedman said Catino's case was scheduled to go before the grand jury next week and Catino was facing a possible charge of robbery, 1st, and criminal possession of a weapon.

Witnesses would testify, according to Friedman, that Catino was attempting to retrieve the knife when the pharmacy owner and his son were wrestling Catino to the floor.

Under terms of the agreement, Catino receives second felony offender status and will serve from one-and-half years to three years in prison.

Without the plea agreement, the attempted robbery charge could carry a maximum sentence of two to four years.

Catino's prior felony convictions are a grand larceny charge in 2008 and attempted robbery in 2009.

Sentencing was scheduled for Nov. 22.

Catino's mother is accused of trying to smuggle drugs to him in Genesee County Jail earlier this month. Charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance and promoting prison contraband are still pending.

A teenage girl suffered minor injuries in a one-car accident on Maltby Road last night.

Natalie N. Buczek, 14, a passenger in a car driven by a 19-year-old Oakfield resident, was taken to UMMC for treatment of minor facial cuts and bleeding.

The driver, Raymond J. Litteer Jr., of 28 S. Main St., Oakfield, received a citation for allegedly speeding.

Neither Litteer nor another passenger, Justin D. Smith, 15, were injured in the crash.

According to investigator Deputy Chad Minuto, Litteer was driving too fast, heading east, on Maltby Road at 8:28 p.m. The driver reported hitting a dip and then losing control of a 2000 Chevy sedan owned by Danielle Buczek, of 26 S. Main St., Oakfield. 

The car hit an embankment and then a utility pole, which was damaged.

A car has struck a utility pole at 3260 Maltby Road in Oakfield. Wires are at the side of the road. The car is still stuck in the pole.

Oakfield Fire Department responded. Fire police are going to block off Maltby Road at North Pearl Street and Fox Road.

UPDATE (8:39 p.m.): The pole is cracked and leaning and National Grid has been informed. Law enforcement is called to the scene.

A group of residents on Fox Road, Oakfield, got their wish tonight when the Genesee County Planning Board voted against a proposed RV campground in their neighborhood.

It's the second time this year about a dozen residents of the quite Oakfield neighborhood had asked the countywide planning body to reject proposed 30-acre campground on land owned by Mike Dilcher, and it's the second time the board voted unanimously against the plan.

Dilcher's attorney Brian Lewandowski tried to convince the board to vote for recommendation, saying that none of the issues being discussed by residents -- such as zoning use and environmental impact -- were appropriate for the county board to decide. Lewandowski maintains that the Town of Oakfield planning board retains appropriate authority on those issues.

The board rejected the proposal for the 267-site campground unanimously (with Michael Cianfrini abstaining) and without discussion.

It's the same results dealt to Dilcher last January.

The rejection returns the proposal to the Town of Oakfield Planning Board, which can veto the county's recommendation with a majority-plus-one vote.

About six residents spoke Thursday night, raising issues about traffic congestion, safety, noise, odor, water and property values.

"I'm sorry to tell you, John, if this project goes through you won't be able to sell your house," said resident Bob Chamberlin. "Nobody on Fox Road will be able to sell their house."

Chamberlin was referring to John Walther, a school teacher -- as is his wife -- who bought a large parcel south of the proposed campground just more than a year ago. 

His property has a pond which won't be fenced off from the campground and is adjacent to a proposed recreation area. Walther said he's worried that children will be able to easily wander over to his pond.

"A berm or hill isn't going to keep children away," Walther said. "What's that going to do to my liability, to my insurance?"

But his biggest concern, he said, is all the strangers the campground will bring into the neighborhood. He said he bought his property specifically because he thought it would be a good place to raise the children he and his wife are planning. If the campground is built, he said, he would have to sell his property and move.

Among the many concerns raised by Diane Oaksford was the density of the proposed campground, which will have 15 sites per acre, she said. She compared that to other campgrounds in Genesee County, listing off the number of sites and acreage for each.

"The point is," she said, "the applicant has proposed the most amount of camp sites on the fewest acres in the most populated residential neighborhood in the county."

Lewandowski didn't take issue with any of the complaints raised by residents, but said none of the issues could correctly be addressed by the county board. He asked the board to refer the matter back to the Oakfield board to handle.

Photos: Top, Diane Oaksford; inset, Brian Lewandowski

There was an accident on Albion Road, Oakfield, at about 3 p.m. today. One person was taken by Mercy EMS to UMMC. 

We missed the initial scanner call and no police report has been issued yet, so no further information is available at this time.

Reader submitted photo.