crime

A former Marchias resident has been identified as the Attican Motel resident who told authorities he was armed Friday night, leading to a four-hour standoff that ended after the use of teargas. He's been charged with a felony.

Michael A. Balla, 39, was arrested by Attica PD, Chief Dean Hendershott announced this evening, and he is being held in the Genesee County Jail on $10,000 cash bail or $20,000 bond.

Balla is charged with falsely reporting an incident, 2nd. 

Authorities say Balla called 9-1-1 and reported that he had a loaded gun, that he did not want anyone coming there because there would be an explosion when they walked in the door. 

Hendershott was dispatched to the scene and he requested backup from deputies in both counties along with State Police.

A State Police negotiator tried to talk Balla out of the Attican's Room 101 and the State Police robot was used at one point to check the room and as a communications device to try and convince Balla to surrender.

When he didn't teargas was fired into room. 

After being taken into custody, Balla was transported to Wyoming County Community Hospital for treatment of an apparent overdose and a mental health evaluation. 

He was arrested on the charge when he was released from care at 3:30 p.m.

Balla is schedule for a felony hearing at 4 p.m. Feb. 10 in Alexander Town Court.

The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending.

Press release:

The Batavia Police Department has received several complaints of an organization claiming to be an affiliate of the “Organization for Police Officers,” or “Batavia Police Union,” soliciting money to donate to the Police. The Batavia Police Department and Batavia Police Benevolent Association are not soliciting donations via telephone. The Batavia Police would also like to use this time to remind everyone not to give out personal information over the telephone. IE: Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, addresses.

Jasmine Jaquana Allen, 20, of Batavia-Stafford Townline Road, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Allen was arrested following a complaint of marijuana smoking inside dorm rooms at College Village.

Justin Elwell Jr., 31, of Miller Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a parking between 2 and 6 a.m. ticket. Elwell turned himself in to Batavia PD. He posted $100 bail.

Adam Daniel Smart, 32, of Clinton Street Road, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on an endangering the welfare of a child charge. Smart allegedly failed to appear on for a pre-sentence interview with the Probation Department. Smart was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Jeffrey Cole Thompson, 19, of Swamp Road, Byron, is charged with unlawful possession. Thompson was charged following a traffic stop for an alleged traffic violation at 9:15 p.m. Thursday on Reed Road, Bergen, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

The owner of a local medical office has been arrested a fourth time for allegedly issuing bad checks, though the latest charge stems from checks written before he owned the business, according to Det. Eric Hill, Batavia PD.

Mark T. Zdrojewski, 61, of Meyer Road, Pendleton, was charged today with grand larceny, 3rd, for allegedly writing a bad check to Haun Welding Supply.

He was charged with theft this time, police say, because the check enabled him to allegedly steal refrigerated helium liquid.

Hill said the incident was a business transaction.

In November, Zdrojewski was charged with three counts of issuing a bad check.

The checks were written to Turnbull Heating and Air Conditioning in June and August.

Turnbull has filed for a mechanic's lien against Zdrojewski totaling $13,242.

Earlier that month, Zdrojewski was arrested on another charge of issuing a bad check for allegedly writing a bad check to another local business.

He was also reportedly arrested in September on four counts of issuing a bad check for allegedly writing checks to local businesses that wouldn't clear.

According to Hill and other sources, Zdrojewski is currently the owner of Advanced Imaging in City Centre, however he wasn't the owner at the time the alleged bad checks were written on the business account. 

His LinkedIn profile states he was previously practice manager at Advanced Imaging.

There may be other local victims of a 22-year-old rape suspect who was arraigned yesterday in county and city courts, according to Batavia PD.

Kesean Shannon, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with three counts of sexual abuse 1st, two counts of sexual abuse 3rd and one count of sexual misconduct.

The charges are the result of two separate investigations into allegations that Shannon engaged in sex crimes against two girls, age 15 and 16 and with a victim who is 30 years old.

The alleged abuse occurred in 2012 and 2013.

Investigators believe there may be other victims.

Anyone with information that may assist in the investigation are asked to call Det. Kevin Czora, Batavia PD, at (585) 345-6350.

