Oakfield

A large fight is reported outside of the Oakfield Hotel, South Pearl Street, Oakfield.

Multiple law enforcement units are responding.

UPDATE 12:17 a.m.: Two males fighting, crowd gathering.

Timothy L. Taylor, 38, of 219 N. Spruce St., #124, Batavia, is charged with assault, 3rd, criminal obstruction of breathing and reckless endangerment, 2nd. Taylor was picked up by the State Police at a location on West Main Street Road on an unrelated matter Saturday and turned over to the Batavia PD on a warrant for the listed charges. Taylor is also accused of violating the terms of Drug Treatment Court. Taylor was jailed on $5,000 bail for the alleged criminal offenses and $100,000 for the alleged violation of drug court terms. He is schedule to reappear in city court on Dec. 26.

Scott N. Cameron, 30, of 25 Vine St., Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd and endangering the welfare of a child. Cameron is accused of hitting a family member who is under age 17.

Benjamin L. Brade, 30, of 12 Denio St., Batavia, is  charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Brade is accused of violating an order of protection by being under the influence of alcohol while with the protected party.

Carl I. Sherman, 33, of 68 Dix St., Rochester, is charged with aggravated harassment, 2nd. Sherman was picked up by Rochester PD and turned over to Batavia PD on a warrant related to the listed charges. Sherman posted $500 bail.

Emily V. Salvatore, 30, of Bergen, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Salvatore was stopped by State Police at 11:27 p.m., Friday, on Route 31, Albion.

John Lee Smith, 38, of Rose Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, avoiding intersection, failure to keep right, moving from lane unsafely. Smith was stopped at 9:49 p.m., Saturday, on West Main Street Road, Batavia, by Deputy Frank Bordonaro. Smith was allegedly observed avoiding the intersection at River Street and Main Street and not maintaining his lane.

Jeffrey J. Cervone, 44, of Skye Road, Basom, is charged with petit larceny. Cervone was taken into custody by the State Police out of Clarence and turned over to the Sheriff's Office on a bench warrant.

Gary Howard Waters, 35, of East Avenue, Gasport, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18, speed not reasonable and prudent, leaving the scene of a property damage accident and failure to keep right. Waters was arrested following an investigation by Deputy Jason Saile and Deputy Eric Seppala into a motor vehicle accident at 3:03 a.m., Saturday, on Lewiston Road, Oakfield.

Robert A. Barnhart Jr., of Le Roy, was arrested on a warrant by the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office. Barnhart is accused of owing several thousands of dollars in restitution from a prior case.

A hit-and-run accident is reported in the area of Galloway and Lewiston roads.

Law enforcement is looking for a gold Chevy Silverado 1500. The truck is heading north into Oakfield.

The victim vehicle sustained only minor damage.

Mercy Flight was called on two separate incidents in Genesee County after midnight, Friday.

At about 12:15 a.m., a pickup truck reportedly hit a tree on Perry Road just north of York Road. There were two male occupants. One victim was able to get out of the vehicle, but the second victim required a Mercy Flight transport with a possible head injury.

Pavilion fire responded to the Perry Road accident.

At about 12:30 a.m., dispatchers received a report of a woman fallen on Pearl Street. Oakfield fire was dispatched and a short time later, requested Mercy Flight to the scene. A landing zone was set up at the school.

Mercy Flight 5 out of Batavia responded to the Pavilion accident. Mercy Flight 7 out of Buffalo responded to Oakfield.

A comptroller's audit in the Town of Oakfield uncovered what appears to be an accounting error with garbage punch cards.

Some 1,519 cards, with a value of $30,380, are missing.

It doesn't appear that any funds are missing or have been misappropriated, said Town Supervisor Mike Cianfrini, and the comptroller's report doesn't accuse anybody of wrongdoing.

The town has already taken measures to improve controls, according to the report and Cianfrini.

"When we went to the ticket process, it was kind of a work in progress," Cianfrini said. "I don't think proper controls were put in place, and those have since been implemented."

