Bergen

A bicyclist has has been involved in an accident at Le Roy Street and Clinton Street in the Village of Bergen.

The rider apparently suffered a collarbone injury.

The rider is believed to have struck something and fallen over the bike handles.

Bergen Fire Department and an ambulance are responding.

UPDATE 8:25 p.m.: Bergen medics have the patient ready for transport. Mercy EMS is in route.

I'm in Byron/Bergen on a beautiful summer day? Of course I'm going to try and make a few pictures.

Above a barn off Route 237.

High power lines a little further up Route 237.

Old truck, Swamp Road.

Train crossing Ivison Road, Stafford.

A few minutes ago, a white car was reportedly driving eastbound near the Bergen exit on Route 490 in the westbound lane. Monroe County was notified. State troopers are alerted.

A large white stake truck has reportedly hit a vehicle in the area of Route 33 and West Bergen Road, Bergen, and left the scene.

The vehicle was reportedly headed toward Le Roy.

No injuries are reported. The vehicle that was struck is waiting roadside for law enforcement to respond.

Daniel Clarence Merrell, 45, of Rose Road, Batavia, is charged with grand larceny, 3rd. Merrell is accused of stealing scrap metal form his employer in June. Merrell was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Daniel W. Brown, 26, of Oneida, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .13 and speeding. Brown was stopped by State Police on Monday, on Route 77 in Darien as part of an enforcement detail in the area. During the detail, troopers issued 16 tickets to motorists for various alleged violations.

Danielle M. Stevens, 35, of Elba, is charged with possession of a forged instrument. Stevens was arrested by State Police on Friday for an alleged incident reported July 10. No further details were released.

Brittany B. Simmons, 19, of Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Simmons was cited in Bergen on Friday by State Police.

Ashley R. Keene, 24, of 244 Liberty St., Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Keene is accused of providing bath salts to a juvenile to snort.

Chad E. Merle, 31, of 3225 Broadway Road, Alexander, is charged criminal contempt, 1st. Merle is accused of sending multiple text messages to a person protected from contact by a court order.

Jamie E. Andrews, 19, of 15 School St., Batavia, is charged with harassment,1st. Andrews is accused of continually following around her ex-boyfriend and driving by his house repeatedly for no legitimate purpose. Andrews was previously arrested by Batavia PD for allegedly harassing her ex-boyfriend.

Valerie Marie Covill, 23, of Oaklawn Drive, Rochester, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to keep right and unlawful possession of marijuana. Covill was charged following a one-vehicle accident at 12:014 a.m., June 28, at 3064 Galloway Road, Batavia. The accident was investigated by Deputy James Diehl and Deputy Matthew Fleming.

Peter James Przybyl, 19, of Peachy Road, Bergen, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and unreasonable speed on a curve. Przybyl was arrested following a motor-vehicle accident at 3:10 a.m., Saturday, on Route 19, Bergen. The accident was investigated by Deputy Frank Bordonaro.

Kelly Elizabeth Howard, 19, of Judge Road, Oakfield, is charged with two counts of petit larceny. Howard was allegedly observed by loss prevention at Target shoplifting June 8 and July 16. Howard allegedly stole merchandise worth $64.60.

Quentin Israel Humphrey, 20, of East Bethany Road, Le Roy, is charged with unlawful dealing with a child. Humphrey is accused of hosting an underage drinking party.

Justin Baehr, 21, of Linwood Road, Le Roy, is charged with DWI and unlawful possession of marijuana. Baehr was observed early Sunday morning allegedly driving erratically, swerving in and out of his lane on West Main Street, Village of Le Roy, and operating with a loud exhaust. During the traffic stop, officers allegedly found marijuana, marijuana paraphernalia and other apparent drug paraphernalia. Additional drug charges possible pending the outcome of lab tests.

Michael Perdue, 49, of West Broad Street, Rochester, and Jeffrey L. Hayes, 47, of Meadow Circle, Avon, are charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd. Perdue was allegedly operating a vehicle at 4:46 p.m., Sunday, on Route 237 in Byron. Perdue was stopped for allegedly speeding. An ID check revealed Perdue allegedly has 13 prior suspensions on his driving record. Hayes was allegedly found in possession of a crack pipe with residue. Perdue was stopped by Deputy Brad Mazur, who was assisted at the scene by Deputy Chad Minuto.