Within the past couple of days there have been two hit-and-run accidents with suspect vehicles still at large.

The Sheriff's Office is looking for a black pickup truck with front-end damage that hit another vehicle on East Main Road, Le Roy.

They are also looking for a silver or gray Mazda that hit a utility pole and fire hydrant on Swamp Road, Bergen. That vehicle sustained driver side front-end damage and passenger side damage.

No further details available at this time.

Tips can be phoned into the Sheriff's Office at (585) 343-5000.

Press release:

A warrant has been issued for a Level 3 sex offender, James A Chase, who failed to report for his 90-day verification.  

The Batavia Police Department is looking for help from the community in locating him. 

James A. Chase is about 6’2” and weighs 240 pounds. He is listed as homeless on the City of Batavia Sex Offender page. 

He  is usually wearing camouflage and sometimes wears a face mask when he is walking. 

If anyone has information call the City of Batavia Police at 345-6350 or Officer James Defreeze at 345-6365.

UPDATE 2 p.m.: James Chase turned himself in. He is being arraigned in City Court this afternoon. Police say more information will be released later.

A 22-year-old resident of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is facing a group of sex crime charges after being arraigned this afternoon in both City Court and County Court.

Judge Robert C. Noonan unsealed a two-count indictment against Kasean L. Shannon. He is charged with sexual abuse in the first degree and sexual misconduct.

Shannon is accused of subjecting another person to sexual contact while the victim was unable to give consent by reason of being physically helpless.

He is also accused of engaging in sexual intercourse without the other person's consent.

In City Court, before Judge Micheal Del Plato, Shannon was arraigned on two charges of sexual abuse.

"I believe there may be further charges coming based on my conversation with law enforcement and District Attorney Friedman," his attorney Jamie Welch told Del Plato.

Also pending for Shannon are a criminal contempt charge and an unlawful possession of marijuana charge.

At the time of both arraignments, Shannon was in custody and came dressed in the Genesee County Jail orange jumpsuit.

Welch didn't ask for a bail review in either court and Noonan ordered Shannon held without bail.

The attorney also said he isn't ready to bind the case over to the Grand Jury and said he doesn't plan on seeking a preliminary hearing.

Other Grand Jury indictments released today:

Crystal L. Marsceill is indicted on a count of bail jumping, 2nd. It's alleged that Marsceill failed to appear on a criminal court case nor voluntarily within 30 days of her scheduled court appearance.

Kassidy R. Watson is indicted on one count of tampering with physical evidence. Watson is accused of tampering with physical evidence she believed was about to be produced or used in an official proceeding with the intent to prevent the evidence from being produced.

A 21-year-old Batavia resident who entered a guilty plea last month to a pair rape charges received a near maximum prison term from Judge Robert C. Noonan today in County Court.

Maleak H. Green, most recently a resident of Ellicott Street, admitted Jan. 7 raping two girls, age 16 and age 15.  He pled guilty to two counts of rape 3rd in a deal that capped his sentence on both counts to four years in prison, to be served concurrently.

He also entered a guilty plea to criminal contempt 1st with a sentence cap of 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison.

That sentence could have been given to Green consecutive to his rape sentencing, making a maximum possible sentence of 5 1/2 to 8 years.

Noonan gave Green concurrent terms on all three counts.

Green was charged with rape in the third degree because of the age of the victims, but District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said if the case had been presented to a grand jury, he would have sought an indictment on rape in the first degree, alleging force, along with other criminal charges.

Friedman made the statement while asking for the maximum prison time available in the plea deal.

"It is our position that this defendant received substantial consideration in being able to enter this plea," Friedman said.

Green made no statement to Noonan.

Justin Michael Cahoon, 23, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with identity theft, 3rd. Cahoon is accused of making unauthorized charges to another person's checking account.

Ronald Jason Scroger, 34, of Swan Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass, 3rd. Scroger is accused of entering Walmart after being previously banned.

Sarah Mae Wilson, 30, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with violation of order of protection. Wilson allegedly contacted the protected party via telephone at the Genesee County Jail.