Going forward,

• the town clerk will maintain an inventory record for cards when obtained, distributed to other entities for sale then sold, and will periodically reconcile the card records;
• the board will require waste facility attendants to retain completely used cards to assist in future audits; and,
• the board will audit the punch card records on an annual basis.

The town received 5,000 press-numbered cards for sale to the public in February 2011. The cards sell for $20 each at the town hall, village hall and three local businesses.

At the time of the audit, 1,446 cards had been sold and 2,035 were unsold with 1,519 missing.

Cianfrini said there doesn't appear, however, to be any missing funds.

"Due to the lack of sufficient record keeping, we could not determine the reasons for these gaps," the auditors state.

While there's no accusation of wrongdoing, the auditors do state, "there is no assurance that the unaccounted cards were not sold, lost or stolen."

The discrepancies were found, Cianfrini said, during an audit of the town's entire recording keeping and financial systems.

"When I met with them after this report came out -- they looked at the entire town's financial transactions -- and this was the only issue noted," Cianfrini said. "They were actually impressed with the financial controls in the town."

A possible silo fire is reported at 3869 Drake St. Road in Elba. The location is between Pekin and Weatherwax roads. Elba fire is responding along with mutual aid from Oakfield.

UPDATE 1:13 p.m.: A tanker from the Town of Batavia is requested to the scene.

UPDATE 1:20 p.m. A crew from the Town of Barre in Orleans County is asked to stand by in quarters.

UPDATE 2:16 p.m.: A fire truck from Alabama is called to a draft site on Fisher Road to assist in fighting the silo fire.

Jamie R. Bachorski, 18, of Oakfield, is charged with two counts of burglary, 3rd. Bachorski is accused of stealing two ATVs from a storage shed on Batavia Oakfield Townline Road over the summer. He's also accused of entering a pole barn on Fisher Road and stealing an ATV. Bachorski was jailed on $10,000 bail for alleged violation of probation. The case was investigated by Deputy Tim Wescott, Youth Officer John Dehm and Investigator Roger Stone.

Joseph Thomas Bortie, 41, of Knowlesville Road, Alabama, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, moving from lane unsafely and driving across hazardous marking. Bortie was stopped at 4:28 p.m. Monday on Route 262, Byron, following a report of an erratic driver on westbound Route 262. Deputy Chad Minuto located Bortie's vehicle a short time later near Transit Road. Minuto said he saw Bortie's vehicle cross into the eastbound lane and almost collide with another vehicle. Bortie was taken into custody following field tests. He was released on an appearance ticket.

Jennifer Lynn Sprague, 29, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, is charged with falsely reporting an incident to law enforcement. Sprague was taken into custody on Central Avenue on a warrant for the charge out of Town of Bergen Court. She was released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

Roxanne G. Rowe, 25, of Maple Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with animal cruelty and unlawful possession of marijuana. Rowe is accused of trying to harm a neighbor's dog by placing pieces of metal in a meat product and making it available for the dog to eat. At the time of her arrest -- 10:15 a.m., Saturday, by Deputy Brian Thompson -- Rowe also allegedly possessed marijuana.

Lakiesha A. Gibson, 26, of 13 Williams St., Lockport, is charged with disorderly conduct and endangering the welfare of a child. Gibson is accused of shouting obscenities while outside on Thorpe Street at 10:20 p.m., Saturday. Gibson also allegedly refused to remove two children out of the roadway and away from a dispute.

Timothy J. Wenzel, 19, of 13 Harvester Ave., Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Wenzel was allegedly seen with a person who is protected by a "stay away" order of protection.

Makeen K. Ithna-Asheri, 52, of 111 State St., Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass, 2nd. Ithna-Asheri allegedly entered a residence he had previously been advised not to enter.

Danielle M. Stevens, 36, of Ford Road, Elba, is charged with three counts of petit larceny. Stevens is accused of stealing $140 and a gold pendant from a relative's house within a six-week period. Stevens was jailed on $500 bail.

