A person out walking a dog heard a bang, like a door slamming, and then saw a white male dressed in black quickly leave a residence on Morton Avenue.

Batavia PD responded and the subject was located.

Officers were checking for unlocked vehicles and, if they found any, were asking residents to check and see if anything was missing.

The resident of the original complaint was not at home at the time and it's unknown if the subject dressed in black made entry.

Kerry L. Norton, 33, of Porter Avenue, Batavia, is charged with operating a motor vehicle with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving while intoxicated, DWI -- Leandra's Law, and endangering the welfare of a minor. At 2:31 a.m. on April 16, Norton was arrested after being stopped for multiple traffic violations. Norton performed field sobriety tests, which he allegedly failed. Officers discovered that two of his passengers were juveniles under age 16. Officers later discovered that Norton allegedly allowed the children to smoke marijuana in the vehicle while he was driving. He was jailed without bail and set to return to court today. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Peter Flanagan, assisted by Officer Eric Foels.

Deniz M. Pirincci, 59, Garden Drive, Batavia, is charged with owning an unlicensed dog and owning a dog running at large. At 9:32 p.m. on March 27, Pirincci's dog was running at large and allegedly attacked another dog that was being walked by its owner on Garden Drive. Following at investigation, he was issued at appearance ticket for April 12. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Kevin DeFelice.

Joseph A. Monte, 52, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with third-degree robbery, second-degree harassment, and criminal obstruction of breathing. He was arrested at 2:32 a.m. on April 17 after an investigation into a domestic incident that occurred a short time earlier on Walnut Street. He was jailed and set to be in court today. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Eric Foels.

Carlos Samol, 51, of Libersty Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree menacing. He was arrested after an incident at 8:07 p.m. on April 17 on Ellicott Street in which Samol allegedly menaced another person with what appeared to be a pistol. He was jailed on $5,000 bail and is to appear in City Court today. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay. In addition, he was charged with second-degree criminal contempt for allegedly riding in a car with another person in violation of a complete stay-away order of protection. On the latter charge, the case was handled by Officer Christopher Lindsay, assisted by Mitchell Cowen.

Frank J. Finley Jr., 33, of Dellinger Avenue, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment and endangering the welfare of a child. Finley was arrested following an investigation into a domestic incident in the city at 11:40 p.m. on April 9. He was due in court on April 11. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Felicia DeGroot, assisted by Officer Peter Flanagan.

Riley J. Cole, 20, of Garibaldi Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with second-degree harassment. The charge stems from an incident on Walnut Street at 3:50 p.m. on April 8 wherein Cole allegedly struck an ARC staff member in the face. Cole is to appear in City Court Tuesday. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay, assisted by Officer Chad Richards.

Zachary Vernon Seeley, 19, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment and fourth-degree criminal mischief. He was arrested following an altercation at 3:11 p.m. on April 13 at 555 E. Main St. with another resident at that location. Seeley allegedly became upset with the other resident and punched a hole in a wall there, prior to allegedly shoving the other resident. He was jailed in lieu of $500 bail and was due in court on April 14. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Chad Richards, assisted by Officer Stephen Cronmiller.

Taheed M. Moffett, 31, of Turner Street, Rochester, is charged with criminal mischief -- $250 in damages, resisting arrest and second-degree obstruction of governmental administration. Moffett was arrested at 8:56 p.m. on April 19 on Pearl Street. The defendant was to appear in April 12. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Scott D. Higgins, 35, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, with a BAC of .18 percent or more, DWI -- common law, third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, failure to use headlights, and operation of a motor vehicle by an unlicensed driver. At 2:22 a.m. on April 16, officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle without headlights on West Main Street at Burger King. Higgins was allegedly found to be operating the vehicle while intoxicated and he was subsequently arrested for DWI and issued tickets. He is scheduled to be in City Court on April 27. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins, assisted by Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk. Higgins was subsequently arrested at 1 p.m. on April 19 for failure to appear on a charge stemming from an incident on Aug. 12, 2014, on West Main Street.  He was jailed, then released after posting $200 bail. He is to appear in City Court on this matter Tuesday. The case was handled by Officer Wojtaszczyk, assisted by Officer Perkins.

Christopher Michael Barone, 33, of Lawrence Avenue, Corfu, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and second-degree aggravated unlicensed operator. He was arrested at 7:59 p.m. on April 8 after a traffic stop on Main Street in Batavia. He was found to have a suspended driver's license (14 suspensions on four dates) and also had an active warrant out of the Town of Batavia for third-degree aggravated unlicensed operator. He was also allegedly found to possess cocaine. He was jailed on $1,000 bail and was to be in City Counrt on April 11. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Darryle Streeter.

