Attica Blue Devils came out strong the first few minutes of the first quarter, leading 20-0 on a couple touchdowns by senior running back Hunter McCulloch, who added 117 yards on 11 carries.

Pembroke failed to convert turning the ball over on an interception and fumbles early in the first half. Attica led the half 20-0.

In the second half, Attica continued to move through Pembroke's defense led by senior quarterback Kyle Casey, who added points in the air and ground to seniors Cody D'Arconte and tight end Dawson Nelson, winning the game 40-0. 

Attica moves to 1-0 and their next game is home Friday night vs. Alexander at 7 p.m.

Pembroke drops to 0-1 and plays next Saturday 7 p.m. vs. Oakfield / Elba in Oakfield.

For more photos and to purchase go to: Steve Ognibene Photography

To purchase prints, click here.

A residential structure fire is reported downstairs at 136 Pearl St. in Batavia. A person is reportedly burned. City fire and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 11:05 a.m.: Fire command on scene confirms a fire at a two and a half story building. A child has second-degree burns on the left shoulder area.

UPDATE 11:09 p.m.: The fire was small in nature -- in a stairwell -- and is reported to be out. Streets are closed at Pearl and Roosevelt and Pearl and Brooklyn. A second ambulance is called for a subject suffering from smoke inhalation.

UPDATE 11:33 a.m.: Fire Capt. Bob Fix said the fire appears to be accidental in nature and was out when firefighters arrived. A boy about 6 or 7 years old has a shoulder burn and is being transported to Strong Memorial Hospital. A police investigator will interview people about the fire. "It was a little spot fire right inside the door, in the stairwell, about three steps up."

Peter S. Hawkins, 49, of A Street, Cayuga Village, Niagara Falls, is charged with second-degree harassment and disorderly conduct. He was arrested at 12:05 a.m. on Sept. 1 after he allegedly got into a physical altercation with a male nurse and then barricaded himself in an exam room inside the Emergency Room at UMMC. He subsequently allegedly attempted to fight Batavia police officers who responded to the scene. He was issued two appearance tickets and released. He is due in City Court at 1 p.m. on Sept. 13. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Darryle Streeter, assisted by Officer Peter Flanagan.

Faith L. Finnin, 22, of State Street Road, Batavia, is charged with tattooing a child less than 18 years of age. Finnin was arrested at noon on Aug. 23 following an investigation into an allegation that a child less than 18 was tattooed by Finnin on Raymond Avenue in Batavia. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in City Court at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6, to answer the charge. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Kevin DeFelice.

Santiago J. Qumane, 18, of Walnut Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. He was arrested at 11:21 a.m. on Sept. 2 following a home visit from Genesee County Probation during which he was allegedly found to be in possession of marijuana. He was issued an appearance ticket and released. He is due in City Court on Sept. 6. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Marc Lawrence, assisted by Officer Frank Klimjack.

(Above photo of Foiled Again, who has won more than $7.4 million and is the richest standardbred ever of either gait, courtesy of Ken Weingartner.)

By Tim Bojarski, for Batavia Downs

Foiled Again, who has won more than $7.4 million and is the richest standardbred ever of either gait, will be at Batavia Downs on Saturday night (Sept. 3) to compete in the weekly featured $10,000 Open Handicap pace.

Batavia Downs has hosted the elite of the sport over the 70 years it has been in existence including Proximity, Good Time, Bret Hanover, Albatross and Niatross. Foiled Again is in the same league as all those legends but has also surpassed every trotter or pacer that has ever competed in the sport for earnings.

Foiled Again has won countless stakes and has been race-timed in 1:47.1. He has 88 wins, 61 seconds and 40 thirds in 263 lifetime starts and has earned $7,407,758 in purses. The United States Harness Writers Association named him Pacer of the Year in 2011, best older male pacer in three consecutive seasons (2011-2013) and he also was a two-time O'Brien Award winner as top older pacing horse in Canada (2011 and 2013).

Foiled Again has competed at Batavia Downs twice before in his career, both times in the tracks signature race, the Robert J. Kane Memorial Pace. And Foiled Again won both times: in 2009 timed in 1:52.3 with Matt Kakaley driving and in 2013 timed in 1:52 with Brett Miller aboard.

