Skip to main content

Oakfield

Oakfield man pronounced dead after car crashes into marsh in Town of Shelby

By Howard B. Owens

A 31-year-old Oakfield man died in a one-car motor vehicle accident in the Town of Shelby last night, according to the Orleans County Sheriff's Office.

Jeffrey E. Muntz apparently lost control of his sedan while on Podunk Road at about 9:45 p.m. and drove into a marsh becoming partially submerged.

A passerby spotted the car off the road and called 9-1-1. That person then pulled Muntz from the vehicle and attempted to perform life-saving mesasures prior to EMS personnel arriving on scene.

Muntz was transported to Medina Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10:38 p.m.

The investigation into the accident is continuing, but the Orleans County Sheriff's Office reports that Muntz's car was westbound on Podunk Road. It crossed the center line and ran off the south side of the roadway and continued about 165 feet before coming to rest in about three feet of marshy water, some 50 feet off the roadway.

The incident scene is less than 1/4 mile from the Genesee County line.

The Monroe County Medical Examiner's Office will perform an autopsy as part of the investigation into the accident.

The on-scene investigation was conducted by Deputy T.N. Tooley, assisted by Deputy T.C. Marano, Deputy J.J. Cole, Sergeant G.T. Gunkler, and Chief Deputy T.L. Drennan. Deputies were also assisted by the East Shelby Fire Department and Lyon’s Collision Service.

Oakfield Family Medical Care recognized for efforts to protect patients from the flu

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Oakfield Family Medical Care is being recognized by the Genesee County Health Department for achieving a 100-percent influenza (flu) vaccination rate among the facility’s employees during the 2013 – 2014 flu season and is a designated FluSafe facility through the local FluSafe Campaign.

The FluSafe Campaign originated from the Minnesota Department of Health where it began in 2007, and has successfully grown while focusing on increasing influenza immunization rates in hospitals and nursing homes.

Studies have shown that vaccinating employees reduces the rate of disease in health care facilities. Unvaccinated staff can pass highly contagious flu to patients, many of whom are at high risk for complications. High-risk populations include children younger than 5, adults older than 65, pregnant women, American Indians and Alaskan Natives, as well as those who have various medical conditions. Ultimately, low rates of influenza vaccination among staff can be very concerning for patients and the public.

In New York State, a new Flu Mask Requirement was adopted by the Public Health and Planning Council in July 2013. The requirement states that all personnel in healthcare and residential facilities/agencies must where a surgical mask if not immunized, during the formally declared flu season, at all times in areas where patients or residents may be present.

The locally scaled version of the FluSafe Campaign assists physicians’ offices to achieve the goal of 100-percent influenza vaccination coverage for employees, who do not have medical exemptions, because despite the great efforts of preventing flu by mandating surgical masks be worn by healthcare personnel, vaccination remains the #1 way of preventing the flu.

Under the FluSafe Campaign, offices can receive guidance and access to tools and promotional materials through the Genesee County Health Department to help them increase their rates. For a facility to be designated as FluSafe, 70 percent, 80 percent or 90 percent plus of personnel must immunize against the flu and document vaccinations through the New York State Immunization Information System (NYSIIS).

The Genesee County Health Department hopes participation in the campaign grows as FluSafe is a great way for physicians’ offices to emphasize patient safety, like Oakfield Family Medical Care has. If your facility is interested in participating in the FluSafe Campaign for the 2014-2015 flu season contact the Genesee County Health Department at (585) 344–2580, ext. 5000.

Car fire on westbound Thruway, injuries unknown, East Pembroke, Oakfield and Indian Falls fire responding, plus medics

By Billie Owens

A car fire is reported on the westbound Thruway at mile marker 394. East Pembroke Fire Department is responding along with mutual aid from Oakfield and Indian Falls. Mercy medics are also responding. It's unknown if there are injuries.

UPDATE 5:50 p.m.: East Pembroke command reports the vehicle is unoccupied. Oakfield is put back in service.

UPDATE 5:55 p.m.: Fire knocked down. Mercy medics are back in service.

Law and Order: Batavia teenager accused of rape in the first degree

By Howard B. Owens

Joseph A. Saraceni, 17, of Linwood Avenue, Batavia, is charged with first-degree rape, a Class B felony. Saraceni was arrested by Batavia PD following an investigation by Det. Charles Dudek and Det. Thad Mart in an alleged incident reported Nov. 11 on School Street, Batavia. No further details released.

Lance Mercado, 23, of Holland Avenue, Batavia, is charged with operating a motor vehicle impaired by drugs. Mercardo was arrested after Batavia PD received a reported of a possible intoxicated driver in the parking lot of McDonald's at 1:18 a.m., Tuesday. Mercardo was arrested by Officer Matthew Lutey.

