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Law and Order: Rochester man jailed for alleged shoplifting at Walmart and Kmart

By Howard B. Owens

Steven Douglas Crandall, 50, of Driving Park, Rochester, is charged with petit larceny and trespass. Crandall allegedly stole an air conditioning unit at Walmart with a $479.08 value. Crandall is allegedly banned from all Walmart stores because of a prior shoplifting allegation. Crandall also had an warrant for his arrest out of Town of Batavia Court for a prior shoplifting charge at Kmart. Crandall was jailed on $500 bail.

Daryl R. Hamler, 19, of Wescott Road, Le Roy, is charged with criminal possession of marijuana, 4th, and speeding. Also charged with criminal possession of marijuana was Rebecca E. Cook, 19, of Caldwell Road, Groveland. Hamler and Cook were allegedly found in possession of more than two ounces of marijuana during a traffic stop by Deputy James Diehl at 12:02 a.m. on Route 19, Le Roy.

Andrew Alexander Halloran, 48, of Northwest 7 Street Road, Miami, Fla., is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, DWI, refusal to take breath test, speeding and failure to keep right. Halloran's vehicle was stopped at 11:43 p.m. Tuesday on Route 20, Darien, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Cheryl L. Behm, 53, of Alden, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, moving from lane unsafely, failure to use designated lane and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle. Behm was stopped at 1:24 a.m. Wednesday on Main Road at Back Street in Pembroke by State Police.

Earl S. Lockhart, 20, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Lockhart is accused of stealing from Kmart.

'A Knight's Journey' will tell the tale of Le Roy football through the stories of those who played

By Howard B. Owens

There is a toughness, according to Jim Bonacquisti, that defines what it means to be an Oatkan Knight.

The stories of those tough kids, the ones who were heroes and the ones who always put in a good effort, are what Bonacquisti and research partner John Mangefrida want to capture for a book they're writing on the history of Le Roy football.

"When I talk to the old timers, the word tough keeps coming up," Bonacquisti said. "There's something about this community that the kids are just tough. When I ask people, why is that, they talk about the Irish, the Italians, the blacks, just something about the makeup of the community. Just tough, tough kids and it's still that way."

In an effort to leave no stone unturned, Bonacquisti and Mangefrida will be at the Oatka Festival this weekend in their own booth looking to talk with former players about their time in red and black.

Bonacquisti figures he already has five hours of interviews taped and has written five chapters of "A Knight's Journey," but he wants to get as many stories as he can about the people and events that shaped more than a century of football in Le Roy.

"We don't want to leave something out," he said. "There's going to be somebody who gets left out somehow, but that's why I think it's important (to hear from people)."

It's not unusual for storied high school programs to be the subject of a local history book, but Bonacquisti wants to get beyond the usual dry fare of those books -- stats, won-loss records and game recaps. "A Knight's Journey" will be about the boys who played the game and the community that they helped define -- and which helped define them.

"It's all about the kid," Bonacquisti said. "It's all about that kid when he's this tall and his dad brings him to a football game and he's thinking, 'I want to do this. I want to be a part of this.' I don't know if every community has that."

Bonacquisti said he was that kid once, and so was his dad. It's been that way for many families for many generations in Le Roy.

To pick up the game program Mangefrida puts together every year and flip through the names of players who have worn red and black through the decades, it's like a who's who of Le Roy's prominent and not so prominent familes. Antinore, Bower, Condidorio, Crocker, Lapp, Lathan, Loftus, Longhany, O'Geen, Paladino, Panepento, Pangrazio, Rider, Scott and Whiting.

On the field, the names that stand out, Bonacquisti said are Shaughnessy, Miller and Scott.

While the Shaughnessy and Millers have produced generation after generation of top Section V players, the Scott name is the only one that is draped across the balcony of a professional football stadium.

That would be the name Boomer Scott, who was a varsity fullback and defensive lineman for the Red and Black (before they were the Oatkan Knights) in 1940, '41 and '42. He was recruited by Notre Dame at a time when there were maybe seven top football programs in the nation and Notre Dame was one of them.

