batavia

Deputy Debbie Snyder helps Isabell Alwardt shop for Christmas presents at Walmart during the Batavia's store first "Shop with a Cop" charity event. The Walmart Foundation provided $4,000 to the store so 40 children in the community could receive $100 each to buy Christmas presents for friends, family or themselves. The Alwardt family donated half of what they received to another family in the community.

Store Manager Shallenberger said he learned about other stores doing "Shop with a Cop" last year and started working on bringing the event to Batavia. He intends for it to become an annual event.

"I think our community needs to see how involved the police department really is in the community and the City of Batavia can see how involved Walmart in the community and that we’re able to this for the community, that we’re not just a retailer we can meet these special needs," Shallenberger said.

Gabriel Winn shops for a present with Deputy Ryan DeLong and Deputy Brad Mazur while, Joe Loconte, looks on.

The deputies, police officers and troopers who participated in the event -- there were enough uniformed officers from all of the departments so each child could shop with a cop -- were off duty and volunteering their time.

Members of City Church's youth group volunteered to wrap presents after checkout.

A vehicle fire is reported in the rear lot of Batavia Downs.

Flames are showing.

Town of Batavia Fire dispatched.

Prior to the start of the David M. McCarthy Memorial Hockey Tournament at the Falleti Ice Arena, Assemblyman Steve Hawley donated a U.S. flag and a state flag to the arena to hang next to the scoreboard. The U.S. flag replaces the one that has hung in the area for years and has become worn with age.

Pictured are arena managers Alan Fitzsimmons and Adam Reach, Batavia players Bryce Polito and Riley Kusmicrski, Hawley, and players Bryce D'Alba and Jack Kasmarek.

Members of the City of Batavia Fire Department were surprised to learn Friday that their fire chief, James Maxwell, retired with no apparent notice.

Contacted by phone this morning, Maxwell said he wasn't in a position to comment on his retirement, but did confirm it was not announced prior to the decision.

City Manager Jason Molino confirmed last night that Maxwell retired. We have not yet been able to reach him this morning for further comment.

We've spoken with several members of the fire department and all were surprised by Maxwell's departure and said they've been told nothing further about Maxwell leaving the department. One member said they were told to refer questions to Molino.

UPDATE 10:51 a.m.: Jim Maxwell asked to include the following statement: "I enjoyed my time with the department and the opportunity to work with the professional men and women of the organiztion. I wish them all the best in the future."

We're expecting to speak with Molino later. He said he has a statement.

Also, we've learned there was a civil service posting for the position Dec. 2. 

UPDATE 3:29 p.m.: Jason Molino and I have been unable to connect by phone today. He e-mailed over this statement: "The City thanks Chief Maxwell for his years of service to the community. We wish him the best in his future endeavors."

UPDATE 3:32 p.m.: A person familiar with the civil service process says the exam was not posted Dec. 2. That was the last filing date for the exam. If a job opening had been posted, the reader suggests, City fire personnel would not be surprised by the retirement.

A former mayor of Medina, who moved to Batavia about a year ago, has been tabbed by the City GOP to take over a vacant seat on the Batavia City Council.

If confirmed by the council, Adam Tabelski will fill the council-at-large seat vacated by John Deleo, who was elected last month to the County Legislature.

Tabelski's LinkedIn profile says he is currently employed at WENDEL Companies in Williamsville as an account manager.

He was communications director for Sen. George Maziarz from 2002 to 2014. He also served in the Army National Guard for six years.

Tabelski was mayor in Medina from April 2008 to Sept. 2011. He has a master's degree from SUNY Albany in History and a bachelor's degree from SUNY Geneseo.

When a seat is vacated on the council, the political party of the departing council member selects the nominee to replace that member. The council must confirm the nominee, but usually goes along with the party's selection.

The vote will be held at the council's organizational meeting Jan. 4.

Sources told WBTA, The Batavian's news partner, that four people sought support to fill the vacant position.

Press release:

City of Batavia Firefighters Local 896 for Operation Warm would like to thank everyone for their continued support over the last three years. This year Batavia City firefighters were able to distribute 108 brand-new, 100-percent American-made winter coats to children in Batavia. This campaign would not have been possible without the support from our community. This year we partnered with local business Ken Barrett Chevrolet and it was a huge success.  We can't thank them enough for their support and donation of more than $2,000 to provide the gift of warmth. Special thanks also goes out to Michelle's Catering & Bakery Co. Since 2013 we've distributed over 225 brand-new coats and look forward to continuing our fundraising efforts for many years to come.

