Stafford

A power line is down and arcing in the front yard of 5815 E. Main Road, Stafford.

Stafford Fire Department is dispatched.

UPDATE: Below, reader submitted photo. National Grid was on scene and had power cut just before midnight and Stafford went back in service at that time.

Elijah Robert Coombs, 18, of Orchard Street, Oakfield, is charged with obstruction of governmental administration 2nd, resisting arrest, criminal nuisance, 2nd, harassment, 2nd, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Coombs is accused of causing problems when deputies arrived at his residence to investigate a report of an underage drinking party at 11:43 p.m., Friday. When deputies attempted to arrest Coombs, he allegedly resisted arrest and struck a deputy. Deputies Matt Fleming and Patrick Reeves responded to the call.

Andrew Zimba Perdock, 25, of Bethany Center Road, Bethany, was arrested on a bench warrant, alleged failure to pay fine related to a petit larceny charge. Perdock was jailed on $100 bail.

Ronald James Tombari, 24, of Court Road, Pavilion, is charged with felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, unlicensed operation, failure to keep right and no seat belt. Tombari was stopped at 12:12 a.m. Sunday on Perry Road, Pavilion, by Deputy John Weis.

(name redacted), 19, and (name redacted upon request), 24, both of South Lake Avenue, Bergen, are charged with unlawful dealing with a child. xxx and xxx were arrested following an investigation into a report of a loud gathering. xxx and xxx were accused of hosting an underage drinking party.

Christopher William Fowler, 24, of Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater and parking on a roadway. Fowler was allegedly found in his vehicle at 10:13 p.m., Saturday, with it stopped on Stegman Road and Miller Road, Batavia, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

A 17-year-old from Batavia has been charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The youth was stopped at 3:28 p.m., Saturday, on Lewiston Road, Batavia, for alleged traffic violations by Deputy Patrick Reeves. During the traffic stop, the youth was allegedly found in possession of marijuana.

Lori Ann Brightenfield, 53, of Main Road, Stafford, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Deputy Jason Saile responded to a report of a citizen requesting assistance because her vehicle ran out of gas in the Town of Le Roy. Following an investigation, Brightenfield was arrested for alleged DWI.

Press release:

Please be advised that the Genesee County Highway Department will be hosting a public information meeting regarding the replacement of the bridge on Griswold Road in the Town of Stafford. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 11 at the Stafford Town Hall. All residents are invited to hear a presentation and comment on the design and schedule of the project by County Highway Superintendent Tim Hens and project engineer Wendell Buckman. The bridge is scheduled to be replaced next summer.

Edward Otis Hardy, 54, of Pelham Road, Pensacola, Fla., is considered a fugitive from justice by the State of Florida and was in Genesee County Jail on unrelated charges when he was arrested on warrants from Florida. In Escambia County Circuit Court, he is charged with battery/touch or strike, battery on a police officer or firefighter, assault on a police officer or firefighter, obstruction, depriving a person the means of protection or communication, disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest with violence. Hard was arraigned in Stafford Town Court and jailed without bail pending extradition.

Shawn Michael Twardowski, 30, of Dodd Run Road, Marietta, Ohio, was arrested on bench warrants for criminal contempt, 1st, and harassment, 2nd. Twardowski was arrested in Caldwell, Ohio, after allegedly fleeing the state after being charged with criminal contempt and harassment. Twardowski was returned to Genesee County Court and arraigned by Judge Robert C. Noonan and jailed without bail. There are also active warrants for Twardowski out of Batavia City Court and Town of Oakfield Court.

Shantell Sharnice Gibson, 20, of East Avenue, Batavia, is charged with grand larceny, 4th, and petit larceny. Gibson is accused of stealing merchandise from Kmart. She also allegedly stole property from another person.

Rebecca N. Bethune, 24, of 5008 Hundredmark Road, Elba, is charged with two counts of unlawful dealing with a child, 1st. Bethune was arrested by Le Roy PD after allegedly buying alcohol for two people under the age of 21.

A motor-vehicle accident with injury has been reported in Stafford on Route 5, just east of Route 237. It is blocking.

Two Mercy medics and Stafford firefighters are on scene.

UPDATE 4:07 p.m: Fire police closing down Route 5 at Route 237

UPDATE 4:17 p.m.: One Mercy ambulance is transporting one person to UMMC, and the other subject is a sign-off. Only the eastbound lane is closed now.

Stephen P. Pahuta III, is indicted on charges of on two counts of criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, one count of strangulation in the second degree, coercion in the first degree, criminal mischief in the fourth degree and assault in the third degree. Pahuta is accused of choking another person June 23 at a location in the Town of Alabama. It's alleged that the victim lost consciousness or was in a stupor for a period of time. Pahuta is accused of instilling fear in the victim so she wouldn't contact law enforcement. There also an alleged choking incident July 16. Pahuta is accused of damaging a phone to prevent the victim from requesting emergency assistance.

