It's not hard to imagine there are possibly more victims locally of Sean Vickers, who is facing multiple felony counts of alleged child sexual abuse in Genesee and Niagara counties, said Det. Kevin Czora.

Vickers was indicted Friday on 10 more felony counts stemming for the alleged abuse of four victims from the 1990s to the 2000s in Batavia. The 44-year-old Geneva resident was originally arrested in May following an investigation by Batavia PD that started when Niagara County investigators brought information to local detectives about potential victims in the city.

Since Vickers lived in more than one residence in the county over the years, Czora said, it's possible -- if Vickers is the kind of monster the charges against him suggest -- that there are victims out there whom local investigators know nothing about.

"Currently, just by the numbers we're aware of, he's a serial abuser," Czora said.

That's why local investigators are asking anybody who knows anything about Vickers and possible victims to contact law enforcement.

To contact Batavia PD, call (585) 345-6350 or outside the city, contact your local law enforcement agency.

Vickers is accused of sexually molesting three boys in the Barker and Middleport areas last year. Last month he was indicated in Niagara County on six counts of predatory sexual assault against a child. He faces from 25 years to life in prison on the Genesee and Niagara counties charges.

At the time of his arrest, Vickers was already a registered Level 3 sex offender. He had a misdemeanor conviction for a sexual act in Monroe County and in 2009 he was convicted of a felony in New Hampshire for victimizing an underage boy there.

Last May, David A. Vickers, the 49-year-old brother of Sean, was arrested on a federal charge of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity. The charge carries a maximum possible sentence of life in federal prison.

David Vickers is accused of molesting a boy from Buffalo over a 10-year period and a Batavia boy over a five-year period, according to the Buffalo News. The first case allegedly began in 1989 and the second in 1999.

Sean Vickers allegedly introduced his brother to the Batavia boy.

When news broke of Vicker's arrest in May, the media reports prompted some people who are now adults to come forward and report they were allegedly abused by Vickers.

In the cases of those adults, however, the alleged crimes happened at a time when the state's statute of limitations on child sexual abuse was five years.

That doesn't mean, however, knowing about those alleged acts and gathering that evidence is a waste in the Vicker's case, Czora said. The more evidence gathered, the more it will help in the prosecution of the alleged crimes that aren't covered by the statute of limitations.

"We've reached out as best we can and now it's a matter of them reaching out to us to let us know what they're aware of and if they've been abused," Czora said. "Some of them, depending on the time frame, we may not be able to do anything criminally, however, there's always counseling, which every victim is entitled to even if the case is prosecuted or not."

For the adults who did come forward after the news came out, there was a sense of closure, Czora said.

"Each case makes the other cases that much stronger and it shows the seriousness and how far Sean Vickers has gone and how he damaged so many different lives," Czora said. "All that can be used later through the courts."

VIckers is currently being held in the Genesee County Jail on $500,000 bail or $500,000 bond. The judge in Niagara County ordered Vickers held without bail.

A caller reports a possible dangerous condition on Pringle Avenue in the city -- a person is trying to yank down a tree using a tow rope and a pickup truck. A police officer just arrived on scene.

Press release:

Russ Romano has a long and impressive list accomplishments on his resume and he'll add another one Saturday night (Nov. 9) when Batavia Downs honors him as the "Italian-American" for 2013.

Romano will join past award winners including Joe Gerace, Chuck Zambito, Ray Cianfrini, Joe Teresi and Charles Ruffino. He'll be honored in the winner's circle after the seventh race tonight.

To say Romano his a diverse resume would be an understatement.

His athletic career included being a professional steer wrestler in the International Rodeo Association of Pauls Valley, Okla. He was a linebacker for the Hamilton Tiger Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and also coached at Brockport State and Rochester Institute of Technology. Romano was also inducted Section 5 Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Currently a realtor for Nothnagle in Batavia, Romano has held many titles in a vast array of organizations. He was the president of the Genesee Community College Foundation, president of the Genesee County Board of Realtors, director of the Greater Buffalo Realtors Association, director of the New York State Association of Realtors and the regional vice-president of the New York State Association of Realtors.

