Alexander

The weekend before last, I had the pleasure of attending the Alexander Volunteer Fire Department's annual installation and awards dinner.

The next morning, before I had a chance to post the pictures, I got sidetracked by the blockade and fire situation on Washington Avenue, then I had an afternoon event to attend. By the time I got home that night, it didn't even occur to me that I hadn't posted the pictures yet.

Apologies to the folks in Alexander. Here are the pictures.

For 2018, the Firematic Officers are: Chief Marshall Merle, Deputy Chief Paul Hirsch, 2nd Assistant Jim Burkhardt, 3rd Assistant Dean Hendershot, 4th Assistant Tom Green, Ambulance Captain Todd Fleenor, Ambulance Lieutenant Darlene Merle, Truck Captain Aaron Hirsch, Truck Lieutenant Carl Homer, Training Captain Sean McPhee, Training Lieutenant Ryan Hinz, and Safety Officer Nate Fix.

Administrative Officers: Dean Hendershott, president; Tom Green, VP; Amanda Donnelly, recording secretary; Jennifer Merle, financial secretary; Jackqueline Lowe, treasurer; Bob Spiers, chaplain; and trustees Sean McPhee, Darlene Merle, Deb Green, Amanda Donnelly, Ryan Hinz, Matt Pietrzykowski and Nate Fix.

Ladies Auxiliary Officers: Donna Rhodes, president; Ann Buckenmeyer, VP; Kate Goodman, secretary; Colette Guarino, treasurer; Marge Kelsey, flag bearer; Donna Rhodes, chaplain; and directors Sandy Homer; Marge Kelsey and Linda Higley.

Top photo: Ryan Hinz, Firefighter of the Year.

Jenny McPhee, EMS Provider of the Year.

James Burkhardt, EMS Non-medic of the Year.

John Meier received the President's Award.

A rollover accident is reported on Route 238 near Bowen Road, Alexander.

No word on injuries.

Alexander fire and ambulance dispatched.

UPDATE 11:55 p.m.: Minor injuries.

Raymond EJ Smith Jr., 43, of Lockport Road, Oakfield, is charged with operating a snowmobile while impaired by alcohol, operating a snowmobile on a street or highway, operating a snowmobile without liability insurance, operating an unregistered snowmobile, and refusal to take a breath test. Smith and his snowmobile were found by a passerby overturned in a ditch at 10:19 p.m. Saturday on Lockport Road, Oakfield. He was not injured. The accident was investigated by Deputy Jeremy McClellan. (Initial Report)

Katherine Marie Wilkinson, 21, of Buffalo Street Road, Alexander, is charged with falsely reporting an incident. Wilkinson is accused of falsely reporting that a person hit her in the face. When deputies arrived to investigate the complaint, Wilkinson allegedly told the deputies the incident did not happen.

Jeffrey D. Freeman, 37, of South Spruce Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Freeman allegedly threw a plate at another person while at Denny's on West Main Street, Batavia.

Winston Ashton Lockhart Sr., 22, of Holland Avenue, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and acting in a manner injurious to a child. Lockhart was charged following a report of a domestic incident on Holland Avenue at 11:55 a.m. Jan. 7.

Douglas A. Curry, 66, of Grand Avenue, Rochester, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Curry was arrested on a warrant for allegedly violating an order of protection.

Franciso Martinez, 44, of Bridgeman Street, Buffalo, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, harassment, 2nd, endangering the welfare of a child, and robbery, 3rd. Martinez was allegedly in a fight with another person at a residence on Bank Street at 8:36 p.m. Thursday. During the domestic incident, he allegedly stole an item from the victim. He was jailed without bail.

Matthew J. Vickers, 38, of Court Road, Pavilion, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, speed not reasonable and prudent, and failure to keep right. Vickers was reportedly involved in a motor-vehicle accident at 8:28 p.m Jan. 6 on West Main Street, Batavia.

Information provided by the Polk County Sheriff's Office in Florida:

A man who was shot -- twice in the head, once in the arm, and once in the shoulder -- at the home of a former Alexander resident who was murdered Jan. 3 in Florida died today.

Kenneth Maier, of 7462 Berkley Road, Polk City, Fla., succumbed to injuries around 1 p.m. (Jan. 12).

William Reiss, 68, formerly of Alexander, died at the scene after a man he had sold guns to previously, came to his home, was allowed in, and allegedly shot the two men before stealing guns and a pickup truck with the aid of two accomplices.

"We are heartbroken to hear that Kenneth passed away today. We are sending our thoughts and prayers to Kenneth's family and friends. This act of vicious murder should have never happened," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

"The three suspects from Mobile, Ala., will be pending additional murder charges in relation to Kenneth Maier's death. We will send another update when additional charges are placed. We appreciate the assistance of the Mobile Police Department in this investigation."

