Stafford

The following indictments were issued last week by the Genesee County Grand Jury.

Rodney A. Barber is charged with one count of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, a Class B felony, after he was allegedly found on March 17 to possess the narcotic cocaine with the intent to sell it. The location was 3967 W. Main St. in the Town of Batavia. He is also charged with one count of criminal possession of a controlled subtance, 4th, for allegedly knowingly and unlawfully possessing one or more preparations, compounds, mixtures or substances containing cocaine which had an aggregate weight of an eighth of an ounce or more.

Mark C. Gregori is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, a Class B felony, after he was allegedly found on Nov. 3, 2010 in the Town of Elba in possession of the narcotic cocaine with the intent to sell it.

Michael B. Pfaff is charged with one count of driving while intoxicated, a Class E felony, after he was allegedly found driving a 2008 Suburu on Myrtle Street in Le Roy on April 17 while intoxicated. He is also charged with one count of driving while intoxicated with a BAC of .08 or greater, a Class E felony.

Thomas J. Torres is charged with one count of driving while intoxicated, a Class D felony, after he was allegedly found driving a 2004 Chevrolet on Route 237 in Stafford while intoxicated on April 23. He is also charged with one count of aggravated driving while intoxicated, also a Class D felony, for allegedly having a BAC of .18 or greater.

Jamie L. Broadbent is charged with criminal possession of stolen property, a Class E felony, for allegedly knowingly possessing stolen property with the intention of benefitting herself or a person other than the owner. She was allegedly found in possession of a public benefit card belonging to someone else while in the City of Batavia on May 9.

Chester L. Sherman II is charged with one count of driving a 1998 Chevy pickup truck while intoxicated and one count of driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. The charges stem from his arrest April 20 on Route 262 in Byron.

Jonathan J. Langenfeld is charged with one count of burglary in the first degree, a Class B violent felony, after he allegedly entered private property on Ellicott Street Road in Pavilion on April 17 with the intent to cause, then actually causing, physical injury to a person who was not a participant in the crime. He is also charged with burglary, 2nd, a Class C violent felony, for allegedly entering private property with the intent to commit a crime. And he is charged with assault, 2nd, a Class D violent felony, for allegedly intending to seriously injure a person and then causing serious injury to that person.

A car and pickup truck have crashed at 5270 Main Road in Stafford, near the Seven Springs Road intersection. Injuries are reported. Stafford fire and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 10:58 a.m.: The roadway is almost completely blocked. The truck was towing heavy machinery, which will need to be lifted. A tow-truck company is called to assist. Fluids are leaking. A Sheriff's deputy is on scene along with a medic.

UPDATE 11:03: "Everything is intact but the truck is kind of sitting on the car," says a responder at the scene.

UPDATE 11:11 a.m.: The tow-truck driver is not injured. The occupants of the car will need medical attention and will be transported via ambulance.

Photo submitted by Steve Tufts, taken at Horseshoe Lake in Stafford. For a larger version, click here.

Doug Call, 71, a former Genesee County Sheriff now finishing out his final term as a Town of Stafford justice, was honored with a picnic today in Stafford.

It was organized by local Democrats, and is one of their annual fundraisers, but Call was the guest of honor and several Republicans attended.

County Chairwoman Lorie Longhany said Call has been a good Democrat, but more importantly, he's been a good public servant.

"He's one of the best public servants Genesee County ever had," Longhany said.  "His service transcended politics. It was always about public service."

As Sheriff -- perhaps the only Democrat ever elected to Sheriff in Genesee County -- Call initiated the Stop DWI program, which included DWI checkpoints on roadways. The program would be challenged in court, but the county won appeals all the way up to the state's Court of Appeals. It's a program that is now widely used across the country.

Call was also instrumental in getting Genesee Justice started, a program Call estimates has saved the county millions and millions of dollars over the years.

For one thing, by putting criminals in intervention programs rather than locking them up, the county was spared the expense of a new, larger jail.

On hand to honor Call today were Congresswoman Kathy Hochul and Sheriff Gary Maha. Assemblyman Steven Hawley sent a letter and Darien Town Justice Gary Graber, who is incoming president of the state magistrates' association, spoke in praise of Call. Graber was first elected in 1980, when Call first became Sheriff.

A quiet man, Call doesn't put much of a spotlight on his own accomplishments.

"I’m humbled by (the honors today) because I just did things," Call said. "Apparently people think it’s important and they’re here."

He then added, "Other's could have done it."

Saturday afternoon we were on our way to East Shelby when we spotted upwards of two dozen egrets wading the Upper Stafford Marsh on the Oak Orchard Wildlife Management Area. I regretted not having a camera along, but vowed to have one the next morning.

It was 9 a.m. today when we pulled into the overlook on Albion Road and, fortunately, the egrets were still there. There are 17 great egrets in the above photo, with several more outside of the lens angle.

I've not seen such a gathering of the large wading birds before, not even in South Florida. Whether they were stalking small fish, frogs or reptiles, I couldn't say but something to their liking must have been plentiful in the shallow marsh.  