After college, Scott had a Canadian Football Hall of Fame career from 1949 to 1960 in Hamilton, Ontario.

It's the story of guys like Scott that the young players need to learn about, Bonacquisti said. Here was a guy right from Le Roy who not only had a great football career, but made a difference in his adopted community of Hamilton (after he retired, Scott became a successful businessman in Hamilton and eventually served one term on the city council).

The kids need to learn about Ed Walsh, too, he said.

Walsh coached in Le Roy in 1946 and 1947, with a record of 5-2 his second year.

The next year, Walsh was head coach in Manhasset on Long Island when he spotted a freshman in the hallway one day and asked him if he ever played football. The shy boy who had just moved to Manhasset from Georgia said he never had.

Walsh became that boy's mentor and the father figure he never had, and that youngster, Jim Brown, would not only go on to lead Manhasset to a 20-1 record over four seasons, averaging more than 12 yards per carry, he would become a standout athlete in lacrosse, basketball and baseball before becoming one of the all-time great running backs in nine seasons with the Cleveland Browns.

No story of Le Roy's coaches would be complete, though, without including at least the names Ray Jamalkowski and Brian Moran.

Jamalkowski ended six straight seasons of futility in what had otherwise always been a proud program and in just one season -- when the Knights went 6-1 in 1965 -- turn the program around and started a streak of winning seasons that would to go until 1979 (the year, coincidentally, when Bonacquisti was captain).

"He came from Batavia," Bonacquisti said, "and he saw in these kids that toughness and he brought it out of them."

Moran's 177-58-2 record over 23 seasons makes him somewhat of a living legend in the annals of Le Roy football, and he's not done yet. With the kids coming up through the program, Bonacquisti said Moran should be able to notch quite a few more victories in the coming years.

Then there are people associated with Le Roy football who are best remembered not for their exploits on the gridiron, but what they did away from the field.

Today, outstanding Le Roy students receive awards named after John Armino and Gary Scott.

In 1960, Armino sacrificed his life by lying down on top of another boy on the track tracks near Buttermilk Falls to protect him from an oncoming train.

The second student to ever receive the John Armino award was Gary Scott, who was killed in action in Vietnam in 1968 while saving the lives of fellow soldiers.

When Bonacquisti posted about Scott on a Facebook group he set up for the book, a former student who once won the Gary Scott Award said the post prompted him to find out more about Scott.

"He sent back a reply to me about how humbled he was," Bonacquisti said. "He felt kind of bad because he didn't really look into who Gary Scott was and then he said when he saw how significant the award was and how he felt to think that his teachers thought that much of him to give him that award."

In telling these tales, Bonacquisti believes he can help preserve the tradition of what it means to be a Knight -- that toughness, but also the humility, the honor, the desire to prove oneself and showing mercy to a conquered enemy.

That tradition is one of the things that helps bind Le Roy and define Le Roy, Bonacquisti said.  There may be things that have at times pushed the community apart, but on Friday nights, football always brings them together.

"When we get those 30 kids out there, we don't care where you live," Bonacquisti said. "You could live on Mill Street or you could live on East Main Street. The best players and the toughest kids are going to play.  

"That really helps kids," he added. "Maybe they don't come from the greatest background or families, but they know they're going to get a fair shot to be part of something pretty significant if they put the work in."

Over and over, during our talk at Ron Rossi's barbershop, Bonacquisti said he only knows Le Roy football and that's the story he wants to tell.

"Are we different from any other community? I don't know," he said. "I can only judge by what we have here."

Photo: Bonacquisti, Rossi and Mangefrida.

Rain coming with pockets of severe thunderstorms predicted

By Howard B. Owens

A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for all of Western New York now through 10 p.m.

Rain is moving in, according to the National Weather Service, and there may be pockets of thunderstorms that develop bringing possible strong winds and hail.

