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Darien

Law and Order: Alden man accused of DWI, Batavia woman accused of possessing controlled substances

By Billie Owens

Paul K. Kellner Jr., 53, of Wescott Avenue, Alden, is charged with: driving while intoxicated; operating a motor vehicle while having a BAC of .08 percent or more; moving from lane unsafely; speed not reasonable and prudent; and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle. Kellner was arrested after a motor-vehicle collision at 9:59 p.m. April 21 on Genesee Street in Darien. He was released on an appearance ticket and is due in Town of Darien Court on June 1. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kyle Tower, assisted by Deputy Kyle Krzemien.

Rosemary Renee Waters, 35, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with: four counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree; and third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation. Waters was arrested at 1:39 a.m. today, April 23, following a traffic stop for an alleged traffic violation on Vine Street in Batavia. During the investigation it was allegedly found that Waters was operating the vehicle while her driver's license was suspended. She is accused of having four different types of controlled substances in her possession at the time. She was issued appearance tickets, then released from custody. She is due in Batavia City Court on May 11. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Gauthier, assisted by Deputy Nicholas Chamoun.

Accident reported on Route 20 in Darien

By Howard B. Owens

An injury accident is blocking Route 20 in the area of 1013 Broadway, Darien, between Harlow and Warner roads.

Darien fire and ambulance are on scene.

Photos: Easter Egg Hunt in North Darien

By Howard B. Owens

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North Darien Bible Church hosted its first-ever Easter Egg hunt today for ages 10 and under with plenty of candy and prizes for more than 100 kids who turned out. 

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Darien Center's Kylynn Bank engaged to Lee Kerwin, November wedding planned

By Billie Owens

Mr. and Mrs. Michael and Kimberly Bank, of Darien Center, NY, announce the engagement of their daughter, Kylynn Bank to Lee Kerwin, son of Glenn and Marie Kerwin of Eden, NY.

The future bride is a 2011 graduate of Alexander Central High School and a 2017 graduate of D’Youville College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Analytics. She is employed as a Healthcare Informatics Analyst at HEALTHeLINK located in Depew, NY.

The future groom is a 2013 graduate of St. Francis High School and 2017 graduate of Alfred University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is employed as a Project Engineer at Edison Welding Institute located in Buffalo, NY.

A November 2021 wedding is planned. The couple will reside in the Western New York area.

Law and Order: Walnut Street man arrested after back-to-back domestic incidents on Valentine's Day

By Billie Owens

Cody A. Bush, 35, of Walnut Street, Batavia, is charged with: two counts of third-degree assault; fourth-degree grand larceny; and two counts fourth-degree criminal mischief. Bush was arrested Feb. 14 after an investigation into physical domestic incidents at an upper apartment on Walnut Street at 5:09 p.m. and again at 6:03 p.m. that day. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and put in jail (bail, if any, unspecified). He was due back in city court Feb. 18. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Sean Wilson, assisted by Officer John Gombos.

Terry Marvin Conrad, 57, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree menacing -- with a weapon, and criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree -- with a previous conviction. Conrad was arrested after police responded to a domestic incident involving weapons that occurred on South Main Street at 11:59 a.m. Feb. 21. After an investigation it is alleged that Conrad menaced a person with a knife after engaging in a physical altercation with that person. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and released on his own recognizance. Conrad is due to return to city court on April 7. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Nicole McGinnis, assisted by Officer Peter Flanagan.

Jamie A. Dutton, 28, of South Platt Street, Albion, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree. Dutton was arrested Feb. 27 after a lab report was received by the Monroe County Crime Lab. The defendant was allegedly found to possess 1.081 grams of cocaine after an incident at 8:04 p.m. Feb. 23 on McKinley Avenue in Batavia. Dutton was issued an appearance ticket to be in City of Batavia Court on April 20. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Connor Borchert.

Cody Lee Pahuta, 29, of Alleghany Road, Darien, is charged with: driving while intoxicated -- first offense; refusal to take a breath test; and failure to keep right on a two-lane road. At 12:53 a.m. Feb. 27, Pahuta was arrested after a traffic stop on Alleghany Road. After an investigation, he was allegedly found to be driving while intoxicated by alcohol. He was released with appearance tickets and is due on Darien Town Court March 16. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kenneth Quackenbush, assisted by Deputy Erik Andre.