Richard R. Vetter is indicted on on count of grand larceny in the third degree and 16 counts of falsifying business records. Vetter is accused of stealing $8,689.78 from a business in Darien. He is accused of making at least 16 false entries into log books to conceal his theft of cash from the business.

Mark K. Biggins is indicted on counts of felony DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. It is alleged that Biggins drove drunk on Route 33 in Stafford on Sept. 12. According to the indictment, Biggins was convicted of DWI in July, 2003.

A car vs. tractor-trailer accident, believed to be without injuries, is reported on Route 63 near Little Canada Road. The roadway is completely blocked. Bethany Fire Department is responding.

UPDATE 8:12 p.m.: A second semi-trailer is now involved. The first one "believe it or not," says the Bethany chief, was "pushed into the ditch by the wind and will need a heavy-duty tow." Stafford Fire Police are rerouting traffic. It is confirmed that there are no injuries.

UPDATE 8:32 p.m.: Bethany requests that southbound truck traffic be held at Cedar Street.

Jamie S. Schlonski, 40, an inmate in the correctional facility in Collins, is charged with burglary, 2nd, and criminal possession of a forged instrument, 2nd, and petit larceny. Schlonski was charged following an investigation by Le Roy PD into burglaries in August in the village. The victim reported numerous checks stolen and cashed in the village. Schlonski was living in Le Roy at the time and was later identified as a suspect.

Rebeca Lynn Rose, 26, of North Street, Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny. Rose is accused of shoplifting clothing from Target on Thursday. Also charged with petit larceny was Megan Lynn Furr, 26, of North Street, Le Roy.

Alicia M. Stankwick, 21, of 2955 Angling Road, Corfu, is charged with harassment, 2nd.  Stankwick is accused of sending unwanted text messages to a male whom she was advised by a Batavia PD officer the day before not to contact.

Ryan C. Cook, 34, of 7 Mill St., Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Cook is accused of having unwanted physical contact with a woman.

Kristen L. Brightenfield, 19, of Stafford, is charged with criminal mischief 4th/prevention of emergency call. Brightenfield was arrested by State Police for an alleged incident reported at 2:17 p.m. on Wednesday. No further details were released.

At the point this morning I looked outside, it was bright and sunny and I decided I should go for a drive and take some pictures. By the time I actually got out of the house and got fueled up, the clouds were rolling in.

It was still a beautiful morning, however, so I drove through Stafford and Byron and took a few pictures.

Above, from Route 237 looking northeast.

Barn on Transit Road, Byron.

Tree off Transit Road, Byron (across from the barn)

Happy New Year!

It was the kind of day I wish I had more time to drive around and make photos. There were moments of sun and blue sky.

I did a bit of that this morning when leaving Bergen, with a drive through Le Roy.

Heading back to Batavia, I noticed the snow-covered pines above in Stafford off Route 5 and thought they would make a nice picture -- if only there was blue sky behind them.

This afternoon, I noticed some blue sky to the northeast, so I headed out to Stafford for this shot.

The other photos below were taken this morning.

Street lights in the Village of Bergen.

First Presbyterian Church, Bergen.

These two trees between North Road and the 490 on ramp in Le Roy always fascinate me. 

I think the first barn photo I ever took for The Batavian (but not my first barn photo) was of this structure on North Road, Le Roy. It was probably March 2009 or so and all I had for a camera at the time was a Casio point-and-shoot. The photo got so many comments; it was an encouragement to take more barn photos.

A car and propane truck have collided at Route 33 and Route 237, Stafford.

Minor injuries are reported and the propane is believed secure.

Stafford fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 8:23 a.m.: Stafford fire back in service.

Carmen Vega, the 40-year-old Le Roy resident who was seriously injured Dec. 8 when her car was hit head-on on Route 33 in Stafford remains in Strong Memorial Hospital, but is listed in satisfactory condition.

The accident claimed the life of Collin Crane, 17, a senior at Batavia High School.

The accident remains under investigation by the State Police and no cause has been released.

Joshua William Cresswell, 20, of Janes Road, Rochester, was found passed out behind the wheel of his gray sedan around 7:30 this morning with the motor still running. He was in a cornfield, south of Little Falls Road, Pembroke. Cresswell was arrested and will appear in Pembroke Town Court on Jan. 10 on charges of driving while intoxicated and driving with a BAC of .08 or more. (Nothing about his being underage was noted in the report.)

Rozella Ann Smith, 76, of Colonial Boulevard, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. She was arrested for allegedly striking another person on the wrist and arraigned in Town of Batavia Court. The incident allegedly occurred on Nov. 29 at 10:43 p.m.

Gregory Stephen Hallifax, 46, of Diane Drive, Cheektowaga, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd, and arraigned in Stafford Town Court. Hallifax was arrested on suspicion of criminal contempt and failure to obey an order of protection on Nov. 29 at 11:32 p.m. at a location on East Main Street Road, Stafford. He was released and will appear in Stafford Town Court next month.