Melissa C. Verton, 35, of South Main Street, Batavia, was arrest on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a registration suspended/revoked charge. Wilson was arrested at her residence.

Jon N. Roblee, 39, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with resisting arrest, third-degree assault 3rd, and assault, 2nd. Roblee allegedly pulled the hair of another person, causing hair to be pulled out of that person's head and causing pain. He also allegedly punched the victim in the chest. He allegedly resisted arrest and struck an officer in the face, causing injury. Roblee was ordered held without bail.

Michael John Henry, 48, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and criminal obstruction of breathing. Henry allegedly choked another person while in the presence of a child. An order of protection was issued.

Kevin J. Weber, 44, of Columbia Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief. Weber allegedly damaged a door at a residence on Columbia Avenue during an argument. Weber was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Ryan L. Weber, 35, of North Lyon Street, is charged with operating a vehicle without valid inspection. Weber was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on the charge following a traffic stop.

Cindy L. Bush, 52, of Oak Orchard Road, Batavia, is charged with forgery, 2nd, possession of a forged instrument, 2nd, and conspiracy, 5th. Bush allegedly forged the signature of another person on a check issued by DSS. Bush allegedly conspired with another person in the forgery.

Doris L. Mayl, 62, of Manhatten Avenue, Batavia, is charged with possession of a forged instrument, 2nd, conspiracy, 5th, and petit larceny. Mayl allegedly possessed and cashed a check issued to another person by DSS. Mayl allegedly conspired with another person in the scheme.

Jessica Leeann Bovier, 18, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and speeding (59 in a 45 mph zone). A 17-year-old passenger resident of Genesee Street, Pembroke, was also charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Bovier was stopped at 12:13 p.m. Sunday on Route 77, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Byron R. Lee, 48, of West Main Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on an attempted petit larceny charge. Lee turned himself in and posted $150 bail.

Sarah M. Wilson, 30, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, two counts of reckless endangerment and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. While a passenger in a moving vehicle, Wilson allegedly hit the driver in the face. A 3-month-old child was in the vehicle at the time of the alleged incident. Wilson was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Christina A.M. Deluna, 34, of Liberty Street, Batavia, was arrested for alleged failure to appear on a ticket for aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd. Deluna was taken into custody at the Monroe County Jail. Following arraignment, Deluna was released on her own recognizance. 

Jordan M. Briggs, 27, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and trespass. Briggs was allegedly in an establishment on West Main Street after being told to leave. He allegedly struck another person while being escorted from the property. 

Steven A. Hill, 44, of Star Street, Medina, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Hill turned himself in on a warrant. He allegedly left a voice mail on the phone of a person who was protected by court order. 

Heather Lynn Draper, 25, of East Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a trespass charge. Draper turned herself in and was released on her own recognizance.

Brian K. Laird, 20, of Wallace Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass, 2nd. Laird allegedly entered a location on Oak Street through a window after being told he was no longer welcome at that location.

Jessica M. Pfenninger, 32, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Pfenninger is accused of stealing from Kmart.

Matthew M. Mahaney, 33, of Corfu, is charged with DWI. Mahaney was stopped by State Police at 10:19 p.m. Thursday on Knapp Road, Pembroke.

Daniel J. Saeva Sr., is indicted on one count of second-degree strangulation and three counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Saeva is accused of intentionally impeding the normal breathing or blood circulation of another person by applying pressure to the throat or neck, causing stupor or loss of consciousness. Saeva allegedly choked a 10-year-old child Dec. 12 in the City of Batavia.

Joseph R. Kress is indicted on counts of felony DWI and felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Kress was allegedly driving drunk Sep. 1 in the Village of Corfu. He's accused of having a prior DWI conviction in January, 2011.

Eric L. Jamalkowski is indicted on counts of aggravated unlicensed operation, 1st degree, and bail jumping. Jamalkowski is accused of driving March 22 in the Town of Le Roy while knowing his driving privileges were suspended or revoked. He allegedly had 10 suspensions on his license at the time going back to 2007. Upon his arrest March 22, Jamalkowski was released from custody and allegedly failed to appear for a subsequent court date.

