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Oakfield FD treasurer admits to petit larceny

By Howard B. Owens

Via The Batavian's news partner WBTA:

The former treasurer of the Oakfield Fire Department has pled guilty to a charge of petit larceny, in connection with the disappearance of thousands of dollars of department funds. Samantha Hilchey, 31, entered her plea in Oakfield Town Court.

She has already paid $6,000 in restitution.

The remaining amount will be determined when the state audit of the fire department’s books is completed.

District Attorney Lawrence Freidman says whatever that amount is, Hilchey will be required to pay.
She faces up to a year in jail when she is sentenced on Jan. 5th.

Hilchey was arrested by State Police in June on a charge of grand larceny in the third degree, a Class D felony.

The deal allowed her to plea to petit larceny, a misdemeanor.

Fire reported inside classroom at O-A School

By Billie Owens

An unknown type fire is reported in a classroom at Oakfield-Alabama School, 7100 Lewiston Road. Command on scene tells firefighters to respond non-emergency.

Law and Order: Police break up alleged Halloween underage drinking party on Jackson Street

By Howard B. Owens

Jerry J. Jordan Jr., 19, of Batavia Stafford Townline Road, Batavia, is charged with obstruction of governmental administration, harassment, 2nd, and unlawful possession of alcohol under age 21. Patrols responded to 156 Jackson St., Batavia, at 1 a.m., Saturday, on a complaint of an underage drinking party in progress. When police arrived, occupants of the house locked the door. Officers determined that the occupants were gathering behind the front door with a plan to rush the officers. Jordan was allegedly the first person through the door when it opened. He was carrying a large speaker that he allegedly used to pushed into the first officer he encountered. Several other individuals were arrested. Deputies and troopers assisted at the scene. Supplemental Information Not in the Press Release: The property is owned by James Pontillo. The property has been condemned. Pontillo said as many as 80 people were gathered in the living room at one time, causing a floor joist to break.

Also arrested:

  • Philbert Prince Williams, 20, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with providing alcohol to a minor, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful possession of marijuana.  
  • Demetri C. Stewart, 21, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with giving/selling alcohol to a person under age 21 and acting in a manner injurious to a child.
  • Didier A. Antoine, 20, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with giving/selling alcohol to a person under age 21 and acting in a manner injurious to a child.
  • Terrence Brown, 20, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with giving/selling alcohol to a person under age 21, acting in a manner injurious to a child, and unlawful possession of alcohol under age 21.
  • Jason A. Perry-Murray, 20, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with providing alcohol to a minor and endangering the welfare of a child.
  • Tavid C. McIntosh, 19, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with giving/selling alcohol to a person under age 21, acting in a manner injurious to a child, and unlawful possession of alcohol under age 21.
  • Naquil T. Jones, 22, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with giving/selling alcohol to a person under age 21 and acting in a manner injurious to a child.

Maleak H. Green, 21, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with rape, 3rd, and endangering the welfare of a child. Green was arrested following an investigation into an alleged incident at 2:15 p.m., Aug. 7. No further details released. Green is being held in the Genesee County Jail on an unrelated charge.

Kimberly M. Douglas, 32, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Douglas is accused of violating an order of protection at 2:52 p.m., Friday, on Ross Street.

Jeffrey E. Williams, 30, of Westhigh Terrace, Rochester, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on an aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, charge. Williams was jailed, no bail specified.

Marlon M. Chess Jr., 33, of Bergen Street, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd. Chess was arrested following an investigation by Batavia PD at 1:08 p.m., Thursday, into a suspicious vehicle parked near the Verizon Store on Lewiston Road, Batavia.

Mark T. Zdrojewski, 61, of Meyer Road, Pendleton, is charged with three counts of issuing a bad check. Zdrojewski was arrested on a warrant for allegedly issuing bad checks in August in Batavia.

Terrance H. Riley, 26, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and resisting arrest. Riley was arrested after allegedly trying to fight another person while officers were present. He then allegedly resisted arrest. The incident was reported at 2:20 p.m., Wednesday, on South Main Street, Batavia.