Matthew James Pietrzykowski, 19, of Bethany Center Road, East Bethany, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and moving from lane unsafely. Pietrzykowski was taken into custody following a report of a vehicle in a dith at 1:15 a.m., Sunday, in the area of 3630 Broadway, Alexander. The accident was investigated by Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Nicholas A. Antonucci, 25, of 4192 Broadway Road, Alexander, is charged with burglary, 2nd, grand larceny, 3rd, and grand larceny, 4th. Antonucci is accused of stealing a shotgun from a residence in the Town of Gainesville and of stealing a dirt bike from a residence in the Town of Covington. The shotgun was reportedly recovered in Batavia. Antonucci was already in the Wyoming County Jail on $100,000 bail charged with other burglaries and thefts. On each of the new charges, $50,000 was added to Antonucci's bail.

Jordan Kyle Prentice, 21, of Batavia Oakfield Townline Road, Batavia, is charged with DWAI, unlawful possession of marijuana, failure to keep right and driving left of pavement marking. Prentice was stopped at 12:42 p.m., June 22, on Judge Road, Alabama, by Sgt. Tom Sanfratello for allegedly driving down the middle of the road. Prentice is accused of driving under the influence of marijuana.

Bradley Micheal Crandall, 44, of Lake Street, Le Roy. Crandall is accused of stealing cans of beer from Tops in Le Roy. He was apprehended after a short foot chase by a store employee.

John Arthur Smith, 45, West Bergen Road, Le Roy, is charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. Smith is accused of interfering with an investigation into a domestic incident. He allegedly pushed a deputy's arm away several times as the deputy attempted to place him into custody.

Sarah P. Nichols, 29, of 112 Ellsworth Ave., Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Nichols is accused of stealing $50 from the cash drawer at her place of employment on West Main Street.

Lucas George Yauchzee, 22, of West Bergen Road, Bergen, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Yauchzee is accused of grabbing another person by the arms and pushing that person backwards during an argument.

Christine M. Krug-Leach, 45, of 703 W. Ferry St., Buffalo, is charged with DWI, DWAI and refusal to submit to breath test. Krug-Leach was stopped at 11:11 p.m. on West Main Street, Le Roy, by Le Roy PD following a report of an erratic driver.

Matthew R. Mancini, 26, of Bedford, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and moving from lane unsafely. Mancini was stopped at 11 p.m., Tuesday, in the Village of Alexander by State Police.

Scott Sullivan, 32, of Darien, is charged with a traffic device violation (sign). Sullivan was issued an appearance ticket by State Police on Wednesday morning.

Matthew S. Ryan, 29, of Chittenango, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Ryan was detained by State Police in Darien at 7 p.m., Tuesday.

A natural gas leak has been reported at the meter of 15 Church St., Bergen, the location of Bonduelle Foods.

RG&E called in the leak.

Bergen Fire Department is being dispatched.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at Route 33 and West Bergen Road. Bergen Fire Department and Mercy EMS are responding.

UPDATE 7:11 p.m.: There are three vehicles involved. There was airbag deployment, but injuries appear to be minor. The westbound lane is blocked.

UPDATE 7:14 p.m.: They want traffic stopped at 33 and West Bergen Road "so nobody goes north."

UPDATE 7:39 p.m.: Bergen is back in service, with the exception of one unit. The roadway is being reopened.

A shed fire is reported at 7410 Ivison Road in Byron. It is connected (or close) to a barn. Byron, South Byron and Bergen fire departments are responding.

UPDATE 7:01 p.m.: Elba is called to stand in at the Byron Fire Hall.

UPDATE 7:04 p.m.: Firefighters on scene report smoke is showing. The location is between Gillett and Freeman roads.

UPDATE 7:08 p.m.: The response from Elba and Bergen is cancelled.

UPDATE 7:14 p.m.: This was actually a tractor on fire, which was parked in the shed. The fire is out and the tractor has been removed from the shed. The inside of the shed has been hosed down.

UPDATE 7:21 p.m.: Byron is back in service. South Byron is remaining until the scene is picked up/cleaned up.