(Note: Temporary difficulties in receiving FAX transmissions delayed the publication of information on Smith and Hallifax.)

Benjamin Authur Tribunella, 18, of Spencerport Road, Rochester, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, unlawful possession of alcohol by a person under age 21 and promoting prison contraband, 1st. Tribunella's vehicle was stopped at 4:28 p.m. Monday on Route 33, Stafford, for an alleged equipment violation by Deputy Joseph Corona. During the traffic stop, Tribunella was found to allegedly possess a controlled substance and alcohol. While being processed into the Genesee County Jail, Tribunella was reportedly found in possession of an additional controlled substance that he allegedly tried to conceal.

Randy Kevin Wilmet, 35, of Franklin St., Batavia, is charged with falsely reporting an incident. Wilmet is accused of providing false information regarding a vehicle accident at 5:18 a.m., Oct. 21, in the Town of Bergen. Wilmet reportedly was a passenger in the vehicle. Also charged was Matthew James Reed, 28, of State Street, Batavia.

Joshua David Kritz, 24, of Lyndale Court, West Seneca, turned himself in on a bench warrant out of the Village of Corfu Court for allegedly violating a conditional discharge on a DWI arrest. Kritz was jailed on $500 bail.

Gregory Stephen Halifax, 46, of Diane Drive, Cheektowaga, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Halifax is accused of violating an order of protection.

Rochel J. Johnson, 31, of Pembroke, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Johnson was arrested by State Police in connection with an alleged incident reported at 6:20 p.m., Oct. 26. No further details were released.

Meghan McCormick created this video tribute to Collin Crane and posted it on YouTube.

Crane, 17, a senior at Batavia HS, died Saturday night in a car accident on Route 33, Stafford.

A dishwasher fire is reported at 6151 Clinton St. Road, Stafford.

The house is reportedly filling with smoke.

Stafford fire with mutual aid from South Byron are being dispatched.

UPDATE 10:41 a.m.: Chief on scene reports smoke coming from dishwasher, no flames showing.

UPDATE 10:56 a.m. Dishwaster removed. Fire is out.

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A 17-year-old was killed Saturday tonight (Dec. 8) in a two-car head-on accident on Route 33, just east of Route 237, in the Town of Stafford. It occurred at 6:20 p.m.

The driver of the other car, a 49-year-old woman, was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester by Mercy Medic 1 with a severe leg injury.

The teen killed in the accident was Collin Crane, of Batavia. The female was Carmen Vega, of Le Roy, who was driving a 2002 Buick.

The young driver was westbound when his 1999 Saturn drifted into the eastbound lane, according to Sgt. Samuel Tagilenti, zone commander for the State Police.

Vega did try to avoid the accident, Tagilenti said, but the two cars hit head-on.

"You see a car coming over the line toward you, you’re going to try to move away from it, but you run out of road, and time," Tagilenti said.

No cause of the accident has been determined and Tagilenti would not offer up on possible causes.

"You could give 100 reasons and I could say it could be that, but until we can do our investigation and come up with a valid reason, we're not going to speculate," Tagilenti said.

Crane was pronounced dead at the scene by a Genesee County Coroner Barry Miller.

Stafford fire responded to the accident along with Mercy EMS. South Byron and Town of Batavia assisted with traffic control.

Exact cause of the accident and contributing circumstances are under continuing investigation.

UPDATE: Photo of Collin from a memorial page on Facebook that was set up tonight.

UPDATE: Another memorial page for Collin has been set up on Facebook.

UPDATE: Crisis counselors will be at Batavia High School on Monday to talk with students.

(Initial Report)

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries and entrapment is reported at the intersection of Route 237 and Route 33, Stafford.

Two Mercy ambulances dispatched and Mercy Flight is on standby.

Stafford fire dispatched.

UPDATE 6:28 p.m.: Mercy Flight is not available.

UPDATE 6:33 p.m.: A trooper informs dispatch that it's a serious injury accident. A sergeant is requested to the scene.

UPDATE 6:40 p.m. (By Billie): South Byron Fire Police are called to shut down Route 33 at Griswold Road. Bergen Fire Department is requested to bring extrication equipment to the scene -- "A second set (of jaws) is needed." The accident is just east of the 33/237 intersection.

UPDATE 7:04 p.m.: The victim has been extricated.

UPDATE 10:17 p.m.: Stafford and South Byron back in service. Route 33 is reopened.

A one-car rollover accident has reported in the area of 6485 Thwing Road, Stafford.

Unknown injuries at this time.

A homeowner in the area spotted the vehicle but did not see the accident. It's not known at this time if there are any occupants in the vehicle.

Stafford fire along with Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 8:14 a.m.: The resident reports nobody is in the vehicle. The resident believes that accident happened within the past 30 minutes, but did not see it. Mercy EMS to continue non-emergency until a Stafford chief arrives on scene to further assess the situation.

UPDATE 8:16 a.m.: The victim has been located and has a minor hand injury.

UPDATE 8:37 a.m.: Stafford fire back in service.

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