Jeremy Allen Weatherbee, 45, of Roosevelt Avenue, Batavia, is charged with felony DWI (alcohol or drugs), aggravated unlicensed operation, 1st, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, driving on sidewalk, refusing to take breath test and failure to stop at stop sign. Weatherbee is accused of failing to stop for a stop sign at Pearl Street and Roosevelt Avenue at 1:14 a.m., Saturday. His car reportedly struck the south curb of Pearl Street, resulting in heavy damage to the front tires and rims of his vehicle. He then allegedly drove the vehicle with the damaged rims back to his residence on Roosevelt Avenue. Weatherbee was ordered held without bail.

Dustin J. Wilmet, 25, of Franklin Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or higher, driving with an open container and aggravated unlicensed operation. Wilmet was arrested following an investigation at 2:12 a.m., Friday, by Sgt. Eric Bolles into a reported fight at a location on West Main Street, Batavia.

Nicholas Joseph Breau, 22, of Glenwood Drive, Clarence, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation. Breau was stopped at 10:31 p.m., Friday, on Galloway Road, Batavia, by Deputy Joseph Corona for alleged traffic violations. Breau was also arrested on a warrant out of Amherst.

Chantalle Josephine Bessil, 19, of High Manor Drive, Henrietta, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 4th, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Deputies responded to a report of a burglary in progress at a location on Main Road, Corfu, at 12:59 p.m., Thursday, and during the investigation found that Bessil, a passenger in a vehicle at the scene, was in possession of a small amount of marijuana in a grinder and a baggie. She also allegedly had a stun gun in her purse.

Thomas E. Hensel, 31, and Tonya D. Smith, 29, both of Overlook Drive, Batavia, are charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and possession of a hypodermic instrument. Officer Micheal Lute, Corfu PD, responded to a complaint of a disturbance at 2 p.m., Wednesday, and upon arrival found a vehicle with a suspended registration. Upon further investigation, he found Hensel and Smith allegedly in possession of heroin and a needle. Hensel also charged with criminal trespass, 3rd, for allegedly breaking into a building in Corfu at 11 a.m., Oct. 5.

Barbara E. Ferrando, 43, of West Main Road, Corfu, is charged with criminal possession of marijuana. Ferrando was stopped for driving with an alleged suspended license at 9 p.m., Oct. 23, by Officer Michael Lute, Corfu PD. During an inventory of the vehicle's contents, a large bag of marijuana was allegedly found in the trunk.

William Gordon Schultz Sr., 40, of Evans Street, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to pay a fine. Schultz was arrested at his place of employment and arraigned in front of Judge Eric Adams. Schultz was released on his promise to pay the majority of the fine today and the balance on Nov. 12.

Lauren K. Pellegrino, 32, of Batavia, is charged with grand larceny, 4th. Pellegrino was arrested by State Police for allegedly stealing a credit card. The blotter entry is labeled "purse snatching." She was jailed on a bail amount that is not listed. The alleged incident is reported at 1:36 a.m., Sunday, in Oakfield. No further details released.

Mini Titans win championship

By Howard B. Owens

The Oakfield/Elba Titans in the Mini Division won their league's championship today, beating Albion 27-19.

Photo and info provided by Kevin Zito.

Law and Order: Allegations of domestic violence, pot possession, skipping out on hotel stay

By Billie Owens

Carolina M. Frias, 34, of Law Street, Batavia, is charged with theft of services, petit larceny and criminal mischief. She was arrested Oct. 23 at about 6:20 p.m. in front of 140 W. Main St. for alleged petit larceny, criminal mischief, 3rd, and theft of services stemming from an incident on Oak Street on Oct. 22. Frias is suspected of damaging and removing various items from a hotel without permission along with not paying for her stay. She was jailed in lieu of $2,500 cash or bail. The incident was investigated by officer Nedim Catovic, assisted by officer Eric Foels.

Abner C. Black, 60, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with third-degree assault and criminal mischief, 4th. Black was arrested in front of City Centre on Oct. 25 following an incident on Oct. 24 in which he was allegedly involved in a domestic dispute on Chandler Avenue. He allegedly shoved a female against a refrigerator and took her cell phone when she tried to call 9-1-1. He was jailed in lieu of $3,000 cash or bail. The incident was investigated by officer Nedim Catovic.

