pembroke

David Thuerck submitted these photos of a black bear he spotted on Lake Road, Pembroke.

A motorcade of several motorcycle organizations, as well as, state, county and local police, firefighters and first responders, escorted the Vietnam Moving Wall from Batavia to Pembroke Wednesday morning.

The 17-mile trek was spotted with patriots waving flags and holding signs.

Upon reaching the town park in Pembroke, veterans and supporters who participated in the escort held a brief, solemn ceremony to commerate the wall's arrival.

The effort to bring the moving wall back to Genesee County for another visit was spearheaded by members of the Oakfield-Alabama American Legion Post 626, with support of area community members.

A dedication ceremony at the park begins today at 11 a.m. For more information, click here.

The Vietnam Moving Wall returned to Genesee County today and was transported in with an honor escort from Batavia to Pembroke this morning.

The wall will be on display as part of the Cost of Freedom Tribute sponsored by Oakfield-Alabama Legion Post #626 at Pembroke Town Park through Sunday.

For a schedule of events, click here.

These four photos were taken in Oakfield this morning.

We have more photos and coverage coming.

Mel Osborn placed flags in front of his residence in Oakfield in anticipation of the escort passing through the village.

The Oakfield-Alabama American Legion Post #626 is hosting a series of events this week as part of its Cost of Freedom Tribute at the Pembroke Town Park, located next to Pembroke High School, 1145 Main Road (Route 77) in Corfu. On Thursday, June 12, opening ceremonies will take place.

First, at 11 a.m., is the Assembly of Color Guards in the athletic field.

Starting at noon:

• The American flag at the park will be lowered to half staff, led by the 98th Division drill sargeant;
• The Special Forces Association Parachute Team from Fort Bragg, N.C., will conduct the "Jumping in of the American Flag." Air support will be provided by WYN Sky Diving from Akron;
• The National Athem will be sung by Harmony Bordinaro;
• The Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Bobbie Metcalf of Blue Star Mothers;
• Invocation -- American Legion Post #626 Chaplain Patrick Wilson;
• Introduction of guest speaker by LTC William Fava (Army retired);
• Guest speaker -- Brigadier General Frank Cipolla (Army retired);
• Placement of Memorial Wreath -- American Legion Post #626 & VFW Post #1484;
• Placement of additional wreaths by the Vietnam Veterans Chapter #193, Blue Star Mothers, Gold Star Mothers, American Legion Post #626 Auxiliary, Genesee County American Legion, and Genesee County American Legion Auxiliary;
• Benediction -- American Legion Post #626 Chaplain Patrick Wilson;
• Rifle Salute -- North / South Skirmish Association of WNY;
• Taps -- Tom Cecere;
• Fly-over at 1300 hours, if Pentagon approved.

Following opening ceremonies, at 1:30 p.m., patriotic music will be played by Danny B.

The daily closing ceremony is at 8 p.m. with a benediction by Rev. Patrick Wilson of the Alabama Baptist Church; Rifle Salute by the North / South Skirmish Association of WNY; Taps by Tom Cecere and Frank Panepento.

Flags have been placed on both sides of West Main Street Road, Town of Batavia, adjacent the Michael S. Tomaszewski Funeral & Cremation Chapel, to honor Sgt. Shaina Schmigel, a paratrooper who died during training last week.

Schmigel is a decorated Iraq War veteran.

Born in Batavia, Schmigel went to high school in Medina.

The Patriot Guard escorted her casket into Genesee County and then to Medina. The procession is expected in Batavia around 7:15 p.m.

Rita Towner helped organize an effort to use flags from Redfield Parkway to line West Main Street. She's asking that any residents along the route today and Wednesday (when the funeral procession will travel from Batavia to Corfu) to put out any flags they have in the parkway or along the roadway.

Below is a video from Route 77 in Pembroke that was submitted by a reader.

UPDATE: Also participating in the flag placement: Kathy Owens, Dennis Altman, Spencer Towner, Laura Mullen, Quinton and Michelle Taylor, the Browns, Lynn Conroy and her cousins.

A fire on the roof, near an air-conditioning unit, is reported at the Flying J Travel Plaza. Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments are responding along with Corfu and the city's Fast Team. The fourth platoon is called to stand by in city quarters. The building is evacuated. A first responder on scene reports nothing showing. Command says units already on the road can continue emergency mode.

UPDATE 10:58 a.m.: Fire appears to be out.

UPDATE 11:11: A code enforcement officer is on scene.

UPDATE 11:46 a.m.: Corfu is back in service.

UPDATE 11:55 a.m.: Pembroke command says they are picking up and will be leaving the scene shortly.

A manure pile is on fire at 8122 Marble Road, according to a farm hand there. Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments are responding. The location is between Akron and Gabbey roads.

UPDATE 1:05 p.m.: The site is next to the alpaca farm. A responder on scene says "it's smokin' pretty good."

UPDATE 1:31 p.m.: Fire is out. Indian Falls is back in service.

UPDATE 1:49 p.m.: Pembroke is back in service.