Eric J. Davis, 36, of Corfu, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Davis was arrested by State Police for an alleged incident reported at 6:52 p.m. Tuesday on Drake Street, Oakfield. No further details released.

Timothy M. Gardiner, 38, and Maria A. Gardiner, 48, both of Scottsville, are charged with criminal possession of stolen property, 3rd. Timothy and Maria were arrested by State Police in connection with an alleged incident reported at 9:39 a.m. Feb. 16 in the Town of Bergen. No further details released.

Heidi H. Stumbo, 48, of Lima, is charged with petit larceny. Stumbo was arrested by the State Police on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation. The alleged theft was reported at 1:04 p.m., Monday. No further details released.

Town of Oakfield breaks ground on newest public water project

By Howard B. Owens

Town of Oakfield officials today broke ground on a new public water project that will get 60 parcels of land (about 50 residents) off well water. Water District #3 calls for 16,350 feet of water line on Maltby, Fisher and Fox roads and a portion Drake Road. The total cost is $1.129 million, with $750,000 funded by a USDA grant. The rest is packaged in a loan from the USDA. Landowners within the district will see $974 per parcel added to their annual tax bill. Supervisor Carol Glor said the push for public water in the town comes from residents. She said officials have received a lot of requests from residents who want to get off of well water.

Pictured, from left, Supervisor Carol Glor, Alan Dennis, public works administrator, Barry Flansburg, assessor, Mark Mikolajczyk, zoning officer, Cory Neefus, from Clark Patterson Lee, Melissa Haacke, town clerk, James Veazey, deputy supervisor and Jeremy DeLyser, from Clark Patterson Lee.

Suspect in armed robberies has burglary charge added to his indictment

By Howard B. Owens
Mark Maltese

A former Dellinger Avenue resident arrested in November following a string of robberies in Batavia and Oakfield as well as an alleged botched burglary of a local Rent-A-Center was arraigned on a new burglary charge this morning.

Mark J. Maltese, 42, was arraigned in front of Judge Robert C. Noonan in County Court on the seven-count sealed Grand Jury indictment.

The indictment was sealed because it contained the new burglary charge.

Maltese was already charged with three counts of robbery, 2nd, burglary, 3rd, and criminal mischief, 2nd.

He's now being accused of second-degree burglary and grand larceny, 3rd, for allegedly breaking into a residence on Hutchins Street on March 26, 2013, and stealing a safe with cash and jewelry worth more than $3,000.

Maltese is accused of committing armed robbery Nov. 21 at the Best Western in Batavia, Nov. 22 at the 7-Eleven in Oakfield and Nov. 24 at the Days Inn in Oakfield.

He was arrested Nov. 27 after he and an alleged cohort broke into the Rent-A-Center in Batavia and allegedly stole a big screen TV. They were tracked to a residence on Colonial Boulevard.

Previously:

Sponsored Post: Regular workouts at Oakfield Fitness deliver more energy, better endurance

By Howard B. Owens

At 42 years old, Bill Taylor thinks its important to stay in shape as he gets older. He needs more energy in his physically demanding job and just generally wants to feel better.

Oakfield Fitness and Cross-Training Center, with its full range of newer equipment and 24/7 availability does the trick for him, he said.

"Everybody feels different at different parts of the day," Taylor said.

As he's gotten more serious about physical fitness, he said he has more energy and improved endurance.

"It's just all around feeling better physically, mentally, too," he said.

For anybody who doesn't have a workout routine, Taylor's advice is simple: "Get off your butt and do it. That's the best way."

Oakfield Fitness moved just a few weeks ago, going from 1,800 square feet and multiple small rooms, to three logically organized rooms in 3,600 square feet. There's a room for weight machines, a cardio room and a cross-training room.

All of the equipment is quality Life Fitness machines.

A basic gym membership is $30 a month with no other fees and no annual contract. Cross-training members pay $80 per month and have access to the cross-training room and a cross-training coach during scheduled times.

For more information, visit OakfieldFitness.com.

Possible chimney fire reported at residence on Fox Road, Oakfield

By Howard B. Owens

A possible chimney fire is reported at 7060 Fox Road, Oakfield.

Smoke is reported in the residence.

Oakfield Fire dispatched with a tanker from Elba, a tanker and engine from Alabama, with East Pembroke to fill in at Oakfield's hall.

UPDATE 8:29 p.m.: An Oakfield chief on scene. Nothing showing at this time.

UPDATE 8:31 p.m.: Holding Elba and Alabama in quarters at this time.

UPDATE 8:44 p.m.: Alabama, Elba and East Pembroke can go back in service.

UPDATE 9 p.m.: Oakfield back in service.