Terry L. Travis Jr., 33, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, is charged with driving while intoxicated, first offense, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, 3rd, refusal to take a breath test and illegal signal. He was arrested at 1:38 p.m. on March 25 and released with an appearance ticket for City Court on April 27. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk, assisted by Officer Eric Foels.

Robin D. Dixon, 28, of Barbie Court, Rochester, is charged with driving while intoxicated, driving while intoxicated -- common law, and driving the wrong direction on a one-way street. Dixon was arrested at 2:08 a.m. on April 9 after she was observed allegedly driving the wrong way on a portion of School Street, downtown. After a traffic stop, she was arrested for allegedly driving in an intoxicated condition. She is to be in court on April 20. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins, assisted by Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk.

Brian V. Bisig, 29, of Transit Road, Elba, is charged with having insufficient tail lamps and second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation. At 9:47 p.m. on April 14, Bisig was stopped for having a defective tail lamp in the area of West Main and River streets. He was arrested and posted $200 bail and is to be in City Court on April 27. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Chad Richards, assisted by Officer Christopher Camp.

Johnney Lee Shannon, 57, of Creek Road, Batavia, is charged with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and unattended motor vehicle. Shannon was arrested at 1:06 p.m. April 11 on West Main Street Road, Batavia, after allegedly leaving his vehicle running unattended in the parking lot of a local business. The defendant was issued an appearance ticket for City Court on May 3. Subsequently, Shannon was arrested on a warrant out of Wyoming County. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jason Davis, assisted by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Nathan S. Love, 23, of Montclair Avenue, Batavia, is charged with failure to appear. He was arrested on a City of Batavia warrant that was issued after he failed to appear on a charge stemming from an incident on Feb. 27 on West Main Street, Batavia. He was jailed on $500 bail and was to be in City Court this afternoon. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Arick Perkins, assisted by Officer Felicia DeGroot.

Gregory F. Frieday, 31, of Osterhout Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass and criminal mischief -- intent to damage property. He was arrested at 11:20 p.m. on April 9 and was issued an appearance ticket for court on May 3. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Matthew Wojtaszczyk, assisted by Officer Eric Foels.

Timothy J. Wood Sr., 27, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment. He was arrested at 12:30 p.m. on April 3 following an investigation stemming from his allegedly threatening individuals. He was jailed on $1,000 bail and was to be in court on April 7. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Cronmiller.

Kyle Ratulowski, 20, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, was arrested on two counts of petit larceny after attempting to pawn items he allegedly stole from unsecured vehicles overnight while in the City of Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket and is to be in City Court on Tuesday. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jason Davis. Deputy Young from the Genesee County Sheriff's Office assisted in the investigation. The Sheriff's Office also had charges on Ratulowski for allegedly stealing items from unsecured vehicles in the Town of Batavia. He was jailed on those charges.

Kiha S. McNear, 18, of 1/2 Walnut St., Batavia, was arrested at 9:45 a.m. on April 11 after police responded to a report of a physical altercation in the parking lot of Tim Horton's. While police were interviewing multiple subjects, McNear became upset that poluce had stopped him and allegedly started using absive language and shouting obscenities and racial epithets toward police. He was subsequently arrested and issued an appearance ticket for city court at a later date. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Marc Lawrence, assisted by Sgt. Daniel Coffey. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay, assisted by Officer Kevin DeFelice.

Kasey J. Wagner, 34, of Fletcher Chapel Road, Shelby, is charged with failure to appear. Wagner was arrested on a warrant issued her failure to appear in court on a charge of third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation. Wagner was jailed on $250 bail and was due in court April 11.

Christina A. Cotter, 23, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, charged with second-degree criminal contempt. Cotter was arrested on April 4 after violating a complete stay-away order of protection issued by City Court by allegedly sending several text messages to the protected party. Cotter was to be in court April 12. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jamie Givens.

Ralph A. Golding, 51, of Broadway, Alden, was arrested April 11 on a bench warrant out of City Court. The warrant was issued after Golding allegedly failed to pay a fine in relation to a conviction for petit larceny. The defendant was due in court April 13. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Kathryn F. Long, 21, of Harris Road, Le Roy was arrested on April 14^th by the Le Roy Police Department and charged with petit larceny, a Class A misdemeanor. Long was arrested following a complaint of an alleged larceny in progress from Tops Market located in the Village. Long allegedly took $5.89 worth of merchandise from Tops. She was issued an appearance ticket and is to appear in Le Roy Town Court on May 19.

