news

Distracted driving is being blamed for a two-car collision this morning that sent two people to Strong Memorial Hospital, one by Mercy Flight.

Both patients are listed as "under evaluation."

The accident was reported at 11:10 a.m. in the area of 3646 West Main Street Road, Batavia.

According to the accident report by Deputy Kevin McCarthy, the driver of a 2011 Ford sedan was eastbound on Route 5 when the driver "became distracted by moving his phone" and crossed into the westbound lane.

His vehicle struck a 2012 Chevy SUV driven by Patricia G. Bunk, 35, of Graham Road, Elba. She was transported by Mercy EMS to Strong.

The driver of the Ford sedan is identified in the report as William T. Gibbs, 63, of West Main Street Road, Corfu; however, the hospital doesn't have a patient under that name. They do have a patient under a different name who is the same age and lives at the same address as Gibbs but the hospital spokesman said he couldn't disclose the name being used by the patient. 

Gibbs was transported by Mercy Flight to Strong and was conscious at the time of transport.

That driver was cited for allegedly crossing over into traffic, driving left of centerline markings.

(Initial Report)

A man involved in an ATV accident at 8:30 a.m., Sunday, is in guarded condition at Strong Memorial Hospital.

A patient listed as "guarded" at Strong is in the Intensive Care Unit.

The Sheriff's Office identified the rider as Angel L. Claudio Lopez, 43, no address listed.

According to the accident report, Lopez was riding an ATV up a sand hill on property at 2750 Maple Avenue Road, Oakfield, when the vehicle overturned, ejecting Lopez, and then landed on him.

Lopez suffered a head injury but was described as conscious at the time he was taken by Mercy Flight to Strong.

The accident was investigated by Deputy Travis DeMuth.

A male and female physical altercation has resulted in a request for two ambulances in the area of 344 W. Main St., Batavia.

The first ambulance was requested for the female victim of an assault. The second ambulance was requested for a person having either a panic attack or seizure.

The male suspect ran from the scene and was later located near Denny's.

Press release:

The Batavia City School District (BCSD) is excited to continue offering the Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) Program for young students in the 2019-2020 school year.

UPK provides an opportunity for four-year-old children, at no cost to their families, to be involved in developmentally appropriate educational classes that, following the regular school calendar, meet Monday through Friday during the school year.

Since its implementation, the District has provided a half-day program, with a choice of either morning or afternoon sessions.

Children who are residents of the District and who are 4 years of age on or before Dec. 1, 2019, are eligible to apply.

Applications are available at the District Business Office in the administrative wing of Batavia High School (260 State St.). They also can be downloaded from the District’s website, www.bataviacsd.org, where, under the “Parents” tab, there is a link labeled “Registering Your Child For School.”

That page contains general information as well as a link, in the left column, specifically for UPK registration. (The direct link to UPK registration is here.)

The application should be returned as soon as possible to secure your child’s spot!

If you have questions about the UPK program please call the Curriculum and Instruction Office at 585-343-2480, ext. 1003.

Submitted photos and press release:

The Pembroke Dragons 10U Baseball Team/Cal Ripkin Division won the Abbott Memorial Championship in Perry on Sunday.

The team was one of 15 teams invited to play in the two-day tournament, playing five games total.

Over the two-day tournament, the team scored a total of 50 runs, only allowing five against.

They defeated Letchworth in the semi-final game 7-1, and then defeated Nunda in the championship game 9-0.

Pitchers PJ Reeves, Zachary Hartz and Brayden Lang helped keep the runs to only five scored against the Dragons.

Home runs by Madden Perry and PJ Reeves, bit hits by Austin Post, Jacob DiPalma, along with great fielding by Ryan Zika, Owen Schultz, Leo Lang and the rest of the Dragons helped seal the deal to bring the championship home.

An auger has struck and punctured a natural gas pipeline in the area of Route 237 and Britt Road in Stafford. The gas can be heard "hissing and blowing" out of the ground.

RG&E is the caller to the Emergency Dispatch Center. An RG&E crew has an hour ETA to the scene.

Stafford Fire Department is responding.

The owners of Dave's Ice Cream on West Main Street Road sent us this smartphone screenshot of a cat they saw wandering yesterday around the corner of Union Street and West Main Street in the city.

It has a blue harness on and they figured it might be someone's missing pet. 

Press release:

The Tops Friendly Market at 390 W. Main St. in the City of Batavia will be among 33 of the full-service grocery stores participating in the Stars for Our Troops initiative June 9-22.

The program welcomes the community to donate their worn and tattered American Flags at select Tops Markets locations for proper retirement. Collection bins will be placed in the Batavia store's vestibule for American flag retirement.

