Troy Sanford Wescott, 25, of 717 Lemoyne Ave., Syracuse, is charged with petit larceny, harassment and criminal mischief. Wescott along with Harold G. Dings, 24, of 406 John St., Syracuse,  and Lyle R. Fish, 25, of 32 Gertrude St., Syracuse, allegedly entered Wal-Mart and put on clothing and other merchandise from the store. All three then allegedly cut a jacket from the store in an attempt to conceal more items inside of it. When confronted by store security, Wescott allegedly elbowed a woman employee of the store and started running. Dings and Fish then also ran from the store without allegedly paying for the items they had with them. A short time later, the trio was apprehended in the Batavia Downs parking lot by Deputy Tim Wescott and Sgt. Greg Walker. Dings and Fish are each charged with petit larceny and criminal mischief.

Jeanna M. Hattaway, 22, of 112 Jackson St., Apt. 2, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Hattaway is accused of shoplifting at Tops Market, 390 W. Main St..

Jimpce J. Etienne, 33, of 30 Buell St., Batavia, charged with assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Etienne allegedly choked a woman in front of her child.

Bruce Ross, 19, of 41 Longs Lane, Corfu, is charged with criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. Ross allegedly spun the tires of his vehicle, causing stones to fly that struck another person and hit a parked car.

Larry S. Yoho, 37, of 5155 E. Main St.Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt. Yoho allegedly shoved a person during a dispute, and there was an order of protection in place regarding this person. Yoho was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Attempted murder and arson charges have been filed against a Rochester man accused of starting a fire at 12 Elm St., Batavia the night of Jan. 24..

Andre L. Scott, already in jail on an unrelated charge, will be arraigned tomorrow on charges of arson in the 2nd degree, burglary in the 1st and attempted murder in the 2nd.

Scott, 30, resides at 2323 Spencerport Road, Rochester.

The case was investigated by Det. Chuck Dudek of the Batavia Police Department.

Following the fire, the Batavia Fire Department reported the event in a press release:

The first alarm came in for 12 Elm Street with report of a possible explosion and flames showing. Within three minutes, city firefighters arrived on scene and quickly extinguished a fire that was found in the side stairwell of the three-story apartment house. Four residents were alerted by smoke detectors and were safely outside the structure when the firefighters arrived.

Previously:

• Jan. 25 fire under investigation as possible arson
• Back to back house fires keep Batavia fire crews busy throughout the night

This past Saturday, the Sons of God Motocycle Club of Leroy  held a Chicken Barbeque Dinner fundraiser.

At the end of day, they had 100 extra  dinners. They made a call to Paul and Bridget Ohlson of Care-A-Van Ministries here in Batavia. They wanted to donate the dinners.

Paul and Bridget fired up the bus to head out to Leroy to pick up the dinners. The bus headed back to Batavia, first stopping in Stafford to bless a family there.

A quick stop was done at Aldi's to pick up this PR director, so I could join in on the blessing ride.

It was an amazing evening as we drove around the city passing the dinners out to those in need.

We thank the Sons of God for their awesome donation for the hungry here in this community. The folks were so appreciative of the dinners they received. May God Bless this organization for seeing a need and helpiing fulfull that need.

Both teams had ten hits in the ten inning game, but Batavia (35-34) was able to beat Auburn (24-44) in the end.

The Doubledays scored one run right away in the 1st inning and one more in the 3rd but the Muckdogs took a 3-2 lead after the bottom of the 3rd.  Devin Goodwin and Ryan Jackson were issued back-to-back walks and came home when Matthew Adams hit a two-out double.  Adams himself came in to score when Kyle Conley followed with another two-base hit.

Auburn took the lead right back, though, scoring once in the 4th and once again in the 7th.  However, Batavia decided to make things interested by scoring tying the game up in the bottom of the 7th.  Alan Ahmady reached on a walk, was advanced to third on a Conley single and then came in to score the tying run on a single by Jon Edwards.

The game stayed notched at four a piece until the bottom of the 10th.  Niko Vasquez led off the inning with a single that allowed Ivan Castro to reach on a force out during the next at-bat.  Goodwin then came up with a game-winning triple to score Castro and end the game.