Press release:

"For too long, Western New York's veterans have been denied the honor of being laid to rest among their fellow heroes right here in our community," Congressman Chris Collins said. "Today's announcement of a veterans’ cemetery in Pembroke finally rights that wrong. This location will allow veterans from all around our region to be properly and locally honored for their service to this country."

Background: The VA has selected a 132-acre parcel on Indian Falls Road in the Town of Pembroke (Genesee County) as home for the long-anticipated Western New York Veterans’ Cemetery. Currently, the closest veterans’ cemetery is located in Bath, approximately 100 miles away.  

Press release from Sen. Charles Schumer's office after the jump:

Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has selected a site for the long-awaited Western New York Veterans’ Cemetery. The cemetery will be located on a 132-acre parcel at 1232 Indian Falls Road in the Town of Pembroke, Genesee County, just north of the Pembroke Thruway exit.

This veterans’ cemetery will be the first and only of its kind in the Buffalo-Rochester area, and will save thousands of military families from having to travel upward of 100 miles to visit their loved ones at what is now the closest veterans’ cemetery in Bath.

Schumer, along with various veterans groups, have led the charge to bring this much-needed veterans’ cemetery to Western New York. They've argued that a lack of a national veterans’ cemetery within a 75-mile radius of Buffalo and Rochester meant that it is long past time to establish a national veterans’ cemetery at a closer location for the hundreds of thousands of veterans living in the region.

The site is located approximately 30 miles from Buffalo and 48 miles from Rochester. The cemetery will provide a fitting burial option to approximately 96,000 currently underserved veterans and family members living in Western New York.

Schumer said this site selection is great news for the many thousands of deserving veterans living in Buffalo, Rochester, and beyond. With this new cemetery in Pembroke, these veterans and family members will be able to have a proper military burial near their homes in Western New York, and their families will be able to pay their respects without having to travel over 100 miles – something that can be a tremendous burden for many families.

“I am pleased that after four years of hard work, we finally have a site in place," the Senator said. "After serving our country so valiantly, and for so many years, it is only appropriate that we develop a national shrine, on a beautiful piece of land right in our backyard, for our veterans’ final resting place.”

Schumer has long argued that it is critical for a veterans’ cemetery location to be located in Western New York. He has pushed the VA as well as the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to decide on a site and conduct the necessary environmental reviews as quickly as possible. Half of New York’s veterans are 65 years of age or older, and it’s well overdue to plan for their future and to ensure that they are treated with the honor they deserve.

Schumer has heard from local veterans groups that veterans in Western New York desperately want to be buried in a national shrine, but don’t want to force their families to travel far away to visit, at potentially great hardship. Some veterans have reported that families are delaying interring the cremated remains of their loved ones, with the intention of making this new cemetery their loved one's final resting place.

Today, more than 22 million veterans are eligible for the honor of burial in a national cemetery. Veterans with discharges other than dishonorable, their spouses and dependent children, may also be eligible for burial in a VA National Cemetery. Those who die on active duty may be buried in one, too.

Schumer joined with Western New York vets for years in calling for the VA to locate the first federal veterans’ cemetery in the region. Around 2009-2010, the VA updated its burial policy, which changed the threshold of veterans required to construct a new national cemetery to 80,000 veterans within 75 miles of a proposed site.

With this new policy, the region was more than qualified, with 96,000-plus veterans in Western New York who live beyond 75 miles from the nearest available national cemetery -- in Bath. Moreover, a total of nearly 300,000 veterans across Western New York could be served by this cemetery. Schumer has fought from the start to push the VA to move forward in finding a site for this cemetery, and he has pushed the process through a variety of roadblocks.

Jarrod K. Fotiathis, 19, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with false personation. Fotiathis was suspected of being involved in a fight Wednesday night on Swan Street. When questioned, Fotiathis allegedly gave a false last name to a police officer. Officers reportedly asked him several times for his real last name and Fotiathis allegedly refused to do so. 

William Scott Smith, 46, of Main Road, Pembroke, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Smith was allegedly found in possession of marijuana at 11:45 p.m. May 16 on Main Road, Pembroke, by Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Michael Joseph Elmore, 23, of Summit Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and trespass. Elmore allegedly trespassed on private property and was found in possession of marijuana at 3:10 p.m. May 24 by Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Kristine Szumigala, 40, of East Avenue, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Szumigala was allegedly involved in a fight at 8:57 a.m. Sunday at 16 Bank St., Batavia.

A Genesee County Grand Jury has filed an indictment against a Batavia resident who is accused of firing a handgun at another person while on State Street on Sept. 27.

Deshawn Allen Butler, 34, was wanted for a time in connection with the shots fired incident and was arrested in December. He was released from jail a few days later when the prosecution, which wasn't ready to proceed with a pre-trial hearing, called a felony hearing.

Butler was indicted on counts of criminal use of a firearm, 2nd, a Class C violent felony, criminal possession of a weapon, 2nd, a Class C violent felony, and attempted assault, 1st, also a Class C violent felony.