In collaboration with partner veterans organizations, including Honor Flight and local VFWs, embroidered stars will be preserved and presented to local veterans who have defended our flag.

“The respect and gratitude we have for the people who serve and have served in the military is immeasurable, and for that we are forever grateful,” said Kathy Sautter, public and media relations manager for Tops.

"With Flag Day approaching on June 14 and the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, Tops wanted to offer the community this service to not only properly retire their flags, but also know they are in some small way extending their thanks and respect to a veteran through Stars for Our Troops.

“Many people don’t know how or where to retire their aged flags and end up just tucking them away in a garage or attic. This program allows us to not only assist the community with proper retirement, but also gives back to our Veterans in a unique and meaningful way."

When stars are removed and presented to a veteran at local VA hospitals, nursing homes, and placed in Honor Flight care packages the following message is tucked along with each star:

"I am part of our American flag that has flown over the USA. I can no longer fly. The sun and winds caused me to become tattered and torn. Please carry me as a reminder that You are not forgotten.”

A two-vehicle accident with injuries is reported at 3646 W. Main Street Road by Pudgie's Lawn & Garden in Batavia. Two patients need extricating.

East Pembroke Fire Department is on scene along with Mercy medics and law enforcement.

Town of Batavia Fire Department is called as mutual aid to provide extrication equipment. Mercy Flight was called then canceled, then called again. A landing zone will be set up at County Building #2.

UPDATE 11:32 a.m.: Mercy Flight is en route to the landing zone at County Building #2. Two flatbed tow trucks are called to the accident scene.

UPDATE 11:35 a.m.: A deputy is responding to West Main Street Road for traffic control.

UPDATE 1:16 p.m. by Alecia Kaus : The Genesee County Sheriff's Department is investigating a two-vehicle accident that occurred at 3446 W. Main Street Road before noon today. Sheriff's deputies say a Ford Focus headed east on Route 5 crossed over into the oncoming lane and struck an SUV that was headed west. The male driver of the Ford Focus was transported by Mercy Flight to ECMC with serious, but non-life-threatening injuries. He was conscious and alert. The female driver of the SUV was transported to Strong Hospital in Rochester via ground ambulance with unknown injuries. Deputies say charges are pending against the driver of the Ford Focus.

Photos by Alecia Kaus.

Benjamin Santiago Jr.

A suspect in last night's assault on Ellicott Street was arrested in Rochester and the allegedly stolen vehicle he was driving was recovered.

Benjamin J. Santiago Jr., 30, of Batavia, is accused of going to the home of Mark E. Collier, 35, at 9:15 p.m. to demand money of Collier, who has previously given charitable donations to Santiago, according to Batavia PD.

Collier denied Santiago's request and Santiago became upset, police say. He is accused of striking Collier several times with a blunt instrument causing significant injuries.

Santiago then allegedly stole items from the home and fled.

Collier was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital, alert and conscious, and is currently in stable condition.

Police say Santiago stole a bicycle after fleeing the scene and then stealing a vehicle from a residence in the Town of Batavia. Santiago apparently made it to Rochester where he was apprehended by Rochester PD.

Santiago is charged with first-degree assault and first-degree robbery.

Santiago has been arrested previously in and around Batavia, including a case involving problems at a local hotel that led to a multi-agency manhunt 2011. The two brothers in the case were later accused of trying to hire somebody to kill Santiago. Eventually, that case led to a prison term for Santiago. He was most recently accused of stealing $800 in tools from Crocker's Ace Hardware in Le Roy.

Police say:

This is an ongoing investigation. Members of the Batavia Police Department will be in the area between State St. and Ross St. attempting to locate additional evidence. If anyone observes any items that appear suspicious or may be of evidentiary value, please do not touch or move them. Contact the Batavia Police Department at (585) 345- 6350 to inform them of the item. A member of our Department will respond to investigate the item.

Assisting Batavia PD were City fire, the Sheriff's Office, Rochester PD, State police, and Mercy EMS.

Previously: Person reportedly assaulted on Ellicott Street in the city

City police and Mercy medics are responding to 218 Ellicott St. for the reported victim of an assault.

The location is between Center and Liberty streets.

UPDATE 9:39 p.m.: This conflict was not the result of a domestic violence incident. The victim was conscious and alert when loaded into the ambulance.