Some of the firearms were recovered, along with the victim’s stolen truck, which was torched. All three suspects will be extradited back to Polk County to face first-degree murder and other charges.

On Jan. 6, three suspects were arrested in the case: 22-year-old Kenley Campbell, 22-year-old Darril Lamar Rankin Jr., and 18-year-old Gerjuan Demarcus Jackson all of Mobile.

Thus far, they have all been charged with:

• First-degree murder (FC)
• Attempted first-degree murder (F1)
• Armed burglary with assault/battery (F1)
• 13 counts of grand theft of a firearm (F3)
• Robbery with a firearm/deadly weapon (FL)
• Conveyance burglary (F3)
• Grand theft of a motor vehicle (F3)

For previous coverage click here and here.

A caller reported he's stuck in his vehicle, which is in the water on a flooded old Creek Creek Road, south of Peaviner.

Now he says he's out of the vehicle but has a shoulder injury.

Old Creek Road is closed due to flooding.

Alexander fire and ambulance dispatched.

UPDATE 5:53 p.m.: The road is washed out. Responders will need to come in from Hunn Road and should exercise caution.

UPDATE 7:10 p.m.: The assignment went back in service about 45 minutes ago. Fire personnel brought the victim to the medics, who were staged nearby. The truck's rear wheels were on dirt; the front wheels were submerged in floodwater. A tow company winched out the vehicle and removed it.

Press release:

Polk County Sheriff's Office homicide detectives have arrested 22-year-old Kenley Campbell and 22-year-old Darril Lamar Rankin Jr. on Saturday, Jan. 6, and 18-year-old Gerjuan Demarcus Jackson all of Mobile, Ala., on Tuesday, Jan. 9. They have all been charged with:

•  First-degree murder (FC)
• Attempted first-degree murder (F1)
• Armed burglary with assault/battery (F1)
• 13 counts of grand theft of a firearm (F3)
• Robbery with a firearm/deadly weapon (FL)
• Conveyance burglary (F3)
• Grand theft of a motor vehicle (F3)

The Polk County Sheriff's Office alleges that: on Jan. 3, Campbell, Rankin, and Jackson drove from Mobile to William Reiss’ residence in Polk City, Fla.; Jackson fired shots at William Reiss multiple times (who was found deceased in the home) and his roommate, Kenneth Maier, who is fighting for his life. Maier is still in critical/stable condition at a local hospital.

According to the investigation and admissions made by the suspects:

Jackson met William Reiss while conducting a hurricane damage estimate in 2017, and he purchased two handguns from Reiss. Detectives located an official FEMA contractor identification for Jackson during the investigation. Upon returning to Alabama, Jackson was arrested for possession of cannabis and carrying a firearm without a permit.

Campbell drove his vehicle, a Chevrolet Sonic, with Gerjuan Jackson and Darril Rankin to Florida and arrived at 7462 Berkley Road in Polk City at between 1:30 – 1:40 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 3^rd. Jackson went inside the home while they (Campbell and Rankin) stayed inside the Chevrolet Sonic.

Jackson admitted he fired several gunshots at Reiss and at Maier.

Jackson exited the residence, at which point Campbell and Rankin assisted with loading the victim’s firearm collection and flat-screen television into Campbell's trunk and the victim’s Dodge pickup truck.

When they arrived in Alabama, Jackson took the victim’s truck to a wooded area and set the pickup truck on fire.

During the investigation, detectives found six firearms, an extensive amount of ammunition, electronic devices, and clothing believed to be worn by the suspects during the incident in Campbell and Rankin’s home. Three of these firearms are from the victim’s stolen collection. Detectives also found a box of latex gloves and apparent trace amounts of blood in the Chevrolet Sonic.

Jackson said the stolen property firearms and television had been sold on “the streets,” except for the three firearms that were recovered from Campbell and Rankin’s home. Jackson estimated that a total of 20 to 25 firearms were stolen from the victim’s residence.

“Three killers traveled to Polk City all the way from Mobile, Alabama to steal firearms. William Reiss was shot and murdered, and Kenneth Maier was shot and left for dead. Maier is currently in the hospital fighting for his life. I can’t begin to say how disgusted we are at the depravity displayed by these men.” -- Grady Judd, Polk County Sheriff 

All suspects were booked into the Mobile County Metro Jail without incident and will be extradited to Polk County at a later date. The investigation is ongoing and further charges may be filed.

All suspects have previous criminal histories.

From our news partner WBTA:

William Reiss, 68, was shot to death at his home in Polk City, Fla., last Wednesday during a home-invasion robbery.

The Polk County Sheriff said he believed Reiss could have been targeted for his large gun collection.

The culprits apparently made off with more than 30 guns stolen from the crime scene along with Reiss’s pickup truck and they are currently still at large.

Reiss was an Alexander native with many family members still in the area and a former correction officer at Attica Correctional Facility.