The all-time track record at Batavia Downs is 1:51.1 and that was set by Aracache Hanover in 2011. Given the great weather forecast and how the new racing surface has been setting up, there is a legitimate chance that standard could be in jeopardy.

Saturday night’s card also features two divisions of the $111,000 New York Sires Stakes for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings that will feature the best freshman male pacers in the state.

Post time for the first race is 6:15 p.m.

(Inset photo of Foiled Again courtesy of Batavia Downs.)

Paul William Tuttle, 45, of Sautell Road, Bergen, is charged with second-degree criminal trespass. At 2:26 this morning (Sept. 2), Tuttle allegedly entered someone's apartment on Byron Holley Road in Byron while being highly intoxicated. Tuttle allegedly urinated in the residence and helped himself to an ice cream cone from the resident's freezer. The resident allegedly located Tuttle enjoying the frozen treat on the couch. Because the Sheriff's Office could not reach a Byron judge, Tuttle was arraigned in the Town of Bergen Court and then released on his own recognizance. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Ryan Young, assisted by Sgt. John Baiocco.

Michael Norbert Jagodzinski, 56, of Fisher Drive, Rochester, is charged with driving with a BAC of more than .08 percent, and DWI -- first offense. Jagodzinski was found at 11:31 p.m. on Aug. 31 parked along Clinton Street Road in the Town of Bergen. He was allegedly found to be intoxicated at the time. He was issued tickets for Oct. 5 in Town of Bergen Court. The case was handled by Sheriff's Sgt. Eric Seppala.

Ann Marie Schlegel, 39, of Porter Road, Medina, is charged with failure to pay a fine for petit larceny. She was arrested by the Medina Police Department on an unrelated matter and then transferred to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office on a bench warrant for failing to pay a fine levied because of a petit larceny incident on May 19 on West Main Street in Batavia. She was arraigned and then jailed on $435 bail. The case was handled by Sheriff's Sgt. John Baiocco.

A 17-year-old resident of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. The subject was arrested at 5 p.m. on Aug. 31 on East Shelby Road in Oakfield for allegedly stealing an iPad Touch (valued at $150) from a female's residence. The subject was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Town of Oakfield Court on Sept. 16 to answer the charge. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Chad Minuto, assisted by Deputy Lonnie Nati.

      Serena Snyder

A 31-year-old Oakfield resident has been accused of smuggling suboxone and heroin into the Genesee County Jail and delivering them to her husband, who is an inmate.

Serena L. Snyder is accused of bringing the narcotics to Cody E. Snyder, 25.

Serena Snyder was allegedly found possession of heroin while at the jail on a visitation to her husband.

The Local Drug Task Force handled the investigation. Agents concluded Serena Snyder had allegedly delivered drugs to her husband on two prior occasions.

Task Force members, along with Deputy Chris Erion and K-9 Destro searched Serena Snyder's car and allegedly found heroin and crack cocaine. 

Serena Snyder was charged with attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance, 3rd, criminal sale of a controlled substance, 4th, two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 5th, conspiracy, 4th, promoting prison contraband, 1st, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th.

Cody Snyder was charged with conspiracy, 4th.

Serena Snyder was arraigned in City Court and released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Here's a collection of all our pre-season, training camp, football pictures.

To purchase prints of preseason football pictures, click here.

Here's our pre-season previews:

• Pembroke will look to young line to protect senior QB
• Alexander will field an athletic and experienced team in 2016
• Fighting Irish bring work ethic to new gridiron season
• Oakfield-Alabama/Elba working things out in first year as combined football team
• Herdlein sees upsides in young offense and defense for Le Roy
• It's August and football is in the air at Batavia HS

The season opens tonight.

Tonight's games:

• Batavia hosts Greece Olympia/Odyssey, 7 p.m.
• Pembroke hosts Attica, 7 p.m.
• Byron-Bergen, now with Cal-Mum, is at Livonia, 7:30 p.m.
• York/Pavilion is at Letchworth/Warsaw, 7:30 p.m.
• Le Roy is at Bath, 7:30 p.m.