Donna Ann Corcoran, 41, of St. Mary's Street, Pavilion, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, unlawful possession of marijuana, and second-degree promoting prison contraband. She was arrested in the Town of Pavilion on Oct. 24 and brought to jail for an incident related to a DWI investigation. While inside the Genesee County Jail, it is alleged that Corcoran possessed a controlled substance and marijuana, which led to the aforementioned charges. She was issued an appearance ticket and is to answer the charges in city court on Nov. 19. Corcoran was also charged with driving while ability impaired by alcohol, failure to keep right and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle in the Town of Pavilion. She received traffic tickets for those alleged offenses and is to appear Nov. 18 in Pavilion Town Court. The incident was investigated by deputy Joseph Graff.

William J. Mellema, 50, of Almay Road, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, aggravated unlicensed operation, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and driving over state 55 mph limit. On Oct. 11 on Route 98 in Elba, Mellema was arrested on the charges following a traffic stop in which he allegedly admitted to having a bag of pot and a glass smoking pipe. He was arraigned in Elba Town Court and jailed on $800 cash bail or $2,000 bond. He is scheduled to reappear in Elba Town Court on Nov. 18. The incident was investigated by deputy Joseph Loftus, assisted by deputy Joseph Graff.

Harold Chinn, 49, of North Main Street, Oakfield, is charged with petit larceny for an incident that happened on Sept. 23 on Veterans Memorial Drive. Chinn allegedly stole a cell phone that another patron of Walmart had left behind at the check-out counter. He was arrested Oct. 19 and issued an appearance ticket for Batavia Town Court on Nov. 3. The incident was investigated by deputy Joseph Loftus.

Monique Annette Mcmillian, 30, of Elmdorf Street, Rochester, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, 3rd, and operating a vehicle with a suspended registration on Oct. 9 in Stafford. Following her release from Monroe County Jail, Mcmillian was turned over to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office and subsequently arrested and jailed on $175 bail or $250 bond. She is to reappear in Stafford Town Court on Nov. 13. The incident was investigated by deputy Joseph Graff.

Law and Order: Allegedly - friends smoked pot while a kid's in the car, man spits in victim's face during domestic argument

By Billie Owens

Joshua M. Gaudioso, 25, of 114 Lake St., Le Roy, was arrested by the Le Roy PD on Monday and charged with one count of Petit Larceny, a Class A misdemeanor. It is alleged that on or about Sept. 24, Gaudioso stole a laptop computer valued at under $1,000 from an acquaintance. Gaudioso was issued an appearance ticket and is scheduled to answer the charge in Le Roy Court on Oct. 27.

Jeremy M. Fridman, 27, of Pearl Street, Batavia, is charged with leaving the scene of a property damage accident and aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd. He was arrested Oct. 18 on West Main Street, Batavia, after an investigation determined that he allegedly operated a motor vehicle that was involved in an accident at 390 W. Main St. in the city two days prior, Oct. 16. He was jailed in lieu of $2,500 cash bail or $5,000 bound. The incident was investigated by officer Nedim Catovic.

Michele Louise Bialy, 47, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with driving while intoxicated and aggravated DWI, per se, with a BAC of .18 or more. She was arrested at 4:21 p.m. on Oct. 11 following an investigation into reports of a vehicle driving erratically in the City of Batavia. She was released after being cited with traffic tickets and is to appear in city court on Oct. 29. The incident was investigated by officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk.

Marcos A. Torres, 32, of Sunrise Parkway, Oakfield, is charged with second-degree harassment. He was arrested Oct. 16 following an investigation into a domestic incident that occurred on Oct. 13 in which an argument allegedly took place and Torres allegedly spit in the victim's face. He was released on an appearance ticket and is to return to city court this afternoon. The incident was investigated by officer Eric Foels.

Falicia N. Tuczai, 23, of Horseshoe Lake Road, Stafford, is charged with driving while intoxicated, first offense, and operating a motor vehicle with a BAC of .08 or more. She was arrested Oct. 13 following a complaint for a suspicious condition on Washington Avenue in the city. Tuczai was issued two traffic tickets. She is to appear in city court on Oct. 29. The incident was investigated by Devon Pahuta.