Normally, great blue herons are the largest wading birds in the marsh. While the blue heron is nearly identical in size to the great egret, on this day it was certainly in the minority.

Volunteers from at least four fire companies -- I saw Le Roy, Batavia, Stafford and South Byron while I was there -- were on hand Sunday at The Home Depot to raise a flag in honor of the 9/11 victims and give community members a chance to meet with local volunteers and learn about fire safety. Children could tour the firetrucks and receive hats and coloring books.

Eric Michael Duda, 49, of Main Road, Stafford, and Summer Ogden, 35, of State Street, Batavia, are both charged with criminal contempt. Duda and Odgen were seen walking together on Main Road, Stafford, at 4:15 p.m., Wednesday. There are court orders in place barring Duda and Odgen from being in contact with each other.

Dennis Kaijage Stambuli, 19, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with trespass and unlawful possession of marijuana. Stambuli was allegedly found on College Village property after being banned.

Scott E. Hodgins, 47, of 9394 Creek Road, Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, passing a stop sign, speed in zone and obstructing governmental administration, 2nd. Hodgins was stopped at 8:40 p.m., Thursday, on Blakely Place, by Officers Jerry Casper and Chris Camp. Hodgins was allegedly observed speeding on South Jackson Street. Hodgins allegedly tried to flee on foot following the traffic stop and was located after an extensive search of the area. New York State Police assisted in the search. Additional charges may be pending. Hodgins was jailed without bail.

Benjamin Gove Evans, 22, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Evans is accused of shoplifting at Kmart in April.

Kristen L. Brightenfield, 18, of 6559 Main Road, Stafford, is charged with petit larceny. Brightenfield is accused of stealing a box of hair dye from Tops Market during the early morning hours of Wednesday.

Micaheal J. Elmore, 20, of Sumner Road, Darien, is charged with two counts of petit larceny. Elmore was arrested by the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office following an investigation into thefts in Orangeville. Elmore was identified as the suspect with the help of a pawnshop in Batavia. Another piece of stolen property was recovered in the Village of Attica.

Diane E. Winger, 46, of 329 Eva Road, Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, is charged with driving while ability impaired and failure to keep right. Winger was stopped at 11:43 p.m., Sunday, on Snipery Road in Darien by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Fifteen volunteer firefighters from five companies in Genesee County are headed east this morning to assist in relief and recovery efforts in one of the hardest hit areas of the state from Hurricane Irene.

The volunteers gathered at the Emergency Servcies Training Center on State Street Road at 6:30 a.m. to be briefed on their mission by County Coordinator Tim Yaeger.

The group then headed to the Thruway to make it to Schoharie County by noon for a 72-hour deployment.

"They're in bad shape down there and now they've got more rain coming," said Yaeger, who was among the state's emergency coordinators dispatched to the region right after the storm hit.

The firefighters will be relieving other volunteers who have been working in the county since the storm hit last week.

"There's still places that are getting drops by Blackhawk helicopters of food and water because they're still isolated," Yaeger said.

Yaeger said it's amazing what these guys have signed up for with no pay. They will likely be sleeping on cots, living on pizza and pumping sewage out of basements during their 12-hour shifts.

They might also be called upon to deliver relief supplies to residents isolated by storm damage or just help with general clean up and recovery.

"And they're offended if I don't offer them a chance to go," Yaeger said. "These guys have been waiting for this for a week."

Darien Chief Dale Breitwieser couldn't make the deployment, but he was at the training center this morning to see off the three volunteers from his department.  He said it's events like this where you see that volunteers are a special breed of person.

"There will be volunteers there from all over the state and they'll all pull together," Breitwieser said.

Besides Darien, participating departments are Bergen, Town of Batavia and Stafford along with staff from Emergency Services.

Yaeger is not joining this group, though he may be deployed later today to Green County where a village of 700 people in the Town of Plattsville was wiped off the map. The town supervisor lost his house and his gas station and now he's trying to help his town through the devastation, Yaeger said.

The Albany Times Union has a photo slide show of the damage in Schoharie County.

On Tuesday, Jim DiSalvo invited me to his house on Fargo Road, Stafford, to meet his son, Jason, and Jason's racing team. I thought I'd get a picture and share a little bit about the great season Jason is having.

I set up a shot with a couple of bikes in the background and just as we were getting ready to make a photograph, Jason asked, "When will your picture run?" I told him, "probably tonight."

Well, that would never do. See that Triumph in the background -- the racing world didn't yet know that Jason would be running it this week at the final race of the season in New Jersey.

I agreed to hold the picture until the bike change was officially announced, and I also redesigned the shot to better include the bike in the picture.

This evening, the DiSalvo team officially announced that for the last race as well as next season, Jason will race a Triumph 675 Triple in Daytona Sportbike class races.

Jason said the team felt they would get great support from Triumph and he was excited about the switch.

Race 1 on Saturday will start at 2 p.m., and Sunday's race starts at 2:15 p.m.  Live timing for both events can be viewed at www.amaproracing.com.

