Bethany

An accident with entrapment and possibly serious injuries is reported on Route 63, in the S-curve south of Fargo Road, Bethany.

Bethany fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

Checking on the availability of Mercy Flight.

UPDATE(S) (By Billie) 11:31 a.m.: CPR is in progress. An engine out of Stafford is called. One Mercy Flight helicopter out of Buffalo is en route and another helicopter in Buffalo is put on ground standby. A Sheriff's deputy is on scene.

UPDATE 11:34 a.m.: State troopers are on scene. Bethany's ambulance is requested. Northbound traffic at Texaco Town is closed; southbound traffic will also be shut down. Extrications of victims are completed. Police patrol at Cedar Street and Route 63 will be set up to divert tractor trailer traffic. Mercy Flight is canceled. Crash Management Team is deployed.

UPDATE 11:44 a.m.: The accident involved a pickup truck and a sedan. It appears that both driver's sides clipped each other; the front-end damage to the sedan is severe. Fire police are requested to divert tractor trailer traffic (didn't catch the location).

UPDATE 11:50 a.m.: The Bethany ambulance is taking one patient to Strong Memorial Hospital. Fire police will divert tractor trailer traffic at East Bethany-Le Roy Road and Route 63.

UPDATE 11:54 a.m.: This is a fatal accident. The coroner has a 30-minute ETA.

UPDATE 12:05 p.m.: Mercy medics also took a patient to Strong.

UPDATE 12:44 p.m.: They are going to shut down/divert traffic at Route 63 and Paul Road in East Bethany.

UPDATE 1:50 p.m.: Undersheriff Gergory Walker said three vehicles (including an unoccupied truck) and four people were involved in this accident. The person who died was the male driver of the sedan. He was in his 60s and lived in another county in New York. His female passenger sustained minor injuries and was alert and talking at the time she was transported to the hospital. The driver of the pickup and the passenger in the pickup both had minor injuries and were transported via ambulance to the hospital. Walker said the passenger car was northbound on Route 63 when, for undetermined reasons, it crossed the center line and struck the southbound pickup truck. The impact was front driver's side to front driver's side. Upon impact, the pickup truck veered over and struck an unoccupied work truck belonging to a man who was servicing a well in the area. The worker heard the crash, then turned around and "saw the end result of it." Weather was not a factor in the collision, nor were drugs and alcohol. It is unknown if any medical issues played a role, pending autopsy results. Walker said it was too early to determine if speed was a factor; there was no indication of any braking by the passenger vehicle before it collided with the truck. Asked about the 'S' curve, Walker said the roadway itself is not considered to be a factor and that "several cars go through this curve every day and most traffic can make it through with no issues," although he acknowleged there have been serious-injury accidents there. The cause of the accident "is all up in the air" at this point and the investigation is continuing.

UPDATE 2:12 p.m.: Route 63 is being reopened.

A rollover accident is reported at 10198 East Road in Bethany. No word on injuries. Bethany Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding. The location is between McLernon and Jerico roads.

UPDATE: Photos by Glenn Adams. 

Bethany Town Supervisor Carl Hyde directing traffic. He is a volunteer firefighter.

Eight local volunteer fire companies are holding open houses this weekend and I was able to drop in on a couple of them today, though by the time I got to Stafford, things were just wrapping up. But the Perkins kids were still there, so we thought, we'll get a picture of them inside one of the fire trucks.

Carter, 4, was pretty done for the day and not really into it. One-year-old Elli was having none of it, but older sister Leyna, 7, was all smiles.

Below are pictures from Bethany and Town of Batavia.

Here's a list of tomorrow's open houses:

Byron Fire Department
6357 E. Main St., Byron
Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Fire-related demonstrations; mutual aid exercises, plus blood pressure checks, truck tours and trying on gear.

East Pembroke Fire Dept.
2623 Main Road, East Pembroke
Sunday, 9 a.m. to noon

Elba Fire Department
4 S. Main St., Elba
Sunday
Equipment displays and station tours.

To find out more about supporting your local fire department, visit ReadyGenesee.com.

Sath Paul Dhanda, 37, of Clapsaddle Road, Bethany, is charged with two counts of obstructing governmental administration, criminal contempt, 2nd, and two counts of harassment, 2nd. Dhanda allegedly violated an order of protection. He is accused of spitting on and kicking the arresting officer, Officer Pete Flanagan. He was jailed on $5,000 bail or $10,000 cash.

Quentin L. Gibson, 32, of Glendale Drive, Lockport, is charged with DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation, no headlights, and obstructed view. Gibson was stopped at 11:47 p.m., April 7, on West Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Eric Foels.

Tyler D. Price, 24, no permanent address, was arrested for alleged failure to appear on a ticket.