Rion J. Pawlak is indicted on four counts of falsifying business records, 1st, and two counts of petit larceny. Pawlak is accused of submitting false claims for reimbursement on business-related purchase to his employer in the Town of Le Roy on four separate occasions in the amounts of $78.30, $57.30, $102 and $98.76. He's also accused of stealing an umbrella.

The defense challenged the confessions of 44-year-old Mark Maltese to a series of robberies and a burglary in 2013; a jury yesterday found the Batavia resident guilty on all but one count on the indictment against him.

The jury went into deliberations shortly after noon Thursday, returned to the courtroom a couple of times to review video evidence and have transcripts read back, and then returned the verdict at about 4 p.m.

"Obviously, the key to the case is the defendant's confessions," said District Attorney Lawrence Friedman. "That's obviously the most powerful evidence we can have."

Maltese was found guilty of three counts of robbery, one count of third-degree burglary and second-degree criminal mischief and one count of grand larceny, 3rd.

A not guilty verdict was returned on one count of burglary.

The participation of Maltese in a burglary Nov. 27, 2013, of the Rent-A-Center in Batavia led to his arrest and helped investigators crack the case of three hotel robberies in Genesee County in the week prior to the burglary.

In confessions at the time of his arrest, Maltese told police he robbed the hotels because he needed money to buy crack cocaine. 

"I have been struggling with a major addiction to crack cocaine for about the past six or eight months," Maltese said. "This addiction has consumed me and the majority of my money goes to buy crack to feed by addiction. My crack use got way out of control and I didn't know how to stop or slow down with smoking it. I became desperate for money so that I could get more crack cocaine, so I turned to robbing places to get the money I needed for crack. Every bit of the proceeds from the three robberies went to buy crack for me to smoke. I was out of control with my addiction and didn't know where to turn."

Friedman said the defense challenged whether the confession was truly voluntary as well as some of the facts contained in the confession.

Maltese was also convicted of stealing a safe from a local residence, but he was not convicted of the burglary charge in that case.

Maltese faces up to 15 years in prison on each robbery count. Sentencing is set for March 4.

Press release:

The New York State Police will join local law enforcement agencies across the state in an effort to crack down on impaired driving during Super Bowl weekend. The STOP-DWI campaign will include increased patrols on the roadways and sobriety checkpoints to deter, identify and arrest impaired drivers.

While STOP-DWI efforts across New York have led to significant reductions in the number of drinking and driving fatalities, still too many lives are being lost because of crashes caused by impaired drivers. During the 2014 campaign, State Police made nearly 100 impaired driving arrests. The campaign will be promoted on variable message boards on highways across the state, including the New York State Thruway, and runs from noon through midnight on Super Bowl Sunday. The enforcement crackdown is funded by the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee.

Troop A Troop Commander Major Michael Cerretto said “We want everyone to enjoy the Super Bowl game and parties, however we would also like to ask them to be responsible, have designated drivers or plans to get home safely. We will be out patrolling the roadways and highways ensuring that they are safe for everyone to use."

An impaired driving conviction carries a maximum fine of $10,000, up to seven years in prison and license revocation.

In 2012, there were 10,322 people killed in alcohol-impaired-driving crashes in the United States — 31 percent of all crash fatalities in the nation.

Carolina M. Frias, 34, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with four counts of endangering the welfare of a child and criminal nuisance. Frias is accused of providing alcohol to four juveniles at her residence.

Kimberly A. Brodsky, 23, of Elm Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a traffic ticket. Brodsky turned herself in to Batavia PD. Brodsky's mother posted $250 bail.

Marene A. Donnelly, 29, of Oak Orchard East, Albion, was arrested on a warrant for allegedly parking after hours on city streets. She turned herself in to Batavia PD.

Kelly A. Kasper, 44, of Dellinger Avenue, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Kasper is accused of causing pain to a child during a domestic incident. She was jailed on $3,000 bail.