A bear spotted in a wooded area near the juncture of Buffalo Road and Rochester Street in Bergen is said to be creating a traffic hazard. People are stopping, slowing down and otherwise rubbernecking to get a look at the bear. A sheriff deputy is responding.

UPDATE 3:59 p.m.: The deputy just reported that the bear was "gone upon arrival" and that there are no traffic issues.

A possible grass fire in two spots is reported in the woods off westbound Route 490 in the area of mile marker 0.9. Bergen and Le Roy fire departments are called to investigate.

UPDATE 12:23 p.m.: Firefighters found five or six large controlled burns. The farmer had notified the Emergency Dispatch Center beforehand about the planned burns. However, authorities decided because of their location, they should be looked at for safety reasons. The responders are back in service. And the property owner, who is actually on Lake Street Road, is "highly agitated" with the situation.

The annual Bergen community picnic was held Saturday in the town park. The event featured live music, games, food and what you would expect to find at a picnic -- pick-up football and basketball games. After sunset, there was a fireworks show.

If you're unable to view the slide show, click here. To purchase prints, click here.

A small brush fire is reported off the eastbound lanes of Route 490. Bergen Fire Department is on scene but since it's determined to be in Churchville's district, that fire department is handling it.

A two-car accident is reported at the intersection of routes 19 and 33. One person is believed to be injured and the accident is not blocking. Bergen Fire Department and Mercy EMS are responding.

UPDATE 4:11 p.m.: A responder on scene reports there are two people injured. One is complaining of head pain and the other has general pain. A second ambulance is dispatched.

UPDATE 4:34 p.m.: One patient is being transported to Strong Memorial Hospital.

UPDATE 4:39 p.m.: The second patient is being taken to UMMC.

UPDATE 4:45 p.m.: Bergen fire is back in service.

A Bergen resident who inflated payroll claims and was convicted by a jury of grand larceny will have to repay at least $3,000, Judge Robert C. Noonan ruled today. But whether she will be required to pay back the remainder of the more than $14,000 her former employer claims she stole is still an open question.

Michele Ann Case, 46, of North Bergen Road, Bergen, may have to pay an additional $7,000, but that question also is yet to be answered.

Case's potential total restitution is complicated by two factors.

First, on the grand larceny charge, the statute only requires the jury to determine the defendant stole at least $3,000, so without reviewing the evidence Noonan cannot order a restitution amount greater than $3,000.

Second, Homecare and Hospice is asking for restitution on the $7,000 it spent in uncovering Case's inflated payroll claims. Noonan isn't sure he has the authority to order restitution for such a claim.

Meanwhile, Public Defender Gary Horton made it clear, Case currently has no resources to repay any amount of money, even the $1,000 deductible on the insurance policy that covered Homecare and Hospice's losses.

When asked by Noonan how much Case could pay in monthly installments, Horton said Case is currently unemployed. Her only income is $600 in child support payments. Her house in foreclosure, the gas and phone have been turned off. The electricity was off, but has been restored.

"Her situation is financially desperate and on the edge of disaster," Horton said. "I can't in good conscience, with her only income coming from child support payments, suggest any amount for installment payments."

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman told Noonan there had been no evidence submitted to substantiate Case's financial condition and he wondered what sort of effort Case has put forward to find a job -- any job -- to help make payments.

Noonan agreed that it was difficult to require Case to make payments from her child support, but also suggested Case needs to find a job. He ordered Case back to court in 30 days to review her ability to make payments.

Meanwhile, Noonan will await the preparation of trial transcripts (necessary for Case's appeal as well) so he can determine if the prosecution submitted sufficient evidence to support a restitution claim of $14,600. 

He also asked Horton to prepare a memo, supported by case law, on why Homecare and Hospice isn't entitled an additional $7,000.

If Noonan determines he can order the additional restitution, there would be a restitution hearing and Horton indicated that Case -- who didn't testify at her criminal trial -- would testify at that hearing on her own behalf.

When Noonan sentenced Case on May 22, he kept her out of prison, he said, for the sake of her two children, age 10 and 15. Case was sentenced to four months of weekends in jail followed by five years probation.

There were several Memorial Day observances throughout Genesee County today.  Here are photos from the Genesee County Park, Williams Park, the VA Center, the Bergen parade, the Batavia parade and the St. Jerome's ceremony.

If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here.

To purchase prints of these photos, click here.