State denies targeting flight schools for special enforcement or changing the rules on sales tax

By Howard B. Owens

On July 2, we published, Aviation school owner says NYS Taxation and Finance driving him out of business. At the first opportunity the next morning, we sought comment from the NYS Taxation and Finance. After much unnecessary wrangling, we received answers to the following questions from the department's spokesman, Geoff Gloak.

Is Miller's general assertion true that the state has reinterpreted rules regarding sales tax on planes leased to flight schools? 

No. Any charge that DTF has suddenly reinterpreted rules regarding sales tax on planes leased to flight schools is inaccurate. There hasn’t been any recent change in the Tax Law on this matter, nor any court decisions we’re aware of that affects the matter. We have always taxed aircraft rental for flight training.

Is it true that over the past 40 years, there has been no sales tax on private planes used by students at flight schools and now there is?

No. An aircraft purchased for flight school training is not, and has not been, exempt from New York State sales tax. There has been no change in practice here.

Is it true that auditors are demanding payment of back taxes from plane owners for up to five years?

Your question seems to suggest that there’s some systematic campaign against people who own airplanes – and any such charge is categorically false. Our focus when it comes to audits is always exactly the same: Was tax due, and was it paid? This is the case for any business, in any industry.

Is it true that auditors are systematically going around to the state's flight schools and looking at whether sales tax has been paid on student's flight hours?

No. That's incorrect. There hasn’t been any change in our audit procedures, which is to examine in some form every tax return filed with the State – whether it’s personal income, corporation, or sales tax. That has been and continues to be our standard audit posture. 

If these assertions are true, what is the rational by taxation and finance? Not applicable.

Is taxation and finance concerned that private plane owners are choosing to end their association with flight schools because of this allegedly new enforcement?

There isn’t any “new enforcement.” Our goal is and always has been to help taxpayers understand the laws and regulations and to enforce those laws and regulations across the board in a fair and equitable manner.

Alleged assault case at Kid Rock concert grows more complicated with news of serious injuries

By Howard B. Owens

Craig Lawson

The suspect in the alleged assault following the Kid Rock concert July 6 at the Darien Lake Performing Art Center has probably learned by now that his alleged victim is in serious condition, but District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said he has no reason to believe the Canadian resident won't make his scheduled court appearance July 30.

Craig Malcolm Lawson, 34, of Talbot Street, Courtland, Ontario, Canada, was initially charged with just a misdemeanor, assault in the third degree, so bail was only set at $1,000.

Indications are, however, that Lawson, who according to sources has a good job in Canada, is taking the case seriously. He's hired a private attorney, who happens to also be a state senator, Michael Ranzenhofer.

"He has retained an attorney who has appeared on his behalf," Friedman said. "The defendant is scheduled to appear in court on July 30 and at this point I have no reason to believe that he won’t be there."

If Lawson were to fail to appear, the District Attorney's Office would need to work with Canadian authorities to obtain his arrest and extradition, which could delay progress of the case.

The alleged victim, Jason McNeil is in a coma, according to friends, at ECMC.

A few days ago, media in Alabama reported on the 43-year-old McNeil's condition and described the Tuscaloosa resident as a "prominent businessman." His coworkers set up a fundraising campaign on his behalf with a goal of raising $25,000 (now $50,000, with more than $18,000 raised so far). There's also a Facebook page set up for McNeil.

McNeil is the owner and operator of Synchronous Industrial Services and has a wife and two children. He's originally from the Alden area and besides going to see Kid Rock he was in WNY for a few days to visit with family.

The fundraiser and media coverage of McNeil's condition could likely alert Lawson that the case is more serious than he might have thought after his initial arrest, but Friedman said he believes Lawson will meet his obligation to appear in court.

"As I said, it appears to me that the defendant has retained counsel and will do the right thing and he will address these charges as he needs to," Friedman said. "I’m not going to speculate on any problems in that regard."

Last August, the District Attorney's Office went through a similar case, which is still pending, against Kelly L. Alcorn, who was initially charged with harassment for allegedly hitting another patron at the Jason Aldean concert.

