Alabama

From Andy Merkel, president, Oakfield-Alabama Little League:

This Saturday, April 29, will be Opening Day for the Oakfield-Alabama Little League.

There will be a short parade beginning at 9 a.m. at the Oakfield Fire Department, walking on Albert Street to the town park and ball fields on Drake Street.

Participants who'd like to be in the parade are asked to assemble at the fire hall at 8:30 a.m.

Opening day ceremonies immediately follow the parade. At that time, teams, coaches and the Board of Directors will be announced.

This year, a special moment of silence will be held in honor of Coach Dan Gilbert, who recently passed away, and who was instrumental in the OACS baseball program as well as Little League. Also, a bench will be dedicated to a young player who passed away suddenly earlier this year.

Games will kick off at 10 a.m.

www.oakfieldalabamalittleleague.com

A person died in a one-car crash in the area 7681 Alleghany Road, Alabama, at about 5 p.m. today.

State Police have no details on the accident available now and the name of the victim is not yet available.

The accident is under investigation.

Alabama fire responded to the scene.

Pembroke and Indian Falls were both dispatched for traffic control, but Pembroke was canceled soon after the dispatch and Indian Falls cleared the scene about 20 minutes later.

UPDATE: The driver is identified as Joseph Manley, 19, of Albion. He was driving a 2006 Ford F250. He was traveling northbound on Route 77 and crossed the southbound lane and struck a tree on the west side of the roadway. Manley was pronounced dead at the scene by Coroner Jeffrey McIntire. (Photo provided by State Police.)

(Initial Report)

A car into tree accident is reported in the area of 7681 Alleghany Road, Alabama.

The initial call was for possible entrapment and possible serious injury, but units have just been told they can respond non-emergency.

Traffic is shut down at MacAlpine Road and at Ledge Road and Route 77.

Alabama fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

Fire police from Pembroke and Indian Falls requested to assist with traffic.

UPDATE 5:22 p.m.: Indian Falls is back in service.

Elizabeth Ann Hicks, 34, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with promoting prison contraband, 1st, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and possession of a hypodermic instrument. Hicks was allegedly found in possession of a needle and syringe with Suboxone while being booked on an unrelated charge. She was jailed on $5,000 bail, $10,000 bond.

David Henry Luther, 56, of Cider Mill Court, Lancaster, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. Luther was charged following a "check the welfare" call on Bloomingdale Road, Tonawanda Indian Reservation, at 7:43 p.m. Sunday by Deputy Michael Lute.

Alicia Brandi Clark, 41, of Halstead Road, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, unlawful possession of marijuana, mobile phone use on highway and misuse of dealer plates. Clark was stopped at 4:35 p.m. Saturday on Lewiston Road, Batavia, by Deputy Michael Lute.

Timothy McCarthy, 47, of Alexander, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .18 or greater. McCarthy was stopped by State Police.

Shawn Matthew Szczcygiel, 39, of Tinkham Road, Darien, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, moving from lane unsafely, unsafe tires, and inadequate exhaust. Szczcygiel was stopped at 4:54 a.m. Saturday on Tinkham Road by Deputy Eric Meyer.

Hector Maximilliano Vidal, 22, of Eggert Road, Tonawanda, is charged with petit larceny and unlawful possession of marijuana. Vidal is accused of shoplifting at Kohl's.

Dustin W. Bogue, 35, no permanent address, is charged with trespass. Bogue allegedly entered property owned by another person after being advised to stay off the property. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Ashley N. Ziccardi, 24, of Brooklyn Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear.

Tiffany M. Brown, 25, of Maple Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear. Brown was arrested by Sheriff's deputies and turned over to Batavia PD on a City Court warrant.

Russell R. Miles, 48, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st. Miles allegedly violated an order of protection. He was allegedly found at the residence of the protected party in violation of the order. He is accused of violating the same order at least twice in five years. He was jailed without bail.

Brian J. Hawkins, 37, of Pries Avenue, Buffalo, was arrested on warrant for alleged failure to appear. He was taken into custody at the Erie County Holding Center on the warrant. He was jailed on $300 bail.

Press release:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) today announced that William Kent Inc. in Stafford will conduct an auction for items in vacant structures on the site of STAMP -- Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park. The items to be auctioned are from 6758 Allegany Road; 6725 Crosby Road; and, 6840 Crosby Road. 

The auction will be held online from April 27 through May 2.  All items purchased must be removed from the properties by May 12.  The auction will precede asbestos removal and demolition of the structures.

The agreement between the GCEDC and William Kent Inc. states that the auction company will receive 10-percent commission of the sale of all items. William Kent Inc. also may deduct their fee from the gross sales receipts resulting from the sale of the items. The notice of the auction was published in The Batavia Daily News, Genesee Valley PennySaver (Oatka and Batavia editions) and the Lake Country PennySaver.