Other indictments filed by the Grand Jury:

Kelly M. Zwolinski is indicted on a count of criminal possession of stolen property, 4th, a Class E felony. Zwolinski is accused of knowingly possessing stolen property valued at more than $1,000. In this case, a Western barrel-racing saddle, a Western trail saddle, two sets of stirrups and a breast collar.

Jose A. Esquilin is indicted on a count of DWI as a misdemeanor and aggravated unlicensed operation, a Class E felony. Esquilin was stopped Dec. 6 on the Thruway in Pembroke.

A motorcycle crash with unknown injuries is reported at 7129 Hopkins Road. Mercy Flight is on ground standby in Batavia; not available to fly except to Strong Memorial Hospital due to wind. Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments are responding. A first responder says the rider is off the bike, standing up and holding his helmet.

UPDATE 6:18 p.m.: Mercy medics are responding non-emergency mode.

Reader Ivy Otto e-mailed us about her sighting of a black bear early Wednesday morning. Unfortunately we are not able to use the two photos she sent us. Otto says she saw the bear on Akron Road in the "Pembroke/Akron area...almost near the 5 Corners."

"Just wanted to give the neighborhood a heads up!"

The pictures show a full-grown bear coming out of a wooded area alongside a white house, with a white tool shed in back and a white pole in front (the top is not visable, may be a flagpole) with fieldstones around its base.

A Sheriff's deputy is responding to an address on Angling Road, Pembroke, after a resident reported that a neighbor's dogs killed the resident's chickens.

About 100 Pembroke High School students held a prayer walk this evening from the school to the cemetery in Corfu in memory of Dean Cullinan. The 19-year-old Corfu resident died the night of April 23 while walking his bike on Genesee Street in Darien.

These are the latest indictments issued by the Genesee County Grand Jury.

Scott A. Kopper is indicted on first-degree assault, a Class B violent felony. It is alleged that on Jan. 8 in the Town of Pembroke, with intent to cause serious injury to another person, he caused injury to such person or to a third person, in this case Sheriff's Deputy Brian Thompson, by means of a dangerous instrument -- a vehicle. In count two, Kopper is accused of the crime of reckless endangerment, 1st, a Class D felony. It is alleged that on the same day, "under circumstances evincing a depraved indifference to human life," he recklessly engaged in conduct which created a grave risk of death to another person by closing the window of his vehicle thereby trapping Deputy Thompson's arm, and started to drive away, dragging Deputy Thompson with him. In count three, Kopper is accused of second-degree assault, also a Class D felony, for acting with intent to prevent a police officer from performing a lawful duty, causing physical injury to such person, Deputy Thompson. In count four, Kopper is accused of second-degree assault, another Class D felony, for allegedly intending to cause physical injury to another person, and causing injury to such person, Deputy Thompson, by means of a dangerous vehicle -- a vehicle.

Antonio A. Ayala and Ashley L. Alvord are indicted on drug-related charges stemming from contact with law enforcement on Nov. 19 in the Town of Bergen. Ayala is indicated for the crime of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 3rd, a Class B felony, for allegedly knowingly and unlawfully possessing a narcotic drug, cocaine, with intent to sell it. In count two, Alvord is indicated for the crime of criminal possession of a controlled substance, 4th, a Class C felony, for allegedly knowingly and unlawfully possessing one or more preparations, compounds, mixtures or substances with an aggregate weight of one-eighth ounce or more. In count three, both Ayala and Alvord, are accused of endangering the welfare of a child, a Class A misdemeanor, for allegedly knowingly acting in a manner likely to be injurious to the physical, mental or moral welfare of child less than 17 years old, in this case a 4-year-old child.

Alissa A. Fodge is indicted for third-degree grand larceny, a Class D felony, for allegedly stealing property valued in excess of $3,000 from a convenience store in the Town of Bergen between Aug. 19 and Oct. 16. The value of the property is about $7,040.

Aaron M. Zastrocky is indicated for driving while intoxicated, a Class E felony, for allegedly driving a 1998 Jeep on South Lake Road in the Town of Le Roy on Dec. 20 while intoxicated. In count two, he is accused of aggrevated driving while intoxicated, also a Class E felony, for having a BAC of .18 or more at the time.

A small grass fire is reported at 3500 Harloff Road in the area of Polar Wave. East Pembroke and Town of Batavia fire are responding.

UPDATE 1:16 p.m.: The caller was a passerby on the Thruway, who also stated that she saw a man standing on a hill next to the blaze. Now dispatch has called law enforcement to investigate a possible arson. East Pembroke firefighters at the scene are running out of water. Town Engine 24 just arrived. They want to squelch the fire before "it gets down into the buidlings."

UPDATE 1:20 p.m.: A tanker from East Pembroke is also going to the scene.

UPDATE 1:22 p.m.: Firefighters want to keep the fire from going over the hill into the brush. A firefighter says wind is a factor and also reports that "the landowner is giving us a hard time." After confirming that law enforcement is on scene, he says "have them come over and have a chat (with the perturbed landowner).

UPDATE 1:35 p.m.: Command reports the fire is under control.

UPDATE 1:59 p.m.: Fire is out. Assignment is back in service. Law enforcement is making a report about the possible arson.