The alleged victim went to Buffalo media and claimed she was more seriously injured than might warrant a misdemeanor charge. The woman sought a felony charge against Alcorn, a police officer in Niagara Falls.

Friedman's office reviewed the accounts of events, the available evidence and the medical records and eventually sought a grand jury indictment against Alcorn, who is now facing a charge of assault in the second degree.

The same process could be followed in the Lawson case, Friedman said.

"We need to get a handle on what occurred, statements of witnesses, police reports, things like that, and follow the victim's medical condition before we make any decision," Friedman said.

When Darien Town Justice Gary Graber arraigned Lawson the night of July 6, he was presented with a document called an accusatory instrument that specified the charge against Lawson -- the misdemeanor of assault, 3rd -- and a very brief narrative of what police believed happened. He also was given, in this case, two brief witness statements.

From the penal code:

A person is guilty of assault in the third degree when:
1. With intent to cause physical injury to another person, he causes such injury to such person or to a third person ...

The accusatory states that Lawson, "did punch Jason McNeil in the head with a closed fist causing him to lose consciousness and fall to the pavement."

There were also two witness statement's in Lawson's court file.

One witness, who said she is a cousin of McNeil's, said that as she was coming out of the concert, "some guy came up to my cousin, Jason McNeil, and punched him in the face with a closed fist. Jason proceeded to fall backwards and hit his head on the pavement and did NOT MOVE. Jason was not arguing with anyone and I have no idea why he was punched."

Another witness, a Depew resident working for the concert venue, also said he saw the alleged incident.

"I saw a man wearing a red tee shirt arguing with a male that was younger than him," he wrote. "The man in the red pushed the younger kid. The younger looking male was walking backwards and the male in the red pulled his arm way back and punched the younger looking kid. I heard the punch hit the kid in the face and I also heard the younger kid's head hit the ground."

At the time Graber set Lawson's bail at $1,000, he would have had no direct information on McNeil's condition or the fact that McNeil was taken by Mercy Flight to ECMC.

To sustain a charge of assault in the second degree, the prosecution would need to be confident that it could prove the defendant intended to cause serious injury. For example, the need to prove intent eventually lead to the dismissal of one of the felony counts against Jacquetta Simmons in the Walmart Christmas Eve assault case. Simmons was convicted by a jury of a single felony involving the assault on a person over age 65, rather than straight assault, 2nd.

Top photo via giveforward.com.

ABO report contains data on GCEDC's work and staff compensation

By Howard B. Owens

The Authorities Budget Office has released an annual report, along with several spreadsheets, that contain a range of data about the state's multitude of public authorities, including industrial development agencies, such as the Genesee County Economic Development Center.

Here's what the report shares about GCEDC:

