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Stafford

Bicyclist falls off bike, was briefly unconscious, at Griswold near Caswell road, Stafford

By Billie Owens

A bicyclist reportedly fell on off his bike and was lying unconscious in the roadway at Griswold, near Caswell Road. Law enforcement on scene says the man is a "little out of it" and cannot recall what happened. He is not intoxicated. He is conscious and alert. Mercy medics and Stafford fire were dispatched and Mercy Flight put on ground standby.

UPDATE 1:51 p.m.: Mercy Flight is cancelled and the other responders are told to proceed non-emergency.

UPDATE 2 p.m.: The Stafford assignment is back in service.

Three primary races in Genesee County today

By Howard B. Owens

Via WBTA:

Today is primary day in New York State. Genesee County residents can head to the polls for three positions in the towns of Byron and Stafford.

Byron
Republican – Supervisor:
-Robert A. Crnkovich
-Peter N. Yasses

Independence – Highway Superintendent:
-Gerald L. Heins
-Eric J. Toal

Stafford
Republican – Highway Superintendent:
-Steven B. Boldt
-Brian D. Landers

Here are two links to find your polling place: Genesee County Polling Places, Voter Registration Search

 

What is a Christian? An example to follow!

By Tracy Byrnes

I am a Christian was the title of a recent sermon I heard that got my attention. What exactly is a Christian? A Christian is a person who believes with their heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross for their sins. It is a person who confesses their sin to God in prayer and asks for His forgiveness (Romans 10:9-10). It is a person who desires to live a life pleasing to God. It is a person who denies himself to become a follower of Christ (Luke 9:23). What does it mean to become a follower of Christ?

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Law and Order: Le Roy man accused of burglarizing Mill Street business

By Howard B. Owens

Bishop E. Williams, 20, of 106 Lake St. Le Roy, is charged with three counts of burglary, 3rd, petit larceny and criminal mischief, 4th. Williams is accused of an early morning forced entry burglary of a business on Mill Street, Le Roy, and stealing several items from the business. Williams, and possibly a conspirator, allegedly used a rock to break the window of the building and that Williams allegedly entered the building three separate times. Police report locating Williams on Lake Street. Assisting were the Sheriff's Office and the Livingston County K-9 unit.

Amir D. Gifford, 17, 139 Bank St., Batavia, is charged with assault, 3rd. Gifford was alleged involved in a fight with an acquaintance at 4:43 p.m., Tuesday, at a business on West Main Street, Batavia. He is accused of trying to injure the other person.

Michael C. Kraatz, 34, of 66 Tracy Ave., Batavia, is charged with trespass and harassment, 2nd. Following an alleged domestic incident, Kraatz allegedly returned to a residence he had been advised by police not to reenter. As Kraatz was being removed from a police vehicle following his arrest, he allegedly kicked the door of the car causing it to strike an officer, which led to the harassment charge.

Daniel M. Hacker, 27, of 248 North Meadowbrook Parkway, Cheektowaga, is charged with driving a motor vehicle with registration suspended. Hacker was arrested on a warrant out of Batavia City Court.

Ronda L. Reisman, 41, of 105 State St., Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Reisman was arrested following an investigation into an alleged incident at 10:22 p.m., Thursday. No further details released.

Mark E. Flaming, 23, of 21 Wood St., Batavia, is charged with menacing, 2nd, criminal possession of a weapon with intent to use and reckless endangerment, 1st. Flaming was arrested following an alleged domestic incident at 10:32 p.m., Wednesday. No further details released.

Michael P. Ashley, 51, of 9455 Clipnock Road, Stafford, is charged with felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or higher, running a red light and aggravated unlicensed operation. Ashley was stopped at 12:54 p.m., Sunday, on East Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Arick Perkins.

Stephen Joseph Holdaway, 61, Pearl St., Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, speeding and failure to yield to emergency vehicle. Holdaway was arrested following a traffic stop at 5:09 p.m. Wednesday on Pearl Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Kevin A. Roberts, 22, of Perry Road, North Java, is charged criminal mishief, 3rd, petit larceny, unlawful possession of marijuana, aggravated unlicensed operation, bald tire and throwing refuse on highway. Roberts is accused of cutting a locked cage inside Walmart in order to gain entry and damaging the case in the process. He is accused of stealing clothing from Walmart and possessing marijuana. He allegedly drove to the store on a suspended license. Roberts was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Rachel Elizabeth Hyatt, 17, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with stalking, 4th. Hyatt allegedly initiated contact with a person she had been previously warned not to contact. An order of protection was issued.