Jennifer L. Stack, 28, is charged with disorderly conduct for obstructing pedestrian traffic. On Oct. 17, Stack and her boyfriend, Ryan Warner, both of 48 S. Main St. (lower), Batavia, were allegedly creating a disturbance by interfering with the flow of pedestrian traffic of customers in the Court Street Plaza. They were issued appearance tickets and are to return to city court on Wednesday to answer the charge. The incident was investigated by officer Frank Klimjack, assisted by officer Jason Davis.

Morgan B. Powell, 31, of Harvester Avenue, Batavia, had an active arrest warrant for failing to appear for a suspended/revoked registration ticket issued Sept. 7. She was released on her own recognizance and is to appear in city court on Wednesday. The incident was investigated by officer James DeFreze assisted by officer Nedim Catovic.

Danielle M. Weaver, 23, of Chestnut Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and endangering the welfare of a child less than 17. The charges stem from an incident that allegedly occurred on Ellicott Street on Oct. 15. Weaver allegedly possessed marijuana and allegedly admitted smoking the drug inside a vehicle while a 5-year-old child was inside. The incident was investigated by officer Chad Richards, assisted by officer James DeFreze.

Melissa C. Cicatello, 23, of Evans Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and endangering the welfare of a child. The charges stem from an incident that allegedly occurred on Ellicott Street on Oct. 15. Cicatello was locked out of her vehicle and officer James DeFreze responded to assist her. While opening the vehicle, the officer allegedly observed marijuana in her vehicle. It was subsequently determined that Cicatello allegedly smoked marijuana with a friend while in close proximity to her 5-year-old daughter. She was issued an appearance ticket. The incident was investigated by officer James DeFreze, assisted by officer Chad Richards.

Landrea D. Wroten, 42, of Lewis Place, Batavia, had two active bench warrants for failing to appear on petit larceny charges that were issued April 26. She was located by officer James DeFreze while he was handling an unrelated complaint. Wroten was released on her own recognizance.

A 17-year-old from Batavia was arrested for second-degree harassment with physical contact, and endangering the welfare of a child following an investigation of a physical altercation that took place on Oct. 10 on Bank Street. It is alleged that the youth fought with a juvenile at that location. The defendant was released on an appearance ticket and is to appear in city court on Nov. 18. The incident was investigated by officer Nedim Catovic.

A 16-year-old, of Ridge Road, Medina, is charged with second-degree harassment and endangering the welfare of a child following a short foot pursuit in the Thorpe / Watson Street area on Oct. 13. The defendant to accused of punching a juvenile in the back of the head while on Thorpe Street in the city. The youth is to be arraigned this afternoon. The incident was investigated by officer Jason Ivison, assisted by officer, Chad Richards.

A 16-year-old, of Maple Street, Batavia, is charged with disorderly conduct. The defendant was arrested Oct. 16 at about 7:50 p.m. while on State Street for allegedly repeatedly using obscene language in the direct presence of numerous bystanders and police. The youth was released on an appearance ticket and is to appear in city court on Nov. 4. The incident was investigated by officer Nedim Catovic, assisted by officer Chad Richards.

A homeless 17-year-old from Mt. Morris had two active bench warrants out of the City of Batavia. One for failing to appear on a charge of endangering the welfare of a child on Wood Street, and the other for disorderly conduct on Wood Street on May 17. The defendant was taken into custody Oct. 17 by Mt. Morris PD then custody was transferred to Batavia PD. The youth was jailed in lieu of $1,000 bail and is set to appear in city court on Thursday. The incident was investigated by officer James DeFreze, assisted by officer Felicia DeGroot.

Law and Order: Darien resident accused of not turning in lost wallet at Walmart

By Howard B. Owens

Stephen Douglas Urban, 37, of Walkers Road, Darien, is charged with grand larceny, 4th. Walker is accused of picking up a wallet that contained two debit cards from the floor of Walmart that was dropped by another shopper. Rather than turn the wallet in to customer service, Urban allegedly searched through the wallet and discarded it, rendering it unrecoverable by the wallet's owner.