Dustin Corey Herzog, 32, of Albion Eagle Harbor Road, is charged with petit larceny. He was arrested Feb. 23 and is accused of stealing property from a business on East Main Street in Batavia on July 1. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and then released on his own recognizance. Herzog is due back in city court April 1. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Antonio Joseph Pisa, 19, of Hollow Hill Lane, Rochester, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana in the first degree. At 1:10 a.m. Feb. 19 on Clinton Street Road in Stafford, Pisa was allegedly found in possession of marijuana, homemade marijuana pills and crystallized THC following a traffic stop. Pisa was released on appearance tickets and is due in Stafford Town Court March 18. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy David Moore, assisted by Deputy Nicholas Chamoun.

Law and Order: Oakfield man accused of menacing and harassment

By Billie Owens

Jose Alfredo Cruz, 44, of South Pearl Street, Oakfield, is charged with second-degree menacing and second-degree harassment. At midnight on Feb. 20, Cruz was arrested after a domestic incident. It is alleged he menaced a person and made threats to harm himself. Cruz was arraigned virtually at Genesee County Jail on behalf of Town of Oakfield Court. He is due in GC court on April 5. The case was handled by Deputy Nicholas Chamoun, assisted by Deputy David Moore.

Rodney Lee Harmon Jr., 44, of Church Street, Elba, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree. Harmon was arrested at 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 19 after allegedly being found in possession of oxycodone hydrochloride when a probation officer visited his home. He was released with an appearance ticket and is due in Elba Town Court at a later date. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Travis DeMuth.

Tristan Michael Vaughn, 22, of Richley Road, Darien, is charged with: driving while intoxicated -- first offense; operating a motor vehicle while having a BAC of .08 percent or more -- first offense; unregistered motor vehicle; moving from lane unsafely. Vaughn was arrested at 6:27 p.m. Feb. 20 on Attica Road in Darien after his vehicle was located off the roadway. He was released with appearance tickets and is due in Darien Town Court on March 16. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kyle Krzemien, assisted by Sgt. Andrew Hale.

Investigation ongoing into unoccupied snowmobile hit by CSX train in Darien

By Howard B. Owens

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Deputies are continuing an investigation into an accident at about 8 p.m., Friday at Harlow Road in Darien involving an unoccupied snowmobile and a CSX train

Chief Deputy Brian Frieday said there is no new information available since Friday's incident but that deputies are tracking down some leads on the operator.

According to information related to deputies Friday night, the snowmobile was registered out of Rochester but the registration was expired. 

There were apparently tracks in the snow of somebody who walked away from the snowmobile before it was hit.

Reader-submitted photos.

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CSX train hits snowmobile at Harlow Road in Darien

By Howard B. Owens

A CSX train has reportedly hit a snowmobile on or near Harlow Road in Darien.

The caller, a CSX employee, believes the snowmobile was unoccupied.

Darien fire responding.

UPDATE 8:21 p.m.: There are apparently fresh footprints in the snow showing somebody left the scene. The tracks indicated the snowmobile was westbound.

UPDATE 8:22 p.m.: The vehicle was last registered in Rochester but the registration is expired and the last attempt at registration was denied. Train staff confirms it was unoccupied and a person was seen on foot.

UPDATE 8:24 p.m.: EMS is canceled.

Law and Order: Woman of accused of brandishing knife at officer, man accused of forcibly touching a person

By Billie Owens

Alicia M. Lyons, 41, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with: petit larceny; menacing a police officer; and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree. Lyons was arrested on Feb. 5 following an investigation of a larceny that occurred at 5:37 p.m. that day at the Kwik Fill on Jackson Street in the city. When confronted by law enforcement, Lyons allegedly brandished a knife toward a police officer. She was arrainged in city court and was due there on Feb. 10. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer John Gombos, assisted by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Lucas H. Benjamin, 69, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with forcible touching. He was arrested at about 2:20 p.m. on Jan. 28 after allegedly inappropriately touching an employee at a business on Bank Street in the city. He was issued an appearance ticket to be in Batavia City Court on March 9. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Miah Stevens.

