A 22-year-old Rochester man is accused of possessing an illegal "ghost gun" following an incident at West Main Street and Ellicott Avenue that precipitated a chase and foot pursuit by Batavia PD.
Taken into custody was Ezequiel Serrano.
Serrano is charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree (ghost gun), criminal Possession of a weapon in the second degree, criminal use of a firearm in the second degree, menacing in the second degree, unlawfully fleeing a police officer, along with multiple vehicle and traffic violations.
The incident at 12:14 p.m. on Thursday caused BOCES and Batavia High School to go into a "lockout" safety precaution.
It began with a report that a person outside Dunkin' Donuts had displayed a handgun in a way that was threatening to another person. Upon arriving, officers learned the suspect and the victim were known to each other and that the suspect was still in the area.
When officers attempted to stop the suspect vehicle, the driver allegedly ignored officers' commands and fled.
There was a vehicle pursuit on Batavia side streets until the driver abandoned the vehicle on a dead-end street and fled on foot.
With the assistance of K-9 Batu, the suspect was taken into custody several blocks away without further incident by members of the Batavia PD Detective Bureau.
Assisting Batavia PD were Genesee County emergency dispatchers, the Sheriff's Office, and State Police.
The handgun was recovered.
Serrano was arraigned in City Court, and held on $50,000 cash bail, $100,000 bond or $500,000 partially secured bond pending his next court appearance.
"The quick and efficient work of all officers involved ensured the safety of our community and led to the successful apprehension of a fleeing felon," said Chief Shawn Heubusch.
Christopher S. Usselman is indicted on counts of assault on a police officer, a Class C violent felony, obstructing governmental administration in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor, and resisting arrest, a Class A misdemeanor. Usselman is accused of causing serious injury to an NYSP trooper during an attempted arrest on April 17 in the Town of Batavia while the trooper was performing his official duties.
Jason W. Whitehead, Jr., is indicted on counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree, a Class D felony, criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, a Class B felony, and two counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a Class A misdemeanor. Whitehead is accused of possession of 500 milligrams or more of cocaine on Dec. 1 in the Town of Batavia with the intent to sell it. He is also accused of unlawfully possessing amphetamine. He is also accused of possessing a metal knuckle knife.
Cordero L. Royes is indicted on counts of burglary in the second degree, a Class C violent felony, criminal contempt in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor, DWI, a misdemeanor, aggravated unlicensed operation in the first degree, a Class E felony, and promoting prison contraband in the first degree, a Class D felony. Royes is accused of entering a residence on Maple Street, Batavia, on Feb. 8 with the intent to commit a crime in the dwelling. He is accused of violating an order of protection on that date. He is accused of driving drunk on Dec. 31 on Pringle Avenue in the City of Batavia. He is accused of possessing a lighter in the Genesee County Jail on Jan. 3.
Leonard A. Johnson, III, is indicted on counts of criminal possession of a controlled substance 5th, a Class D felony, criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd, a Class B felony, and tampering with physical evidence, a Class E felony. Johnson is accused of possession of 500 milligrams or more of cocaine on Jan. 13 in the Town of Batavia with the intent to sell it. While in custody, he is accused of trying to conceal narcotics in the seat of a patrol vehicle.
Jennifer Lynn Bobzin, 53, of West Bergen Road, Bergen, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon 3rd, attempted assault 2nd, and menacing 3rd. Bobzin is accused of attempting to grab a weapon and using it to cause injury to another person during an argument reported at 6:40 p.m. on Sept. 20 at a location on West Bergen Road, Bergen.
Michael Steven Dranichak, 61, of Lake Street, Le Roy, is charged with failure to register a change of address. Dranichak is accused of failure to register a change of address within ten days. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Jacob William Patterson, 27, of Kilian Road, Pembroke, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th. During an arrest on a separate matter, Patterson was allegedly found in possession of a controlled substance by Deputy Richard Schildwaster at a location on East Main Street, Corfu, at 2:01 p.m. on Feb. 2. Patterson was issued an appearance ticket.