Brenden Kirstipher Steck, 23, of Broadway Road, Darien, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Steck was allegedly found to be the operator of a disabled motor vehicle on Route 20 in Darien at 1:15 a.m., Saturday, by Deputy James Diehl.

Joseph E. Marr, 34, of Attica, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Marr was reportedly involved in a motor vehicle accident at 10:13 p.m. Friday on Keeney Road, Le Roy. He was arrested by State Police.

Santa had a busy day in Genesee County today and I did my best to keep up with him. 

I first found him at the Holland Land Office Museum, where his appearance coincided with the annual Children's Gala. Children made cookies, watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, ate pizza and let Santa in on what presents they'll be dreaming about on Christmas Eve.

Next, I found Santa at Alli's Cones and Dogs in Oakfield. At Alli's, both children and adults whispered in Santa's ear.

Finally, Santa promised the Genesee Sno Packers at their annual open house that their Christmas wish for snow will be granted. He also added all the good children who came to visit him to his long list of boys and girls who will find their desired gifts on Christmas morning.

More photos in the slide show. Parents who wish to purchase prints should click on the "visit gallery" link in the slide show.

Press release:

The Board of Education of the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District has a vacancy on the board. This vacancy will be filled by a special election on Jan. 24.

The newly elected member will serve the remainder of a three-year term set to expire on June 30, 2015.

Qualifications for membership on a school board include:

• Must be able to read and write;
• Must be a qualified voter of the district; that is, a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years of age or older;
• Must be and have been a resident (but need not be a taxpayer) of the district for a continuous and uninterrupted period of at least one year;
• May not have been removed from any school district office within the preceding year;
• May not reside with another member of the same school board as a member of the same family;
• May not be a current employee of the school board;
• May not simultaneously hold another incompatible public office.

All interested candidates are invited to pick up a Petition for Board Member Nomination form from the district office, Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

It's become harder to recruit and retain emergency medical technicians and the manpower shortage has led the Oakfield Fire Department's board to the difficult decision to discontinue its ambulance service.

Department President Mike Ognibene said it would take at least 10 EMTs to run a service that could dependably respond to calls and the department has only three volunteer EMTs now.

Out of about 15 calls for service a month, Ognibene said, the ambulance might roll on one or two calls. He said, as a driver, there are many times he shows up at the fire hall and waits for an EMT who never arrives.

After a couple of minutes of waiting, the call is turned over to Mercy EMS.

“Mercy EMS has done a great job since they’ve taken over (ambulance service in the county)," Ognibene said. "They’ve done a great job of responding, so it benefits us more to be there to help them, which we can do with our rescue truck. Since we don’t have to have an EMT, we can get there fast to assist them with the rescue truck.”

Truck 70 will go out of service at midnight, Dec. 31.

There is a bit of cost savings that goes with discontinuing the ambulance service, and that money can be rolled over into support of the firefighting service, but the biggest issue is manpower.

"My fear all along has been that we start having manpower shortages and that some agencies would discontinue EMS service," said Tim Yaeger, emergency management coordinator for Genesee County.

Losing Oakfield's ambulance, he said, means there's one less rig to roll in any kind of major event where multiple people are hurt.

That's why Genesee County Emergency Services embarked on a recruitment and retention drive earlier this year. The campaign includes media ads, hiring a recruiter and producing marketing products to attract people to volunteer services in firefighting and medical response.

"If anyone has ever thought about becoming a firefighter or EMS volunteer, now is the time to act," Yaeger said.

For an EMT, state mandated training takes close to 200 hours to complete. Ognibene said his department has had a few people sign up for training but not complete it.

It hasn't always been that way said longtime department member Robert Hilchey. 

Oakfield started its ambulance service in 1974, at a time when the only ambulances in the county were owned by St. Jerome's and Genesee Memorial hospitals.

"Some in the department thought we should have an ambulance out in this part of the county, so Oakfield was the first (fire company) to provide ambulance service," Hilchey said.