Kurt Wayne Tripp, 58, of Bernd Road, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, moving from lane unsafely and refusal to take breath test. Tripp was arrested following a report of a vehicle on fire in a field at 7:53 p.m. Monday on Buckley Road, Stafford. It's alleged that Tripp drove a 2006 Chevrolet pickup while intoxicated when it travelled off the west shoulder of the road and eventually caught fire.

A pair of investigations by the Local Drug Task Force has led to the arrest of two men, one accused of selling a controlled substance, the other of selling marijuana.

Busted were Joshua L. Baltz, 38, of Wood Street, Batavia, and Mark A. Knickerbocker, 17, of Route 262 in Byron.

Baltz allegedly sold a quantity of suboxone to an undercover agent on three separate occasions, once in Pavilion and twice in the City. 

He is charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, 4th, a Class C felony.

Knickerbocker is accused of selling marijuana to a person under age 18 while in the Town of Bergen in May.

He is charged with criminal sale of marijuana, 2nd, a Class D felony.

The task force was assisted by the District Attorney's Office, uniformed deputies and Batavia PD.

The Batavia woman who at one time thought she was the grandmother of a baby who died while reportedly in her son's care should have the criminal charge against her dismissed, her attorney will argue in a series of motions that will be filed March 3.

Jacquelyn Deats is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, under the theory that she took no action to seek medical attention for 6-month-old Chandler Zuchs before he died Dec. 10.

Court documents that were available at the time -- and have since been sealed -- contained statements by Jacquelyn Deats and her son Jeffrey Deats that seem to indicate the once-presumed grandmother was alone with Baby Chandler and noticed something wrong, but didn't call for an ambulance.

When Jeffrey Deats came downstairs that morning, he found Baby Chandler unresponsive. It was then that 9-1-1 was called.

Baby Chandler, according to later medical examiner reports, died of brain injuries.

Jeffrey Deats, who seems to have believed he fathered Chandler with Michelle Zuchs (aka Michelle Denise), was charged with manslaughter.

In Facebook and Twitter posts, prior to Chandler's death, he displayed a good deal of pride and affection for little Chandler.

While confined to the Genesee County Jail, Deats learned he wasn't Chandler's father.

A week after Chandler's death, Deats attempted to hang himself in his cell with bedsheets. He later died at ECMC.

Jacquelyn Deats appeared in court today with her attorney Thomas Burns and entered a not guilty plea to the charge of endangering the welfare of a child.

Burns, always aggressive on behalf of his clients, plans to file several motions aimed at either getting the charges dismissed or his client's statements surpressed.

Outside of court, Burns said he plans to challenge the legal sufficiency of the charge as well as bring a motion to dismiss the charge in the interest of justice.

A dismissal in the interest of justice has legal precedent and is predicated on a series of legal tests the judge must consider. 

"The case meets all the criteria for dismissal," Burns said. "(The motion) doesn't necessarily look at the merits of the case, but at the person's background, culpability, lack of criminal record, lack of a drug problem, factors such as no need for rehabilitation, no protection of the community issues. You put it all together and argue that the charge should be dismissed."

Burns has yet to see any evidence in the case, which could also be a factor in his series of motions.

With the Jeffrey Deats case sealed, it's unclear if Burns will have access to the medical records and police reports.

The case was sealed by Judge Robert Balbick under New York Law that requires cases to be sealed when a criminal case is resolved in the defendant's favor. With the death of Jeffrey Deats, the charges against him were dismissed.

Julian Munoz, 63, of Transit Road, Elba, and Carmelina Chavez, 47, of Drake Street, Oakfield, are charged with criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation and harassment, 2nd. Munoz and Chavez, brother and sister, allegedly choked and pushed a victim down a flight of stairs. 

Heather Jaye Interlicchia, 55, of Ramona Street, Rochester, is charged with possession of more than 400 untaxed cigarettes. Interlicchia was stopped for an alleged traffic violation at 12:08 p.m. Sunday on Route 77, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Windfield L. Marshall, 44, of Lake Street, Le Roy, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to pay fine on a parking violation. Marshall turned himself in and posted $25 bail.