“There are items in the vacant structures that have some value and funds from the online auction will be used to mitigate costs associated with preparing the site for development,” said Mark Masse, senior vice president, GCEDC.

Since 1970, William Kent Inc. has conducted thousands of auctions across upstate New York from farm and commercial properties to estates and antiques.

For more information about the online auction please visit www.williamkentinc.com.

On Saturday, May 13^th  the community and school district in Oakfield-Alabama will be having a varsity baseball field dedication ceremony for the late Dan Gilbert. The longtime coach and teacher was a great guy and is sorely missed after losing a long and couragous battle with cancer.

• At 10 a.m. on May 13, there will be a community softball game for adults and home run derby for kids. There will also be basket raffles, concessions and face painting.
• At noon will be the field dedication and ceremony.
• At 1 p.m. there will be a varsity baseball game O-A vs. Lyndonville. 

Organizers are asking the public to consider donating an item to be raffled or making a monetary donation to benefit the Oakfield-Alabama Central School baseball program and to fund a scholarship in honor of Coach Gilbert. All proceeds to benefit the OACS Baseball Program in memory of Coach Dan Gilbert.

Anything that you can donate to help make Dan's dedication ceremony a special day will be greatly welcomed and appreciated. Make checks payable to: OACS, and send attention to Dan Gilbert Memorial, 7001 Lewiston Road, Oakfield, NY 14125.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Mary Kalinownski at: mkalinowski@oahornets.org --  or Marc Johnson at 948-5838, or  mjohnson@2ki.net

Here is a summary of Coach Gilbert's coaching achievements:

An open burn is in progress at 8122 Marble Road in Alabama. It is unlawful at this time of year. A first responder is on scene and a Sheriff's deputy is en route.

Press release:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) today announced a new round of bids for site work at STAMP -- Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park -- have been released. A legal notice announcing the bids was published April 11.

The work will include: asbestos abatement and demolition of a former two-story residence at 6758 Alleghany Road; a former two-story residence at 6725 Crosby Road; a former one-story residence at 840 Crosby Road; and, two barns and removal of debris from a structure that was a former residence.

The bids will be unsealed and read at 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 20, at the Genesee County Economic Development Center, located at 99 Medtech Drive in Batavia. Bids also can be accessed by contacting Debbie Button-Vanderwall (585-402-7511) from Clark Patterson Lee, which is the engineering firm overseeing the bidding process.

“While we will not be conducting a pre-bid meeting; those interested in submitting a bid can arrange for a site visit to see the structures,” said Mark Masse, senior vice president of operations at the GCEDC. “It also should be noted that for this specific work the Project Labor Agreement will not be applicable.”

Press release:

Nominations are currently being accepted for this year’s induction class of the Oakfield-Alabama Alumni Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding OACS alumni who have achieved distinction in their lives and chosen field after high school through significant contributions to their career, community or through personal achievements. 

If you know a person who meets the following criteria, please consider nominating him/her for this prestigious honor:

1.  Nominees must be graduates of OACS or one of its predecessors, or have been active in school classes and activities during their senior year. (Nominees who left school while in good standing to perform military service are also eligible.  Deceased alumni are not eligible for induction until the fifth anniversary of the year of their death.)
2. Nominees must have graduated prior to 2002.
3. Selection is based on achievement after leaving OACS which includes a worthy record in more than one, and exemplary achievement in at least one of the following:

• Job-related achievements
• Professional honors and awards, professional affiliations, publications
• Civic or community involvement
• Personal achievements/accomplishments
• Positive impact on the communities in the Oakfield-Alabama School District

Anyone may submit a nomination for any person meeting the criteria stated above. Nominations must be made during the nomination period only (March 1 – April 30) by using the Online Nomination Form or the PDF Nomination Form (see links below). Electronically submitted nominations are strongly preferred over mailed-in, hardcopy nominations.

1. Online Nomination Form  http://www.oacsalumni.org/content/HallOfFame/NominationProcess/OnlineForm
2. PDF Nomination Form http://www.oacsalumni.org/content_files/HallOfFame/NominationProcess/form.pdf

A generator has reportedly caused a shed fire at 7814 Sand Hill Road, on the Tonawanda Indian Reservation.

That's near on Higher Ground Smoke Shop.

Alabama fire along with one engine each from Pembroke and Indian Falls dispatched.

UPDATE 11:49 a.m.: Pembroke and Indian Falls can stand by in quarters.

An 81-year-old man from Medina who was a passenger in a sedan that rammed under the trailer of a big rig died just before 5 p.m. yesterday, according to State Police.