John James Gronowski, 46, of Cheektowaga, is charged with trespass. Gronowski is accused of entering Batavia Downs after previously being advised he was not allowed on the property. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Larry Dominic Delre, 65, of Alleghany Road, Pembroke, is charged with grand larceny 4th and issuing a bad check. Delre is accused of writing a bad check for the purchase of mulch. He was reportedly given multiple opportunities to pay for the mulch but refused. Delre was issued an appearance ticket.
Richard Little, business development with SEI Design, during a presentation Tuesday to the Board of Education for the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District on a capital improvement project proposal. Photo by Howard Owens.
The Oakfield-Alabama Central School District is considering a new $23 million capital improvement project that would modernize and reconfigure classrooms, replace outdated heating and air units, upgrade locker rooms, replace and upgrade athletic fields, and add new parking.
The district would need to issue $20 million in bonds to finance the project at a cost of $7.2 million in interest.
If approved, the district would use $3 million from the capital reserve fund as a "down payment" on the expenditure.
State aid would cover 93.4 percent of the $20 million, which would be reimbursed to the district over the life of the 15-year bond. If the project is approved by the board, voters in the district will get a chance to vote yes or no in December.
Consultants from SEI Design Group, who have been working with the district's facilities committee, presented an outline of the proposal plan to the Board of Education on Tuesday.
A big reason the district can cover the local share of the school building project without a tax increase is that when the district bonded (borrowed money), the annual payment on principal was $350,000 less than budgeted, said Christine Griffin, district business manager.
That $350,000 in the 2023-24 budget was used to finance a playground. Going forward, it could help offset the cost of the new capital improvement project, negating the need for a higher tax rate to cover the local share of the project.
Existing capital reserve funds would also help cover the local share costs.
Board members wanted to know what portion of the project is critical, that it must be completed soon, and the answer is pretty much all of the school building work.
The critical portions of the project include replacing the high school and middle school HVAC rooftop units, which are 30 to 40 years old.
"The biggest thing is going to be mechanical, electrical plumbing impacts," said Richard Little, business development with SEI. "These were items that were identified during the (committee). The HVAC rooftop units are either being worked on excessively or reached the end of their usefulness. We can't get parts, so we need to replace them. Those were flagged not only by the engineers but also by (the committee)."
Then in the science classroom, the concrete slabs have settled in areas creating uneven floors.
"We're going to have to tear the rooms out just to fix the slab settlement issue," Little said.
There is also work that needs to be done on the pool and on an auditorium wall, Little said. There is also carpet that is worn out and needs to be replaced with new flooring (it won't be carpet, Little said).
"Once you go into a room and start working on it, once you've touched it, you are not going to be able to go back to that room for 15 years without being penalized or questioned," Little said, addressing state aid rules about school renovation projects. "So once we're in there, we're taking advantage of it and renovating more spaces. You can vary that if you want to. You can make different types of modifications, but it's just a good opportunity to get that funding from the state."
The school building proposal, if broken out into a separate ballot initiative, would cost $15.6 million. The athletic field portion would be $7.3 million. It would include a new oval track, new shotput and jump pits, as well as new softball and baseball fields.
The board will decide at its October meeting whether to ask the voters to approve the two aspects of the project separately or together.
Trustee Matt Lamb expressed concern that there are people in the community who are hearing rumors that the district is considering a new football stadium, which isn't the case.
"I got a phone call from somebody who wasn't able to attend the meeting tonight and described the project as the football stadium project, so we just need to be careful that this isn't seen as the football stadium capital project," Lamb said.
Trustee Jeff Hyde noted that since Batavia High built a new stadium, Van Detta is in steady use for various events, not just school events. And though this isn't a stadium project, he said he thinks an upgrade to the track and ball fields help bring more visitors into Oakfield.