Jade Dewey Repass, 20, of Irving Parkway, Oakfield, is charged with inhalation of certain toxic vapors. Repass was arrested following a complaint of two people unconscious in a vehicle in the parking lot of Walmart. Also charged was Jesse Sumner Repass, 29, of Pine Street, Oakfield. The duo are accused of inhaling fumes from a pressurized can of dust cleaner while sitting in the vehicle, causing a condition of intoxication. Jade Repass was released on his own recognizance. Jesse Repass was jailed on $1,000 bail or $2,000 bond.

Guadalupe Lopez-Perez, 53, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession, 2nd. In the course of a domestic incident investigation at 12:35 a.m., Dec. 13, at a residence on South Main Street by Officer Jason Davis, Lopez-Perez was allegedly found in possession of a forged Social Security card and a forged resident alien card. These cards enabled him to obtain employment in the United States using a Social Security number. Lopez-Perez was jailed without bail.

Dennis Ray Lloyd Jr., 34, of Porter Avenue, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st, assault, 3rd, endangering the welfare of a child, harassment, 2nd, criminal mischief, 4th, and criminal obstruction of breathing. Lloyd was allegedly involved in a verbal and physical domestic incident with the mother of his child and a friend of the mother's at 5:59 a.m., Dec. 14. The child was not physically harmed. Lloyd was jailed without bail.

Tyler J. Henderson, 27, of Franklin Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant. Henderson is accused of failure to appear on charges of menacing, 3rd, disorderly conduct and reckless endangerment of property. The reported date of the original incident is Jan. 1 at 9 Jackson St., Batavia.

Donna M. Kroft, 62, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Kroft is accused of stealing $40.13 worth of merchandise from Dollar General.

Magnum Marie Kibler, 19, of Randall Road, Le Roy, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th, and no seatbelt. Kibler was stopped at 12:33 a.m. Dec. 13 on Clinton Street by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Jeffrey James Cervone, 47, of Skye Road, Basom, was arrested on a warrant. Cervone allegedly failed to appear for a court date. He was arrested upon his release from the Erie County Jail, where he was held on an unrelated matter. He was jailed locally on $1,000 bail.

A 17-year-old resident of Batavia (name withheld by Batavia PD) is charged with assault, 3rd. The youth and a juvenile companion are accused of attacking another person, causing physical injury.

Ian K. Leblanc-Chatt, 30, of Hart Street, Batavia is charged with petit larceny. Leblanc-Chatt is accused of stealing a 12-pack of AA batteries valued at $12.79 from Tops at 1:10 a.m. Dec. 12.

Frank Panepento serenaded shoppers with Christmas carols on his trumpet at Tops Market on Wednesday evening while volunteering with the Salvation Army for the Red Kettle Campaign.

Joining Panepento was Pauli Miano.

Below is a picture from last week that I forgot to post of local Girl Scouts and Webelos during their evening of volunteer bell ringing and Christmas carol singing.

Red Kettle volunteers are still needed. To volunteer, contact Major Robert Kurtz at (585) 861-0676 or robert.kurtz@use.salvationarmy.org.

A possible structure fire is reported at 318 E. Main St., Batavia.

Heavy smoke is reported in the kitchen of Apt. #4.

The building is being evacuated.

City fire is dispatched.

UPDATE 9:40 p.m.: Electrical issue. Residents can return to their apartments.

An accident at Park Road and Oak Street has traffic backed up in every direction, including Thruway motorists trying to exit nearby. Town of Batavia and city fire crews are on scene along Mercy medics.

UPDATE 5:25 p.m.: The accident scene is nearly clear. A car coming off the Thruway turned onto Park Road and went straight. A car making a left turn from Oak Street onto Park Road struck the other vehicle. Both vehicles had air-bag deployment and both drivers were transported to UMMC for evaluation.

Alysan Courtney Gaebler, 38, of Soccio Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Following the investigation of a shoplifting complaint on Veteran's Memorial Drive in the Town of Batavia, Gaebler was arrested for allegedly stealing $98 worth of merchandise from a department store. She was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Batavia Court and is to appear there on Jan. 21. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Eric Meyer, assisted by Deputy Jason Saile.

Safyre Terry, an 8-year-old girl from Schenectady who was badly burned and lost her family in an intentionally set fire in 2013, has received thousands of Christmas cards this year and more are coming in, including a packet of cards from Lucky Ducky Daycare in Batavia.  The 3- and 4-year-olds have been learning that Christmas isn't just about getting presents but giving as well, so they assembled a care package for Safyre for Christmas.

Photo submitted by Lucky Ducky Daycare.