Dan Calhoun got the start on the mound, going five innings with three runs (two earned), five hits, one walk and three strikeouts.  Tyler Lavigne followed him in an inning’s work with one hit, one walk and two strikeouts.  Tyler Leach came next, throwing three innings with one run on three hits while striking out two.  Santo Maertz (3-1, 1.52) picked up the win, hurling the last two innings with just one hit, two walks and four strikeouts.

Offensively, Conley, Edwards and Vasquez all went 2-for-5, Conley and Edwards each with a RBI.

City firefighters are responding to a general fire alarm at 570 E. Main St., Batavia.

More from the OHMS Band here.

Pat Tehan sent us the links with this note:

I hope you don't mind this shameless self-promotion - I'm the piano player in The OHMS Band.  We played at Jackson Square on July 31 - the weather cooperated for once this summer and we had a good crowd because of it.  Melissa Eddings Mancuso videotaped it and made DVDs for the band - her husband, Bill Mancuso, played organ.  I posted 15 of the songs to youtube, I thought that some of your readers might enjoy it if they were there.  Some good crowd shots in the videos...  Guys in the band are Anthony DelPlato (drums, vocals), Charlie DelPlato (electric guitar, vocals), Chris Bartz (acoustic guitar, lead vocals), Joe Palmer (bass), Bill Mancuso (organ), Pat Tehan (piano)

We're always happy to promote local music.

A car fire has been reported on Route 20 east of Route 98 on the south side of the roadway.

The initial report had the car fire west of Route 98, but a first responder found the car and reported it was off the roadway in a field.

He reported it didn't appear that anybody was in the car, but did say, "If it gets up into the trees, we may have a little brush fire."

Alexander Fire Department is responding.

There's a been a request for law enforcement to respond.

UPDATE 4:23 p.m.: Alexander Fire back in service. Apparently, the driver/owner of the car is nowhere to be found.

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Batavia will receive $411,000 for improvements to Bank Street as one of many projects around the state approved for funding by Gov. David Paterson. 

Bank Street is one of several projects the city sought funding for through state-controlled federal stimulus dollars. 

The project includes a new waterline, sidewalks and roadway between Washington and North Streets.

Paterson announced yesterday that the state will hand out $34.7 million in grants that will "help expand affordable housing, revitalize New York's Main Streets, and modernize local infrastructure."

Batavia's funding comes from a federal program called Community Development Block Grants.

Paterson's office claims the spending will result in leveraging an additional $48 million in resources, but the press release does not fully explain that statement. It seems to mean some of the projects will require local matching funds or other contributions.

"These grants will make a difference in urban and rural communities across New York. Neighborhood by neighborhood, block by block, the Community Development Block Grant and New York Main Street programs will further local development so that our communities thrive," Governor Paterson said. "Improving and upgrading infrastructure, revitalizing traditional downtown business districts, and rehabilitating and renovating housing for working families will provide much-needed investment and make New York a better place to live, work and raise a family."

No word on the City's other grant requests.

(Thanks to a reader tip for bringing this to our attention.)

A man arrested for alleged assault during the Lil' Wayne concert Thursday is now also accused  possessing cocaine in jail.

David F. John, Jr., 23, of 1248 Lackawana St., Buffalo, was placed into Genesee County Jail on $1,000 bail following an alleged altercation at Darien Lake Theme Park.

During a routine search at the jail, he was found to allegedly possess cocaine.

He has been charged with promoting prison contraband in the first degree.

John was initially charged with harassment and assault.

Bail on the new charge is $5,000.

Hello, I'm Pachuco. My masters are Howard and Billie, who run The Batavian.

Every day I watch them work so hard on The Batavian that I wanted to do something to help out. I get a little bored sometimes laying in the office while my dad works, or sitting at home while my mom's tied up on the computer.

So I asked if there was something I could do, and mom and dad suggested that I become the "Pet of the Week Correspondent."

That's perfect, 'cause I know a good pet when I see one. A good pet is loyal and loving, a friend to lean on and just always there. They're also handsome, and everybody who meets me tells me how handsome I am!

But I won't discriminate on looks, if you're pet really loves you, I may pick your pet as Pet of the Week, too.

Here's what you do: E-mail me a picture of your pet -- dog, cat, ferret, horse, goldfish, parakeet or any creature you keep as a pet -- and each week I'll pick one Pet of the Week. Your pet should also tell me why he or she deserves to this distinction. Your pet doesn't need to write a lot, just something about the joy and fun he brings into your life, the special things he does.