Luis Ortiz, 42, of Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Ortiz was stopped for allegedly speeding on Southwestern Boulevard, West Seneca, by State Police as part of a DWI detail in conjunction with the Buffalo Bills game on Sunday.

Coretta Pitts

Coretta M. Pitts, 46, of Batavia, is charged with acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17 years old; endangering the welfare of a child; and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Pitts was arrested by State Police as a result of an investigation into an alleged domestic incident involving a 13-year-old child. In the course of the investigation, troopers allegedly found two glass pipes containing cocaine residue. Pitts was jailed on $1,000 bail or $2,000 bond.

Harold Chinn, 49, of North Main Street, Oakfield, is charged with petit larceny. Chinn is accused of taking the mobile phone of another customer at Walmart after the customer left the phone behind on a counter top at checkout. 

Jennifer Lynn Sprague-Clark, 31, of Vine Street, Batavia, is charged with assault, 2nd, criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd, and menacing, 2nd. Sprague-Clark was arrested by Niagara Falls PD on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on the listed charges. Sprague-Clark was jailed pending arraignment.

Joseph Michael Marranco, 43, of Walnut Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Marranco is accused of shoplifting $209.96 worth of merchandise from Kmart.

Michele Antonia Martinez, 45, of Applegate Drive, Medina, is charged with petit larceny. Martinez is accused of shoplifting at Kmart.

Andrea Marie Gray, 36, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal contempt and resisting arrest. Gray allegedly used profanity and became combative while being escorted from Batavia City Court. While being arrested, she was allegedly combative and had to be restrained.

Two men arrested by task force on drug charges

By Billie Owens

   

Elijah Coombs, left, and Mark McNutt

Press release:

Two arrests were made Oct. 15 by the Genesee County Local Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is comprised of members from the Sheriff's Office, Batavia Police NET, and Le Roy Village PD.

Elijah R. L. Coombs, 20, of Orchard Street, Oakfield, is charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, a Class B felony, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, also a Class B felony.

Mark A. McNutt, 20, of Spencer Court, Batavia, is charged with: criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, a Class A misdemeanor; criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument, also a Class A misdemeanor; and unlawful possession of marijuana.

The Drug Task Force, along with uniformed Sheriff's deputies, intercepted a heroin sale that was in progress Wednesday in the parking lot of a business on Lewiston Road, Batavia. Deputies conducted a traffic stop on the vehicles involved and located additional drugs inside and on the occupants.

Coombs allegedly sold heroin. He was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and jailed on $10,000 bail.

McNutt allegedly possessed marijuana, a hypodermic instrument, and tramadol, a controlled substance. A quantity of U.S. currency was also seized. He issued an appearance ticket to be in Town of Oakfield Court on Oct. 27, then released to the Eric County Sheriff's Department for an outstanding warrant.

THE HARLEM WIZARDS ARE COMING TO ELBA CENTRAL SCHOOL

By Tracy Byrnes

The Harlem Wizards are coming to Elba Central School Tuesday, October 14th, at 6:30pm to play in a Stan Sherwood Memorial Game sponsored by Post Dairy Farms, Eugene Bezon Farms and Mugs and More. The Wizards will take on the Sherwood Shooters, a home team featuring Genesee Region teachers, coaches, principals, pastors, family and friends! The evening promises to be a fun filled event that is great for kids and adults and it will guarantee to put a smile on your face! This event is hosted by Batavia Assembly of God Church.

Event Date and Time
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Local dairy farm fined as result of contamination to six water wells

By Howard B. Owens

Lamb Farms agreed to pay a $15,000 fine to the Department of Environmental Conservation for liquid manure that seeped into six residential water wells in the Lewiston/Oakfield Batavia Townline roads area of Oakfield in March, according to documents released by the DEC.

The 4,000-cow dairy farm was also given a suspended fine of $44,000 that it can avoid by complying with DEC instructions in what's known as a "consent order."

Word of the contaminated wells spread after the county mistakenly sent -- and quickly retracted -- a boil water alert to all county residents around March 18. The alert was only meant for a small population area around Lewiston Road and Oakfield Batavia Townline Road.