Joshua M. Gaudioso, of Galloway Road, Batavia, is charged with second-degree harassment and second-degree strangulation. He was arrested following a domestic incident at 7:46 p.m. on Dec. 6 wherein he allegedly strangled the victim and threatened to kill the victim along with several members of the victim's family. He was jailed without bail. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jason Ivison, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

James E. Wroten Jr., 49, of Central Avenue, Batavia, was arrested at 10 p.m. on Dec. 7 on Olyn Avenue following a verbal and physical argument between himself and a person who had a stay away order of protection from Wroten. It is alleged that the defendant called the protected party names and pushed a plate into her face during an argument. He was jailed without bail. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jamie Givens, assisted by Officer Jason Ivison.

Kenneth C. Roma, 28, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, operating with a BAC of .08 percent or more, uninspected motor vehicle, cracked/broken windshield, and driving to the left of pavement markings (a no-passing zone). The Sheriff's Office received two calls from other motorists about the poor driving habits of the driver of a pickup truck eastbound on Route 5 in the Town of Batavia at around 10:20 p.m. on Dec. 11. The callers continued to follow the pickup and provide dispatchers with the current locations and details of when the pickup allegedly interfered with other vehicles on the roadway. Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Meides located the pickup on West Avenue in the Village of Attica with a caller's assistance. The driver indicated he was lost and did not know where he was. Meides was assisted by other members of the Sheriff's Office and two officers from the Attica Police Department. Roma was released on an appearance ticket and is to be in Alexander Town Court on Jan. 12. Sgt. Meides was assisted in the investigation and report by Sheriff's Deputy Richard Schildwaster.

Heather R. Frizol, 35, of Maple Street, Batavia, is charged with aggravated driving while intoxicated, DWI, speeding, failure to maintain lane, and passing through a red light. She was arrested following a traffic stop at 1:28 a.m. on Dec. 6 on Main Street, Batavia. Frizol was also charged as an unlicensed driver and for allegedly having an open container of alcohol in the vehicle. She is to appear in City Court on  Dec. 16. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jason Davis, assisted by Officer Felicia DeGroot.

Richard Dean McKague Jr., 25, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, failure to yield right-of-way to an emergency vehicle, failure to stop at a stop sign, and being an unlicensed operator. His arrest at 6:06 a.m. on Dec. 10 came after a vehicular pursuit that started in the Town of Stafford and ended in the Town of Byron. It is alleged that McKague was observed violating sections of state vehicle and traffic law and then when a traffic stop was initiated, be failed to comply. The pursuit through two townships concluded on Beaver Meadows Road and he was taken into custody without incident. A search of his person allegedly produced a small quantity of marijuana. He was jailed in lieu of $2,500 cash bail or $5,000 bond and will respond to both Stafford and Byron courts to answer the charges. The investigation was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Corona, with the assistance of Deputy Christopher Erion, Sgt. Eric Seppala, and State Police.

Jeffrey Lynn Shultz II, 21, of Walkers Corners Road, Byron, is charged with operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs -- first offense, driving left of pavement markings, and operating a motor vehicle without an inspection certificate. He was arrested at 1:51 p.m. on Dec. 12 on Byron Road in Byron. He is to appear in Byron Town Court on Dec. 15. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Corona, assisted by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Roger James Farney, 33, of Clayton Street, Buffalo, is charged with second-degree criminal contempt. He was arrested at 1 p.m. on Dec. 9 on West Main Street in Batavia after allegedly making derogatory statements toward a person who has an order or protection. He turned himself into Batavia PD headquarters and is to appear in City Court on Dec. 29. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Peter Flanagan.

Jeannine Nicole Armbrewster, 38, of Ridge Road, Medina, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs. She was arrested at 7:42 p.m. on Dec. 12 on Alexander Road, Alexander. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Dana Richardson, assisted by Deputy Christopher Parker.

Ryan Joseph Bellinger, 25, of Route 209, Varysburg, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree -- brass knuckles, unlawful possession of marijuana, and operating a motor vehicle with obstructed vision. Bellinger was arrested following a traffic stop at 10:21 p.m. on Dec. 13 on Alleghany Road, Pembroke. He was issued an appearance ticket for Pembroke Court on Jan. 21. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Lonnie Nati.

Daniel C. Brinkman Sr., 55, of Mill Street, Batavia, is charged with third-degree criminal trespass. It is alleged that at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 9, Brinkman trespassed onto CSX Railroad property (located at 100 Evans St., Batavia) after having been warned to stay off the property. He is due in City Court on Dec. 16. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Chad Richards, assisted by Officer Kevin DeFelice.

Jason L. McKenzie, 37, and Pamela L. McKenzie, 39, husband and wife from Pavilion, were arrested by state Troopers on Dec. 6 and charged with petit larceny for allegedly stealing items from Kohl's earlier in the week.