Kenneth A. McJury, 52, of 1/2 Highland Park, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. McJury was arrested following an investigated into a larceny at 5:57 p.m. April 6 at the Kwik Fill on Jackson Street. He was issued an appearance ticket for City Court on April 12. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Cronmiller, assisted by Arick Perkins.

Press release:

The City’s Republicans have given incumbent Councilman Adam Tabelski their unanimous endorsement for the council-at-large seat that’s up for election this fall. Tabelski was appointed by City Council to succeed John Deleo who was elected to the County Legislature last fall.

“Adam was selected to fill Mr. Deleo’s term because of his past experience in government and he’s already proven that was the right decision,” said Committee Chair David Saleh. “He’s has done a great job representing the City’s residents and the Committee is excited to support his election to finish John’s term.”

Tabelski, 36, is an account manager at Wendel Engineering, and served several years as trustee and mayor in the Village of Medina before moving to Batavia early last year.

Tabelski said he’s honored to receive the Republican Committee’s support and looks forward to the campaign this summer and fall. “I enjoy public service and look forward to my election so I can continue my efforts to enhance our neighborhoods and make Batavia a better place to live and work.”

Multiple law enforcement units, along with a helicopter and a K-9, are searching the Seven Springs Road area for a reported missing person.

We'll provide more information if it becomes available.

UPDATE 10:11 p.m.: The focus of the search, "a vulnerable adult female," has been located and is being returned home. "She is in good spirits and is refusing EMS," says a responder.

UPDATE 6:43 a.m.: The 76-year-old woman who was subject of the search lived on Haven Lane, according to the Sheriff's Office, which is where the search began at 8:15 p.m. The woman was locatec by a Batavia PD officer at 9:58 p.m. at an unspecified location and returned home safely. 

An out-of-control brush fire is reporred at 6925 Transit Road, north of Route 262. Byron and South Byron fire departments are responding.

An out-of-control brush fire is reported at 9309 Clipnock Road, Stafford. The location is between Sweetland and Torrey roads. Stafford Fire Department is responding.

This afternoon a Stafford family's chocolate Labrador retriever went missing. "Max" is 3 years old and his best friend is the family's 7-year-old child.

"Our family is devastated and we believe that he may have been stolen because he never leaves the yard ever," says Kevin Wolff. "We would give anything to have our Max back."

The dog is wearing a camouflage-colored collar and a Superman tag with his home address on it -- 5774 Sweetland Road, Stafford.

If you've seen Max or have helpful information, phone Kevin at 409-5599. NO QUESTIONS ASKED!

UPDATE 5:14 p.m.: Max has been found and is happily reunited with his family and his little BFF.

A four-wheeler accident in Bergen is reported somewhere near West Shore Trails, west of Route 19. Possible serious injuries. The caller is a "hysterical male" and the victim is a female who is unconscious. Mercy Flight is on ground standby. Bergen fire and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 1:14 p.m.: The location "is believed to be on West Sweden" Road.

UPDATE 1:53 p.m.: The female was conscious by the time medics were on scene. She has some "road rash" and is being taken by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital for evaluation. A deputy on scene said the call sounded much worse than it turned out to be.

More than 400 people turned out yesterday at Sacred Heart to help raise money to support Michael Tenebruso (above), who beat colon cancer four years ago and is now faced with stage IV lung cancer.

Tenebruso recently became a principal in the Buffalo school district and hasn't been in the job long enough to received extended paid leave, so friends are working to raise enough money to enable him to take time off work for treatments.

Yesterday's fundraiser included food, 130-basket chance auction and a live auction.

Those who wish to make a donation can send a check in Michael Tenebruso's name to Big Pauly's Pizza, 314 Ellicott St, Batavia, NY 14020.

Pictured below, Paul Bernardini, Michael Tenebruso and Jessica Radam. Bernardini and Radam helped organize the event.

Law enforcement is out with an individual at Boyce Road and Route 5, Pembroke, who became the subject of a multi-patrol search after reportedly making attempts to walk on the Thruway.

He was reportedly warned to stay off the Thruway, but was later seen on the Thruway again.

At one point during the search, a trooper reminded all responding units that there were no pending criminal charges, he was just an individual trying to get to New York City.