In all, six wells eventually tested positive for E. coli.

The DEC investigated and determined, according to the documents, that Lamb Farms was responsible for manure runoff from Field 367 on March 7 into a tributary of Upper Oak Orchard Creek, and that the manure spread on Field 386 on March 6 and 7 likely contributed to the wells' contamination.

As part of the consent order, Lamb Farms agreed to a number of technical stipulations: developing a new nutrient management plan; creating a plan for dealing with the different soil types of its field; how it handles winter and spring manure spreading; properly designating springs that might be affected by runoff; and providing more details in records for manure spreading.

Attempts to reach Lamb Farms co-owner Jim Veazy, who handled the matter with the DEC, according to the documents, were unsuccessful. It's harvest time and he's been busy in the fields.

Photos: 7th Annual St. Padre Pio Parish Oktoberfest

By Howard B. Owens

A big crowd turned out in Oakfield on Saturday evening for the 7th Annual St. Padre Pio Parish Oktoberfest. There was pulled pork, a basket auction, sweet treats, live music, and, of course, a beer tent.

St. Padre Pio Parish 7th Annual Oktoberfest

By Nadyne Karas
ST PADRE PIO PARISH 7th ANNUAL OKTOBERFEST

Saturday, October 4, 2014

5PM- 9PM

Oakfield Fire Hall, 20 Albert Ave. Oakfield, NY

Money Raffle Tickets $20 for a book or $5 each.

$5000 To Give Away

1:00pm -7:00pm Basket Raffle

Drawings Begin at 7 PM

5:00pm - 9:00pm Food and Entertainment

Piggy Platter $6

(Pork Sandwich, Salt Potatoes, Coleslaw, Dessert, Beverage)

Hot Dogs/Sausage

Beer Tent $3:00 Domestic Beer/$3:50 German Beer

Live Music

Event Date and Time
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Police looking for suspects who used credit card number stolen from Oakfield resident

By Howard B. Owens

Press release:

On 09/19/14 at 10:15 p.m. two (2) unknown subjects used an ESL Federal Credit Union cloned debit card three (3) times for large amounts at the Tops Market Pkwy on McKinley in the Town of Hamburg, Erie County. The victim lives in Oakfield, Genesee County, and was in possession of his debit card during these unauthorized transactions.

Fraud Prevention and Investigations Unit at ESL Federal Credit Union believe this is a “counterfeit card” scam which originated from a recent security breach from a large national retail store. East Aurora PD has a similar case with the same subjects.

Anyone with any knowledge of the unknown subjects or that may have information to exchange is asked to please contact: Inv. Ron Wilson, NYSP Batavia, ronald.wilson@troopers.ny.gov / 716-361-1585 or Det. Pat Welch East Aurora PD 716-353-0622.

Rollover accident reported on Fisher Road, Oakfield

By Howard B. Owens

A one vehicle rollover accident is reported in the area of 6380 a Fisher Rosd, Oakfield. 

One person reported with a head injury. 

Oskfield Fire and Mercy EMS responding. 

OPDATE 3:15 a.m. Truck heavily damaged. Driver is not seriously injured. Mercy Flight was on ground stand by and is cancelled. 

Oakfield man facing felony drug charges

By Alecia Kaus

 

The Genesee County Local Drug Enforcement Task Force concluded an investigation into the sale and possession of heroin in and around the City of Batavia with the arrest of an Oakfield man this afternoon.

Tyler P. Schroeder, 22, of Lewiston Rd., Oakfield, has been charged with two counts of criminal sale of a controlled substance 3rd  and one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd, both class B felonies.

Schroeder was picked up by law enforcement this afternoon at the Batavia bus stop on Park road as he exited a bus. Schroeder allegedly sold quantities of heroin to an agent of the Genesee County local Drug Task Force.

He was arraigned in Genesee County Court and jailed without bail.

Schroeder will re-appear in County Court tomorrow at 1:30 p.m.

 

Oakfield cuts ribbon on new 500K gallon water tower

By Howard B. Owens

Officials in Oakfield today held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new water tower serving both the village and the town.