Tomorrow's games:

• Oakfield-Alabama/Elba is at C.G. Finney/Northstar, 1:30 p.m.
• Alexander plays Notre Dame in Warsaw, 7:30 p.m.

We just received this message:

There are 7 white sheep wandering around lost in the Bethany area after escaping through an open gate. Last sighted on a trail cam near Cackner Rd. and Bethany Center Rd. Please contact Barbara Hollands 585-734-2236 if you see them. They are a bit shy of people but like grain and will come to someone shaking a bucket of grain.

UPDATE Friday, 10:23 a.m.: Thanks to the help of neighbor Pat Pietrzykowski, all seven sheep have been located, rounded up and returned home, where they are safe and sound.

This cat is named Ferdy. Ferdy is missing. He is visiting relatives on Brookville Road in Alexander, in the Old Creek Road area, while his mommy is in the hospital.

As you can see, he is a very large, long-haired orange and white male. Would you believe at times, as depicted here, he is not particularly motivated?

But, then again, freedom can be a powerful motivator.

Perhaps we'll never know if he had been hatching plans to leave captivity and for how long.

What it known is that, according to his temporary nanny Elizabeth Crittenden, "he popped the screen out of the window and escaped," in the predawn hours -- between 2 and 6 a.m. -- Wednesday.

Stealthily, in the dead of night, when all were sleeping soundly. This one is clever. Either that, or Ferdy clumsily fell to earth while lolling around on the window sill. He left, but since this is not his regular stomping grounds, he may not be familiar with the lay of the land and how to return, says a worried Crittenden.

The timing is suspect; the feline may have festive plans afoot for Labor Day Weekend. (An anonymous source told The Batavian he has a reputation as a bit of a bon vivant.) 

Crittenden and her kin are hoping you'll report him without hestitation if you should spot him in your environs. This would foil Ferdy's fun, but he and his family and caretakers will be the better for it.

Crittenden's number is 585-590-2657.

UPDATE Sept. 2: At about 10:30 last night, Crittenden says "He just showed up on the back deck as casual as ever!" No fanfare, no "Burning Man" blowout for Labor Day, no tearjerker rescue story. Just chillin' in Alexander and wondering why all the fuss...

It's a lot of work moving thousands of collectible toys along with 40,000 comic books, but that's what Bill Hume, along with his wife, Joy, staff member Wayne Stahler along with helpers and friends have been doing for the past few days.

Hume opened Foxprowl at its new location at Main and Jackson, downtown Batavia today, even though not everything is unboxed or on the shelves yet.

We've covered Foxprowl from its opening on Ellicott Street over the years and watched the business grow. The store expanded, added inventory and Hume hosted a convention in Batavia last year (it will return this year; details to be announced).

Several other small businesses have come and gone in Batavia in that time, but Hume has persisted and succeeded. He said lasting and growing has had a lot to do with his passion for the business, his passion for collectibles and his willingness and enjoyment to work the long hours necessary.

A reader submitted this photo of a tractor-trailer that went off the around 4:20 p.m. on Bergen Road. No injuries reported.

Press release:

As summer winds down and we head into fall, there are still three more “Garden Talk” programs this year!

Taught by Master Gardeners, programs will be held once a month, during the “lunch hour” from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. Bring your lunch to the Cornell Cooperative Extension Office (420 E. Main St., Batavia) and join us. This series is free and open to the public. Registration is not required.

Sept. 6 will be a follow up to our May herb program. After growing your herbs all summer, what can you do with them now? We’ll give you some ideas of things you can use your herbs for.

On Oct. 4, get ready to feed your backyard birds as we’ll offer tips and answer questions about Winter Bird Feeding.

Nov. 1 will be a demonstration on how to make a beautiful holiday swag to decorate your home.

Need a Garden Talk schedule? Contact Brandie at 585-343-3040, ext. 101.

Future topics and other Master Gardener events will be posted on the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County website at http://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/ and also on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CCEofGenesee.

Jonathan David Knauss, 22, of Depot Street, Corfu, is charged with sixth-degree conspiracy. He was arrested at 9 a.m. on Aug. 29 at the Genesee County Jail on West Main Street in Batavia for allegedly conspiring with at least one other person to commit a crime at the jail while being housed there. He was due in City Court this morning to answer the charge. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Christopher Parker, assisted by Genesee County Jail personnel.