E-mail your picture (JPEG) and story to "pets (at) thebatavian dot com." 

Each week, I'll pick one deserving pet. If I don't pick your pet this week, I will hold onto your submission for future consideration (yes, I'm a smart dog; I can use big words).

Here's the GREAT PART: If your pet is Pet of the Week, we'll send you a $10 gift certificate from Genesee Feeds, so please be sure to include your name and address with your submission.

And please support our sponsor, Genesee Feeds. That's where I get all my food (well, except for the table scraps I sometimes mooch) and I love my meals from Genesee Feeds!

Hello, I'm Garbo the fabulous! I'm going to be a big, friendly girl because I'm a Labrador retriever/Great Dane mix. I was picked up as a young stray, roaming around with nothing constructive to do. So now I'm in the decidedly austere Kennel 21 at the town pound. I deserve better! Firstly, I am good on a leash, something many of my ilk cannot say (truthfully). Secondly, I know and respond appropriately to some commands. (But more on that when you come visit.) Lastly, I'm a sweet goofball and oh-so-playful. But did I mention I'm a quick study, and let me also say ... "

Hey there, I'm insouciant Sissy. As you can see, I am a black-and-white cat in lounge mode. I enjoy doing, uh, not much, after having raised my first -- and last -- litter of kittens. I brought them to the shelter with me so we could each find a special home. I have to say, I did 'em proud. Them kittens was raised right! And now I'm spayed and ready to give people who love me, lots of love in return.

Adoption fee is $30. Unspayed/unneutered animals also require a $35 refundable deposit.

The Genesee County Animal Shelter is located at 3841 W. Main St. Road in the Town of Batavia. Visit Volunteers for Animals on the Web at <vol4animals.org>

Hours are:

Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m.

Wednesday 1 to 3 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.

Saturday 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

A furnace is reportedly sparking and smoking at 2622 Galloway Road, Town of Batavia.

Town of Batavia and East Pembroke fire departments are being dispatched.

UPDATE 11:40 a.m.: The resident reports the fire is out, but there is still smoke in the house. Town of Batavia returning to service; East Pembroke still responding.

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A city unit was unable to respond, for unknown reasons, to an ambulance call in Indian Falls.

The dispatcher reported this to a person on scene and he said, "What else is new?"

The call was routed to Darien's ambulance, which agreed to respond.

The person on scene then said, "Just think, we've only got two more days of this."

On Sept. 1, Mercy Flight takes over primary ground ambulance service in the county.

A two-family residence in the Town of Alabama was heavily damaged by an early morning fire.

The fire was reported at 4:37 a.m. at 6967 Knowlesville Road.  The cause of the fire is under investigation.

All residents escaped the fire without injuries.

The front porch and a kitchen were heavily damaged in the blaze, according to a Sheriff's Office press release.

Responding to the fire were the Town of Alabama Fire Department, Oakfield, Town of Batavia, City of Batavia, East Pembroke, Indian Falls, East Shelby, City of Batavia Medic, Genesee County Emergency Management Office, State Police, Sheriff's Office and National Grid.

Care-A-Van Ministries of Batavia in Partnership with Dr. Russ Marchese and Dr. Marcela and staff along with local agencies hosted Caring for the City on Friday.

It all started as a vision last fall and became a reality today. The parking lot of the dental office was filled with local agencies, churches and the dentist office coming together to let the people of Batavia know that they care.

Working side by side with Care-A-Van and the Dental office were Lake Plains Community Network who were on hand to help the uninsured apply for health insurance, Cornell Cooperative Extension who offered parenting and nutrition classes, United Memorial Medical Center Cancer Services of Genesee and Orleans County who made the uninsured women aware of the free medical services available and Continental School of Beauty who’s teaching staff and students offered free haircuts.

Pastor Charlie Piscitello, his wife Judy of Batavia Christian Fellowship and Pastor Mark Perkins of Oakfield-Alabama Baptist were on the grounds for prayer support and to offer encouragement to all. 

Janet Stedman of United Memorial Medical Center’s Cardiac Rehab staff was busy on the bus doing medical screenings and blood pressure checks.