  • Total staff compensation for GCEDC's 12 employees was $772,360 in 2012, the third highest in the state behind Erie County, with 19 employees at $1.2 million and Yonkers with 20 employees at $1.14 million. Yonkers and Erie also have the largest staff of IDAs in the state, followed by Genesee and Jefferson with 12 apiece.
  • Eighteen authorities in the state paid performance bonuses in 2012, but only three were IDAs, and only GCEDC among IDAs paid bonuses in excess of $10,000. In all, six employees received bonuses of $10,000 or higher, including Steve Hyde, whose bonus of $142,000 put his total compensation for the year at $312,388.
  • The 51 other authority employees in the state that received performance bonuses in excess of $10,000 all work for health care agencies, such as the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and pulled in total compensation packages two and three times Hyde's compensation. The president and CEO of the Westchester County Health Care Corporation was paid $1.4 million in total compensation.
  • GCEDC has 11 projects that were approved in 2008 with total tax exemptions awarded of $2 million. Those projects were supposed to create 66 new jobs. There were actually only 14 jobs created, according to the ABO report. That's far from the worst performance in the state, however. The Albany IDA's projects came up 2,138 jobs short on promises and 14 other IDAs had greater deficits than GCEDC's projects.
  • In the list of new IDA projects for 2012, GCEDC ranks third with 13. Topping the list is Monroe County's IDA with 33 followed by New York City with 16.
  • On the same list, GCEDC is third in total net exemptions, having awarded  $3.6 million, behind Jefferson County with $5.34 million on six projects and Westchester County with $4.2 million on 11 projects. Monroe's 33 projects received $2 million in exemptions and NYC's $1.5 million.
  • Those 13 projects for GCEDC are expected to net 341 new FTE positions, which is the seventh highest projection in the state. NYC is number one with 1,409 estimated FTEs followed by Monroe County with 501.
  • Jobs created by IDA-funded projects are a self-reported number from the employer to the sponsoring IDA. As the sponsoring IDA, GCEDC reported 244 jobs created for its 2012 projects, which is 137 new FTE positions that didn't exist before the projects were approved, but still 97 fewer jobs than promised by the projects.
  • Those 137 additional jobs are enough to place GCEDC fourth in the state for IDAs creating jobs from approved projects. Tops is Monroe County with 1,369 new jobs, followed by NYC, 206, and Syracuse, 198.
  • Erie County actually lost 56 jobs on its 10 projects that received $1.18 million in exemptions.
  • Orleans County had one project in 2012 that received $3,000 in exemptions that promised three new jobs and three new jobs were created.  
  • The Genesee Gateway LDC gave out $5.8 million in loans for projects expected to create 244 jobs with 99 FTEs positions reportedly created in 2012. That's $58,435 of loan money per new FTE position, 10th on the list for highest loan amount per job. Topping the list is Washington County LDC, which gave out 33 loans totaling $3.4 million and had two FTEs created for an average of $1.7 million per job. At the other end of the scale, Livingston County gave out 16 loans totaling $1.1 million and those projects created 243 positions, for an average of $4,501 loaned per job.

Motorcycle rider suffers possible arm injury at end of alleged high speed chase

By Howard B. Owens

Medics and Alabama fire are responding to a location at Judge and Feeder roads, Tonawanda Indian Reservation, to assistant a patient with an apparent arm injurying following a high speed chase that started in a neighboring county.

The pursuit involved a motorcycle and the rider reportedly laid the bike down at Judge and Feeder.

Father and son in Pavilion plead guilty on charges related to storing disabled cars

By Howard B. Owens

Jacob and Steven Weber, father and son, entered guilty pleas in Town of Pavilion Court to 45 and 15, respectively, violations of the state's property maintenance code.

Under the plea deal, Jacob Weber will avoid jail time, but Steven Weber could still be incarcerated if he does not rid his property of the remaining seven disabled, unregistered vehicles on his property at 11076 Lake Road.

Weber admitted in court today that he had 16 unregistered, disabled vehicles on his property -- one more than the law allows. He made a point of clarifying before pleading guilty that he was allowed one vehicle on the property.

The 46 vehicles on property owned by Jacob and Mary Weber at 11256 Perry Road are also apparently the property of Steven Weber.

The Webers are scheduled to appear for sentencing at 3 p.m., Aug. 13.

Town of Pavilion Attorney Jamie Welch said the agreement includes no sentence cap and doesn't limit any possible fines beyond what is allowed under the law.

Previously: Town of Pavilion begins enforcement effort on two properties with alleged code violations

GCEDC staff in San Francisco promoting STAMP

By Howard B. Owens

This week, staff members of the Genesee County Economic Development Center are at SEMICON West, the largest trade show globally for the semiconductor industry, held at the Mascone Center in San Francisco.

The staff is there to promote WNY STAMP, the high-tech/nano-tech industrial park in the Town of Alabama that GCEDC hopes will some day be home to at least one large technology company employing thousands of people.

Joining the GCEDC staff are representatives from Greater Rochester Enterprise, Buffalo Niagara Enterprise, Rochester Institute of Technology, and the University at Buffalo.

The photo is from GCEDC's Facebook page. At left is Chris Suozzi and second from left is  Rachael Tabelski. IDs are not provided on the other people in the picture.