Press release:

A video Christmas greeting from New York Army National Guard Spc. Elizabeth Taylor, a native of Alexander who is deployed to Yavoriv, Ukraine, has been posted on the Department of Defense's Video Imagery Information Distribution System (DVIDS) and for media use for registered news organizations.

The short video -- a "holiday shout out to family back home in Batavia" -- can seen above. 

Taylor is one of 220 Soldiers from the New York Army National Guard's 2nd Squadron, 101st Cavalry and the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team assisting in the training of Ukrainian Soldiers at the Yavoriv Combat Training Center as members of the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine.

The training is designed to reinforce defensive skills of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in order to increase their capacity for self-defense.

The soldiers mobilized in October and have been deployed to Ukraine since December.

A multiple vehicle accident with injuries is reported in the area 3082 Broadway Road, Alexander.

Alexander fire, ambulance and Mercy EMS dispatched.

Darien fire requested to close eastbound Route 20. Alexander fire police are closing down westbound Route 20 at Route 98.

UPDATE 7:12 a.m.: National Grid requested to the scene to deal with a downed pole and power line.

UPDATE 9:10 a.m.: Route 20 has reopened.

Andrew Young Jr., the 14-year-old Alexander High School student who saw a commercial for an invention contest while watching the Ellen Show and decided to enter his idea for the "Toaster Shooter," has won a nationwide contest sponsored by Frito-Lay.

The grand prize is $250,000.

"We are blown away," said Andrew's father, Andrew Young Sr. "I don’t know that’s kind of hit us yet. We thought we did a good job and we though we might have won but we didn’t allow ourselves to think we had won so we’re still waiting for it to sink in, including Andrew."

Andrew is in school this morning and not available for comment.

Speaking of school, that's the plan for the $250,000 prize.

"He's not going to be able to buy the Lamborghini like he thought he would," said his father, laughing. "It's a college fund. It's 100 percent a college fund. He wants to go to M.I.T. so we're going to need every penny of it."

Andrew was among five finalists selected to compete in a voting contest. For more than a month votes were collected on the MyDreamVention.com website with multiple votes per person, per device allowed.

The Youngs worked hard to promote the contest locally and in Rochester and Buffalo to help drive votes.

A one-car accident with injuries is reported at the intersection of Alexander (Route 98) and Goodman roads, Alexander. Alexander Fire Department and medics are responding.

UPDATE 1:59 p.m.: Injuries are reportedly minor. 

Press release:

Renowned soprano Emily Hellenbrook, who is a native of Alexander, will be the featured soloist at the First Presbyterian Church of Batavia this Sunday, Dec. 10.

The service begins at 10:45 a.m. and will also feature the Women's Choir, congregational singing, and a message by Rev. Dr. Roula Alkhouri.

Join us at this special time of the year as we celebrate the advent of Christ's earthly ministry. We are located at 300 E. Main St. in the City of Batavia.

A stove fire is reported at 3163 Stannard Road, Alexander.

Alexander fire, along with Town of Batavia's ladder truck and East Pembroke, dispatched.

A one-car rollover accident with minor injuries is reported on Bowen Road, between Route 238 and Attica Road, Alexander.

Alexander fire and ambulance responding.

Tomorrow (Monday) is the final day of voting in the Dreamvention invention contest sponsored by FritoLay with a $250,000 grand prize.

Andrew Young Jr., a 14-year-old high school student from Alexander, is one of five finalists.

Click here to vote for his invention, the Toaster Shooter.

You can vote once each day (so today and tomorrow) from each of the devices you own -- computer, smartphone, tablet, etc. The contestant with the most votes wins.

The protesters chanted "no more burnt fingers" and carried signs in support today of the invention of Andrew Young Jr., which is a toaster that shoots the toast onto a plate after it's perfectly browned.

Andrew came up with the invention after watching his grandma burn her fingers trying to get toast out of a toaster and entered his idea into a national contest sponsored by Frito-Lay that, if he wins, could lead to a $250,000 prize for the Alexander High School student.

"For far too long, people have suffered with burnt fingers from their toaster when the technology has been invented for us," said the young inventor's father, Andrew Young. "According to Andrew, we can make it happen."

The "protest" today was held to draw more attention to his invention and get people to vote for it in the contest.

To vote, go to AndrewsInvention.com and click on the Vote for Andrew button.

Batavia resident Tom Williams, Andrew's Invention supporter said, "I do agree that this protest is long overdue. For far too long, people, especially grandmas, have been suffering from toaster-burnt fingers when the technology to avoid it has been right in front of us. It took Andrew 'Thomas Edison' Young Jr. to bring us out of the Dark Ages."

The protesters want to remind you: You can vote daily and you can vote once each day from every device you own. You have six days left to vote.

Photos and information provided by our news partner, WBTA.