UPDATE 10:12 p.m.: A female at the scene said she glanced out her window and said a male in jeans and a (dark) gray sweatshirt with the hood up on his head -- so she couldn't see his face -- pushed a door to an apartment there with his foot and said "What's up, man?" The witness said the scenario "looked like someone goofing off and drunk," and "it seemed legit" so she walked back to her bedroom. Her son walked around to the scene and someone called out for somebody to call the cops because a person had been struck and "there was a lot of blood." Assistant Batavia Police Chief Todd Crossett said a person knocked on the door, gained entry to an apartment, hit the victim on the head with an unknown object, then fled the scene. The male victim was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital alert and conscious. Police are now searching the area around Central Avenue for the suspect at large.

An ATV accident in Oakfield with the driver suffering traumatic injuries to the face is reported on U.S. Gypsum Co. property, a half mile off Hutton Road. Oakfield Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

A routine Sunday service at EverPresent Church in Downtown Batavia turned into alarm and some confusion around 12:30 today when a little boy in the toddler room was grabbed by a male guest and brought into the sanctuary while Pastor Jason Norton was preaching.

The man was immediately approached by ushers and he left the child, exited the building, and drove off in his blue Toyota. No one was injured. Someone snapped a photo of his license plate.

After communicating with nursery workers, the Emergency Dispatch Center was called straightaway and Norton said this afternoon that police are investigating the incident, which was dispatched as a "suspicious condition."

Norton would not identify the guest, but said he is elderly, from Rochester, and has only been living in Batavia for a couple of months and has attended services alone at 4 Batavia City Centre about four or five times. The pastor said he has no other information about him or his mental health.

"He seemed nice enough," Norton said. "But you never know."

The church, now in its sixth year, has about 50 to 55 congregants. A couple of young women volunteer for childcare during services and there is a security team in place that keeps an eye on things.

The guest that abruptly went into the nursery, though he had no family members there, had left the sanctuary to go to the men's room, which is in the same area as the nursery.

A nursery volunteer told Norton he attempted to grab one child and was asked about permission or family ties, something to that effect, confusion ensued, and he grabbed the tot's brother instead, proceeded to the sanctuary, and sat down.

"It happened so quickly," Norton said, adding that initially they were reluctant to talk about the incident publicly, thinking it made their security look weak.

"I said 'Maybe it is weak. We need to tighten things up,' " Norton said. "We don't know our weaknesses until they're exposed. This kind of thing can happen anywhere. That's the world we live in today. No one was hurt. It could have ended much differently."

Norton said the man "has been trespassed" -- meaning he will not be allowed back on the property.

For initial post, click here.

A vehicle has flipped over a guardrail and into the water at 852 Bloomingdale Road, Basom.

Both occupants are out of the vehicle and have only minor injuries.

Alabama fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 4:54 p.m.: Reader submitted photo. According to a source at the scene, the location was at Judge Road and Feeder Road. The occupants self-extricated and obtained a ride to Two Eagles Smoke Shop where they were able to call 9-1-1 because of poor mobile reception at the location of the accident. Both patients signed off with minor injuries.

A suspicious condition was reported by a person at EverPresent Church in Batavia City Centre after a male went into the toddler room, got a child, and brought the child in the main church service. When an usher asked for the child back, he did so, then left in a blue Toyota.

City police are responding.

A Ross Street man was stabbed to death last night outside of his apartment after trying to come to the aid of a woman who was under attack.

Police have identified the victim as Michael R. Paladino, 43. The suspect is Quinton Edmonds (above photo), a former parolee from Rochester who is well known to police, said Chief Shawn Heubusch.

Heubusch said the investigation at this time indicates that Edmonds was in a vehicle in the City when an argument began between Edmonds and at least one of the two women in the vehicle with him. The vehicle stopped on Ross Street and the argument continued outside the vehicle.

"Edmonds exited the vehicle and began striking one of the female subjects from the vehicle," Heubusch said. "Michael Paladino, who was in his apartment, heard the altercation taking place and went outside to intervene and assist the females. Edmonds and Paladino got into a physical altercation and Edmonds either stabbed or cut Paladino several times with a sharp instrument causing his injuries. Edmonds then fled the scene on foot."

The weapon has not yet been recovered.

Emergency dispatchers received a call of a disturbance at 5/7 Ross St. at 12:44 a.m.

Paladino suffered multiple stab and cut wounds to his upper torso and head.

"Paladino collapsed in the entryway of his apartment," Heubusch said.

The women in the vehicle fled the scene right away and a police officer saw a vehicle driving erratically and stopped it in the parking lot just east of St. Joseph School. 

"At the time that the officer observed the vehicle driving erratically, he thought that he possibly had a DWI situation, so he pulled the vehicle over and at the exact same time dispatch was receiving phone calls of this disturbance that took place on Ross Street, Heubusch said.