Jason L. Jones, 49, of 76 Road, Brooktondale, is charged with: trespass; first-degree reckless endangerment; second-degree assault; and operating a vehicle with suspended registration. On Feb. 8, Jones was located on Jefferson Avenue in the City of Batavia and taken into custody without incident on an arrest warrant out of city colurt. The warrant stems from an incident on Dewey Avenue in Batavia that occurred at 5:25 a.m. Dec. 16. It is alleged that Jones struck a female with his vehicle during a domestic incident, causing injury to the victim. Jones was arraigned and put in jail on $2,000 cash bail or $4,000 bond or $8,000 partially secured bond. Jones is due in city court March 11. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Felicia DeGroot.

Alexander L. Baldwin, 32, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with third-degree grand larceny. He was arrested Feb. 8 after a fraud complaint on North Street in the city alleging that he was paid money for a construction job he never began. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court, released under supervision of Genesee Justice and is due back in court April 15. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Sean Wilson, assisted by Officer John Gombos.

James Erick James, 41, of West Creek Drive, Webster, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree harassment. He was arrested Feb. 12 on a warrant out of Town of Bergen Court and transported to Genesee County Court for virtual arraignment. His case stems from an incident (unspecified) that occurred at 4:43 p.m. on Dec. 14 on Route 33 in Bergen. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Chad Cummings.

Daniel Myles Macleod, 33, of East Main Street, Corfu, is charged with: aggravated driving while intoxicated; aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree; driving while intoxicated -- with a previous offense; circumventing a required ignition interlock device; refusal to take a breath test; speed not reasonable and prudent; and operating an unregistered motorcycle. Macleod was arrested Feb. 13 at 4:22 p.m. after an investigation of a  motor-vehicle accident that occurred at 5:45 p.m. Nov. 27 on Alleghany Road in Darien. Macleod was issued traffic tickets and is due in Town of Darien Court on April 6. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Jonathan Dimmig, assisted by Deputy Kyle Krzemien.

Patrick Thomas Fuhr, 61, of Union Street, Cheektowaga, is charged with: reckless driving; obstructing governmental administration in the second degree; failure to signal, operating an unregistered motor vehicle on a public highway; and aggravated unlicensed operation in the second degree. At 4 p.m. on Jan. 29, Genesee County Sheriff's deputies attempted to contact Fuhr on Buffalo Road in Bergen, and he allegedly tried to flee the scene once they made contact. He is due in Bergen Town Court on March 3. The case was handled by Deputy Ryan Young.

Brandon C. Smart, 43, of Highland Park, Batavia, is charged with: harassment in the second degree; criminal trespass in the second degree; and criminal mischief in the fourth degree. Smart was arrested after a domestic incident on Liberty Street that occurred at 11:15 a.m. on Feb. 8. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and released under supervision of Genesee Justice. He is due in city court on March 25. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Adam Tucker, assisted by Officer Connor Borchert.

Shaun Marquise Dukes, 39, of Elba Street, Rochester, is charged with: aggravated unlicensed operator of a motor vehicle in the first degree; unregistered motor vehicle; and uninspected motor vehicle. On Feb. 12 Dukes was arrested at 8:43 a.m. on Route 33 in Stafford after a traffic stop. It is alleged that Dukes was operating a motor vehicle and had a revoked non-driver indentification card with 27 suspensions/revocations. Dukes was released with appearance tickets and is due in Stafford Town Court on March 16. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Travis DeMuth.

Randy L. Ridd, 63, of Williams Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. He was arrested after an investigation of an incident that occurred at a business on East Main Street in Batavia at 11:28 a.m. on Feb. 7. It is alleged Ridd took laundry detergent pods from a store without paying for them. He was issued an appearance ticket to be in Batavia City Court on April 27. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Connor Borchert, assisted by Officer Joshua Girvin.

Alicia M. Lyons, 41, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. She was arrested after an investigation of a larceny that occurred at 3:11 p.m. on Jan. 29 at the Kwik Fill on Jackson Street in the city. She was released with an appearance ticket to be in city court April 13. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer John Gombos, assisted by Officer Peter Post.

Cameron Jacob Sokolowski, 28, of River Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. He was arrested Feb. 5 after a shoplifting complaint at a store on Veterans Memorial Drive in Batavia at 10:58 a.m. It is alleged he stole items from the store. He was taken to jail then released on an appearance ticket to be in Batavia Town Court on March 11. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kyle Krzemien, assisted by Deputy Mathew Clor.