Romano also has served as past president of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce, district chairman for the "Genishua District" of the Boy Scouts of America and the president of the Genesee Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Association.

As a volunteer, Romano's work includes being the chairman for the Genesee Cancer Assistance Program where he also coordinated the Annual Festival of Hope and Annual Golf Tournament. He also is the recipient of the "Teddy Award" for his work with Camp Good Days and Special Times.

Besides being an author of many professional and educational tools for the real estate industry, Romano is also on the list of "Who's Who in the Professional of Speakers" where he has given numerous workshops and seminars throughout the country since 1983.

Romano is married to his wife, Gillian, and they have two children, David and Stephanie. They are also grandparents to nine and great-grandparents to one.

Press release:

The Genesee County Sheriff's Office is investigating a robbery that occurred early this morning at the Sugar Creek store on Route 33 in the Town of Bergen. At about 1:30 a.m. a white male entered the store and demanded cash from the clerk. He implied he had a weapon although none was displayed. The clerk complied with the demand and the suspect was able to flee with cash from the register. The suspect was last seen leaving the store on foot headed east. If anyone has any information regarding the incident please contact the Genesee County Sheriff's Office at (585) 343-5000.

Even though there is a potential suspect in the murder of Bill Fickel, the case has still not been solved. There is somebody out there with information who can help.

A former Batavia resident arrested in May for allegedly sexually abusing children in Batavia decades ago was indicted yesterday on 10 more felony sexual abuse charges.

The indictment is the result of an ongoing Batavia PD investigation that has uncovered four more alleged victims.

Vickers is accused of sexually abusing the children over a 12-year period starting in the 1990s.

He was indicted on one count of a course of sexual conduct against a child, a Class B felony, two counts of predatory sexual assault against a child, a Class A-II felony, six counts of criminal sexual act first, a Class B violent felony, one count of sexual abuse, 1st, a Class B felony, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.

The 44-year-old Vickers was a resident of Geneva at the time of his arrest in May.

He was indicted later that month on a count of course of sexual conduct against a child in the first degree, a Class B felony. He was accused of engaging in two or more acts of sexual conduct, which allegedly included at least one act of deviate sexual intercourse with a child less than 13 years old. The alleged incidents occurred between Nov. 2, 2001 and April 16, 2002.

Vickers is being held in the Genesee County Jail on $500,000 bond or cash bail.

The investigation is being lead by Det. Kevin Czora.

The police remain concerned that there could possibly be more alleged victims in the community. To contact Batavia PD, call (585) 345-6350 or outside the city, contact your local law enforcement agency.

Trisha Riggi sent in this picture of Le Roy elementary school students who lined Wolcott Street in Le Roy to give the Oatkan-Knights a hometown send off for their big game in Rochester.

The Knights lost to Wayland Cohocton, but the whole community is proud of what they accomplished in 2013.

Le Roy’s football team came up just short as they fell in overtime to Wayland-Cohocton in the Class C championship, 14 to 8.

Head Coach Brian Moran was in search of his 14th sectional championship in 25 years, and a Section V record, 15th in school history, but it was not to be for the Oatkan Knights.

“They really worked hard and both teams were well prepared,” Moran said. “That led to a defensive struggle all day.”

The game was the definition of a defensive struggle for the majority of the game, as the game headed into the fourth quarter with a scoreless tie.

Class C Offensive Player of the Year Devon Harris entered the game averaging over 170 rushing yards per game and yet to be held under 100 all season long for Wayland-Cohocton. However, the Oatkan Knights managed to bottle him up for most of the game, holding him to 98 yards on 18 carries.

“I thought we played very well defensively against a young man who is an extremely talented athlete,” Moran said. “I thought we shut him down pretty well, but we just didn’t make plays when we needed to.”