Council approves new police contract with 2.75-percent annual raise

By Howard B. Owens

Batavia's police officers have a new four-year contract after the City Council approved the pact last night that gives officers a 2.75-percent annual pay increase.

The new contract reduces sick days for new hires and new officers won't receive city-paid healthcare upon retirement.

The council also approved a pay raise of 1.5 percent for City Manager Jason Molino. Molino will make $87,299 per year.

Four council members balked at the idea of using $10,000 of video lottery terminal (VLT) money to help pay for a new Dumpster enclosure on School Street, near Center Street.

The project would have cost $35,000.

Council members Rose Mary Christian, Kathy Briggs, Jim Russell and Brooks Hawley favored requiring the four businesses that would use the Dumpsters to pay the $10,000.

The first $25,000 in costs would be covered by various state grants.

The council will reconsider the proposal at a future meeting.

Finally, Zoladz Construction out of Alden will receive a $2.5-million contract for reconstruction of Cedar Street.

(Information from The Batavian's official news partner, WBTA).

Injuries reported in hit-and-run accident at Sunrise Parkway, Oakfield

By Howard B. Owens

A two-car motor vehicle accident is reported in the area of 40 Sunrise Parkway, Oakfield, with injuries.

A victim is reportedly lying in the driveway of the Town Highway Department.

The accident may be a hit-and-run.

Witnesses reported seeing a black pickup truck flee the scene and head south on Route 63. The truck may have front-end damage.

May be unrelated, but there have been recent calls for apparent fighting at Sunrise Parkway, including today.

UPDATE 11:33 p.m.: Two patients, both are ambulatory. They just want to go in for evalutation, a chief reports.

UPDATE 11:40 p.m.: A trooper on scene says the pickup most likely continued northwest from the village.

UPDATE 11:48 p.m.: Oakfield assignment back in service.


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Truck tumbles from bridge in Rochester onto another truck and kills driver from Batavia

By Howard B. Owens

A 40-year-old truck driver from Batavia died today in an unusual accident in Rochester, according to State Police.

The victim has been identified as Shawn Wetmore.

According to WHAM-13, Wetmore was driving a box truck southbound on I-590 when a tanker truck on a westbound overpass of the I-490 rolled off the bridge and tumbled on the Wetmore's cab.

Wetmore was pronounced dead at the scene.

The tanker driver, Daniel Baker, 25, of Wyoming, was taken by ambulance to Strong Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.

The cause of the accident, which was reported at 1 p.m., has not yet been determined.

Baker was hauling liquid food waste and some 8,000 gallons spilled at the scene.

According to a coworker, Wetmore leaves behind a wife and infant daughter.

The interchange was closed for several hours and portions are expected to remain closed until at least 10 p.m.

Show at Richmond pays tribute to former Batavia artist Esther von Kramer

By Howard B. Owens

The colorful and vibrant artwork of Esther von Kramer is on display this month at the Richmond Memorial Library.

The artist was born in Buffalo in 1893, but spent much of her adult life in Batavia and was an original member of the Batavia Society of Artists.

She died in 1981 at the age of 88 in East Aurora.

Her grandson, Eric von Kramer, helped organize the show, pulling together pieces of her work from family and friends.

Esther von Kramer's work in the show is comprised primarily of still lifes and a few landscapes, with work on canvas as well as household items such as serving trays, chairs and milk buckets.

Von Kramer had to move east to work during the war, but returned when it was over and opened a studio and shop in her home. She was an art instructor for adult education programs in Corfu and Le Roy. She also taught painting at the YMCA.

"Those years were some of the happiest of her life, filled with all the dear people who came as students and customers, and remained as lifelong friends,"  according to a family biography.  "She loved everyone!"

There will be a reception at the library tomorrow (Tuesday) from 7 to 9 p.m.

Author who featured The Batavian in book on the future of journalism set for appearance at Present Tense

By Howard B. Owens

A few summers ago, Dan Kennedy, a journalism professor at Northeastern, visited Batavia while researching a book on the future of journalism, focusing on digital efforts to provide communities with news.