Highway Department announces plans to replace bridge on Darien Alexander Townline Road

By Press Release

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Press release:

Genesee County will be replacing the Darien Alexander Townline Road Bridge over Tannery Brook just south of Attica Road in the towns of Darien and Alexander.

Construction is expected in Spring 2022, with an anticipated construction duration of four to six months. The bridge will be replaced with new prestressed box beams with cast-in-place abutments.

All work is to be completed within the existing highway boundary. The bridge is funded with 80-percent federal aid and a 20-percent local match.

For details of the project, click here (pdf).

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Law and Order: Le Roy man accused of driving in Wyoming County while impaired by drugs

By Billie Owens

Michael J. Stack Jr., 44, of Le Roy (no address provided) was arrested by NYS troopers out of Warsaw Feb. 7 for driving while ability impaired by drugs. It is alleged that Stack exhibited signs of impairment during a traffic stop on Route 246 in Town of Perry. According to their police report, Stack failed standardized field sobriety tests. He was transported to SP Warsaw barracks where he was evaluated by a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) from the Warsaw Police Department. Stack was released with appearance tickets for the Town of Perry court, where he is due at a later date.

A male who lives on Garfield Street in Holland and a female who lives on Cherry Tree Lane in Alden, both age 18, were arrested Feb. 16 in connection with an incident that occurred at Six Flags Darien Lake at 1 a.m. on Dec. 12. Their names are not disclosed because they may qualify for youthful offender status (at the time of the incident). It is alleged they climbed over multiple fences and trespassed in restricted areas of the Six Flags property. They were released with appearance tickets to be in Town of Darien Court at a date to be determined.

Accident reported on Route 20 in Darien

By Howard B. Owens

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A two-car accident is reported in the area of 606 Broadway Road, Darien. The location is west of Harlow Road, near the county line road.

A first responder reports a vehicle is off the roadway in a ditch. A person is trapped, extrication required, possible serious injury.

Darien fire and Corfu fire dispatched.

The westbound lane of Route 20 is blocked.

UPDATE 11:45 a.m.: A second ambulance is requested to the scene for a driver requesting transport.

UPDATE(S) (By Billie) 11:51 a.m.: The entrapped driver has a minor child who was not in the vehicle, but will need to be transported. There is also a male who ran from the scene and ran into a house. Law enforcement is attempting to gain entry to the house.

UPDATE 12:02 p.m.: Medics have made contact with the entrapped patient and are extricating the person.

UPDATE 12:04 p.m.: Mercy medics are transporting a patient to ECMC.

UPDATE 12:08 p.m.: A total of four ambulances were called to the scene. First responders are still trying to contact the fourth patient, the man who ran into a house.

UPDATE 12:18 p.m.: Two patients were transported to hospitals -- the entrapped driver to ECMC and a child to Children's Hospital in Buffalo. A third patient was a sign-off. Law enforcement was unable to make contact with the fourth patient -- a male who ran from the scene into a house. The Darien assignment is back in service.

Photos courtesy Erie County Blotter.

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Darien Center's Maria Fontaine named to dean's list at Cazenovia College

By Billie Owens

Maria Fontaine, of Darien Center, was named to the Cazenovia College dean's list for the Fall 2020 semester. Those named to the dean's list have achieved a 3.5 or better grade-point average.

Cazenovia College is an independent, co-educational college near Syracuse offering graduate and bachelor degree programs in the liberal arts and professional studies in an exceptional community environment, with academic and co-curricular programs devoted to developing leaders in their fields.

Cazenovia has been named a "Best College" by U.S. News & World Report for 17 consecutive years and has also been recognized by Money and Washington Monthly as a best value institution. For more information, visit www.cazenovia.edu.

Six baby calves struck by pickup truck in Darien

By Billie Owens

Six baby calves were struck by a tan F-150 Ford pickup truck in Darien in front of the Miller farm property at 2272 Bennett Road, according to a caller to the emergency dispatch center. 

Four are down and one is blocking the roadway. A Sheriff's deputy is en route and so is the owner of calves.