There was a time when Oakfield had enough EMTs to assign nightly rotation to responders. One crew would be on call from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Monday, another on Tuesday and so on.

Hilchey said members of the department just don't think they can get back to that level of service.

Recruiting new EMTs. however, is critical, Yaeger said, to maintaining levels of service throughout the county.

There are ambulances in Bethany, Le Roy, Byron, Bergen, Darien and Alexander. Those services are important to their communities, but also provide fill-in capabilities in those rare times when all of Mercy's rigs are tied up, and would be essential in a mass casualty type of situation.

With the loss of Oakfield's ambulance, however, neither Ognibene nor Yaeger anticipate any less service availability on a routine basis for the citizens of Oakfield.

Typically, Mercy EMS can roll to Oakfield quickly and, as Ognibene noted, the department still has medic-trained personnel to provide first-aid and basic life support and volunteers can respond to any emergency with the rescue truck.

Hilchey agreed.

"I'm very confident that Mercy EMS has taken over our responsibility and our residents and our taxpayers in the village will not be short changed in any way," Hilchey said.

To learn more about volunteer opportunities in Oakfield and the rest of the county, visit Ready Genesee.

A bit of the Bonduelle food processing property in Oakfield, off Pearl Street, this afternoon, just before the rain started.

Families in need can stop by the Oakfield Community Bible Church, 80 North Main St., Oakfield, on Tuesday's from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. for free bread, and perhaps other food items when available.

The free-food ministry is supervised by Carol Lowe (who wasn't able to be at the church today) and has been ongoing for three or four months now.

Families can receive up to three loaves of bread and when available canned and boxed food items such as tuna, vegetables, mac and cheese and peanut butter and jelly.

"When we can we try to provide a meal," said Jacquie Lindke, (right in the photo).

Availability depends on what has come in from donors.

All of the food is free, no questions asked.

Pictured with Lindke is Tom Petter. Both are residents of Basom.

From 10 to 2 p.m., Dec. 8, the church will be giving away clothes to anybody who needs clothing items, including coats, boots, hats and gloves for men, women and children.

When I left Le Roy, there was a long line of children waiting to talk with Santa and fill his ear with their Christmas dreams. I drove straight to Oakfield, and by the time I arrived, Santa was already there. It's amazing how that guy gets around.

Above, Santa with Mrs. Claus and their 5-week-old grandson.

Oakfield held a new Christmas event for the village today. It included the annual Christmas tree display, but moved this year to the memorial park between South Main and Pearl. The event included wagon rides, cookie decorating, games and the Genesee Model Train Engineers held an open house.

Organizers expect the event to become an annual celebration of Christmas in Oakfield that will get a little bigger each year.

As near as investigators can conclude, 25-year-old Quayshawn D. Smith was tired, drunk and driving a car with broken suspension April 22 when his 1997 white Buick Century crossed the center yellow line on Lewiston Road and smashed head-on into a minivan driven by a 74-year-old Oakfield resident.

Both Smith, of Mill Street, Medina, and Rosemary Calla, of South Main Street, were dead before the first emergency responders arrived.

While Sheriff's Office investigators draw no conclusions in a recently completed final report on the accident, the three proximate probable causes for the accident are contained in witness statements, observations by investigators and a medical examiner's report.

The ME's report took many months to complete, which is why the investigation wasn't closed until a week or so ago.

According to the Monroe County ME, Smith's BAC was between .08 and .12 (depending on whether the urine or blood sample is used) at the time of the crash. He also had marijuana in his system.

Two people from Geneseo told investigators that they had been with Smith the night before the accident drinking, first at local bars and later at an after-hours party at a residence.

Before going to the house party, Smith gave his car keys to a friend so he wouldn't drive, according to a statement. 

Another more recent acquaintance in his statement said he obtained the keys prior to the party, but when he thought he was going to walk home, gave them to Smith's friend.

Smith's friend denied having the keys at the party.

The acquaintance ended up staying at the party and then got a ride home from Smith. Smith's friend was also a passenger in the car.