Law and Order: Woman accused of possessing drugs in court building

By Howard B. Owens

Jennifer Lynn Mohr, 41, of Manhattan Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. Mohr was arrested at the Genesee County Courts facility for allegedly possessing a controlled substance for which she lacked a prescription.

Michael R. Mullen, 50, of Oakfield, is charged with: driving while ability impaired by a combination of drugs and alcohol; driving while ability impaired by a drug; consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle; unlawful possession of marijuana; inadequate exhaust; insufficient signal; and failure to keep right. Mullen was stopped at 2:39 a.m. Sunday on Route 20A, Village of Warsaw, by Deputy Aaron Chase.

Todd Lester Fairbanks, 32, of Raymond Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a Family Court warrant. The underlying charge of the warrant was not specified.

Christopher A. Bucci, 34, of Batavia, is charged with second-degree rape (actor with person less than 18 years old), sexual abuse, 3rd, and acting in a manner injurerous to a child. Bucci was arrested by State Police in connection with an alleged incident reported Feb. 3 in the Town of Clarendon. No further details released.

Jacob R. Lavrincik, 25, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Lavrincik was arrested by State Police for an alleged petit larceny at a location on Veterans Memorial Drive. No further details released.

United National Day of Prayer

By Tracy Byrnes

WHOM WILL YOU CHOOSE TO SERVE?
   The bible tells us in the book of Joshua about a man who led the tribes of Israel into the land of Canaan, the land God had promised their forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob they would inherit. (Gen 12:1-3; Exodus 6:2-8) Joshua was a faithful leader who loved God, prayed to God, and was obedient to the instruction God gave him for the people. These are the words Joshua spoke to the Israelites in his final hours, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

Event Date and Time
-

Law and Order: Suspect arrested for alleged fight at local bar

By Howard B. Owens

David J. Swartz, 53, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Swartz is accused of punching another person while at The Harvester at 1 a.m., Thursday. Swartz was issued an appearance ticket and released.

A 16-year-old resident of Thorpe Street is charged with harassment, 2nd. The youth was allegedly involved in an incident on State Street at 3:09 p.m., Monday. She allegedly grabbed the hair of another person and began a physical altercation with her.

Wassim S. Issa, 50, of Sunnyside Road, Shinglehouse, Pa., is charged with issue a bad check. Wassim was arrested by Lancaster PD and turned over to Batavia PD in Corfu. Issa posted cash bail and was released.

Chad Ryan Smith, 19, of Church Street, Middleport, is charged with unlawful possession of alcohol by a person under age 21 and drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle. Smith was reportedly a passenger in a vehicle stopped at 1:13 a.m. Thursday on Judge Road, Oakfield, for alleged traffic violations by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Daivid Lea Stanley, 20, of Nichols Street, Lockport, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle, speeding, failure to dim lights and side wings/windows non-transparent. Stanley was stopped at 1:13 a.m. Thursday on Judge Road, Oakfield, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Debra Lynn Haccket, 55, of Craigie Street, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to keep right and moved from lane unsafely. Hackett was stopped at 12:39 a.m. Wednesday on Main Road, Stafford, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Alex S. Dumbleton, 20, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and criminal mischief, 4th. Dumbleton was allegedly involved in a domestic dispute with his girlfriend at 1:30 p.m. Monday. Dumbleton was jailed on $2,500 bail or $5,000 bond.

Brandon P. Duell, 32, of Saint Helena Street, Perry, is charged with failure to appear. Duell is accused of failure to appear on a traffic citation. Duell posted cash bail and was released.

Miguel A. Vargas, 23, of Rochester, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Vargas was stopped at 7:15 p.m. Monday on Route 237, Stafford, by State Police.

Sponsored Post: Cross-training at Oakfield Fitness provides functional health

By Press Release

The end result of cross-training, Steve Wakefield said, is functional fitness. Your body is better conditioned to work for you.

For example, your body is built to squat. That's something that can be harder to do with any stamina if you haven't developed your muscles appropriately.

"I spent three years in Afghanistan and every meeting for me was in a squat," Wakefield said. "I was like, 'oh, I've got to squat again,' but that's what your body is supposed to do. Cross-training teaches your body to go back and use the movement it's supposed to."

Wakefield, a certified Cross Fit trainer, is the cross-training coach at Oakfield Fitness and Cross Training Center, 116 N. Main St., Oakfield.

Oakfield fitness recently moved into a larger building with an expanded cross-training center.

Wakefield said cross-training is a suitable physical fitness program for just about anybody, whether you're already athletic or haven't worked out in years and need to lose weight.

"You can do every workout to your own ability, which is awesome and I love it," Wakefield said. "Even as a trainer, I'm not as strong as some of these guys, but I lower the weight to my ability and I do what I can do. I've got an older lady, in her 60s, who's here every day. She can do the workout. It's scaled to her."