UPDATE 7:24  a.m.: More calves are reportedly on Ridge Road and they are running in the roadway near Richley Road, according to another caller to dispatch, who did not know their direction of travel. "The owner is going to get a skip loader" to remove the deceased calves on Bennett Road.

UPDATE 7:34 a.m.: A caller says bovines are walking down the driveway at 9711 Ridge Road.

Postal carrier suffers minor injuries when van goes into ditch in Darien

By Billie Owens

A U.S. Postal Service van went down in a ditch in Darien and the postal worker driving it has minor injuries.

The location of the accident is 9851 Alleghany Road.

Darien fire and Mercy medics are responding. A deputy in on scene.

UPDATE 4:45 p.m.: Mercy medics are going to ECMC.

Urban family thanks firefighters, friends, family, coworkers, neighbors and community for their help after garage fire

By Press Release

From Brittany Urban:

Our family wants to express our sincere gratitude and thanks to our friends, family, coworkers, neighbors and community. A couple of weeks (Dec. 15) ago we lost so many of our personal belongings that were stored in our garage to a fire.

We never would have imagined in a million years this would happen to us and were completely shocked, heartbroken and devastated.

After the incident, so many people reached out to us to provide comfort, support, kind words, prayers, donations, their time, and to check in on us.

We found so much comfort in knowing we weren't going through this experience alone and we cannot express in words how much we appreciate each and every one of you.

We also would like to specifically thank the following: Pembroke & Indian Falls fire departments, Alabama, Town & City of Batavia fire departments, Corfu, Darien & East Pembroke fire departments, along with Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Young, who was the law enforcement officer on scene.

The hard work of all these firefighters prevented us from losing our house in the fire as well. We are so thankful that didn't happen and that our family was not hurt.

Also, a special thanks to Officer Young who stayed by our side the entire time and helped us stay as calm as possible and went above and beyond for us.

Thank you to each and every one of you who risk your lives every day to help others and do everything you can to keep them safe.

In such a dark, uncertain, negative world these days it's nice to know that there are still good, kind people out there who are willing to come together and support one another in times of tragedy.

We wish each and every one of you a very happy and healthy new year.

Warmest regards,

-- The Urban Family

Fire reported in living room of residence on Richley Road in Darien

By Billie Owens

A third-party caller reports a living room fire in a residence at 1781 Richley Road in Darien. Darien Fire Department and Ambulance Service are responding, along with Mercy medics. The location is between Colby and Harper roads.

UPDATE 6:58 p.m.: An engine and manpower from Corfu are called to respond as mutual aid.

UPDATE 7:04 p.m.: A chief on scene says units responding can continue in nonemergency mode as a precaution; a thermal-imaging camera will be deployed.

UPDATE 7:34 p.m.: The Darien and Corfu assignments are back in service.

Tree blocking traffic on South Lake Road, Darien

By Billie Owens

On South Lake Road near Genesee Street in Darien a tree is completely down in the roadway, blocking traffic, according to a dispatcher. County Highway Department is being notified and a deputy is responding.

UPDATE 12:54 p.m.: A deputy reports someone has come along and cut up the tree and removed most of it from the roadway, although there some debris remains. County Highway's response is cancelled.

Motorcycle accident reported on Route 77 in Darien

By Howard B. Owens

A motorcyclist is reportedly down in the roadway and not alert at the intersection of Route 77 and Sumner Road, Darien.

Darien Fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 5:51 p.m.: Mercy Flight on ground standby. The patient is talking but medics still evaluating.

UPDATE 5:56 p.m.: Mercy Flight dispatched. The landing zone will be at the Darien Fire Hall. The patient is incoherent. 

UPDATE 6:07 p.m.: A medic is released from the scene to respond to a nearby medical call.

UPDATE 6:37 p.m.: Mercy Flight is airborne with the patient, heading to ECMC.

Accident reported in Darien on Walker Road

By Billie Owens

A motor-vehicle accident is reported in Darien at 2198 Walker Road. A black mini van is in a ditch. Darien fire and ambulance are responding. 

A Mercy rig is also called in non-emergency mode. A first responder reports occupants are out; minor injuries.

The location is between Smithley and Simonds roads.

UPDATE 5:16 p.m.: A flatbed tow is called for the Chrysler mini van.

UPDATE 5:19 p.m.: Mercy's response is cancelled by command.

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