Emily J. Walker, 24, of Sherman Stedman Road, Sherman Town, was arrested on a warrant. Walker allegedly violated terms of Drug Court. She was jailed on $100,000 bail.

Blake Riley Pahuta, 19, of Alleghany Road, Corfu, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and improper right turn at an intersection. Pahuta was stopped at 12:28 a.m., Thursday, on South Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Jason Ivison.

Terry Lee Lamere, 52, of Buffalo Road, Bergen, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear. 

Donald C. Hale, 58, of Townline Road, Byron, criminal contempt, 2nd, turned himself in to police in connection with an investigation into his alleged attempt to contact a protected person.

Brandon J. March, 32, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. March was allegedly found in possession of marijuana at 7:46 a.m., March 31, at a location on Cone Street, Batavia, by Officer Frank Klimjack.

Joseph M. Marranco Jr., 46, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Marranco allegedly stole prescription pills from another person. He was jailed on $5,000 bail, $10,000 bond.

A 17-year-old resident of Holland Avenue was arrested on a warrant and jailed on $2,500 bail.

Aaron M. Talbot, 35, of Pearl Street, Batavia, is charged with menacing, 2nd, harassment, 2nd, and criminal possession of a weapon, 4th. Talbot was allegedly involved in a fight at 5:50 a.m., April 4, in which he struck another person and displayed a knife.

An accident involving a semi-truck and car is reported in the area of 5901 Route 20, Bethany.

No word on injuries.

There's heavy front-end damage is reported to a vehicle. The tractor-trailer went down a culvert and is in water. It's 80,000 pounds loaded. A heavy wrecker will be needed.

Bethany fire and Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE(S) (By Billie) 12:34 p.m.: This accident involved a tractor-trailer and farm equipment. According to a deputy at the scene, two tractor-trailers were eastbound on Route 20 and nearing a hill. The tractor-trailer that was behind the foremost one decided to pass at the hill. After doing so, the trucker came upon a tractor that was towing a manure spreader. The farm tractor had just made a left-hand turn into the driveway of a farm but the manure spreader was still in the roadway when the passing tractor-trailer clipped the rear of the manure spreader, tearing off the spreader's rear axel. The tractor-trailer continued off the north shoulder of the roadway into a guard rail and down a deep culvert into a creek filled with water. The trucker suffered a big bump on his forehead. The deputy said citations will be issued. They have a lot of manure to clean up on Route 20 as a result of the accident.

UPDATE 12:52 p.m.: The Bethany assignment is back in service.

An injury is reported in an accident involving a car hitting a tree in the area of 9662 Bethany Center Road, Bethany.

Bethany fire and Mercy EMS responding.

From Bethany Town Supervisor Carl Hyde:

Over the last two years the Town of Bethany has been trying to fill some vacant seats on the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals by running several ads with no success.

There are two vacant seats on the Zoning Board of Appeals and one vacant Planning Board seat and one vacant planning board secretary/alternate seat.

Vacant board seats count as NO votes.

Any Bethany resident who would like to fill a vacancy may contact the Town Clerk at 585-343-1399.

If these seats are not filled by the June 12^th Town Board meeting, the Town will move forward in adopting a local law changing the number of members on each board to five and five (respectively).

A building at 9778 Creek Road, Bethany, is charged with smoke, but no fire seen.

Bethany fire along with Town of Batavia and Alexander dispatched.

The location is Baskin Livestock.

UPDATE 5:57 a.m.: Town of Batavia can go back in service. Alexander to continue. Owner reported blown-out motor on a furnace. 

UPDATE 6:28 a.m.: Bethany assignment back in service. 

A car has struck a pole in the area of 10655 Molasses Hill Road, Bethany.

A line is arcing.

There are no injuries.

The road is being shut down.

Bethany fire is responding.

UPDATE 9:53 p.m.: Road being reopened. Assignment back in service.

There will be an informational open house at Bethany Town Offices from 1 to 4 p.m., Wednesday, about the planned reconstruction of the Bethany Center Road Bridge over Route 20 in Bethany. CORRECTION: Time is 4 to 6 p.m.

There are no formal presentations, but NYT Department of Transportation engineers will be on hand to share details of the project and answer questions about the scope of the work, impact on travel during the six-month construction period, and other concerns residents might have about the project.

The current bridge was built in 1932 and is marred by cracking and crumbling cement and exposed rebar.

The new bridge is expected to have a functional life of at least 75 years and have two standard lanes that are 11-feet wide and shoulders with railings that are six-feet wide.

The $1.4 million project is expected to begin construction in the spring of 2018 and be completed by the fall of 2018.

Since Bethany Center Road ends three miles south of the bridge, detour signs will not be posted. There are parallel alternative routes.