According to the acquaintance's statement, Smith was weaving while driving the two passengers back to the friend's house, but he attributed the weaving to Smith being tired, not drunk.

Back at the house, the three men were going to get something to eat, but nothing in the house appealed to them, so Smith decided to leave. Smith's friend offered him a place to sleep, but Smith declined and said he was OK to drive.

The friend said he didn't consider Smith drunk, just tired.

At 6:10 a.m., another Geneseo resident who was driving to Clarence reportedly saw a white sedan pulled over on Route 63 south of the Peoria Curve. The driver observed a man in dark clothing with a hoodie pulled over the side of his head and walking back toward the driver's side door as the witness passed.

There's no evidence this was the same white sedan driven by Smith, however, the Geneseo resident said the white sedan eventually caught up with him (he said he was driving 55 mph) and was weaving in the roadway, sometimes acting as if he wanted to pass, even over a double-yellow line, and the swerving back into the shoulder of the road.

At Route 20 and Route 63, the two cars went separate ways, with the white sedan continuing northbound on Route 63. The Geneseo resident said he intentionally delayed his left turn onto Route 20 so he could observe the driver of the white sedan, whom he described as a black male.

The Geneseo resident never called police until after he learned of a white sedan being invovlved in a double-fatal accident on Route 63.

The accident was reported at 6;46 a.m. in the area of 7936 Lewiston Road, Batavia.

Smith's car crossed the double-yellow line and the two cars hit head-on with the impact area being about 3/4 of the front of each vehicle.

The black box (EDR, for electronic data recorder) in the Buick indicated that Smith wasn't wearing a seat belt, but emergency responders all reported finding Smith strapped in by both a lap belt and shoulder harness. Sgt. William Scott who prepared the reported concluded the EDR reading was in error on that point.

The EDR recorded the Buick's speed at 52 mph just prior to impact.

Scott could not recover the data from the 2002 Mazda minivan driven by Calla because its software was incompatible with the software used by both the Sheriff's Office and State Police.

Using mathematical calculations, Scott concluded Calla's speed just prior to impact was 39.93 mph.

"It is possible that the driver's age or a recognition of an impending collision could have allowed the driver of the Mazda to reduce speed just prior to impact," Scott wrote in his report.

While Smith was over the legal limit for blood alcohol content at the time of the crash, and had been up all night, according to witnesses, the suspension on his car was also damaged.

It had a broken left rear trailing arm. It's the piece that connects the axle to the frame and keeps the axle from moving forward and backward.

Rust on the part indicates it had been broken many months, or longer, prior to the accident and that Smith had been driving the Buick in that condition for some time.

It was probably moving backward and forward two to three inches, according to Scott's report.

"This would have been enough to give the feeling that the vehicle's rear end was steering the car to one side or the other," Scott wrote.

Investigator William Ferrando obtained Smith's mobile phone from the vehicle and concluded Smith had been neither making a phone call nor texting prior to the accident.

The phone proved crucial to making a notification to a member of Smith's family.

While Smith was living in Medina at the time of the crash, not long before he lived in Brooklyn and his neighbors didn't know how to contact his family.

Ferrando was able to call Smith's aunt using Smith's contact list on the phone. The aunt at first didn't believe Ferrando was with law enforcement because Smith had once pulled a similar prank on her. The aunt told Ferrando that Smith's mother was deceased and she didn't know how to contact his father.

Smith had been enrolled in a carpentry program in Medina, but was employed at Brunner International at the time of the accident.

One of Calla's daughters was notified of her mother's passing that Sunday morning shortly after the accident by a uniformed deputy who went to her house in Oakfield.

A brown out, or partial power outage, is reported in Northwest Genesee County. The cause is unknown at this point but we are seeking more information. National Grid was notified by the Emergency Dispatch Center about 20 minutes ago, and now a power company rep(s) is heading into the area to check it out.

Most of the Village of Oakfield is affected, a "good portion" of the Town of Oakfield, and half of south Alabama.