Khadijah Azizza Davis, 23, of Arnett Boulevard, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, unlicensed driver and speeding in zone. Davis was stopped at 11:49 p.m. Wednesday on Clinton Street, Batavia, by Officer Jason Davis, for allegedly driving 47 in a 30 mph zone. Davis was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Kasean L. Shannon, 22, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Shannon was allegedly found in possession of marijuana during police contact with Officer Marc Lawrence while on Washington Avenue at 1:37 p.m. Wednesday.

Chana J. Mitchell, 22, of Prospect Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, charge. Mitchell turned himself in and jailed on $200 bail.

Joseph Michael Marceill, 47, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a driving while registration suspended or revoked charge. Marceill turned himself in, was arraigned and released on his own recognizance. 

Cynthia C. Richardson, 35, of Maple Street, Batavia, is charged with a curfew violation. Richardson was arrested after police responded to a report of a fight at 1:29 a.m. Saturday on Court Street. Richardson's 14-year-old son was allegedly located on Evans Street near Ellicott Street at 1:34 a.m.

Donna A. Cocoran, 41, of St. Mary's Street, Pavilion, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation, 3rd, and suspended registration. Cocoran was stopped at 12:49 p.m. on Elm Street, Batavia, by Officer Eric Foels.

Samuel J. Barber, 20, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of alcohol under age 21. Barber was arrested following a complaint of a party at 12:32 a.m. Sunday on Bank Street, Batavia. Barber was allegedly hosting the party along with two other individuals. Also charged were Abdullah B. Diallo, 19, of Bank Street, Batavia, and Seanmichael G. Kidder, 19, of Bank Street, Batavia.

Robert Jean Jackson, 38, of Albert Street, Oakfield, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, speeding in zone and failure to change address on license. Jackson was stopped at 1:17 a.m., Saturday, on Main Street, Oakfield, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Justin L. Sanders, 23, of Byron, is charged with grand larceny, 3rd. Sanders was arrested by State Police and jailed on an unspecified bail. No further information released.

Allison A. Sobczak, 23, of Batavia, is charged with DWI and aggravated DWI. Sobczak was stopped at 11:02 a.m. Friday in the Town of Batavia by State Police.

UPDATE: Later today, State Police put out a press release on Sobczak's arrest.  Here's a portion of it:

Sobczak arrived to the Batavia barracks to file a complaint when Troopers smelled an odor of alcoholic beverage coming from her. After her verbal admission that she drove to the barracks, she was detained for a DWI investigation. After Sobczak failed the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, she was placed under arrest for DWI. 

Sobczak was arrested and escorted back to the patrol room where she registered a BAC of .24%. She was issued citations returnable to the Town of Batavia Court on January 29, 2015.

Katrina M. Jones, 46, of Buffalo, is charged with conspiracy, 5th, and grand larceny, 4th. Jones was arrested by State Police and held on an unspecified bail. No further information released.

Christopher F. Bragg, 29, of Corfu, is charged with grand larceny, 3rd, and scheme to defraud, 2nd. Bragg was arrested by State Police. No further information released.

Two people have been arrested in connection with a series of vehicle thefts in Le Roy, but the arrests only potentially solve two of the crimes, according to Le Roy PD.

Lauren E. Charache, 35, and Duane J. Charache, 31, both of 115 Myrtle St., Le Roy, are charged with criminal possession of stolen property, 3rd, two counts of criminal possession of stolen property, 4th, and one count of criminal mischief, 4th.

Batavia PD first arrested Lauren Charache on Jan. 8 after she was allegedly found in possession of a stolen vehicle. She was charged in Batavia of criminal possession of stolen property, 2nd.

Le Roy investigators say Lauren possessed the same vehicle on that same day in the Village of Le Roy, leading to another criminal possession of stolen property charge.

Both Duane and Lauren possessed one of the vehicles, police say, and it was allegedly damaged through reckless use. The value of the damage exceeds $250.

A third vehicle theft remains under investigation.

Lauren was jailed on $10,000 bail and Duane was released under supervision of Genesee Justice.