The Eagles struck first, as quarterback C.J. Ellis found tight end Darren Becker for a 40-yard gain down to the Le Roy 15-yard line. Two plays later, Ellis found Reece Chapman for a 13-yard score. Harris would punch in the two-point conversion to give Way-Co the lead two minutes into the fourth quarter.

Le Roy wouldn’t need long to respond, as quarterback Mike McMullen found Ryan McQuillen two plays later, and he sprinted 70 yards down the sideline to put the Knights on the scoreboard. McMullen then found Nick Egeling for the two-point conversion to knot the game at eight apiece with nine minutes to play.

The Eagles appeared to be driving again, but Egeling managed to step in front of an Ellis pass to halt the drive at Le Roy’s 30-yard line.

After failing to move the ball, Way-Co drove the ball again deep into Le Roy territory, but it was the Knights’ defense who came up big again, stopping the Eagles inches short of a first down late in the ball game.

Le Roy took possession and marched onto Wayland-Cohocton’s side of the 50-yard line, but a rare Knight turnover halted a chance at a go-ahead score as McMullen and running back Peter Privitera were unable to complete at handoff late in the game.

“It happens, it's high school football,” Moran said. “It's 16-, 17-, 18-year-old kids, and you can’t worry about it. You just have to pick yourself up and keep playing.”

The Eagles would take the first offensive possession on overtime and marched inside the Le Roy 10-yard line, but the defense would initially hold strong.

Zach Fitzsimmons came up with a big sack on third down to knock Way-Co back to the 12-yard line, but Ellis would find Chapman on the exact same play as the first touchdown to put the Eagles in front 14-8.

On Le Roy’s first offensive play of overtime, McMullen found Egeling for a gain of nine yards, but the Knights were never able to pick up that final yard as McMullen was unable to connect with Pierce in the end zone on second down, and Privitera was stopped short on the final two plays of the game to give Wayland-Cohocton their first sectional championship in school history.

“We just tried to get the first down,” Moran said. “We just tried to score and hopefully get a chance to kick an extra point to win, but today it just didn’t happen.”

The Le Roy trademark rushing attack was held in check all game, as the Eagles held them to a season-low 76 yards. Privitera finished with just 30 yards on 11 carries in the final game of his superb high school career.

McMullen finished the game 10-of-22 for 165 yards and a touchdown. McQuillen caught five of those passes for 108 yards.

Le Roy’s defense played well, holding the Eagles to under 200 yards of total offense, registering four sacks and forcing three turnovers.

Ellis entered the game having thrown only one interception all game, but the Knights managed to intercept him twice on the game, and he finished 5-of-12 for 73 yards to go along with his two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Wayland-Cohocton (9-1) will go on to face the winner of the Section VI championship game next week in the Far West Regionals.

Le Roy will finish their season at 8-2 as they fell in the Class C final for the second consecutive season.

“They had a great game plan defensively,” Moran said. “We played well, but obviously they made one more play than us and congratulations to them.”

Top Photo: Reece Chapman, Wayland-Cohocton's running back, crosses the goal line for the game's first points in the fourth quarter after catching a 13-yard pass from C.J. Ellis.

Ryan McQuillen outruns the Wayland-Cohocton defense after grabbing a swing pass from QB Mike McCullen for an 80-yard TD reception to tie the score in the fourth quarter.

To purchase prints of photos, click here.

A car vs. deer accident resulted in minor injuries to a 4-year-old girl. It occurred about 15 minutes ago at Pratt and Indian Falls roads in East Pembroke. A responder says the deer crashed through the vehicle's window, shattering glass which cut the child's face. Her hair is also full of pieces of broken glass. Mercy medics and East Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments are on scene.

UPDATE 6:19 p.m.: The assignment is back in service.

Most of the information in this post was provided by WBTA.

The first oral arguments of the defense, lasting about seven minutes, were heard in the case of Craig Lawson, who is accused of hitting Jason McNeil after the Kid Rock concert at Darien Lake this summer.