This has prompted numerous calls about the power outage and, in some cases, smoke alarms and CO detectors have gone off and there have been reports of the smell of smoke at some locations.

Fire crews in both communities are responding.

UPDATE 8:17 p.m.: We just received this e-mail from Stephen F. Brady,  media relations manager for National Grid:

"The cause isn't known yet, but we have a crew at the substation and they're working to restore and close in the breakers. I was told 30-45 minutes to restoration. Number of customers affected is around 500. Our Web page is likely showing more than that, but that too is being corrected. It could be morning before the exact cause (is known)."

UPDATE 9:24 p.m.: According to National Grid's Web site, power has been restored.

A pet sitter has been arrested by the Sheriff's Office and accused of stealing antiques from a residence in Batavia and selling them to a collectibles store in Cheektowaga.

Jodi Coe, 36, of Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road, Oakfield, is charged with burglary, 2nd, and grand larceny, 3rd.

Investigator William Ferrando arrested Coe for allegedly stealing antique items from a home where she was taking care of pets in September.

Some of the items allegedly stolen have been recovered.

Coe was arraigned in Town of Batavia Court and released on her own recognizance.

Local law enforcement have been in the Village of Oakfield, particularly in the Farnsworth Avenue area, this morning investigating several acts of criminal mischief.

There are reports of cars being spray painted and at least one vehicle had all four of its tires slashed.

Jason Micheal Kone, 31, of Townline Road, Byron, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, violation of probation, aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, operating with a suspended registration and operating without insurance. Kone was stopped at 1:51 p.m., Sunday, on Townline Road, Byron, by Deputy Chris Parker. At the time of the stop Kone was allegedly found in possession of a pipe containing marijuana. Kone was also arrested on a warrant out of Monroe County for alleged violation of probation and turned over to the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

Christina J. Larsen, 37, of 6024 Fisher Road, Oakfield, is charged with felony DWI, felony aggravated DWI, improper left turn, uninspected motor vehicle and unregistered motor vehicle. Larson was stopped at 7:21 p.m. Sunday on West Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Jamie Givens.

Nicholas C. Klippel, 28, of 80 Walden Creek Drive, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Klippel is accused of threatening to "murder" another person.

Steven A. Earl, 27, of 8017 Bank Street Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and failure to yield right of way. Earl was stopped at 2:02 a.m. Sunday on South Swan Street, Batavia, by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Richard L Coughlin, 59, of 17 Fisher Park, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st, and menacing, 3rd. Coughlin is accused of putting another person in fear of physical injury by yelling and screaming while in close proximity to that person and raising clenched fists. Coughlin is accused of violating an order of protection issued by Family Court.

Michael L. Valle, 31, of 146 Bank St., Batavia, is charged with attempted burglary, 2nd, criminal contempt, 2nd, and criminal mischief, 4th. Valle is accused of attempting to break into the residence of a person protected by a court order causing damage to a window screen and exterior light. Valle was jailed on $20,000 bail or $40,000 bond.

Brian D. Stotts, 35, of East Main Road, Le Roy, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, unlawful possession of marijuana and running a red light. Stotts was stopped Saturday in Le Roy by a Le Roy police officer.

Bobbie Jo Hudson, 28, of Banks Road, Churchville, is charged with DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation, driving on a suspected registration, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle, failure to keep right, and uninspected motor vehicle. Hudson was stopped at 2:25 a.m. Friday on Route 19, Bergen, by Deputy Eric Seppala.

Lucas G. Yauchzee, 23, of West Bergen Road, Bergen, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Yauchzee's arrest stems from the investigation of an alleged domestic incident Oct. 20. He was allegedly found in possession of LSD and marijuana. The case was investigated by Deputy Brian Thompson and Trooper J.J. Pitz.

Richard G. Medwid, 27, of Alexander Road, Alexander, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and unreasonable speed. Medwid was reportedly involved in a one-vehicle accident on Route 98, Town of Batavia, at 12:55 a.m., Sept. 15.