Emily Elizabeth Dubois, 19, of Batavia Byron Road, Byron, is charged with sixth-degree conspiracy. She was arrested at 11:34 a.m. on Aug. 27 at the Genesee County Jail on West Main Street in Batavia for allegedly conspiring with an inmate to have another inmate commit a crime. She is due in City Court on Sept. 22 to answer the charge. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Christopher Parker, assisted by Genesee County Jail personnel.

A 17-year-old resident of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with sixth-degree conspiracy. The subject was arrested at 9 a.m. on Aug. 29 at the Genesee County Jail on West Main Street in Batavia for allegedly conspiring with at least one other person to commit a crime at the jail while being housed there. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Christopher Parker, assisted by Genesee County Jail personnel.

Submitted photos.

Press release:

The 2^nd annual Elba Hall of Fame Banquet will be held on Sept. 24^th at Batavia Downs. Social hour starts at 6 p.m. with dinner at 7.

The 2016 Hall of Fame class inductees are Stan Sherwood, Donald Ames and Robert Norton.

Stan Sherwood:

Sherwood was a Physical Education and Health teacher as well as a coach at Elba Central School for 35 years. He was a great teacher, coach and supporter of all Elba students. He taught young people not only the skills necessary for a particular sport, but more importantly the values required in life to be successful. Sherwood, also an Elba resident, passed away six years after his retirement leading the students of Elba to sign a petition to name the gym after Sherwood, honoring all that he did for the community and student body.  

Donald Ames:

Ames is an alumnus of Elba Central School. He was involved in many school activities while attending Elba such as class officer, student council, athletics and FFA. Ames was Salutatorian of his class and continued on to Alfred State College. He was also a staff sergeant in the National Guard. Ames has helped with Little League, Boy Scouts and sat for numerous years on the Elba Central School Board of Education, as well as serving as president.  

Robert Norton:

Norton is a 1955 graduate of Elba. He has both his master in Education and Ph.D in Agricultural Education from Cornell University. He has been influential in thousands of students’ lives through his additional teaching and curriculum at Ohio State University, where he has served as the curriculum director. Norton has taught seminars all over the world and has trained other teachers as well. He has contributed to the education of Agriculture for thousands.

Last year’s inductees were Dorothy Couglin, Roosevelt Muhammad Brown, Suzi Egeli House, Thomas Nowack and Chester Gabriel.

Tickets are available now through Sept. 21^st in the Elba Central School District Office or may be reserved by calling 757-9967. Ticket prices are $30 and include a $10 free play pass to the Batavia Downs Gaming Center.

Press release:

Genesee Cancer Assistance, based in Batavia, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded $15,000 as a part of The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation Funds at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo 2016 grant disbursement.

Genesee Cancer Assistance is one of 19 organizations from across Western New York that received grants from endowment funds created to carry on Ralph C. Wilson Jr.’s legacy of giving and visionary leadership.

Effective immediately, the organization has plans to increase the amount of financial assistance available to new patients.

“We are both honored and excited that the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation Funds at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo has chosen Genesee Cancer Assistance as a recipient. This money supports our mission of helping cancer patients in Genesee County and will also allow us to increase public awareness of our services and programs,” said Sue Underwood, GCA executive director. 

The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo, a 501(C) (3) organization, was established in 1919 to enhance and encourage long-term philanthropy in the Western New York Community. The Foundation’s mission is: Connecting people, ideas and resources to improve lives in Western New York. For over 95 years, the Community Foundation has made the most of the generosity of individuals, families, foundations and organizations who entrust charitable assets to its care.

The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation established endowments at the Community Foundation in November 2015 to provide support to three areas that were important to Wilson during his lifetime: cancer care, community assets, and youth sports. Endowment funds, like these created to honor Wilson, are designed to grow over time and provide funding for charitable causes according to a client’s wishes. www.cfgb.org.