Speed TV will air the races at 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Jason is currently third this season in points standing with three wins and four pole positions.

Pictured with Jason are Jordan Fielder, left, Bubba Evoy, Chase McFarland and Ronnie Saner.

A motorcycle accident, possibly with injuries, isreported on Assemblyman R. Stephen Hawley Drive, Batavia, just west of Batavia-Stafford Townline Road.

Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy EMS dispatched. 

UPDATE 9:38 p.m.: Batavia fire back in service. No fluid leaks, not blocking traffic.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported in front of the Red Osier Restaurant, Route 5 near Roanoke Road. Stafford Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 12:16 p.m.: There is one person injured. Law enforcement on scene says there are a lot of fluids in the roadway. Tow truck(s) are en route.

UPDATE 12:55 p.m.: A 34-year-old man is being transported to UMMC complaining of pain in his neck, lower back and wrist.

A paving company suspected last year of doing substandard work is reportedly back in the area approaching local homeowners with the same "leftover asphalt" offer it's used before.

State Police Investigator Leo Hunter said the company, Stanley Paving, completed a paving job for a couple in Stafford on Friday. After the job was done, the couple remembered a media report from last summer about the company.

A Google search led them to contact Hunter, though they're not making any sort of criminal complaint.

The job, Hunter said, was more or less completed as promised, though there was reportedly a price increase in the middle of the job and the couple is unsure of the quality of the work.

Hunter said a representative of the company, which also goes under the name Bithumus, approached the husband on Friday. He said he had some asphalt left over from another job and could repave his driveway for $75 per square foot. The man agreed to the job.

When the job was half completed, the company rep claimed they didn't have enough asphalt to finish the job and would need to buy more at a higher price. It would take another $3,800 to complete the job. The price was negotiated down to $3,300.

The company rep was driving a new white pickup truck.

People are reportedly crossing the roadway in the area of Fotch Road and Byron Road in golf carts with no headlights.

The caller states she "almost hit one."

A deputy is dispatched.

The Genesee County Grand Jury issued these indictments today:

Shonnon J. Jefferson is indicted on one count of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree, a Class E felony. Jefferson was stopped on Feb. 3 on I-90 in the Town of Stafford while driving a 1995 Dodge and allegedly had a revoked or suspended driver's license. Further, Jefferson had in effect 10 or more suspensions imposed on at least 10 separate dates for failure to answer, appear or pay a fine. To wit, in the Town of Irondequoit, on July 29, 2009. And the City of Rochester on: March 16, March 20 in 2006; Jan. 24, Sept. 7 and Oct. 31 in 2007; March 13, May 19 and June 2 in 2008; Feb. 12, April 8 in 2009; and Jan. 19 this year.

Andrew L. Dailey is indicted on one count of DWI and one count of aggravated DWI for allegedly driving with BAC of .18. Both are Class E felonies. Dailey is accused of driving a 2010 Hyundai on Roanoke Road in the Town of Stafford on April 3 while intoxicated.

Deborah Maniace would have turned 48 today, but she wasn't give that chance.

Nearly a year ago, early in the morning on Aug. 8, Maniace somehow plummeted more than 30 feet to her death from a bridge on Clinton Street Road, Stafford, where it crosses the CSX railroad line.

Today, her family gathered on the bridge to grieve, remember and ask the community for help -- somebody saw something or knows something that could help close this case.

"I don't feel it was accidental, and I don't feel it was intentional," said Justina Maniace, Deborah's oldest daughter. "I feel that somebody did something. And we don't know who...or what."

Deborah's son, daughters, grandchild, sister and other family members gathered for about an hour on the bridge, placed flowers at the scene, and wrote messages to her on balloons before releasing them to float skyward.

Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster said officially, investigators don't know if Maniace jumped, fell or was pushed. They only know the cause of death was blunt force trauma from the fall.

Other than that, there isn't much evidence to explain what happened. 

Officials believe that Maniace had been to the Onion Festival in Elba earlier that day and then went to her boyfriend's house in Stafford. She left the house around 2 a.m. after some sort of dispute and began walking home.

She was carrying her shoes in her hand as she walked over the bridge, Brewster said.  It's a detail he hopes might jar a memory of somebody who drove by and maybe saw something, anything.

And investigators know there was vehicle traffic on Clinton Street Road in those early morning hours because surveillance cameras of nearby businesses recorded passing traffic.

Anybody who has any information that may assist the case, no matter how insignificant the information might seem, should call the Sheriff's Office at 343-5000. Tips can be made anonymously.

A one-vehicle rollover accident is reported on Sweetland Road in Stafford, near Bater Road. No one is around the accident scene. The car is on its roof in a field.

Stafford Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 6 p.m.: The driver has been located and is not injured. He's at the location with an off-duty deputy.

A two-car accident with one injury is reported at the intersection of Route 19 and Griswold Road, Le Roy.

One person may have a neck injury.

The accident is not blocking traffic.

Le Roy Fire Department dispatched.

UPDATE 9:53 a.m.: Le Roy back in service.