Stephanie Marie Gilfus, 27, of Genesee Street, Auburn, is charged with petit larceny. Gilfus is accused of stealing an iPod Touch from an employee of Darien Lake Theme Park.

Justin Ryan Smith, 31, of North Pearl Street, Oakfield, is charged felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Smith was allegedly involved in an accident on North Pearl Steet, Oakfield, at 5:55 a.m. Sunday. The accident was investigated by Deputy Matt Fleming.

(name redacted, charges dismissed), 47, of Rochelle Drive, Churchville, is charged with coercion, 1st, criminal mischief, 4th, and menacing, 2nd. REDACTED allegedly coerced a woman while at her residence.

Law and Order: Trio from Rochester arrested following reported fight on Swan Street, Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

Patrick D. Powell, 27, of 98 Barton St., Rochester, is charged with resisting arrest. Powell is accused of physically interfering with the arrest of Richard Johnson at 9:43 p.m., Saturday, at 45 Swan St., Batavia.

Richard E. Johnson, 53, of 159 Millbank St., Rochester, is charged with disorderly conduct. Johnson allegedly used obscene language and gestures on a crowded public street after being warned by police to cease such conduct.

Jovon C. Johnson, 24, of 960 Gleason Circle, East Rochester, is charged with resisting arrest. Johnson allegedly interfered with a police officer's attempt to arrest another person during following a reported fight involving several people on Swan Street at 9:43 p.m., Saturday.

Willie A. Toney, 26, of Finch Street, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 4th, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, criminal use of drug paraphernalia, 2nd. Toney was stopped at 3:03 p.m., Saturday, on Route 77, Village of Corfu, by Corfu Police Officer Michael Petritz for allegedly driving 48 in a 35 mph zone. Upon further investigation, it was determined Toney's license was allegedly suspended 21 times. A search of his vehicle allegedly turned up a .38 caliber pistol and a crack pipe containing crack cocaine residue.

Jennifer L. Spraugue, 30, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a falsely reporting an incident case. Spraugue is being held on an unrelated charge. She was arrested for allegedly failing to appear in Bergen Town Court on a third-degree charge of falsely reporting an incident to law enforcement. Spraugue entered a guilty plea and was sentenced to time served. She was returned to the jail on the unrelated matter.

Stoan Richard Dietzman, 18, of Dartwood Avenue, Cheektowaga, was arrested on warrants related endangering the welfare of a child and strangulation, 2nd, charges. Dietzman was a passenger in a vehicle stopped in the City of Buffalo and after a records check was arrested on the warrants. After being turned over to the Sheriff's Office, Dietzman was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Barbara Ann Kosciolek, 67, of Osterhout Avenue, Batavia, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI, failure to keep right and moving form lane unsafely. Kosciolek was stopped at 11:11 p.m. Saturday on Route 5 in Stafford by Deputy Matthew Butler.

John Edward Ryman, 32, of Macedone Center Road, Palmyra, is charged with possession of untaxed cigarettes. Ryman was allegedly found in possession of 35 cartons of untaxed cigarettes during a traffic stop on Route 5 in Le Roy by Deputy Matthew Butler.

Jeanine Danielle Fuller, 26, of Holland Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Fuller is accused of shoplifting $33.78 in merchandise from Walmart.

Robert Gordan Woodhouse, 54, of Creek Road, Batavia, is charged with felony DWAI-Drugs and moving from lane unsafely. Woodhouse was stopped following a report at 4 p.m. Friday of a black H3 Hummer operating erratically on West Main Street Road in the Town of Batavia. The Hummer allegedly crossed the center line and nearly struck an oncoming vehicle. The Hummer was stopped by Deputy Chad Minuto and upon investigation Woodhouse was accused of driving while under the influence of drugs.

Robert Walter Plantiko, 38, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with burglary, 2nd. Plantiko allegedly entered a motel room and stole property. Plantiko was jailed on $10,000 bail or $20,000 bond.

Mark Robert Willard, 39, of Tinkham Road, Darien, is accused of violating probation. Willard was arrested and held without bail.

Iesha Marie Vetter, 20, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny and criminal mischief. Vetter is accused of removing products from packaging as part of an effort to steal items from Target.

Winston A. Lockhart, 18, of 3 Lewis Place, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Lockhart allegedly hit a woman at 119 State St., Batavia, during an incident reported at 3:22 p.m. Saturday.

Ashlea M. Harmon, 22, of 665 Ellicott St., Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Harmon was found in possession of an allegedly stolen bicycle that she admitted to stealing.