Lawson was not present in Genesee County Court today. He lives in Canada, more than three and a half hours from here, and this absence was excused by the court. (He did appear when he pled not guilty.)

He is charged with a single count of second-degree assault. To win a conviction on that in New York, a prosecutor must prove that the defendant intended to cause serious physical injury.

His defense co-counsel, Buffalo-based Joel Daniels, says it was a one-punch fight, not a brawl, and there aren't many examples of how those have been prosecuted. Lawson is also represented by Michael Ranzenhofer.

They looked through hospital records which said the victim has no facial broken bones or really any indication on his face of a fight. He was hurt, rather, when he fell down and hit his head.

Obviously, there's the question of intent. With a single punch, was Lawson trying to inflict the serious injuries which McNeil sustained? The defense maintains that was not Lawson's intention.

According to court documents, McNeil's head hit the ground and he was in a coma for more than a week. Records show the victim underwent a surgical procedure to have part of his skull removed.

Daniels says he understands that his client the alleged victim -- a former WNY resident who currently lives in Alabama -- is doing better now.

Alcohol was a factor in the incident and hospital records indicate the victim could have had a BAC of .19 at the time.

Initially, Lawson was charged with a misdemeanor, assault 3rd, and bail was set at a $1,000. Once it became apparent that McNeil's injuries were serious, the charge was upgraded and a grand jury indicted Lawson on a single felony count of second-degree assault.

The defense team will review the grand jury transcripts. They believe there is insufficient evidence to support the assault, 2nd, charge. They want the court look at all of the circumstances, including the way in which the punch was delivered and the likelihood that its impact was made worse by running (which was not clearly explained).

The DA's Office said that of course the prosecution can get a conviction on the crime as charged.

For generations, the Richmond name dominated civic life in Batavia.

Dean Richmond was one of the most successful businessmen of his generation -- from the time he inherited his father's salt works company when he was 15 until his death in 1866. Mary Richmond continued and grew her husband's business empire and served on numerous local boards and committees. Their daughter carried on the tradition of local involvement and leadership.

But by the mid-part of the 20th Century, the Richmond family had dispersed to other parts of the country, but still, the Richmond name looms large in Batavia.

There is, of course, the Richmond Memorial Library, and the Richmond Mausoleum in the Batavia Cemetery.

But sadly, the once grand Richmond Mansion -- actually built in 1839 by Col. William Davis -- was torn down by a short-sighted City Schools board in 1970. All that's left is a wrought iron fence surrounding a parking lot owned by St. Joseph's.

Now, at least, there is a historical marker on the site to commemorate the location of the mansion.

The unveiling ceremony was attended by two generations of Richmonds, Harold Richmond, above, with his sons Kyle and Alex with his wife Cheryl.

Harold Richmond said it's quite an honor to see his great-great-grandfather remembered and honored in Batavia.

"It's great that the family gets recognized," said Richmond, a resident of New Jersey. "The Richmonds aren't really any different from anybody else today. We don't have anybody of note in the family that I know of, but the fact that the city has maintained the history and recognized the contributions of Dean Richmond and his wife and his daughter is just amazing."

As for the destruction of the Richmond Mansion -- which local preservationists tend to think of a huge loss to the community -- Richmond was forgiving.

"Maintaining that mansion in the 1970s, with that orphanage going away, that's a huge financial burden on a community," Richmond said. "It doesn't shock or surprise me that they had to make that choice. It was probably a good financial choice at that time. It's sad that it couldn't have been sustained as a museum or Masonic lodge or something like that, but it's understandable."

Harold Richmond pointing to the crypt of his great-grandfather with his son Alex inside the Richmond Mausoleum.

The Richmonds, Harold, Kyle, Cheryl and Alex, with Sharon Burkel inside the Richmond Mausoleum.