The individual is being transported to the Pembroke exit by a deputy, who will meet up with troopers from Troop T.

UPDATE 8:54 p.m.: The subject is now in custody of a Troop T trooper and is facing a possible criminal trespass charge.

Top photo, sister and brother Heidi Richmond and Dale Banfield by their unique new sign, made with love in Elba. Above, a sampling of fare offered at a private party Friday at the new restaurant.

Authentic Texas-style barbecue is what you'll find at a new restaurant that officially opens at 11 a.m. Monday at 8282 Park Road in Batavia. If you've never had it, you're in for a treat. If you've had a hankerin' for it based on past experience, here's your chance to enjoy anew.

The Waggin Wheel Restaurant & Lounge is located where the former 10-Cent Millionaire Tavern used to be. (Yes Waggin, not Wagon.) It's been freshly painted throughout, and the kitchen expanded and upgraded with new equipment.

Beef is the key menu item here, not pork. Sliced BBQ beef sandwiches on fresh kaiser rolls, "no Walmart buns." Dry-rubbed ribs. And for steaks, that means Angus beef, a premium, buttery smooth variety cooked over charcoal on specially made outdoor grills (crafted at Tri-County Welding in Batavia).

General Manager Dale Banfield, who runs the new eatery along with his sister, Heidi Richmond, compared Angus vs. regular beef to car buying.

"You can't go out and buy a Scion and think it's a Cadillac," he said. "You can't find Angus beef around here. It's the best there is. They're going to be amazed."

Premium meat properly cooked equals delicious.

"We're going for the quality," Banfield said.

Brisket was among the items sampled Friday at a private party to kick off the "soft opening" next week (starting at 11 a.m. Monday). It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious, juicy and flavorful. It was smoked in a large two-door portable smoker on the premises (nothing artificial here).

Texans, of course, like their barbecue sauce red. At each table, diners can choose a style of homemade sauce to their liking -- Texas, St. Louis, South Carolina -- which are kept in small squirt bottles.

There will also be fresh Italian sausage smoked over cherrywood for just a touch of sweetness, and pork.

Smoked pork chops are sublime, according to Banfield.

Sides are Southern-style. That means slow-simmered beans, cornbread that tastes like cornbread and not cake, hot macaroni and cheese, and piquant cole slaw: "I don't like a sweet slaw," Banfield said earnestly. Plus, greens, corn on the cob, all as locally sourced as possible.

Fresh-cut Cajun fries, a tuna-macaroni salad, and a creamy potato salad with chunks of red and green bell pepper and onion were also menu items sampled yesterday.

"Y'all come on and line up," Banfield told the hungry crowd. "We're gonna be bringing out some steaks and brisket and wings..."

"Y'all?" someone piped up.

"Yea, y'all," he replied jokingly. "And if y'all don't like it -- there's 'the doh' or as they say in Texas, 'the der.' "

A big grand opening with lots of fanfare will take place sometime in the next couple of weeks.

They plan to offer live entertainment on weekends. Eventually, they want to have live outdoor music on the property, which has a huge open area on one side of the 2,800-square-foot restaurant.

Inside, the 43-foot loooong, curved bar has been redone with raw pallet wood thickly coated in shiny resin. The full-liquor license should be in place anyday now, but until then there's soda pop ("...and the dancin's free..."). Eight large flat-screen TVs hang on the walls. Seating consists of small tables, upholstered fold-up chairs and plastic red-and-white gingham tablecloths.

Kids will feel at home in the family-friendly atmosphere.

Banfield was in the restaurant business in the Lone Star State for years (Dallas) before relocating to the Empire State for a job in 2004; some family members live here, too.

He likes what he does for a living and missed it when he was away from it.

"I like meeting the people and seeing the smiles on their faces from (eating) good food," he said.

Lunch 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. / Dinner 4 to 10 p.m. -- Monday through Saturday. Closed Sundays. Off-site catering is available.

Phone is 201-7680. E-mail:   opbminc@gmail.com

Batavia PD is investigating something, but we can't get any information. We spotted city firefighters atop the roof of the former Santy's Tires building and found Deputy Chris Erion with K-9 Destro doing a search, but Officer Kevin DeFelice said he couldn't release any information. He said there would be a press release later.

There were also patrol vehicles at Jackson Street and Highland Avenue.

State Troopers were handling a separate, unrelated case, at the same time on Liberty Street.