Michael S. Lytle, 24, of 11 Wood St., Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and criminal mischief. Lytle was arrested following a reported domestic incident on Wood Street at 11:40 p.m. Friday. Lytle was jailed on $250 bail.

Two-car crash on Main Road near Route 237, Stafford, minor injury

By Billie Owens

A two-car accident with a minor injury is reported at 6283 Main Road in Stafford. Stafford Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding. The location is near Route 237.

UPDATE 12:17 p.m.: Mercy medics are back in service with two sign-offs.

Stafford Historical Society meeting -- museum plans, charter status, Taste of Stafford report

By Billie Owens

Stafford Historical Society will have its regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 28, in the Stafford Town Hall Courtroom, located at 8903 Route 237.

We will be discussing the business of the society, future plans of the Museum, the Taste of Stafford report and the status of the Society Charter.

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Law and Order: Inmate accused of throwing feces at corrections officer

By Howard B. Owens

Kyle Justin James Jackson, 21, of Slusser Road, Batavia, is charged with aggravated harassment. Jackson, while incarcerated in the Genesee County Jail, allegedly threw a plastic cup containing feces at a corrections officer. Jackson remains in jail on other charges.

Sandra Rae Marceill, 66, of Sanders Road, Stafford, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving too slow/impeding traffic and moving from lane unsafely. Marceill was stopped at 11:04 p.m. Aug. 9 on Main Road, Stafford, by Deputy James Diehl.

David Michael Jackson, 36, of Lake Road, Pavilion, is charged with forcible touching, endangering the welfare of a child and sexual abuse, 3rd. Jackson is accused of touching the intimate parts of a person less than 17 years old.

April Lynn Walradt, 36, of Westcott Road, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and moving from lane unsafely. Walradt was allegedly the driver in a motor-vehicle accident reported at 1:18 a.m. Thursday on Westcott Road, Le Roy. The accident was investigated by Deputy Matthew Fleming.

David Alexander Bramblett, 44, of Chapin Street, Canandaigua, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle, unlicensed driver. Bramblett was stopped on Route 77 in Corfu following a report of an apparently intoxicated driver from a witness on the Thruway. Bramblett was stopped at 4:19 p.m. Tuesday by Deputy Eric Seppela.

3rd Annual Prayer Conference

By Tracy Byrnes

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE...Batavia Assembly of God Church is hosting its 3rd Annual Prayer Conference Friday, Sept. 13th, 6:00pm to 9:00pm (registration is from 6pm - 7pm) and Saturday, Sept. 14th, 8:00am to 4pm. The theme for the conference is "Presence, Prayer, and the Power of God". The keynote speaker will be Dick LaFountain. Dick is an accomplished  speaker and a published author of the book, "Time Alone With God". His passion is to motivate a renewed love for prayer and the presence of God in our churches. Workshops will also be available.

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Stafford's big yellow barn collapses on a mildly windy day

By Howard B. Owens

One of Genesee County's grandest of the old barns collapsed today.

A good portion of the yellow barn next to the Stafford Fire Hall on Main Road, Stafford, simply gave way about 1:45 p.m.

Stafford Fire Chief Bill Plaisted said residents heard a lot of creaking coming from the old barn -- probably built in the 1830s -- all this morning.

Firefighters used a thermal-imaging camera to ensure nobody was trapped in the structure.

Plaisted said the barn was likely headed for demolition soon anyway. The owner wanted to donate it to the department for a controlled burn for firefighting practice, but Plaisted said before that could happen, workers would have been required to remove the shingles from the roof.

"Looking at it now, that wouldn't have been safe," Plaisted said.

He also recalled a local resident telling him how years ago there was a basketball court on the second floor. From the second floor to the ceiling, it was so high, he said, that nobody could throw a ball from the floor up into the rafters. That's how big the barn was.

In April 2010, I took a photo of the barn (bottom photo in this post) that proved pretty popular. UMMC purchased a large canvas print of the photograph to hang in its new surgical wing (the print has since been moved to another part of the hospital). To view a larger online version (or to purchase a print of the picture, click here).

Barn collapses just west of fire hall in Stafford

By Billie Owens

A barn reportedly collapsed behind the Stafford Fire Hall. The caller does not believe anyone was inside, but a person was seen running from the barn. Stafford Fire Department is responding.

It's believed to be on property of the Kemp Family Trust Homestead, west of the hall.

"There's all sorts of activity at your fire hall and people running around so use caution," says the dispatcher.

No injuries are reported.

Photos: Ag in Alabama and Stafford on a sunshine day

By Howard B. Owens

You don't see rectangular hay bales much these days, but while out in Alabama this afternoon I spotted a few in a field off Maple Street Road.