In May, his book, "The Wired City," was released by the University of Massachusetts Press.

While the majority of pages in The Wired City are devoted to the New Haven Independent, a nonprofit community Web site in Connecticut, there is a section in the book about for-profit sites, including The Batavian.

For the book, Kennedy interviewed me, of course, and Tom Turnbull  and Mark Graczyk at the Batavia Daily News, Dan Fischer at WBTA, City Manager Jason Molino, Chamber of Commerce President Lynn Freeman, and Patrick Weissand, then HLOM director, among others.

In the book, you can find out a little more about the background of The Batavian, a little insider information and what some people -- Turnbull, say -- were saying about The Batavian when we were barely a year old.

Kennedy remains fascinated by an off-hand remark I made while we were driving past the Stafford Country Club during his visit -- that if I were ever a member, he'd know I was doing well with The Batavian. He mentions it his book and in a column today updating readers on the progress of The Batavian on Nieman Journalism Lab (spoiler alert: I'm not a member, not even a social member, even though I recently found out membership is a heck of a lot less expensive than I thought back during Kennedy's visit to Batavia.)

This Saturday, Kennedy will be at Present Tense Books on Washington Avenue to talk about the book and sign copies.

Fischer will interview Kennedy and me for Friday morning's Main and Center on WBTA, so tune in. I anticipate a lively discussion about local journalism, past, present and future.

Former Batavia HS baseball player inducted into Section V Hall of Fame

By Howard B. Owens

Barry Sheldon, who was drafted by New York Mets in the seventh round after his senior year at Batavia High School in 1967, was inducted into the Section V Hall of Fame on Sunday during a ceremony at Frontier Field in Rochester.

Sheldon was a standout shortstop and pitcher for Batavia during all four seasons at the school.

Rather than sign with the Mets, Sheldon went to Genesee Community College for a year. That year, he was a fifth-round pick by the Minnesota Twins in the January draft and by the Detroit Tigers in the fifth round of the June draft.

Sheldon transferred to New Mexico Highlands University where he was 15-0 with a 2.30 ERA over two seasons.

In 1972, he signed with the Baltimore Orioles and played one season of minor league baseball, going 2-1 with a 3.68 in 16 appearances with the rookie league team in Bluefield, W. Va.

Law and Order: Driver accused of DWI twice in one day

By Howard B. Owens

Charles Wayne O'Shea, 35, of East Main Street, Le Roy, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or higher, aggravated unlicensed operation, 1st, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle and aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd. O'Shea was arrested twice for alleged drunken driving within a four-hour period. The second arrest came after a traffic stop at 8:36 p.m. Saturday on Route 19, Le Roy, by Deputy Chad Minuto. Minuto said he observed O'Shea driving and knew from being involved with a prior arrest of O'Shea that O'Shea allegedly did not have a valid driver's license, so he initiated a traffic stop. Upon further investigation, Minuto concluded O'Shea was allegedly driving while intoxicated. Four hours earlier, according to Minuto's report, Minuto assisted Deputy James Diehl while Diehl arrested O'Shea for allegedly driving drunk.

Selime Bela, 49, of Crimson Drive, Albion, is charged with petit larceny. Bela is accused of shoplifting $67.49 in merchandise from Kmart.

Brandon Marshall Weig, 25, of Buffalo Road, Bergen, is charged with harassment, 2nd (physical contact). The alleged incident was reported at 1:02 a.m., Friday. No further details released. Weig was also arrested on a bench warrant for alleged criminal contempt, 2nd, and disobeying a mandate.

Michael T. Dibble, 21, of Corfu, is charged with DWI. Dibble was arrested by State Police at Erie County Medical Center for allegedly driving drunk in the Town of Pembroke at 4:19 p.m., Wednesday. No further details released.

Jeremy M. Sheehan, 30, of Le Roy, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Sheehan was arrested by State Police following an alleged incident reported at 1:49 a.m. Thursday in the Town of Le Roy. No further details were released.

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