Purcil E. Buzard suffered severe trauma in the accident, according to sources, and was flown by Mercy Flight to an area hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The accident was reported at about 9:30 a.m. yesterday at the intersection of Route 77 and Route 63 in Alabama. A tractor-trailer that was eastbound on Lewiston Road was making a right-hand turn onto southbound Alleghany Road. A Mercury sedan driven by Donna L. Wolter, 69, of Medina, allegedly failed to stop at the four-way stop. The car went under the trailer and its roof was sheared off and then hit a vacant building on the southwest corner of the intersection. It bounced off the building and hit a sedan stopped on Lewiston Road.

Wolter suffered head injuries.

There were no other injuries reported as a result of the accident.

An 81-year-old passenger in a 2004 Mercury sedan suffered severe injuries this morning, according to State Police, after the vehicle went underneath the trailer on a big rig at the intersection of Route 63 and Route 77 in Alabama.

The roof of the sedan was sheared off and became lodged in the rear axel of the trailer.

The vehicle was driven by Donna L. Wolter, 69, who sustained head injuries. Her passenger was Purcil E. Buzard. Both are from Medina.

Both patients were transported by Mercy Flight to area hospitals.

State Police investigators believe Wolter failed to stop at the four-way intersection. 

The 2017 Kenworth tractor-trailer was eastbound on Lewiston Road and making a right-hand turn to head south on Alleghany Road when it was struck by the Mercury, which was on southbound Alleghany Road.

Wolter reportedly swerved to avoid hitting the cab of the truck and went under the trailer, then struck a vacant building on the southwest corner of the intersection, bounced off the building and hit a sedan stopped in the eastbound lane of Lewiston Road.

(initial report)

A motor-vehicle accident with possible serious injuries to reported on Route 77 at Lewiston Road, Alabama.

Alabama fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE(S)(By Billie) 9:37 a.m.: The availability of Mercy Flight is being checked. Eastbound traffic on Lewiston Road will be shut down. Mutual aid from Shelby Fire Department is requested.

UPDATE 9:45 a.m.: The address is 6655 Lewiston Road. Two Mercy Flight helicopters are heading to the scene -- #5 out of Batavia, #7 out of Buffalo.

UPDATE 9:57 a.m.: Mercy Flight 5 is on the ground. One patient is being put on board now. Another patient is in an ambulance awaiting loading onto Mercy Flight 7, which just landed. Both were said to have been extricated from a vehicle underneath the undercarriage of a tractor-trailer.

UPDATE 10:23 a.m.: Mercy Flight 7 is airborne and going to ECMC. Mercy Flight 5 is airborne and going to Strong Memorial Hospital. The State Police crash investigation team is on scene. A tractor-trailer was eastbound on Lewiston Road and at the intersection with Route 77, the trucker was making a right-hand turn to go southbound on Route 77. A Mercury sedan southbound on 77 slammed into the big rig; the impact sheared off the roof of the Mercury sedan, which is still embedded in the axles of the tractor-trailer. The damaged sedan continued and hit a building on the southwest corner of the intersection, then careened off the building, striking a sedan that was stopped at the intersection. But only the two occupants of the Mercury were injured, one seriously, the other very seriously.

UPDATE 1:11 p.m.: The intersection just reopened.

Press release:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) today announced that bids for infrastructure work at STAMP -- Science, Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Park -- have been released. A legal notice announcing the bids will be published March 20.

The GCEDC also will host a pre-bid conference on March 29 at 10 a.m. at the MedTech Centre’s Innovation Zone so that interested parties can ask questions about specifications for the bids and other relevant information, including MWBE requirements and the Project Labor Agreement (PLA).

“We are extremely aware of the fact that the funding for the infrastructure work involves taxpayer money and as such this is going to be an extremely transparent process,” said Steve Hyde, president and CEO of the GCEDC. “We fully anticipate having shovels in the ground in a couple of months.”

Clark Patterson Lee is issuing the bids and will manage construction inspection for Phase I work for water infrastructure, including enhancements to the Town of Alabama water system. The engineering firm will also be issuing bids in the near future and managing construction inspection on roadways within the STAMP site and the main entrance off of routes 63 and 77. 

The firm will review the bids for the road and water infrastructure work and make recommendations to the GCEDC Board for approval.

A 40-year-old Batavia resident is facing multiple tax fraud, grand larceny and forgery charges following a joint investigation by the State Police and the Department of Taxation and Finance.

A former caregiver who bilked two elderly patients out of more than $308,000 from 2006 to 2011 and eventually pled guilty to four felonies, was sentenced to prison and is now free, but she's finding it difficult to pay restitution.

Heidi L. Schollard was ordered to pay $500 a month when she was sentenced to the maximum possible term in August 2012, which was concurrent sentences of two-and-a-third to seven years on three of the felony convictions and one-and-a-third to four years on the fourth.