Service dogs play a vital role in helping veterans deal with medical issues, including Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). But when the dogs stay with veterans at the PTSD clinic at the VA Center in Batavia, there hasn't been a place for them to relax, play and run, which service dogs need to do when they're not working.

Until recently, veterans who entered in-patient care at the clinic weren't allowed to bring their dogs, but now that they can; there needs to be facilities to accommodate the canines.

The Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association heard about the problem and raised more than $1,400 (mostly from their own members, but the Rotary Club and Home Depot also contributed) to build a dog run behind the clinic.

Today, that fenced-in dog run was built, giving the service dogs a place of their own when they're not working.

The work was made possible through the cooperation of the CVMA, led by Frank Grillo, of Buffalo, and Brian Stiller, Medical Center director for the WNY Medical Healthcare System.

While there have been a lot of complaints nationally about the VA, Grillo noted the VA in WNY seems pretty responsive to veterans and he praised Stiller for his cooperation.

"You hear a lot of people talking a lot of bad stuff about the VA, but then you get a guy who is a veteran himself leading a portion of the VA, and it's kind of inspirational to see somebody who cares actually stepping up and helping us do what we need to do to help our fellow veterans," Grillo said.

Stiller said he could help because the current secretary of the VA has said principles should come before rules.

"We can pull this off by having somebody who has a can-do attitude and this group of veterans," Stiller said. "This is something that has happened real quick and it shows how the community can come together and do a simple, real good thing right on time. It speaks volumes for the commitment and caring that is going on."

Batavia High School held its fourth annual Mr. Batavia Competition Friday evening. Twelve seniors participated in four categories – talent, swimsuit, lip sync and tux walk, with their efforts being scored by a four-member panel of judges.

Contestants were Alex Canty, Ross Chua (pictured above), Adonis Davis, Noah Dobbertin, Dwayne Fonda, Tyler Hale, Michael Hughes, Jake Kasmarek, Josh Kurtz, Zach Lee, Alex Mott and Trevor Sherwood.

Tuxedos provided by Charles Men's Shop, sunglasses by Reed Eye Associates, crew T-shirts by Extreme Streetwear, with additional support from Big Pauly’s Pizza.

The judges are pictured below, from left, are BSCD Board Member Shawna Murphy, Reed Eye Associates Dr. Kim Rosati, Batavia City Police Officer Pete Flanagan and Thompkins Insurance Agency VP Joe Teresi.

Nearly 700 people attended the event and proceeds set a new record high of $4,000. Second place was a tie between Mike Hughes, who donated to Habitat for Humanity, and Dwayne Fonda, who gave to the American Red Cross. They each will give 25 percent to their sponsors. Half (50 percent) goes to Autism Research on behalf of Ross Chua who won the event. All three winners received a $25 Amazon gift card.

For more photos: Steve Ognibene Photography

Jeff Freeman was the high bidder this morning at an auction by the city of a house at 109 Walnut St.

Freeman agreed to pay $33,000, beating out three or four other bidders.

The purchase must be approved by the City Council before it is final.

Freeman said he plans to complete renovations on the house and then provide it as rental.

It is a single-family home and auctioneer Todd Jantzi, of Bontrager's, noted that the city sold the house once before at auction, in 2011. That buyer subsequently sold the property and the new buyer began renovations, and got very far along before abandoning the project for unknown reasons.

The house has been painted upstairs and down, has new carpeting and flooring throughout and a new kitchen, but lacks fixtures.

The city foreclosed on the property to satisfy unpaid taxes.

City staff has proposed using the auction money to fund Vibrant Batavia for another year, but that would require City Council approval first.

Photos by Howard Owens, story by Jeff Donahue, WBTA.

Genesee Justice held its Annual Celebration of Survivors at the Old County Courthouse Friday evening. Genesee County Legislator Marianne Clattenburg presented a Legislative Proclamation to Theresa Asmus-Roth, program coordinator of Genesee Justice.

The keynote speaker was retired Genesee County Court Judge Robert Noonan, who reflected on how victim services have changed over the years.

Noonan also spoke on the many cases he had been involved in over the years, including the Lynden Goodell drunken driving case back in the late 1980s.

Ellen Bachorski, president of the Friends of the Batavia Peace Garden, presented a multicolored ribbon symbolizing the different kinds of abuse suffered by crime victims, which participants carried on their walk from the Old Courthouse to the Peace Garden.

The crime victims Service Award was presented to the members of the Genesee County District Attorney's Office and the Katheryn Seymour Memorial Award was presented to Cynthia Richmond for her courage in identifying a man who attempted to break into her home.