Cross-training, by definition is a constantly varied functional workout. Every session is different and it's not just about lifting weights and working specific muscles. You won't come in one day thinking, "this is my day to work my biceps" as you would with traditional fitness regimes.

"We've been taught for years that 'today I'm going to do by bis and back and tomorrow my tris and chest,' " Wakefield said. "Cross-training is breaking out of that model of isolated muscle movement. It's whole body, functional fitness."

The program also includes seminars on nutrition.

"You can workout every day, but if your nutrition is off, it's not going to work," Wakfield said. "Cross-training isn't who is the fittest. We want to get you healthy."

Since cross-training is usually a daily workout with a regular group of people, and the classes become more like a group of friends.

That's one of the things that kept Wakefield interested cross-training once he got started.

"We get to know each other," Wakefield said. "We get to know each other's families. We get to know each other's strengths and goals. We clap harder for the person who is last trying to finish up than the person who is done first."

It costs $80 per month to take part in cross-training at Oakfield Fitness, and that includes full 24/7 access to the entire gym.

For more information, visit OakfieldFitness.com.

More pictures after the jump:

Photos: Community clean-up day in Oakfield

By Howard B. Owens

The Oakfield Betterment Committee organized a community clean-up day today. Volunteers spread throughout the town to pick up litter.

Above, Cassandra Semar and Brittany Caton on Maltby Road.

Barb Harkness on Maltby Road.

The Johnson Family -- Mark, Michelle and McKenna with friend Cameron Heineman on Fisher Road.

Bone marrow match sought for Oakfield volunteer firefighter Bill Kegler; a mouth swab is all it takes

By Billie Owens

Bill Kegler, left, spent 22 years in the military and has been fighting fires since he was 18. Now he is fighting a different enemy, and hoping his winning hand gets dealt next week.

Kegler is a Pavilion resident and six-year member of the Community Fire Company; he is pictured above with Vice President Nick Wright. He is battling myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a disease that causes poorly formed or dysfunctional blood cells.

He needs to find a bone marrow match to fight the disease

Event Date and Time
-

Law and Order: Oakfield woman accused of stealing business records from employer in Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens

Marianne B. Molaro, 53, of 2224 Ham Road, Oakfield, is charged with grand larceny, 4th. Molaro allegedly removed business records from her place of employment containing data of a scientific or technical process.

Meaghan L. Schiavi, 21, of 43 N. Main St., Perry, is charged with identity theft. Schiavi allegedly used credit card information from a friend and made a purchase in the Village of Le Roy.

Bernard Lee Evans, 43, of Cato Street, Pavilion, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st, and aggravated harassment, 2nd. Evans allegedly contacted his ex-girlfriend 16 times by mobile phone in an alleged violation of a court order of protection.

Bryon Gilbert Keller, 19, of Sumner Road, Darien, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Keller allegedly violated an order of protection.

Justin L. Pyatt, 26, of Pearl Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of harassment, 2nd, criminal mischief, 3rd, and petit larceny. During an incident reported at 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, Pyatt allegedly made threats to harm another person, took property that belonged to that person, shoved that person and hit a refrigerator causing damage to the person's property.

Paul Dennis Barth Jr., 23, of Cohocton Road, Corfu, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Barth allegedly approached a person while in Tops Market whom he has been ordered by a judge to not contact at all. Barth then allegedly followed the person to the Sheriff's Office on Park Road. The alleged incident was reported at 3:15 p.m.. Barth was arrested by Officer James DeFreze and jailed on $2,500 bail or $5,000 bond.

Christopher R. Hoover, 27, of North Drive, Rochester, is charged with possession of a forged instrument, 2nd. Hoover was turned over to Batavia on a warrant after he was taken into custody by Greece PD. He was jailed without bail.

Sponsored Post: Oakfield Fitness, a convenient and well-equipped place to maintain health

By Press Release

A busy MBA student at St. John Fisher, Katie Joslyn, needs to make sure never has an excuse for missing a workout.

The 22-year-old Oakfield resident said Oakfield Fitness and Cross Training Center, at 116 N. Main St., is perfect for her. It's right in the village, is open 24/7, and has all the cardio and weight machines she wants to use.

"I've seen it grow," said Joslyn, who has been a member since the gym first opened at a smaller, store-front location. "It's really become something. It's a lot better than it used to be. I love coming here."

Oakfield Fitness moved just a few weeks ago, going from 1,800 square feet and multiple small rooms, to three logically organized rooms in 3,600 square feet. There's a room for weight machines, a cardio room and a cross-training room.

All of the equipment is quality Life Fitness machines.

A basic gym membership is $30 a month with no other fees and no annual contract. Cross-training members pay $80 per month and have access to the cross-training room and a cross-training coach during scheduled times.

For more information, visit OakfieldFitness.com.

Authentically Local