Genesee Cancer Assistance is a registered 501(c) (3) not-for-profit. It was cofounded in November of 1995 by Dorothy Schlaggel and Russ Romano, both of whom had a desire to create an organization that would help residents in Genesee County facing a cancer diagnosis, by providing financial support and services to lessen the burden that this disease causes. Since opening, GCA has had the opportunity to help more than 1,900 individuals giving out $500,000 of assistance. 

"The organization relies on contributions and memorials as well as local support and board sponsored fundraising events to finance patient reimbursements. Receiving the grant from The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation Funds at the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo will help meet these needs and have a positive impact on the community" said GCA Board President Kevin J. Mudd, MD. 

For more information about Genesee Cancer Assistance, including the specific ways the organization helps cancer patients, please visit the website www.geneseecancerassistance.com, call (585) 345-0417, or stop by, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Please note that our new office is now located on the ground floor of United Memorial Medical Center, 127 North St., directly across the hall from the switchboard near the radiology waiting room.

Pembroke Junior/Senior High School unveiled a new logo and new sign in a brief ceremony Wednesday evening.

The new logo was designed by Matt Steinburg, a 1991 graduate of Pembroke who now lives in Corfu with his wife, Anne, and son, Benjamin. He is creative director for Visit Buffalo and won the new logo contest. Matt also created a custom font for "Pembroke." He estimated he put in more than 100 hours of volunteer time into the effort.

Pembroke has a new Head Coach, Ray Stoldt, but the only returning starting QB in the Genesee Region League.

Reid Miano will take snaps behind an experienced line, but they've got the size to protect him once they make the adjustment to the speed and technique of varsity-level football.

"I think they come around later in the year," said Stoldt, who has spent his career with Pembroke as an assistant on varsity and then coach of modified the past two seasons.

Blocking will be key because Miano, given time, can pass well and he's got some weapons at wideout, Stoldt said.

"I think every coach will always like to be a little further ahead at this point, but we’re young and we’re getting better every snap," Stoldt said.

With 15 seniors and a trio of returning all-league defensive players and a new QB with a strong arm and field smarts, Alexander's Head Coach Tim Sawyer likes what he sees so far of the 2016 Trojans.

"I feel like I’ve got a fast and physical group of kids who understand our systems both offensively and defensively," Sawyer said. "It’s been fun. It’s been a good camp this year."

Alexander opens against Notre Dame tonight (at 7 p.m. in Perry, (NOTE: As soon as I hit publish on this story I got an e-mail from a Section V official saying the game has been moved to Saturday in Warsaw) because of renovations to Alexander's home field. 

Sawyer knows the Fighting Irish will be a tough match right out of the gate.

"There's not a lot of kids (at Notre Dame), but they get after it," Sawyer said. "It doesn’t matter the size, those kids will play. They always play tough."

Week two doesn't get any easier because the Trojans face perennial powerhouse Attica.

"Within the first two weeks, we’re going to know kinda where we stand," Sawyer said.

The starting QB is P.J. Brennan, a senior who was Jared Browne's backup last season. He's not big, Sawyer said, but he's got a strong arm and he handles read-options well.

Among his weapons is returning wideout Derrick Busch. He'll also marshal a rotation of running backs.

Josh Hylkema, Dustin Schmeider and Jake Jasen, all over 200 pounds and all all-league on defense last year, are back and ready to anchor a squad that also includes Busch, Dane Heberlein, Jacob Bykowski and Erik Scharlau (who's also expected to have an impact at tight end this season).

And for the first time in school history, Alexander will have a girl on the squad. Rather than play soccer this year, Hannah Paolucci will be one of two place kickers on the Trojans (bottom photo).

The latest legal challenges to live, amplified music at Frost Ridge Campground in Le Roy have been dismissed by Judge Emilio Colaiacovo, meaning owners David and Greg Lueticke-Archbell will be able to continue their concert series, Jam at the Ridge.

Colaiacovo ruled that the Zoning Board of Appeals acted with appropriate consideration and diligence when deciding live, amplified music was a prior non-conforming use and that there was no substantive violation of the state's open meetings law when it reached that decision in February.

Attorneys for David and Amy Cleere and Scott and Betsy Collins challenged the ZBA's decision on both of those counts.