"I mean, if I'm a business owner, if I'm smart, if I'm somebody who wants more people in this town, this is something that may give it to us," Hyde said.
Assemblyman Steve Hawley's annual fall trip for veterans to Washington, D.C., the Patriot Trip, rolled out of the Batavia Downs parking lot early this morning.
Russ Fitzgibbon, owner of Beverly's Flowers and Gifts, inside his shop's new location at 228 West Main St., Batavia, the former location of Roxy's Music. Photo by Howard Owens.
Russ Fitzgibbon knew he needed more space. His flower shop, Beverly's, in an old house on West Main Street in Batavia, left staff tripping over each other and made it hard for him to maintain private conversations with customers.
"We were out of space, just dead out of space," Fitzgibbon said.
When the former Roxy's Music Store building at 228 West Main St., Batavia, came up for sale, he initially passed on the idea of buying the building and moving into it.
It's 14,000 square feet. That doesn't include the basement.
All that space means his five employees are no longer tripping over each other.
"I didn't want it originally," Fitzgibbon said. "It's just massive. But it just worked out. The numbers worked out. I figured, do it now or don't do it at all."
Beverly's is using only about 4,500 square feet of the building -- with a large portion of the downstairs (where music lesson rooms where located) sitting vacant, and a second floor that is completely clear and empty.
"We'll figure out what to do with the rest," Fitzgibbon said.
Fitzgibbon did the remodeling of the store himself, with a whole new decor in the space the shop is using. There's a larger retail counter, more display space, tables for meeting with clients, and a side room for meetings with larger groups of customers.
"I like to talk to my customers, but in the old place, if somebody walked in, you had to shut up because there was no room," Fitzgibbon said. "There was only one three-foot counter. This one is a little bigger, so I get to talk more."
Toni M. Drake, 42, of Batavia, is charged with harassment 2nd. Drake is accused of striking another person in the face on Aug. 28 during an argument in the parking lot of the Mobile gas station on East Main Street, Batavia. Drake was issued an appearance ticket.
Rodrigo G. Vasquez, 26, of Batavia, is charged with DWI. Vasquez was stopped by a Batavia patrol officer on Sept. 2 at an undisclosed location following several citizen complaints of an erratic driver. Vasquez was issued traffic citations and released.
Danvor E. Hodgson-Aguilar, 34, of Silver Springs, Maryland, is charged with petit larceny. Hodgson-Aguilar was arrested after an investigation into a theft at Tops on Sept. 2. He was issued an appearance ticket.
Robbie C. Scheib, 21, of Rochester, was arrested on a warrant containing a charge of harassment 2nd. Scheib is accused of being involved in a disturbance on Aug. 30 in which he allegedly subjected another person to unwanted physical contact. Scheib was arraigned in City Court and released on his own recognizance.
Jon H. Bush, Jr., 40, of Batavia, was arrested on Sept. 1 on two arrest warrants. The first warrant is the result of a traffic stop on Washington Avenue on June 5, where Bush was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle 2nd. The warrant was issued after he allegedly failed to appear in court. The second warrant stems from an incident on Aug. 3, where police attempted to stop Bush for a traffic violation while he was riding a bicycle. Bush allegedly refused to stop and fled on the bike. Bush was arraigned in City Court and released.
Bradley Robert Jordan, 30, of Silver Road, Bethany, is charged with petit larceny. Jordan is accused of a left from a store on Lewiston Road, Batavia (the Sheriff's Office withheld this public information). Jordan was issued an appearance ticket.
Yovani Hernandez, 28, of Melvin Hill Road, Geneva, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, obstructed view, and dirty or covered plate. A passerby reportedly found Hernandez asleep and slumped over the wheel at a location on South Lake Road in Pavilion at 6:12 p.m. on Sept. 3. Hernandez was arrested by Deputy Jacob Kipler, issued traffic tickets, and released.