There isn't much new to report from the overnight fire at Baskin Livestock in Bethany.  I was out to the property this afternoon and firefighters were on scene dealing with hotspots and flare-ups.

Bethany Fire Chief Jeff Fluker hadn't even been home since arriving on scene shortly after 11 p.m. last night. He started to leave early this morning and then there was a small fire that broke out in the cyclone (it separates packaging from discarded baked goods).

I interviewed Fluker, but my phone died in the middle of the conversation, so no direct quotes here, working off memory.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

The main structure is largely intact, but it's too soon to estimate the extent of the damage and how much of the feed-processing equipment was damaged, but some of it was damaged.

We spoke about the water supply, which was definitely a problem, but for a fire this size, he said, with three ladder trucks going, even a public water supply would have a hard time keeping up. It takes 10 tanker trucks to service one ladder truck.

A motor-vehicle accident with minor injuries is reported at 5948 Cochram Road, at the corner of Byron Road, in Byron.

UPDATE 1:39 p.m.: A female complains of hip pain. Two vehicles are involved.

UPDATE 1:41 p.m.: A Mercy ambulance is called in. Byron and South Byron fire department are also responding. Law enforcement is on scene.

UPDATE 2:12 p.m.: The patient is being taken to UMMC. The assignment is back in service.

A racoon is on the loose inside the hair salon Head Games, located at 61 Swan St. in the City of Batavia. Someone there called for help in rounding up the critter and removing it.

"I told them we don't handle wild animals, but still they're looking for some assistance," said the dispatcher to a police officer, who has just arrived on scene.

St. Joe's School in Batavia is organizing an assistance drive for the Baskin family following last night's massive fire at Baskin Livestock.

Electricity to the property was cut because of the fire and the school is primarily looking to make a food donation to the family, said Karen Green, principal of St. Joe's.

The daughter of Bill Baskin and Susan Blackburn attended St. Joe's.

“We are reaching out to the community to see if they can help  us in providing some food for the Baskin family," Green said. "They are without electricity, they have 100 50 employees, we would like to see if we can gather food together from area businesses and we will take them out to the Baskins around noon today.”

Green said volunteers from St. Joes would pick-up donations or donors could leave their contributions at St. Joe's at 2 Summit St. in Batavia. The school's phone number is (585) 343-6154.

Previously: Major fire causes severe damage to one of Genesee County's largest ag businesses

The Batavian: Batavia can regain its economic vitality by rebuilding its small business core downtown

A lack of public water along Creek Road, Town of Bethany, hampered firefighting efforts at Baskin Livestock on Thursday night after a barn fire was reported just before 11 p.m.

Bethany, Town of Batavia, Alexander and Pavilion fire departments all responded quickly after their fire tones sounded, but as the Baskin barn burned, most of the firefighters on scene could only watch while they waited for tankers to arrive and porta ponds to be erected.

Baskin is one of the largest ag-related employers in Genesee County, with more than 100 workers. The company specializes in converting waste baked goods into animal feed.

Owner Bill Baskin is popular in the local business community, beloved by his employees and was named 2011 Agriculture Business of the Year.

The fire appears to have started in a barn-like structure where trucks pull in to be loaded with feed.

The structure was completely destroyed.

While the fire spread into the adjoining production facility, it's unclear how much damage was done.

At one point during the fire fight, Baskin was pleading with fire chiefs to send in a hand-line crew through a doorway on the north side of the processing building.

"I know my building," he said. "You can save it if you send a crew in here."

It took some minutes, but crews were sent into the building through that door. The fire was pretty much stopped at that point.

Paul Kennedy, a former Dansville firefighter, was among the first people to see and report the fire. He and a friend had been out hunting when they saw the smoke.

"The heater between the two big buildings was on fire," Kennedy said. "It wasn't much at first, but it turned into something quick with the wind."

Minutes after Kennedy arrived on scene Baskin arrived, and Kennedy helped him pull trucks away from the building and close the doors on the back of the building.