The $3.5 million project was eight years in the making. The community replaced a 99-year-old, 125,000 gallon tank.

Building the tank was partially financed through federal grants. A bond covers $2.6 million of the expense.

The new tank holds 500,000 gallon of water.

Through use of a block grant, will soon have a new water use measurement system in place. Rather than meter readers, each water user will have a radio-read system installed from a company called Sensus that will allow instant reading of water usage, including reports, if needed, on hour-by-hour usage.  Officials will have instant access to customer usage if a customer has questions about their account.

Pictured above: Jeremy Delyser, from Clark Patterson Lee, Joyce Grazioplene, retired clerk, Rick Pastecki, former mayor, Assemblyman Steve Hawley, and Legislator (and former mayor), Ray Cianfrini.  (Note: Several more people participated in the actual ribbon cutting, but my photos from the ribbon cutting are unusable. My old, cheap wide angle lens didn't focus properly).

Assemblyman Steve Hawley checks out the interior of the new water tower.

Mayor Jason Armbrewster sent along this video taken with a camera mounted on a drone of the new tower.

Photos: Chamber conducts annual ag tour

By Howard B. Owens

The Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual ag tour this morning, starting with a visit to BCA Ag Technologies in Oakfield (that visit was co-hosted by Z&M Ag and Turf).

During the first visit, tour participants learned about all the high-tech ways farmers more precisely and efficiently put seeds in the ground, using GPS and computer-programed seeding mechanisms.

After BCA, the group moved onto the Cargill facility in Batavia, which produces nutrients for dairy cattle throughout the Northeast, and finally they visited M&M Meats to learn about beef processing.

"For those of who are involved in it, it's pretty easy to lose track of and forget how big ag is and the fact that it is the number-one industry in the county, so it's great to get the folks who make decisions and impact what we do to understand what we do," said Keith Conway, chairman of the chamber's ag committee and store manager for Z&M in Oakfield.

Benjamin Flansburg, BCA.

Keith Conway

Oakfield-Alabama scores 33 against Pembroke for second win

By Howard B. Owens

To whatever degree the Pembroke Dragons might have had a chance against the Oakfield-Alabama Hornets on Friday night, too many scoring opportunities were snuffed out by turnovers.

Most of the Dragon's possessions ended with a fumble or interception.

"We're always emphasizing creating turnovers," said O-A Head Coach Brian Palone after the Hornet's 33-6 win on their home field. "We work on it a lot. So I was happy to see that we were able to execute."

The Hornets are now 2-1 and Pembroke falls to 0-3.

On offense, the Hornets were pretty much able to have their way.

QB Alan Chatt was 16 for 19 passing and 199 yards. He tossed touchdown completions of 55, 17 and two yards. He also rushed for 85 yards and a TD on eight carries.

Ryan Emery rushed for 33 yards and a TD on eight carries and Jon Harris gained 47 yards on five carries.

Receiver Reice Woodward had a big night with two touchdowns on four receptions for 85 yards.

Defensively, Pat Caprio had six tackles, Harris, five, Jake Valletta and Tyler Hamm, four each, Chatt had two interceptions, Casey Arnold, two sacks, Trent Stack, an interception and Emery had a sack.

Collin Scheiber was one for three on point after attempts. His make was the first of his kicking career.

"I'm very proud of way we finished the game," Palone said. "We talked all week about finishing, especially after last week. We weren't able to finish and we let it get away from us, but tonight they were really focused for four quarters of football. They really finished. I'm proud of the way they executed at the end."

Next up for O-A, Elba/Byron-Bergen, who takes a 2-0 record into today's match up with Notre Dame (0-2).

Pembroke will host Notre Dame next week.

Top photo: Alan Chatt picks a Mitch Lewter pass in the first quarter. The pass was intended for Dakota Swimline.

Pembroke receiver Zack VonKramer with a reception in the first quarter.

Pembroke's Cal Neurohr was hard to bring down on a run play in the 4th quarter.

Mitch Lewter sacked in the 4th quarter.

To purchase prints and ensure you'll have copies of these photos for years to come, click here.

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