Alexis Joy Dugan, 22, of Miller Road, Albion, is charged with DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation 3rd, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, inadequate headlamps, and moving from lane unsafely. Dugan was stopped on Veterans Memorial Drive in Batavia at 8:20 p.m. on Sept. 9 by Deputy James Stack. Dugan was issued appearance tickets are leased.
Stephen Hunter Heil, 21, of Million Dollar Highway, Medina, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to keep right, and moving from lane unsafely. Heil was stopped at 6:55 p.m. on Aug. 29, on Bloomingdale Road, Tonawanda Indian Reservation, by Deputy Alexander Hadsall.
Kevin Allan Knickerbocker, 52, of Mill Pond Road, Byron, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Knickerbocker is accused of violating a stay away order of protection at 6:50 p.m. on Sept. 12 at a location on West Main Street, Byron.
Jeremiah William Krupp, 45, of Hutchins Place, Batavia, is charged with two counts of criminal contempt 1st. Krupp is accused of placing phone calls to a protected person in violation of an order of protection on Aug. 29. He was held pending arraignment.
George J. Budzinack, 43, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Budzinack is accused of a theft at 10:02 a.m. on Sept. 16 at an undisclosed location in Batavia. He was issued an appearance ticket. The NYSP did not release more information.
Robert G. Reiner, 37, of Akron, is charged with criminal mischief 4th, criminal tampering 3rd, and resisting arrest. Reiner was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 3 p.m. on Sept. 16. His release status is unknown. The NYSP did not release more information.
Barb Toal, Caroline Epps, Don Wallace, Dianna Bogue, Paula Savage, Louise Wallace, and Michelle Cryer. Photo by Howard Owens.
There's been a bit more color and visual appeal that connects the Batavia Peace Garden with a second garden along the Tonawanda Creek behind the Genesee County Court House.
Artist Michelle Cryer has painted a mural, commissioned by the Friends of the Peace Garden and paid for by a state grant administered by GO Art!, on a concrete water tank next to the creek.
The mural features the butterfly bench that once graced the garden and an overflow of water simulating a breach in the side of the tank.
Sherwin Williams donated the paint. The city approved the project.
"Without our community, as usual, we wouldn't have this here today," said Barb Toal, who came to Cryer with the idea of paint a mural on the tank. Then they came up with the concept together.
"I wanted to bring more nature in, to cover up a cement eyesore with some nature," Cryer said.
Brandon Rebert jumps to an early lead in the GLOW Arc Friends and Family 5K in Elba on Saturday. Photos by Howard Owens.
Oakfield resident Brandon Rebert got off to another fast start in the GLOW Arc Friends and Family 5K, but was a few steps off the pace to break his own record of 18:09 set in 2021.
He won the race in 18:15 for his fourth straight win in the race, starting with a win in 2019 (there was no race in 2020).
Kim Mills of Oakfield, who has also won multiple Elba races, was again the top women's finisher with a time of 20:27, two-tenths of a second faster than her 2022 time.
She finished fifth overall.
Rebert is creeping up on the consecutive winning streak, six, held by Michael Richenberg of Pembroke, who finished fourth on Saturday with a time of 20:24.
Reuben Rivers of Albion, finished second with a time of 19:57, and Rodney Egli of Newark, was third, at 20:10.
Photos by Howard Owens.
Brandon Rebert nears the finish line. Photo by Howard Owens.
Brandon Rebert crossed the finish line in the GLOW Arc Friends and Family 5K on Saturday. Photo by Howard Owens.
Michael Richenberg finishing in fourth on Saturday. Photo by Howard Owens.
Kim Mills and Brandon Rebert. Photo by Howard Owens.
There was a big crowd, frothy beers on tap, and plenty of "zicke zacke hoi hoi hoi" to go around in Jackson Square on Saturday as Eli Fish Brewing Co. hosted its now annual Oktoberfest.