Care-A-Van Ministries is a street ministry that goes into the streets of Batavia to show the people we care and to take the good news of Jesus to them. We do weekly cookouts, street church on Sundays and grocery distribution every Saturday.  It was proven today that street ministry is not just for churches. Agencies, physician offices and organizations can and do make a huge difference in people’s lives.  

Today free dental services were given to over 50 people! The people coming out were offered tooth extractions, fillings and cleanings. With today’s economy and many people being without dental insurance, today was a huge blessing to many. Upon exiting the dental office, one woman was in tears of joy because she got her smile back! Another young man who had no dental insurance had 2 teeth pulled. As he was given a ride home, he was crying and saying it was the best birthday present ever! He had been in pain for months with his bad teeth. He felt so much relief after receiving his free services.

Continental School of Beauty gave over 30 free haircuts today.

One young man really touched everyone’s heart when he stated “I may look rough on the outside but I am not that way on the inside”.  Wow, think about that, how many of us might have judged someone for the way they look. 

Today was an awesome day for Caring in the City! Care-A-Van thanks everyone from the bottom of their hearts for partnering with them and the dental office to care for those in need. Jesus said the poor would always be with you. We invite all of you to come on board with Care-A-Van as we go out weekly. There are many opportunities for your churches and agencies go to forth and let the people know that they are cared for and not forgotten. We also invite all of you to next year’s Caring for the City Day!

God Bless and Keep the Light On!

Robin Walters

Public Relations Director

Care-A-Van Ministries

More photos to come- all patients agreed to photos for sharing

Dr. Russ and Son RJ attend to patient

Dr. Marcela checking patient out

Friday moning (8/28/09) at approximately 2:00 AM, fire alarms were activated in Beech and Cedar Halls (Buildings B and C) at College Village. Initial response was two Town of Batavia Fire Department chiefs and Engine 21, with one Genesee County Sherriff's Office patrol car and two New York State Police patrol vehicles arriving shortly afterward. During the investigation Beech Hall's alarm activated a second time. At approximately 2:25 AM residents were allowed back into their rooms. Information regarding cause, etc. is currently unavailable due to lack of an appropriate time to ask officials who were on-scene.

More photos as well as personal comments "after the jump..."

First view of E21 as I walked out to see what was happening:

E21 in front of Beech Hall:

From the road (walked around to stay out of the way):

GCSO response arrives (sorry for the blur - unsupported long lens at night didn't want to work too well) :

Residents awaiting all-clear:

CV Safety (I think, couldn't really be sure), Sherrif's Deputy and unidentifiable individual (possibly TBFD) talking next to E21:

My Comments:

Based on the number of people talking (and in general having no respect or care) at our fire safety meeting Monday night, I have a feeling that these unnecessary incidents are going to continue for a while. Furthermore, the total lack of respect from my fellow residents toward our firefighters is not only appalling, but absolutely unacceptable. When someone gets out of bed at 3:30 AM (two years ago this was a pretty common time for alarms to happen within an hour of) to possibly pull people out of a burning building if necessary (regardless of if it's for pay or not), a little respect is due to say the least. We've even had residents vehemently arguing (trust me, this is putting it nicely) with one of the fire chiefs and a safety officer wanting to go back into a building with the smell of smoke and a sounding alarm still present.

I'm honestly no longer sure there's anything that can be done to change these issues, but if you have ideas feel free to share, I'll pass along anything good to one of the RAs, the CV office or GCC.

I have a suspicion that tonight's alarms were a false pull due to it being two buildings at the same time and the larger-than-average police response.

Also, an obligatory disclaimer:
My comments are made purely on my behalf. I have never been a Resident Assistant at, or employee of, College Village or Genesee Community College. I am not speaking on their behalf, and have no intention of doing so unless I am asked to, in which case I would indicate such. Furthermore, I have no affiliation with any fire or law enforcement agencies in Genesee County. I am simply a concerned GCC student and CV resident. Intentionally misconstruing anything I publish/print/say in regards to the above disclaimer and the content it applies to will be interpreted as slander, and/or libel, and may or may not be met with legal action as necessary and to the fullest extent of the law. None of this is meant to harm the reputation of administrative, security, law enforcement or fire officials, nor that of the organizations they represent. It is, to the contrary, meant to support them.