And below, a tractor in a field off Sanders Road, Stafford.

Wheat field fire in Stafford

By Billie Owens

A wheat field is reported to be on fire at near Sanders and Bartoff roads. Stafford Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 2:52 p.m.: The fire is out and Stafford units are clear.

Photos: A gorgeous day in Genesee County

By Howard B. Owens

It was a beautiful day. I didn't have much time to just drive around and take pictures, but as long as I was out and about, I did grab a few.

Above, a barn at Gillette and Ivison roads, Byron.

Below, three sunflower pictures from the Oderkirk Farm on Route 33, Stafford.

Grand Jury Report: Man accused of marijuana and LSD possession

By Howard B. Owens

Matthew T. Milleville is indicted on counts of criminal possession of marijuana, 2nd, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Milleville was allegedly found in possession of more than 16 ounces of marijuana and a quantity of LSD at a location on Main Road, Pembroke, on Dec. 12.

Brandin D. Scott is indicted on counts of felony DWI and felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Scott was allegedly driving drunk on Route 33 in Stafford on Feb. 22. He was allegedly convicted of DWI in 2003.

Law and Order: Warrant suspect allegedly flees from police, charged with resisting arrest

By Howard B. Owens

Nicholas J. Adkins, 22, of 111 Liberty St., Apt. A, Batavia, is charged with resisting arrest, reckless endangerment property, unlawful possession of marijuana and assault, 2nd, with intent to cause physical injury to an officer. Batavia PD reportedly attempted to assist in the arrest of Adkins on State Street at 6:25 p.m., Tuesday, on a NYS Parole warrant and Adkins allegedly fled on foot.

Carolyn Marie Peachay, 30, of Main Road, Stafford, was arrested on a City Drug Court warrant related to a prior DWI case. Peachay was jailed on $100,000 bail.

Jerome W. Brown, of 65, of Lockport, is charged with menacing, 2nd. Brown was arrested by State Police for an alleged incident reported at 10:56 a.m., July 3, in the Town of Pembroke. No further details were released.

(Name redacted upon request), 35, of Buffalo, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or higher. xxxx was stopped at 11:27 p.m. Tuesday on Colby Road, Darien, by State Police.

Law and Order: Buffalo duo accused of stealing shopping cart full of merchandise at Walmart

By Howard B. Owens

Marcianna Szczepanski, 21, of Abbot Road, Bufallo, and Yvonne A. Frye, 23, of Abbot Road, Buffalo, are charged with petit larceny. Szczepanski and Frye are accused of filling a shopping cart with merchandise and walking out the store without paying for any of the items. The total value of the merchandise is $898.21.

Isaiah James Munroe, 23, of School Road, Stafford, is charged with criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, endangering the welfare of a child and harassment, 2nd. The charges stem from an alleged domestic incident.

Copper wire stolen from irrigation pivot on farm field in Stafford

By Howard B. Owens

Copper wire from an irrigation pivot was stolen in Stafford earlier this month and the Sheriff's Office is looking for tips that might lead to identifying the person or persons involved.

The wire disappeared from the pivot some time between July 8 and Tuesday from a farm field off of Nilesville Road that is owned by Torrey Farms.

An underground well pump was damaged causing $2,500 damage.

Investigator Roger Stone is handling the case and can be reached at (585) 345-3000, ext. 3570.

The Sheriff's Office is also asking that residents who observe suspicious vehicles near irrigation equipment to contact dispatchers immediately at (585) 343-5000.

Winner of Corvette raffle takes the cash and will take wife to Hawaii

By Howard B. Owens

Clarendon resident Charlie Snook couldn't help but look at the silver Corvette with a bit of glint in his eyes.

When he was a young man, he said, he would have taken the car, but the cash will get him and his wife to Hawaii for the first time and then take care of some recent unexpected expenses.

Snook is this year's winner of Stafford Fire Department's annual Corvette raffle, and Snook almost didn't get a ticket.

He intended to make it to Stafford on the Saturday of the carnival, but one thing led to another and he never got out of the house.

And Sunday's weather, of course, was miserable.

"Wind, mud, rain, I wasn't even going to come," Snook said. "Things like this don't happen to me. They happen to other people."

Snook and his wife bought two books of tickets and one of those tickets was the winner.

Pictured with Snook are Robin Krenzer, of the car committee, and Fire Department President Dave Wallace.

It's a beautiful car, Snook admitted, but he gladly took his check from Krenzer.

"Twenty years ago it would have been different," he said.

The total cash prize was $50,000.

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