"The officer was in the right place at the right time," the chief said. "The people from the vehicle identified Edmunds as he was approaching the traffic stop as the person that was involved in the disturbance. The officer did a remarkable job and taking him into custody all by himself and securing him for further investigation."

Edmonds is being charged with murder in the second degree and will be arraigned in City Court this morning while the investigation continues.

"We have interviewed multiple witnesses from that 5/7 Ross Street apartment," Heubusch said. "There were some other people within that apartment that did witness or heard what happened, so they are cooperating with us. We've taken statements from them.

"The officers are out today canvassing the area to see if there are any other witnesses that can come forward or any other potential video evidence that may be available from a home surveillance system or whatever it may be. They're also going to be working with the state police today."

Police are also actively searching for the weapon.

"This happened at one o'clock in the morning and the officers who were processing the scene, walking the area did the best they could to try and locate the weapon in question," Heubusch said. "But you know it is a very large area. There are officers out there now continuing the investigation looking for more physical evidence as well as, like I said, trying to find any video in the area and/or interviewing more witnesses and re-interviewing witnesses that may have been there last night."

Edmonds has asked for an attorney and is not providing information to police, Heubusch said.

Batavia police are well-acquainted with Edmonds, who is a frequent visitor from Rochester to Batavia, Heubusch said. While confirming that Edmonds was at one time on parole and has a criminal history, with at least one arrest outside of the county, Heubusch would not provide information on why Edmonds was on police radar prior to this incident.

State records indicate Edmonds was convicted in 2015 in Monroe County of criminal possession of a weapon, 2nd, and sentenced to two and a half years in prison. His parole ended in April 2018.

Paladino was transported by Mercy EMS to UMMC. He was pronounced dead at 5:05 a.m. by Coroner Don Coleman.

Heubusch said a family member was with Paladino when he died.

"It appears that Michael Palladino was trying to do the right thing and help somebody out," Heubusch said.

Before last year, Batavia had gone years without a murder in city limits, then there were two last year and now one in 2019. Heubusch said, though, he wouldn't call that a trend.

"Well, again in this particular case, we had a Good Samaritan that appeared to be trying to intervene in another physical altercation," Heubusch said. So as far as this one goes, this person was not from the City of Batavia. That's my understanding. His last known address is in Rochester. We do have that influence from Rochester that comes out here so I can't really speak to a trend."

The one common theme, Heubusch noted, is the murder suspects are all on, or were on, parole.

"There are a lot of people on parole in Genesee County," Heubusch said. "We've had good fruitful meetings with the parole officers and the administrators of the area, this parole area out of Rochester. There is a large caseload for the parole officers not just for Genesee County but across the state.

"And I think that is one of the issues that need to be addressed at the state level is the general caseload of parole officers. With the closing of prisons and the decriminalization of marijuana, potentially, I think the state, the governor's office, is setting up local jurisdictions for more violence, quite honestly."

(Initial coverage)

Video from the scene last night:

There were 87 graduates in the Class 2019 at the Le Roy HS commencement ceremony on Saturday, including Emma Lawrence, who was joined on stage by her father, Board of Education member Rich Lawrence, as she posed with her diploma with Principal Tim McArdle.

Miranda Keaton

Assistant Principal Lynda Lowe and Joshua Hamilton

Abigail Cacioppo was the valedictorian and Calvin Herrick the salutatorian.

Xachary Carr 

Alex Cole

Branson Jeanotte, Scott Keister, Jakob Ashley, Andrew Ayers, and Scott Bollin-Shggarts.

Batavia police responded to Ross Street for a report of a disturbance involving a person with a knife.

The subject is at large and said to be armed with a knife. He is described as a black male.

The victim reportedly has a significant stab wound in his side.

Mercy EMS and City fire responding.

UPDATE 12:51 a.m.: The suspect may have been located by the Richmond library.

UPDATE 1:52 a.m.: The victim suffered multiple serious stab wounds and was transported to UMMC, according to Sgt. Dan Coffey, Batavia PD. Coffey said that he doesn't have an update on the condition of the patient.

Jarett J. Locicero, 29, of West Main Street, Batavia, has been arrested following an investigation by the Local Drug Task Force and accused of selling fentanyl in and around the City of Batavia.

Locicero is charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd, criminally using drug paraphernalia, 2nd, and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. 

Locicero is accused of selling fentanyl to an agent of the task force. 

At the time of his arrest, he was allegedly found in possession of an illegal knife, a crack cocaine smoking device, and suboxone.

He was transported to the Genesee County Jail and held on a warrant.

Batavia PD and the District Attorney's Office assisted in the arrest and investigation.