When the current bridge is demolished, Route 20 will be closed for about two weeks. The detour will be Old Telephone Road, which runs parallel to Route 20.                

Press release:

The Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation has appointed Genesee County Legislator Gregg Torrey to the organization’s Board of Directors. Torrey represents the towns of Alexander, Bethany and Pavilion. 

Torrey is a commercial real estate agent and licensed real estate appraiser across New York state and is the managing partner of Springbrooke Properties LLC.

“I look forward to applying my years of experience in real estate to enhance opportunities for development at the various industrial parks throughout the county and in particular our continued efforts to make STAMP shovel ready,” Torrey said.

Torrey is past president of the Batavia Development Corporation and past member of the City of Batavia Planning and Development Committee. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Genesee County Soil & Water Conservation District, Genesee Cancer Assistance and the Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union.

A 1994 graduate of Notre Dame High School, he graduated from Canisius College with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and an MBA in Finance.

Torrey and his family reside in Bethany.

Statement from Bethany Town Supervisor Carl Hyde:

As a Veteran, a taxpayer and a lifetime resident of New York I find it very unsettling that Governor Cuomo wants to dissolve local municipalities into a single County government.

First off he (the Governor) would like to remove “Home Rule” from our communities.

For those that don’t know what “Home Rule” is, it is the right to local self-government including the powers to regulate for the protection of the public health, safety, morals and welfare, to license, tax and incur debt. The freedom of choice, non-interference, non-intervention, political independence, self-reliance and self-subsistence.

So ask yourself why does the Governor want to do this?

The Governor is also trying to extort our municipalities into consolidation by withholding $715,000,000.

In AIM (Aid & Incentives for Municipalities) funds unless the municipalities have a plan to consolidate services by August 1, 2017 or it goes to a voter referendum at November’s election. If it doesn’t pass the Governor wants Municipalities to try it again in 2018.

Can a Governor be so out of touch with the Municipalities in his State you may wonder? Yes he is. The Municipalities already have shared service agreements to help each other in times of need. These agreements have been in place for several decades! And there is NO duplication of services.

There are 58 Counties in the State of California (for example) and only 1 County (Colusa) has kept their “Home Rule.” All the other Counties have to ask permission from the Governor to do anything. See how that’s working for them or should I say NOT working for them.

The Constitution was written by the people for the people to eliminate Kings, Queens and Dictators.

Go to your Town Board meetings, your Board of Supervisor meetings and your County Legislature meetings. Call or visit your Assemblymen and women and your Senators.

Ask questions and get informed as to what is going on in New York State.

Shawn M. Twardowski, 34, of Bank Street, Batavia, is charged with: animal cruelty; second-degree harassment; third-degree robbery; fourth-degree criminal mischief; obstruction of governmental administration; and resisting arrest. Twardowski was reportedly involved in an incident at his residence on Bank Street at 12:15 a.m., Thursday. He allegedly strangled and punched a beagle, subjected a female at the location to physical contact, stealing and attempting to disable her mobile phone and then, upon police arrival, barricaded himself in a bedroom. When police gained access, he allegedly struggled with officers. He was jailed on $50,000 bail.

Salvatore M. Schwable, 19, of Webber Avenue, Oakfield, was arrested on a warrant. Schwable allegedly violated the terms of his release-under-supervision contract. He was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Ronald J. Murray Jr., 22, of Wood Street, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Murray allegedly pushed another person during an argument, reported at 8:30 p.m., Thursday.

Alan P. Ellis, 36, of Lewis Avenue, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, criminal obstruction of breathing, endangering the welfare of a child and cruelty to animals. During an argument reported at 5:15 a.m., Sunday, Ellis grabbed victims by their throats, with one being under age 17, and he allegedly threw and kicked a dog, causing it to limp.  

Charles J. Rodriguez Sr., 40, of North Spruce Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Rodriguez was arrested on a warrant out of Batavia City Court at Buffalo City Court when he appeared there on an unrelated matter. He was jailed on $1,000 bail or $2,000 bond.

Michael J. Antonucci, 34, of Alexander Road, Attica, is charged criminal contempt, 2nd. Antonucci was arrested on a warrant for allegedly violating an order of protection.

Jeanna M. Hattaway, 29, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Hattaway allegedly stole two pairs of sunglasses from the 7-Eleven at 505 E. Main St., Batavia.

Diane M. Fiorentino, 67, of Grandview Terrace, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Fiorentino was arrested Nov. 13 following the report of an incident at 5:30 p.m. that day at her residence. No further details released.

Nikayla C. Jackson, 19, no permanent address, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear on a disorderly conduct charge.

Willie A. Saab, 42, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of first-degree criminal contempt and two counts of aggravated family offense. Saab allegedly violated a pair of stay-away orders. He was jailed without bail.