Kelli E. Wallace, 53, of Swan Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. She was arrested at 7:20 p.m. on Dec. 7 after allegedly stealing property from Dollar General. She was issued an appearance ticket and is to appear in City Court on Dec. 15. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jason Ivison, assisted by Officer Jamie Givens.

Michael F. Geer, 24, of Trumbull Parkway, Batavia, was arrested at 3:56 a.m. on Dec. 11 as the result of an investigation into an incident that occurred on East Main Street on Nov. 13. Geer, who is currently in county jail, was issued an appearance ticket charging him with petit larceny. He is to be in City Court on Dec. 15. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Eric Foels.

Robert Ernest Saari, 33, of Alleghany Road, Attica, was arrested on a bench warrant out of Batavia City Court for failing to appear at a scheduled court date. He posted bail and was released on an appearance ticket. He is to be in City Court on Dec. 22. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Chad Richards. 

Robert Ernest Saari, 33, of Alleghany Road, Attica, was arrested at 6:04 p.m. on Dec. 11 and charged with having insufficient tail lamps and first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation. After being pulled over for allegedly having insufficient tail lamps, it was found that the defendant's license was suspended more than 10 times on 10 dates. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Eric Meyer, assisted by Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Martin James Rodgers, 31, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with parole violation. As the result of a search of his residence at 10:45 p.m. on Dec. 10, is alleged that he violated parole. A court date for him has not yet been scheduled. The case was handled by Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong, assisted by Deputy Howard Carlson.

Daniel Colin Healy, 24, of North Street, Le Roy, is charged with failure to appear on a traffic summons. He turned himself into Batavia PD headquarters after being notified by mail that he had a warrant out for his arrest. He is to be in City Court on Dec. 15. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jason Davis.

Zachary B. Reeves, 19, of Maine, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. On Dec. 12 at Route 33 and Prospect Street, Corfu, Reeves was pulled over for allegedly driving 54 in a 35-mph zone and for having a loud muffler. The patrol officer allegedly smelled marijuana in the vehicle and allegedly found marijuana residue on the passenger seat. Subsequently, the officer allegedly found a jar containing about 1 gram of marijuana as well as two glass smoking pipes and "1 false cigarette containing marijuana residue." The case was handled by Corfu PD Officer Michael Petritz, assisted by Sheriff's Deputy Lonnie Nati and Deputy Chris Erion and K-9 "Destro."

Press release:

Batavia High School is one of 425 school districts in the United States and Canada named to the College Board’s Sixth Annual AP^® District Honor Roll.

To be included on this short list (there are more than 14,000 public school districts in the United States alone, according to the Census Bureau), school districts must have, since 2013, increased student access to AP (Advanced Placement) course work as well as maintained or increased the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP exams.

Reaching these goals indicates that a district is successfully identifying motivated, academically prepared students who are ready for the opportunity of AP. While the recognition is welcomed, it is not news to Batavia administrators and staff. They have been working to increase student participation and success in AP courses as one more way for high-achieving students to have access to more rigorous challenges as well as to get a low-cost jump on their college career before leaving high school.

They have noted with pleasure that increasing numbers of our high school students are seeing the value of doing this. From 2010-2011 to 2014-2015, the number of BHS students taking AP courses increased from 62 to 76, and, because one student can take more than one AP course, the number of exams taken has increased from 116 to 137.

In addition to more students being willing to take the more challenging courses, more of them are achieving higher grades on the exams. With success on an AP exam being defined as a score of 3 or higher (which is also the point at which most colleges will accept the course as a transfer credit), College Board records show the percentage of our students reaching that success level  increased from 74.2 percent in 2011 to 82.9 percent in 2015. Plus, our students’ scores are better than the average AP scores in New York State and around the world. NYS had a 66-percent success rate in 2011 and 65.6 percent in 2015, while global figures were 60.2 percent in 2011 and 60.7 percent in 2015.

Currently, there are 10 AP courses offered at the High School: English Literature and Composition, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, U.S. Government and Politics, U.S. History, Studio Art/2D Design Portfolio, and Studio Art/Drawing Portfolio.

One of the goals BHS Principal Scott Wilson has set for the High School is an increase in student participation and success in AP courses. Physics, taught by Burt Howell, is one of the AP courses offered at the High School. Success rate for BHS students on the AP Physics exam for the 2011-2015 timeframe was close to 65 percent, compared to 37 percent for New York State.

A car vs. pedestrian accident is reported at the entance to Kmart on Lewiston Road. Town of Batavia Fire Department is responding and Mercy medics are on scene. A male reportedly has a minor head laceration.