Bethany Assistant Chief John Szymkowiak said a lack of water definitely played a role in making the fire harder to fight and contain.

"This fire had a big head start on us," Szymkowiak said.

This is the second major fire at Baskin Livestock in just about five years. In 2008, Baskin suffered a serious fire, but did rebuild.

Fire companies from five counties -- Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, Wyoming and Monroe -- responded to the fire or provided fill-in support at local fire halls. All but three departments in Genesee County -- Alabama, Pemborke and Indian Falls -- responded to the fire scene.

Ladder trucks for the town and City of Batavia along with Le Roy helped fight the fire.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.

UPDATE Friday 9:07 a.m.: Bethany Fire is dispatched to Baskin Livestock for a cyclone fire.

UPDATE 10:29 a.m.: The fire was put out about 20 minutes ago but they are still working on dousing some hot spots.

UPDATE 11:33 a.m.: Mutual aid is called from Town of Batavia Fire Department to assist Bethany in fighting a sawdust fire in the rafters of a structure.

UPDATE 11:40 a.m.: A tanker from Attica is called to respond.

UPDATE 11:52 a.m.: A tanker from Stafford is requested.

UPDATE 12 p.m.: Aid from Alexander is requested.

(Initial Report)

Bill Baskin pleading with firefighters to use a hand-line crew on the north side of the building.

Baskin, far right, and an employee showing a chief the situation inside a doorway on the northside of the building.

Perhaps one of the largest porta pond operations ever assembled for a fire in Genesee County.

A tractor-trailer hauling livestock is reportedly on fire on the westbound Thruway. It's near mile marker 380.5 and was initially reported as a brake fire, but now the rear end of the vehicle is said to be fully involved.

A fully involved structure fire is reported at 9778 Creek Road in Bethany. Bethany and Town of Batavia fire departments are responding. It is near Putnam Road.

UPDATE 11:07 p.m.: Mutual aid is called from Byron, Alexander, Pavilion, Stafford, the City Fast Team, and others.

UPDATE 11:30 p.m.: Calls are out for East Pembroke, Le Roy, and Elba.

UPDATE 11:34 p.m.: A tanker from York is called to the scene and an engine from there to the Bethany hall, along with the same equipment from Caledonia. National Grid is notified about power lines at the site and there's a 15-20 minute ETA.

UPDATE 11:45 p.m.: The lack of public water is hampering the firefighting efforts at Baskin Farms and the main structure(s) on the property are in peril. South Byron is also on scene and National Grid has arrived.

UPDATE 12:24 a.m.: Oakfield is at Town of Batavia Fire Hall filling in. National Grid has cut all power to the grounds. A tanker out of Gainsville, Wyoming County, is called to the scene.

UPDATE 12:27 a.m.: The mandate -- more tankers, more water, more tankers, more water.

UPDATE 12:34 a.m.: Mutual aid from Perry Center is requested to fill in at Pavilion's fire hall.

UPDATE 12:36 a.m.: Equipment from Perry Barre is called to stand by in Elba.

UPDATE 12:38 a.m: Equipment from Clarendon is requested to fill in in Byron.

UPDATE 1:45 a.m. (by Howard): The fire is largely knocked down. A firefighter reports that there are no flames showing at this time. There's still lots of smoke. It's hard to say at this point how much of the main feed processing facility was saved.

UPDATE 2:12 a.m.: Bethany command reports the fire is out. Overhaul starting. Tankers will start breaking down.

UPDATE 2:26 a.m.: South Byron, the first company to be released from the scene.

Local law enforcement is on the scout for a white Jeep Cherokee that was seen leaving the scene of a barn fire in Livingston County.

The Jeep was last seen west on Walker Road, heading west into Genesee County.

The barn fire is now out, but no word on the extent of the damage.

The fire was reported within the past 30 minutes.

Law enforcement officials in Livingston County want to question the person or people in the vehicle in connection with a possible arson at the location of the barn fire.