Grayson Jordan Albert Finnin, 20, of Seven Springs Road, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd, obstructing emergency medical services, and unlawful possession of alcohol by a person under age 21. Finnin was allegedly involved at a disturbance at a local hotel at 12:12 a.m., Tuesday. He was transported to UMMC and allegedly became combative with medical staff and police officers.

Gerardo Carrera-Sanchez, 31, Oak Orchard Road, Elba, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle, unlicensed operator and moving from lane unsafely. Carrera-Sanchez was arrested by Deputy Howard Wilson following the investigation into a motor-vehicle accident reported at 7:30 a.m. Jan. 22 on Shelt Road, Byron.

Timothy Michael Weinstein, 44, of Alleghany Road, Darien, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Weinstein allegedly violated the terms of an order of protection.

Yahaira Ann Marie Brown Diaz, 18, of Old Telephone Road, Bethany, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Diaz was allegedly found in possession of marijuana while at a location on West Main Street Road, Batavia, at 7:04 p.m., Sunday.

A woman from Mocanaqua, Pa., working at a home in Bethany as a house cleaner, has been arrested by State Police for allegedly stealing more than $5,000 from the family who employed her.

Sheri A. Eddy, 33, is charged with third-degree grand larceny and first degree identity theft.

Eddy allegedly stole a check from the residence and used the information on the check to pilfer funds. 

She was arraigned in Bethany Town Court and jailed on $2,500 bail.

Here are the services for tonight we were notified about:

• The barn service originally scheduled for tonight at the Partridge Farm has been moved to the United Methodist Church at 8221 Lewiston Road. 
• There is a candlelight service with carols and the Christmas Story at 7 p.m. at the East Bethany Presbyterian Chruch, 5735 Ellicott Street Road, East Bethany.
• The Yunker family continues a 36-year tradition hosting a barn service for the Presbyterian Church in Elba. The service begins at 7 p.m. on the Yunker Farm on Transit Road, Elba. Lighted candles will lead cars along the road to the barn. Rev. Barbara Tipton will renew the Christmas message. Traditional Christmas hymns will be sung, accompanied by Fran Woodworth on flute. Barn STAIRS will lead to the service benches. Members and visitors are welcome.
• City Church holds two services this evening, at 6 p.m. at the City Church on East Main Street, Batavia, and at 8 p.m. at St. Anthony's on Liberty Street.

The process of replacing the crumbling Bethany Center Road bridge over Route 20 will begin soon, according to Lori Maher, spokeswoman for the NYS Department of Transportation.

The project has long been on the DOT's capital program list but it wasn't scheduled to begin until October, however when asked about a report that the DOT was moving the project up, Maher said, "yes."

Maher said in an email, "Our engineering team will be advancing the contract plans and will be implementing a public outreach component to keep the community informed of the project."

While the original completion date was fall of 2018, the new completion date isn't available yet.

Previously:

• Photos: The decaying state of the Bethany Center Road bridge
• Photos: Bethany Center Bridge suffers more visible damage over the winter
• Statements from officials on the status of the Bethany Center Road bridge
• Ranzenhofer asks DOT for faster action on deteriorating Bethany Center Road bridge

Photo: FIle photo.

A wire is reported down and on fire in the area of Chaddock Road and Silver Road, Bethany.

Power is reportedly out in the area.

Bethany fire responding.

UPDATE 7:26 p.m.: Bethany assignment back in service. National Grid has not reported on a power outage in the area, so we have no further information in that regard.

Joseph Dwayne Powell, 49, of Telephone Road, Le Roy, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, promoting prison contraband, 2nd, unlawful possession of marijuana and insufficient tail lamp. Powell was stopped at 9:10 p.m. Sept. 16 on Black Street Road, Pavilion, by Deputy Ryan DeLong. Powell was transported to the Genesee County Jail for processing and was allegedly found in possession of marijuana inside the jail.

Kevin Michael Horn, 49, of Conway Road, Bethany, is charged with trespassing. Horn allegedly walked onto posted property on Molasses Hill Road, Bethany.

Jordan Paul Fleming, 28, of East Bethany Le Roy Road, Bethany, is charged with third-degree sexual abuse. Fleming is accused of subjecting another person to sexual contact without that person's consent.

Fawn Lynn Marie Kaczmarek, 28, of Liberty Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument. Kaczmarek was allegedly found in possession of a needle during an investigation by Deputy Matthew Clor.

A car vs. pole accident is reported in the area of 6049 Ellicott Street Road, Bethany.

Injuries are reported.

The pole is down, but the wires are still in the air.

Bethany fire, Stafford fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

UPDATE 10:38 a.m.: National Grid notified.

UPDATE 11:51 a.m.: Photos by Glenn Adams. We've heard no more details on this accident and Glenn said he didn't have any details.