A beautiful day and a beautiful field to play on, but not the outcome Notre Dame hoped for when they arrived at Genesee Community College on Saturday for a regular season game against Canisteo-Greenwood.
The Irish lost 25-14.
Jay Antinore was 12-20 passing for 134 yards and two TDs.
Also on Saturday The OAE Aggies sustained a rare loss on Saturday, losing to Avon 13-6.
QB Gavin Armbrewster was 4-9 passing for 113 yards and a TD. He had 12 carries for 37 yards. Avery Waterson rushed for 68 yards. Shaun Alexander had 33 yards on eight carries and a 55-yard receiving TD.
On defense, Ashton Bezon had 11 tackles and a sack. Austin Pangrazio had eight tackles and an interception.
"Avon played a much cleaner game than us today," said Coach Tyler Winter. "When you have multiple uncharacteristic mistakes, it’s tough to rally against teams like them. This will serve as a good learning experience for us down the road, as we still have not scratched the surface of our potential. Plenty of ball left."
LeRoy scores just before halftime to lead 20-8. Photo by Steve Ognibene
The Le Roy Oatkan Knights improved to 3-0 on the season with a 36-16 win over Lyons/Sodus on Friday at Hartwood Park.
Tony Piazza rushed for 152 yards on 20 carries and a TD. Tommy Condidorio was 5-10 passing for 110 yards and a TD. Jackson Fix had four receptions for 86 yards. He also rushed for a pair of touchdowns. Holden Sullivan had two sacks and four tackles.
Also on Friday:
Batavia lost to Honeoye Falls/Lima, 21-14. Bronx Buchholz 11-24 passing for 139 yards, one TD and one interception. Mekhi Fortes had 16 carries for 155 yards and a touchdown. He had six tackles on defense. Cole Grazioplene five catches for 54 yards and a TD.
Attica/Alexander beat East Rochester/Gandada, 21-18.
All schools hold open houses. In Pavilion, the high school hosts the Gopher Gathering, a chance for the school community to come together to enjoy good food, live music, and games, and also learn about academic opportunities available at the school.
Along with a food truck rodeo, there is face painting, a petting zoo, and a dunk tank.
"It's a community thing where people can meet and greet teachers," Principal Charles Martelle said Thursday at the school grounds.
Besides learning about classes they might have overlooked, it's a chance for students and parents to learn about campus activities, including clubs students might join.
"Mostly, it's about coming out and meeting teachers, meeting people at the school, and getting a feel for the place, and having a good time," Martelle said. "Then, if they can learn something about the courses, about the clubs, and some different opportunities, then that's kind of the bonus."
Photos by Howard Owens.
Deputy Trevor Sherwood, Pavilion's new school resource officer, in the dunk tank.
One person was injured when a passenger vehicle and a semi-truck hauling retail merchandise collided at Ellicott Street Road and Starr Road shortly before 10:30 a.m. on Thursday.
Seven hours later, workers were still removing the merchandise from the truck and loading it into another trailer.
The State Police released the names of the drivers without stating which vehicle each driver was operating and which driver was injured.
The driver of the first vehicle was Syed A. Rizvi, 36, of Windsor Mill, Maryland, and of the second, Francisco A. Gomez Arias, 42, of Hazle Township, Pa.
The State Police did not release any information related to the events leading to the accident.
Alexander resident Cortni Quinn, a corrections officer at Attica Correctional Facility, provided these photos from Wednesday's Attica Prison Riot Memorial Ceremony.
Every year, on Sept. 13, there are two ceremonies on prison grounds in remembrance of the riot, which started on Sept. 9, 1971, and ended on Sept. 13, 1971. the first service focuses on victims and families of victims who died. The second is a state service remembering the riot.
This year was the 52nd anniversary.
The bagpiper is William Franz of Attica. The pictures include the Attica Honor Guard and the Attica CERT team members.