If any official from involved agencies and organizations feels that I may have photos which would help their investigation into this incident, please contact me via bill [AT] buckleyw [DOT] net or my college e-mail address. I have retained all revisions of the images above (which had to be enhanced due to exposure issues) as well as various images either too blurry or not useful enough from a journalism perspective.

Edit: Code refresh and added photo captions.

A one-car motor vehicle accident is being handled at Summit Street near North Street in Batavia. The female driver is coherent, walking around, but will receive a hospital medical evaluation.

It's a car-into-utility pole incident involving pole No. 24 (first reported as pole No. 596), which has three transformers. National Grid has been advised of the incident. It was initially believed that the pole was split and displayed arcing electricity at the top. First responders say the pole does not appear to be split, but National Grid will still need to inspect it.

CORRECTION: Someone, ostensibly with the fire department, sent an email correcting this post:

You combined two different car pole accidents into one....Pavilion had one at the same time with pole number 596 that was cracked toward the top. The one in the city was a few minutes afterwards and was pole 24 that had 3 transformers on it.

The Batavian regrets the error and appreciates the clarification.

In a rare turn of events, a man charged with multiple felonies is being released from jail today because the District Attorney's office did not bring his case to the Grand Jury in a timely manner.

Michael L. Jackson, Jr. still faces two counts of grand larceny, a count of burglary and a count of criminal mischief stemming from an alleged break-in at Holland High Lift building in Bethany on April 11, but Judge Robert Noonan released him this afternoon from Genesee County Jail, where he was held on $25,000 bail.

The D.A.'s office had 45 days to seek an indictment from the Grand Jury, but as Asst. D.A. Will Zickl explained to Noonan, the D.A.'s office has been waiting for DNA-match results from a Monroe County criminal lab.

Zickl argued that the DNA evidence could potentially make for a stronger case to bring to the grand jury, but it also could be exculpatory and be "to the defendant's benefit."  There have been requests sent to the lab to quickly finish the tests, but to date, no results have been received.

(Presumably, there was DNA evidence collected at the scene of the alleged crime. Zickl said Jackson submitted to a mouth swab at the time of his arrest.)

There were also ongoing negotiations for a plea bargain, Zickl said, which kept open the possibility of a plea without the necessity of a Grand Jury indictment.

Defense Attorney Gary Horton said he was aware of only one plea bargain offer from the D.A.'s office, and that offer was immediately rejected by Jackson.

Horton contended that there was nothing preventing the D.A.'s office from presenting the case to the Grand Jury at any time.

"There was probable cause for an arrest," Horton said. "If that probable cause appears sufficient for an arrest, then presumably it rises to the same level of proof for a Grand Jury."

Zickl also argued that Jackson is a significant flight risk. He allegedly left the state immediately after the alleged crime was committed, but Horton countered that Jackson didn't know he was a suspect in the case at the time and that he returned to New York voluntarily.

Noonan said the issue before him wasn't about DNA, it was whether the people could have presented the case, and he saw no reason the people couldn't have proceeded.

Jackson indicated that upon release he had a place to stay in Oakfield.

Jackson is accused of damaging parts worth $1,500 and stealing items worth at least $8,000 and a pickup truck valued at $19,000.

Now I'm not really one to complain about how this city is run, because it seems to work and we all get by, but theres a problem in this city I cant ignore anymore, SKUNKS! This city is INFESTED with skunks and its rediculous! There is one animal control officer in Genesee County and I've seen it drive around only during the day. These aren't just a couple skunks that are affraid of humans, these ones have no fear of humans, just tonight I was literly charged by a skunk! I got up and ran, it stopped a little short and kept creeping towards me, I had to throw several rocks at it to get it to run off. I know of several people who have been followed by the skunks. This city smells like skunk nearly everyday! This issue will not go away on its own!

The city, and residents, need to take steps to take care of them. The city must place traps, set up a 24 hour line for people to call when skunks are spotted, and they need to be dealt with immediately! No waiting. And an important part of control are the residents. We need all take steps to help discouraged the skunks. Skunks are much like bears and in places where bears are issues there are laws in place regulating garbage. We need to never leave bags not in a container, try waiting as long as possible to put youre garbage outside. If theres opening under houses and pourches cover them up, its where they live and nest. Theses are a couple messures that can be taken, we need a joint effort and the city and residents need to take steps to control them or else theres going to be an infestation, and I dont know about yall, but Im not a huge fan of skunk smell.