The decision seemingly concludes two years of legal fights initiated by the Cleeres and Collins and initially backed by the Town of Le Roy.

The plaintiffs maintained all along that Frost Ridge violated the town's zoning laws, because it is in an agricultural-residential district, by hosting music concerts at the campground.

The owners and their supporters countered that both live music and amplified music had been part of the operations of the campground since the 1960s, which means those uses were grandfathered in, or prior, non-conforming uses, before the R-A district was created.

The ZBA met at least twice prior to the lawsuits being filed and sided with David and Greg Lueticke-Archbell, but Judge Robert C. Noonan, who retired earlier this year, ruled that the ZBA meetings where these decisions were made were not properly noticed (a violation of the state's open meetings law), so he ordered the ZBA to hold a new public hearing.

The town board then tried to disband the ZBA -- which at the time was a joint board of the town and the village -- but Noonan barred dissolution of the ZBA until after it conducted a new hearing and issued a decision. 

The ZBA met in December and collected documents and testimony at the time, but never publicly deliberated the issue and issued its decision without a public vote in February. 

Colaiacovo ruled that even if these actions were a technical violation of the open meeting law, the record is clear that the ZBA members had ample information about the issue without the need for public deliberation and there was no evidence presented that the matter was discussed in a closed meeting by the board. 

"The Court finds that the alleged failure to vote on its decision in public is a de minimis technical violation that, in light of the exhaustive record and consistency of the ZBA's determination that there exists a prior, non-conforming use, injunctive relief is not warranted," Colaiacovo wrote in his decision.

Colaiacovo said it was not the court's place, based on case law, to decide whether the ZBA reached the correct decision, only that the decision was reasonable and not arbitrary and capricious.

The mere fact that the plaintiffs disagree with the decision is not evidence that it is arbitrary and capricious, he said.

Courts must be careful, according to case law, not to overturn local decisions that are based on substantial evidence and are rational, he said.

The record shows the ZBA had a substantial amount of testimony and evidence to consider that seemed to back the conclusion of a prior, non-conforming use, he said. 

"The ZBA held that these activities occurred to varying degrees prior to the adoption of the Town Zoning Code," Colaiacovo wrote. "The ZBA referenced Mr. (Eugene) Sinclair's testimony, which established that the defendants' actions were 'consistent with the essential character of the property as a prior, non-conforming use.' Accordingly, the ZBA, after exhausting its reasons for its determination, found that the use of the property as a campground, which permitted live and recorded music, limited food service, and allowed the use of recreational vehicles, was a prior, non-conforming use as permitted by the Town of Le Roy Zoning Code.

"Based on the foregoing," he continued, "the Court finds that the determination of the ZBA is based on substantial evidence that was made part of an extensive record. As such, because the ZBA had a rational basis to reach its decision, this Court will not disturb it."

He added, "Nothing in the record demonstrates that the ZBA reached its determination haphazardly."

Photo, from left: Undersheriff Bill Sheron, Joseph Grube, Steve Sharpe and Sheriff Gary Maha.

Steve Sharpe, director of communications for the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, was honored yesterday with an industry award that recognizes his dedication to the profession and his job.

The PSAP (Public Safety Access Point) Finest Director of the Year award was selected by industry professionals from a national pool of nominees.

The award was sponsored by emergency communications company NICE and presented by Joseph Grube, director of public safety for Wilmac, another public safety company.

Grube said Sharp was selected based on his habits of lifelong learning, his self-motivation toward excellence, his involvement in several industry associations and groups and his advocacy for the 25 staff members who report to him in ensuring they have the best equipment and training.

“The public safety community is a better place because of people like Steve,” Grube said.

Sharp said the award really reflects what a great team he has around him, from the County Legislature that supports professional emergency communication, to the Sheriff's Office administration, to the dispatchers in the emergency dispatch center, nothing would be possible without their hard work and dedication, he said.

“I think the biggest thing people have got  to understand is it's about the team," Sharpe said. "It’s always going to be about the team. It’s the people you put in the right place. It’s about learning. I’ve had some pretty spectacular failures as a leader, and I’ve had some pretty spectacular failures here in this job, but my failures were mitigated by their strengths. It all comes back to team.”