She pled guilty to three counts of grand larceny, 3rd, which are Class D felonies, and a single count of grand larceny, 4th, a Class E felony.

She was released from prison Feb. 13 and was ordered to make her first $500 payment within 30 days of her release. She has so far failed to make any payment.

Public Defender Jerry Ader, representing Schollard in County Court yesterday, said Schollard only recently secured employment but will still find it difficult to make $500-a-month payments.

Apparently, while still in prison, Schollard petitioned the court for a modified restitution order, but that request was never acted on.

Whether the court can take action against Schollard was the point being argued in court yesterday and the reason for the hearing.

Ader's position was that based on statute since Schollard received the maximum possible prison sentence for her conviction, the County Court cannot impose new sanctions on her if she fails to meet the restitution requirements.  

Without the ability to impose new penalties, the court's only option, Ader said, is to make restitution a civil matter. The victims would need to seek restitution through civil, not criminal, courts. 

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman argued that since Schollard's sentence was concurrent and not consecutive, she didn't receive the maximum possible sentence under the law so therefore Judge Charles Zambito can take punitive action against Schollard if she fails to meet restitution demands.

Zambito said he wasn't going to rule on the issue from the bench and ordered both attorneys to file briefs in support of their positions laying out the legal arguments and case law to support their assertions.

The issue was scheduled for a further hearing at 1:30 p.m., April 10.

A person is reportedly stuck in a vehicle, but uninjured, after a rollover accident on Route 77, just south of Ham Road, in Alabama.

Alabama fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

There's a report of lines down sparking a grass fire in the area of 1084 Ledge Road, Alabama.

Alabama fire responding.

A 56-year-old woman from Batavia was killed in a single-vehicle accident in Alabama after the minivan she was riding in went off the east shoulder of Route 77, into a gully and struck a tree.

The driver of the 2003 Dodge Caravan reportedly suffered a medical event before the car left the roadway.

Coroner Karen Lang pronounced Karen Mann dead at the scene.

As a result of the accident, one person was taken to Strong Memorial Hospital by Mercy Flight and the other two people in the vehicle were transported by Mercy EMS to Strong.

Mann was a backseat passenger. 

State Police say this is still an ongoing investigation and released no further information at this time.

(initial report)

A rollover accident with entrapment is reported at 6891 Alleghany Road. Alabama fire is responding.

UPDATE 2:04 p.m.: "Bystanders have pulled one subject out. Doing CPR," says a dispatcher. Mercy medics are called in emergency mode. Command at the scene asks for Shelby Fire Department to respond mutual aid. He says two people are still trapped in a van.

UPDATE 2:08 p.m.: Traffic on Route 77 will be shut down in the vicinity of the accident.

UPDATE 2:17 p.m.: Mercy Flight is responding.

UPDATE 2:18 p.m.: Shelby is on location.

UPDATE 2:38 p.m.: Mercy Flight #5 is airborne and heading to Strong Memorial Hospital with one patient onboard. A Mercy ambulance is also taking two patients to Strong. A portion of the road will remain closed for awhile.

UPDATE 3:56 p.m. (By Howard): A spokesman for NYSP confirms there is a fatality. A coroner is on scene. 

NOTE 6 p.m.: We're withholding photos from the scene until we've been informed by State Police that family notifications have been completed. Once notifications are completed, we expect NYSP to release more information.

UPDATE: Follow-up story posted.

Billy Joe Trantham, 78, of Bloomingdale Road, Alabama, is charged with forcible touching. On Feb. 18, following the investigation of a sex offense that allegedly occurred in the Town of Alabama, Trantham was arrested. He allegedly touched the intimate parts of another person without the person's consent. He was released on an appearance ticket and is to be in Alabama Town Court at 2 p.m. on March 2. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Travis DeMuth, assisted by Deputy Kevin Forsyth.

A complaint that a vehicle allegedly ran another vehicle off the road almost causing an accident, on Route 19 in Le Roy, led to a traffic stop of 32-year-old Brandon S. Beil, of 6370 Hawks Road, Pavilion by the Le Roy Police Department. The complaint was received on Saturday Feb. 18 about 7 p.m., at which time the Le Roy Police Department started looking for Beil’s vehicle and located it on Clay Street where the vehicle stop was initiated. During the stop, it was determined that Beil was allegedly intoxicated; he was uncooperative during the arrest process and allegedly struggled with the officers at the scene. Beil allegedly refused all field testing and the chemical test. Beil was charged with one count each of inadequate head lights, felony driving while intoxicated (with previous conviction within 10 Years), refusal to take the breath test, failure to keep right and resisting arrest. Beil was arraigned before the Le Roy Town Court and committed to the Genesee County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail.