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Three local students make the dean's list at Clarkson University

By Billie Owens

Three local students were named to Clarkson University dean's list for the Spring 2013 semester:

Patrick Flynn, of Batavia, a sophomore majoring in Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.

Jacob Muench, of Darien, a sophomore majoring in Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.

Casey Engle, of Byron, a senior majoring in Electrical Engineering.

Dean's list students must achieve a minimum 3.25 grade-point average and also carry at least 14 credit hours. Clarkson University is located in Potsdam.
 

Next few weeks of weather critical to onion yield after spring rain and wind do some damage

By Howard B. Owens

Wind and rain over the past few weeks are making muck farmers a little edgy about their onion crop for this season.

They know now they won't have a bumper crop, especially from fields planted with seed rather than transplants, but what happens with the weather over the next four weeks will be critical.

Following two-and-a-half inches of rain last week, they need some dry whether, but another inch of rain is forecast for tomorrow (Thursday).

"It would be nice if it were 80 degrees, sunny and a little bit of breeze," said Paul Mortellaro of G. Mortellaro & Sons.

On a tour of the muck today, Mortellaro pointed out the fields planted with transplants look pretty healthy. They're less susceptible to rain and the bigger plants are better equipped to respirate (pump off the water from the ground).

Fields planted with seedlings have been thinned out by wind -- wind can shear off an onion top -- or have been too saturated by water and there's been some die-off.

The right time for some rain would be when the onions start to bulb, which is three our four weeks from now.

"What determines the size of the onion is its size when it starts to bulb," Mortellaro said. "We need some good rain during that time."

Even with the slow start, the muckers could get perfect whether the rest of the season and enjoy a good harvest.

"Three or for weeks from now, this all could be forgotten," Mortellaro said.

"He's right," said Maureen Torrey of Torrey Farms. "We have a long way to go before our crops are made."

Beyond that, Torrey was hesitant to comment because she didn't want to jinx anything.

Christian Yunker at CY Farms said early indications are yields will be down this year, but how much depends on what happens with the weather the rest of the growing season.

Right now, he said, a lot of onions have "wet feet," and that inhibits their growth. Like other farmers of the muck, he's hoping tomorrow's storm doesn't do too much damage and then we get some dry weather.

"It's pretty early to tell, but we've taken a little bit of a hit," Yunker said. "They're not off to a great start, but it's too early to say your yield will be down to X."

Photo: A seeded muck field. The dead-looking plants in between the green rows of onions is barley, planted along side the onion seeds to act as a wind break. Once the onions reach a certain stage of grow, the barley is killed off.

Law and Order: State Street resident accused of letting dog run at large

By Howard B. Owens

Rhonda L. Reisman, 40, of 105 State St., is charged with dog running at large. Batavia PD received a complaint of a dog running at large on State Street. Reisman was identified as the owner.

Heather E. Schramm, 33, of 48 South Main St., Batavia, is charged with aggravated harassment, 2nd. Schramm is accused of sending a threatening message to another person.

Arron Lee Zimblis, 49, of 114 Vine St., Batavia, is charged with DWI, failure to stop, unsafe movement of a stopped motor vehicle and failure to yield right of way to an emergency vehicle. Officer Jamie Givens allegedly observed Zimblis commit traffic infractions Wednesday after receiving a report of an intoxicated person leaving a residence.

Daniel S. Anderson, 37, of 239 S. Swan St., Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd. Anderson was arrested Friday following an investigation into a prior complaint. He was ordered held pending a court appearance today.

Billy Joe Johnson, 35, of 3910 W. Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Johnson was arrested following an investigation into an alleged incident reported at 7:02 a.m., Sunday, at a location on State Street.

Shawn Allen Bush, 43, of Alleghany Road, Pembroke, is charged with two counts harassment, 2nd. Bush allegedly threatened to harm his ex-girlfriend and son while in an intoxicated condition.

Brian Russell Wilson, 24, of Back Street, Pembroke, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Wilson was allegedly found in possession of marijuana during a traffic stop at 12:58 a.m. Sunday on Main Street, Oakfield, by Deputy Patrick Reeves. Matthew Metehan Osmancikli, 20, of Lewiston Road, Basom, was also charged.

Anthony Mark Matla, 42, of Park Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Matla allegedly threated to harm another person Saturday during an argument at a residence on Pratt Road.

A 16-year-old resident of Warboys Road, Byron, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. The youth was allegedly found in possession of half a hydrocodone pill while at Byron-Bergen High School.

Jennifer L. Sprague, 30, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, was arrested on a child neglect charge out of Family Court. Sprague was arrested after a bit of an alleged confrontation with police at her residence. Deputy John Baiocco reports that Sprague slammed the door after he arrived at the residence and locked herself inside. The house was surrounded with the help of Batavia PD and following some negotiations, Baiocco was able to arrest Sprague.

Heather D. Stone, 18, of Ellwood Drive, Rochester, is charged with burglary, 3rd, and petit larceny. Stone was turned over to the Sheriff's Office after being released from the Monroe County Jail on an unrelated matter. A warrant had been issued in Town of Le Roy Court for Stone's arrest. She was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Melee with park patrons and ATVers at Trestle Park

By Billie Owens

The riders on three or four ATVs are arguing with other park patrons at Trestle Park in Byron and otherwise giving them a hard time. There is reportedly an assault going on, too. "A group of Hispanics" approached and joined in the goings on. Law enforcement is on scene. A responder there says "Sounds like it's starting to heat up again."

UPDATE 8:53 p.m.: Some responders indicate having difficulty finding the location. It's "by the fishing park, down the trail, over the steel bridge, 1/4 mile to the pond where there's a mowed field and picnic area." Subsequently, responders told dispatchers things had "settled down some" and that one suspect is still on scene and another one left the area.

Joe Bezon has spent a lifetime mucking and he wouldn't have it any other way

By Howard B. Owens

This is the second in a series of profiles of Genesee County's farms and farmers.

Working the muck has never been easy.

When third-generation muck farmer Joe Bezon was a boy, he would work alongside his mother, each on their hands and knees, pulling weeds.

Seeds were planted by hand and it took manual labor to bring in the crop. When muck is wet, it's deep and muddy ground. When it's dry, the fine dust gets in your eyes and nose and the sun's rays radiate heat off the black soil.

Today, machinery and chemicals make sowing, harvesting and weeding easier, but no machine can control Mother Nature, or the government.

Winds damage crops and workers are harder to find as the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) rounds up all the farm labor.

Still, Bezon, in his 75th year, toils on, and is quite happy doing it.

"I enjoy it and I got this (highland in Byron, where we were standing talking) and that (muckland in Orleans County) down there and I've got a son who helps me all the time," Bezon said. "If I had to do it all myself, it would be a different story."

Today, Bezon & Sons Farm is 383 acres, with 110 acres of muckland, and is run by Joe, his wife Edith, son Joey and son-in-law Jim.

The Bezons, along with the Mortellaros and the Halats, are the last of the original muckland farmers in Genesee County.

Before the 1950s, there were as many as 160 families working the muck, each with plots of three to 10 acres of land.

As machinery was invented to make farming muck easier, and more and more farmers figured there has got to be an easier way to make a living, the families of the muck thinned out.

The Bezons were among the first to start consolidating their holdings.

Joey Bezon, who like his father has been working the muck his whole life, is perhaps the last Bezon who will farm the muck, unless his son, who now works for CY Farms, decides to work the Bezon land some day.

"I have a little bit of pride in it because we're one of the only ones who stuck with it," Joey said. "There was something like 160 some 40 or 50 years ago and everybody just kind of threw in the towel except for only a handful who are left and could stay with it. We used to be big or medium size and now we're one of the smallest ones. How long we can stay in the game with everybody else getting bigger, that's the challenge."

Muckland is reclaimed swampland. Over hundreds of years, trees and vegetation rotted in standing water to create a rich black soil that is full of tiny wood chips, making it both porous and a good medium for retaining moisture. It's about 80 percent organic matter.

Early muckers grew carrots, lettuce, spinach, potatoes and onions. Today, onions are the big muck crop locally, with some potatoes, and some of the more played-out muck west of Route 98 is used to grow turf.

Onions need deep, loose well-drained soil that retains moisture. There's big onion production in the desert soil of California, but the black muck of Genesee and Orleans counties has more organic matter and retains moisture better.

"Muck is special because unlike sandy soils or clay soils, the roots grow aggressively in it and they get enough moisture to form the onion," said Paul Mortellaro who has also been working mucklands his entire life with his family.

We call it the Elba Muck, but a majority of the 6,000 acres of muck still being farmed is in Orleans County. There's a lot in Byron, and just a corner of the southwest part of the fields are in Elba. 

Elba may host the Onion Festival, but there hasn't been an onion grown in Elba for years, as far as anybody knows.

There was once more farmable muck in Elba, but to be useful, the mucklands need to be several feet deep. Much of the muck farms in Elba have been lost to oxidation and wind. What little of it left is used to grown corn and turf.

The local muckland was once part of the Alabama Swamp, which once covered 25,000 acres. 

After the turn of the 20th Century, local residents were increasingly concerned about odor, mosquitoes and disease associated with the swamplands in Elba and Byron. (source for historical background)

Perhaps the entire Alabama Swamp would have been drained at the time, but much of the area has rocks and stone much closer to the surface than the Elba Muck. To be tillable, muck must be several feet deep.

And even to this day, farmers still pull out rotting tree stumps that work their way to the surface of the muck every spring.

It took the invention of the steam shovel to make draining the swamps possible.

Western New York Farms Company, based in New York City, owned 9,000 acres of muckland, and at the urging of state officials, drainage work started in 1913. By 1914, there were eight miles of canals 20 feet deep in place and lumberjacks started removing trees.

Farming started in 1915.

While muck farming was immediately successful, Farms Co. always intended to lease the land to tenant farmers, and the first leases were signed in 1916. The first year, Farms Co. leased land for $50 an acre and made machinery and assistance available to farmers. The next year, prices dropped to $35 an acre, but no more help came from Farms Co.

In 1927, Farms Co. decided to sell off its land, offering plots on favorable terms to farmers.

Edith Bezon isn't sure when Joe's father and mother first bought into the mucklands. It was before 1936.

The elder Bezon was the son of a muck farmer 17 miles to the west. Joe Bezon said when his grandfather died he had a chance to take over that farm, but he couldn't see farming Elba Muck and muck 17 miles away.

The Bezon's started out with a couple of 10-acre plots that they worked by hand.

When Joe's mother was weeding, she used onion crates as cribs for her boys.

"I can picture that," Joe said. "I can take you down where the shade was. There was a lean-to. They'd put us in a crate and put another one on top of it. There was a ditch right along the muck. I filled it all in and put tile in it. She would put us in the lean-to and she'd take straps and tie two crates together and set us there."

It was the only way to keep the rambunctious boys safe while she worked.

"We would say we wouldn't, don't worry we won't, we won't go out there," Joe said. "But as soon as they got down to the second plot and they'd have their backs to us, we'd run down the road with a wheelbarrow that they carried the weeds with. We would run up and down the road with it. Of course, in those days, there was traffic going, but heck, today, there's no traffic down there."

As time went on, Joe's father diversified his holdings. He bought other land, including ranch land on Oak Orchard Road in Elba where he started raising Angus. Today, that land is a dairy farm owned by Joe's younger brother, Eugene.

Joe's older brother left the muck for good when he went off to fight in World War II.

When he returned, he helped his father run his two motels -- the Sunset Motel on West Main Street Road, Batavia, and the Park Oak Motel, once just off Route 98 and the Thruway exit in Batavia.

Joe and Edith grew up together. Both went to Elba Central School.

When they were first married, they had a place on Pekin Road, but in 1966 bought a farm and farmhouse on Searls Road, Byron.

There they raised their two sons -- Joey and Rick -- and two daughters -- Laurie and Amanda.

Laurie now lives just down the road. She married Jim, who works with Bezon & Sons and Amanda went to work in pharmaceuticals and lives in Philadelphia.

"She enjoys the city life," Edith said. "She always said, 'I only showed 4-H because my dad made me.' "

Rick works at Genesee Community College.

Joe and Edith have five grandchildren.

"The family is growing, but I don't know about being farmers," Edith said.

"We don't have any of the grandchildren working here because it's such a hard life and most years there isn't a lot of money in it," Edith said. "The past few years, we've been doing good, but in 2010, we had no crop at all on the muck. We got flooded out and it was so late, we couldn't put seed in. We had to go to crop insurance, but that's the first time we ever had to do it."

Besides onions on the muck -- the only crop the Bezons have ever grown on the muck -- the family grows on its upland farm cabbage, corn and soy beans.

For years, the Bezons would put in 20 acres of cabbage, which can be a pretty lucrative crop in good years, but the short supply of farm labor has them cutting back to 12 acres this year.

"It's all gone back to the family doing all of the work," Edith said. "I wish they would come up with a program for us where we could hire workers and not worry about the INS coming in and getting them all."

She said when there are immigration raids, officials round up all the workers -- here legally or not -- and take all of them back to Batavia to sort out, which is a major disruption the farm work.

On the farm, Joe also raises beef cattle. Edith calls it his hobby. Joe says it's the favorite part of farming.

All of the Bezon cattle is slaughtered and butchered right on the farm by Joey. The meat is sold to local residents -- the ones who pay their bills, Joe said.

By this time of year, the Bezons have finished planting their onion seeds.

While the Torreys and some other muck farms plant seedlings, the Bezons prefer seeds. 

Onion seeds are very, very tiny. They are rolled in clay, which helps make it easier to plant the seeds using machines.

Rows of barley are planted between the rows of onions to help prevent wind erosion of the muck and protect the tender baby onion leaves from wind damage.

There are little wood chips in the muck that can tear an onion leaf to shreds.

"The wind moves those little chips around like buzz saws and they will cut the tops right off," Edith said.

In the early part of the growing season, onions are in a precarious state. Paul Mortellaro said it isn't unusual to lose one in four acres of new plants to wind.

The Mortellaros typically plant seedlings, but whether seedlings or seeds, when you account for the plants, the fertilizer, the labor, the land costs, taxes and the water, expenses for an acre of onions is from $2,500 to $5,000.

The good years -- which don't happen often, Mortellaro said -- can generate about $12,000 per acre in revenue.

Some years, there's no profit, and perhaps even a loss on the onion fields of the mucklands.

The muck is like its own little microclimate, Mortellaro said. The black soil radiates the heat and makes the flatlands much like a desert in the midst of lush Western New York.

"I've seen it," Mortellaro said, "since the time I was 10 out there weeding -- clouds coming in from Buffalo and they totally disappear by the time they get to the Elba Muck. My brother and I used to speculate that there was a column of warm air rising up from the muck. It is a mini desert during the summertime. It can be really really dry."

If you have good eyes, on a dry, windy day, you can see spirals of dust rising 500 feet into the air, looking like a tornado, Mortellaro said.

The Torreys have added their own above-ground, automated irrigation system to their muck property, but the Bezons largely irrigate by hand.

There were years, Edith said, when she and Joe would sleep in their truck all night, waking at regular intervals to move the irrigation lines.

The Bezons put down about a ton of nitrogen fertilizer per acre of muck, Edith said.

You might think muck, being such an organically rich soil, wouldn't need fertilizer, but new plants in the spring need a lot of nitrogen to get started. After that, the wonders of the muck do the job, but the nitrogen once trapped by the swamp was long ago depleted.

"When they first broke up the muck, all this compost was giving up its nitrogen and it got to the point where it was all leached out," Mortellaro said. "After about five years, you couldn't grow a decent crop without putting those inputs into the muck, so going back as far as anybody can remember, you've had to put in quite a bit of fertilizer."

The onion harvest for the Bezons will be in late August or early September. Edith helps drive the harvest truck when the time comes.

The onions are first pulled out of the ground and left to sit in the sun for three days. The tops need to dry so they will fall off and not get caught up in the machinery.  Without that proper topping off, the onions are more susceptible to disease.

If there isn't three days of warm sun, it jeopardizes the harvest.

The onions are scooped up by a self-propelled onion harvester that was invented and built in Elba by Lee Shuknecht and Sons.

Throughout the growing season, the Bezons battle two of nature's persistent elements: Wind and weeds.

To Joe, some of his neighbors aren't very good muckers. They let weeds grow around their plots and don't do a very good job of maintaining their hedgerows.

Hedges, only about four-feet tall, separate plots in the mucklands. They act as wind breaks and catch some of the muck that might otherwise blow away.

Edith estimates that wind carries away about an inch of muck a year. She figures by the time her grandson is ready to retire -- if he becomes a mucker -- there won't be any muck left to farm.

It's not just wind, but also oxidation that depletes the muck, Mortellaro said.

The little particles of wood that make up muck dry out in the summer heat or during a winter drought just like old barn wood, Mortellaro said.

Even with wind and oxidation, Mortellaro isn't sure the muck is declining at the rate of an inch a year -- the process probably isn't that linear, but certainly, a lot of muck has disappeared over the past 90 years.

He's excavated enough around the the gravel roadways -- built on top of muck -- to see what the original level of the muck used to be, he said. He estimates that areas that were once 12-feet deep in muck are now nine-feet deep.

"It is discouraging," Mortelloro said. "You see the gravel road out there. The road doesn't go away and the fields keep getting lower."

The Bezons own 110 acres of muckland, but only 98 acres are tillable. There are swaths of former muckland that are now just rocks.

As for weeds, Joe is obsessive about weeds, Edith said.

You don't get good onions when weeds are growing in the fields, Joe said. Onions don't do well when competing for nutrients. At harvest, the weeds get all tangled up in the machinery and have to be picked out during grading.

"Joe has always really taken care of the land, because that's what he lives for, being down there mucking," Edith said. "He's been down there since he was born."

It used to be that weeds had to be removed by hand and carried off in bags or buckets. Now Joe uses mostly chemicals, he said.

"Weeding is not like it used to be," Joe said. "You were out there on your hands and knees. I've got pictures of my mother out on her hands and knees weeding in the muck. We didn't have chemicals in those days. Now, heck, you can put it out there and keep it clean."

Sure there are some hardships with farming muck, Joe said, but it's nothing like the old days.  The worst part of machine farming is maintaining the equipment. When it breaks, it is a lot more expensive to fix. 

So long as he's got help, though, Joe said he can handle the work.

All the machinery in the world can't change the weather or the wind or the nature of muck, Edith said.

"You've always got to be one step ahead of Mother Nature," Edith said. "Out here, some days, she can be very cruel."

Joe and Edith on one of their upland plots. Joe was plowing that day, preparing the field for planting.

Joey Bezon in a field that will soon be growing corn. The tractor is a loaner because one of the Bezon's tractors was in the shop being repaired. As farm machinery has gotten more complex, it's more expensive to fix and harder for the farmer to do it himself.

Muck -- sifted a bit by the wind so that the wood chips are a little more visible.

Onions and barley growing in a muck field. If you look at the picture in the slide show below at full-screen resolution, the little onion sprouts will be easier to see. In the distance, rocks that were once buried by muck. Wind and oxidation are reducing the amount of muck in the mucklands every year.

Photos: Genesee ARC hosts annual Stardust Ball

By Howard B. Owens

Tonight Genesee ARC hosted its annual Stardust Ball at the Byron Fire Hall.

Some 65 people, including ARC clients and family members, attended the event.

Couples were encouraged to wear the best gowns or suits and each received a handmade -- by volunteers -- corsage or boutonnière. Attendees could also get a formal portrait taken as a keepsake.

Top photo, Josh Derick (a big fan of The Batavian) and Jennifer Pavlick.

Steven Jenney and Joanne Ladd

Collin Wickings and Nicole Hirtzel

Justin Shaw and Colleen Fisher

Photos: DWI drill for the juniors and seniors at Byron-Bergen

By Howard B. Owens

The junior and senior classes at Byron-Bergen saw today a bit of what it's like at a fatal DWI accident. Their prom is this weekend and officials, like at many local high schools, want to emphasize the message: don't drink and drive.

The Bergen and Byron fire departments participated in the drill along with Coroner Karen Lang, H.E. Turner Funeral Home and Deputy Chris Parker.

The DOA accident victim was played by Sara Donovan. Andrew Magin was the seriously injured victim and the alleged drunken driver was Lucas DeValder.

HS Principal Aaron Johnson

Deputy Chief Doug Van Slyke

Car crash with injuries on eastbound Thruway, Le Roy responding

By Billie Owens

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported on the eastbound Thruway at mile marker 382.1. Le Roy Fire and Ambulance Service is responding.

UPDATE 2:59 p.m.: Due to the lack of available ambulances, Bergen's ambulance is requested to the scene. An ambulance from Caledonia is also called. A person at the scene reports three people are injured.

UPDATE 3:02 p.m.: The availability of Mercy Flight is checked. Also, an ambulance from Henrietta is called in.

UPDATE 3:07 p.m.: A responder reports there are six patients. A second ambulance out of Henrietta is requested. Mercy Flight out of Buffalo is available.

UPDATE 3:09 p.m.: Apparently Byron was also called, because Byron is requesting Clarendon is asked to stand by in Byron's fire hall.

UPDATE 3:11 p.m.: A Mercy rig has become available and it is asked to stage at the Thruway entrance.

UPDATE 3:17 p.m.: Bergen is taking a patient to Rochester General Hospital. Stafford is asked to stand by in its own quarters.

UPDATE 3:22 p.m.: Bethany's ambulance is requested. A crew from Darien is asked to assemble in quarters.

UPDATE 3:32 p.m.: A patient is being taken to Strong Memorial Hospital.

UPDATE 3:34 p.m.: A chief on scene reports five patients have been removed from a vehicle. Henrietta is taking a patient to Strong.

UPDATE 3:39 p.m.: Caledonia is taking a victim to Strong.

UPDATE 3:41 p.m.: Stafford is told to stand down from its standby in quarters.

UPDATE 3:48 p.m.: Le Roy fire is packing up and preparing to return to service and the State Troopers are in charge of the scene.

Five local students set to graduate from SUNY Oswego

By Billie Owens

Several local residents are scheduled to complete their baccalaureate studies this year at SUNY Oswego.

The following local residents (with their academic degrees in parentheses) are eligible to participate in ceremonies May 18 for the college's Commencement:

Samantha L. Yager, of Richmond Avenue in Batavia (History, cum laude)

Lindsey C. Glazier, of Caswell Road in Byron (Childhood Education)

Luigi A. Parlato, of Seven Day Road in Darien Center (Public Justice)

Nikki M. Parlato, of Seven Day Road in Darien Center (Public Justice, magna cum laude)

Samantha M. Kidder, of Oak Street in Oakfield (Sociology)

A student who graduates with honors is indicated by the traditional Latin phrases summa cum laude, with highest honor (grade averages of 3.8 to 4.0); magna cum laude, with great honor (grade averages of 3.6 to 3.79); and cum laude, with honor (grade averages of 3.30 to 3.59).

A 152-year-old comprehensive college in the State University of New York system, Oswego enrolls about 8,000 students in its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; School of Business; School of Communication, Media and the Arts; and School of Education.

Law and Order: Arrests made in alleged dirt bike thefts on Clipknock Road, Stafford

By Howard B. Owens

Jamie R. Bachorski, 18, of Webber Avenue, Oakfield, and Matthew J. Vandorn, 23, of Trumbull Parkway, Batavia, are charged with grand larceny, 4th. Bachorski and Vandorn are accused of stealing two small dirt bikes from a residence on Clipknock Road, Stafford, in early July. So far, only one of the missing bikes has been recovered.

Kenneth S. Lathrop Jr., 26, of 511 Ellicott St., Apt. A, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, 2nd, and unlicensed operation. A person notified police that Lathrop was allegedly driving without a license. Officer Chad Richardson observed Lathrop allegedly driving a vehicle on Clinton Street and performed a traffic stop. Lathrop was jailed on $500 bail.

Conan T. A. Kennedy, 30, of 1 Spencer Court, Batavia, is charged with parking on city streets between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Kennedy turned himself in at Batavia HD on a warrant issued for improper parking after he allegedly failed to appear. Kennedy posted $50 bail and was released.

Nicholas K. Gray, 19, of 2 Olyn Ave., Batavia, is charged with criminal nuisance. Gray was arrested during an investigation into an alleged underage drinking party after it was discovered there was a warrant for his arrest. He posted $100 bail and was released.

Robert J. Wheeler, 18, of 40 E. Buffalo St, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of alcohol under age 21. Wheeler was charged following a report of an alleged underage drinking party at 2 Olyn Ave., Batavia.

Michael Robert Sigi, 20, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Sigi is accused of driving with a 14-month-old infant in his lap.

Daniel Thomas Henning, 32, of Maple Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Henning is accused of violating an order of protection by having a third party contact the protected person.

Al Davids, 44, of Bird Road, Byron, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater and failure to keep right. Davids was stopped at 10 p.m., Saturday, on Byron Holley Road, Byron, by Deputy Joseph Corona.

Michael John Korczak, 24, of Pearl Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, speeding and failure to keep right. Korczak was stopped at 3:02 a.m., Sunday, on Sumner Road, Darien, by Deputy Joseph Corona. Korczak was allegedly driving 70 in a 55 mph zone.

Sondra Lynn Olcott, 38, of Webber Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, following too close and unlawful possession of marijuana. Olcott was charged following a two-car motor vehicle accident at 1:37 a.m., Sunday, at Park Road and Lewiston Road, Town of Batavia.

Julie Anne Wallace, 39, of Ellicott Place, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Wallace, a former employee of Kmart, is accused of stealing $39.96 in merchandise while working at the store. She is accused of stealing makeup and costume jewelry between March 27 and April 22.

Ramel Joshua Askew, 19, of Batavia Stafford Townline Road, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Askew was allegedly found in possession of marijuana while in his room by College Village security.

Michele L. Difalco, 22, of West Main Street, Batavia, and Melissa M. Morton, 27, of West Middlebury Road, Bethany, are charged with petit larceny. Morton is also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Both women are accused of shoplifting from Target. Morton was also allegedly in possession of pills containing a controlled substance.

Peter C. Ayala III, 29, and Jamie L. Ayala, 33, both of Wood Street, Batavia, are charged with petit larceny. They are accused of stealing $72 in merchandise from Kmart.

Clinton John Sundown, 18, of Skye Road, Basom, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Sundown was charged following an investigation into a property damage accident at 4:07 a.m., Saturday, on Bloomingdale Road, Tonawanda Indian Reservation. Sundown allegedly possessed individually packaged bags of marijuana. Additional charges are possible.

Ted Eugene Kingsley, 40, of Warsaw Road, Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny. Kingsley is accused of entering an unlocked vehicle on Pratt Road, Batavia, on March 28 and stealing $600 cash from a purse.

Controlled burn on Beaver Meadow Road now out of control

By Billie Owens

A controlled burn is now out of control, causing a grass fire at 7257 Beaver Meadow Road. Byron and South Byron firefighters are responding.

UPDATE 11:54 a.m.: A responder on scene says the blaze is down at the end of the driveway, at the rear of the property, by the house.

UPDATE 11:56 a.m.: A brush truck is there and all other units are told to come in non-emergency mode.

UPDATE 12:28 p.m.: Fire is out. All Byron and South Byron responders returning to quarters and in service.

Law and Order: Batavia resident charged with felony DWI, driving without interlock device

By Howard B. Owens

Maurice G. Leach, 36, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, felony aggravated unlicensed operation, driving with out interlock device, operating out of ignition interlock restrictions, speeding, unlicensed operator and refusal to take breath test. Leach was stopped at 12:53 a.m., Tuesday, on Route 33, Stafford, by Deputy James Diehl.

Kevin P. Heinman, 30, of 8290 W. Bergen Road, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, moving from lane unsafely and refusal to take breath test. Heinman was stopped Friday by Le Roy PD after allegedly being observed making a wide left turn from Route 19 to Route 5 and weaving between two westbound lanes, then striking a curb. Heinman was jailed on an unspecified amount of bail.

Ted E. Kingsley, 40, no permanent address, is charged with petit larceny. Kingsley is accused of shoplifting from a store on West Main Street, Le Roy, taking several items, including beer. Kingsley was jailed on $1,500 bail.

Earl F. Pickard, 52, of 57 W. Main St., Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny. Pickard is accused of stealing beer from a store on West Main Street, Le Roy.

Patrick Scott Rumble, 26, of Main Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for allegedly not paying a fine in Town of Byron Court stemming from a conviction on criminal possession of a controlled substance. Rumble paid the fine and was released.

Melissa Marie Morton, 27, of West Middlebury Road, East Bethany, is charged with two counts of trespass. Morton allegedly entered the Target store in Batavia on April 9 and April 12 after being previously banned from the store.

Austin D. Zauner, 17, of Darien Center, is charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs. Zauner is accused of driving while under the influence of marijuana. Zauner's vehicle was stopped by State Police in the Town of Bennington on Sunday for an alleged traffic violation. A trooper trained in drug recognition evaluated Zauner and a urine sample was collected for analysis at the crime lab in Albany. His passengers, Matthew P. Tambe, 18, and Tyler M. Tambe, 18, were charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Law and Order: Driver charged with DWI after vehicle goes into water off Creek Road, Bethany

By Howard B. Owens

Robert Thomas Seager, 43, of East Main Road, Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .08, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, failure to stop at stop sign, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle and refusal to take breath test. Seager was arrested following the investigation into a property damage accident reported at 9:51 p.m. Tuesday at Putnam and Creek roads, Bethany. (Initial Report)

Autumn Marie Sierra, 19, of 77nd Street, Brooklyn, is charged with criminal nuisance, 2nd, and unlawful possession of marijuana. Sierra is suspected of covering the smoke detector in her room at College Village making it inoperable. Upon investigation, Sierra was also allegedly found to possess marijuana. Also charged was Mona'e Kristin Damon, 18, of Thompkins Avenue, Brooklyn, as well as Oumou Sy, 18, of East 102nd Street, New York City.

Christopher Leo Stone, 30, of Willow Pond Way, Penfield, is charged ith DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and speeding. Stone was stopped at 1:09 a.m. April 13 on Route 33, Byron, by Sgt. Greg Walker, for allegedly driving 84 mph in a 55 mph zone.

Rodeny Ira Dean, 45, of Bloomingdale Road, Tonawanda Indian Reservation, is charged with felony DWI, moved from lane unsafely, refusal to submit to pre-screen device, drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle. Dean was reportedly involved in a single-car accident at 8:18 p.m., Monday, on Akron Road, Pembroke. Dean's vehicle struck the guy wire of a utility pole, shearing the pole and knocking electrical wires to the ground. Dean suffered minor injuries and was transported to ECMC for evaluation. Additional charges may be pending. The accident was investigated by Deputy Chad Minuto.

CTE students inducted into National Tech Honor Society

By Billie Owens

Press release:

In March, the National Technical Honor Society (NTHS) Chapters inducted 119 Career and Technical students from the Charles G. May Center and Batavia Campus. Evening candlelight ceremonies took place at the May Center and Elba High School.

These students met a rigorous criteria set forth by this national organization. The minimum grade-point average for acceptance is a 3.0. Students are also selected based upon credit hours completed, attendance, volunteer service, and membership in other student organizations.

Honorary memberships were presented to Michael Glover, Ph.D., district superintendent of the Genesee Valley Educational Partnership, and David O’Geen, Precision Machining instructor at the Batavia Career and Technical Education Center.

Batavia Career and Technical Education Center

Alexander

William Burke                         Metal Trades

Miriah Gaudy                          Metal Trades

Christina Haniszewski            Health Careers Academy

Donald Ohlson                       Electronics & Comp Tech

Fleur Remington                    Legal Careers Academy

Matthew Szymanski               Metal Trades

Brittany Taylor                        Legal Careers Academy

 

Attica

Ashley Brotherton                  Health Careers Academy

Aleiah Brunner                       Animal Science

Nathan Burry                         Building Trades

Mitchell Cayea                       Metal Trades

Amber Holley                         Criminal Justice

Kellee Kibler                          Health Careers Academy

Angela LePrell                       Health Careers Academy

Nicole Strauchen                   Health Careers Academy

Batavia

Tyler Kuhn                             Conservation

Rebecca Meloon                   Cosmetology

Miranda Reed                       Animal Science

Louis Scafetta                       Building Trades

Ashley Stachowski                Animal Science

McKenzie Stevens                Legal Careers Academy

Byron Bergen

Nicole Fore                            Health Careers Academy

Kara Hall                                Health Careers Academy

Andrew McKenrick                 Conservation

Blake Snyder                         Conservation

Alexandra Walker                   Health Careers Academy

Caledonia Mumford

Devan Ayers                          Metal Trades

Andrew Carpino                     Auto Technology NATEF

Nichole Essig                         Health Careers Academy

Brittany Kerr                           Animal Science

Cody McGinnis                       Metal Trades

Ryan Sickles                          Metal Trades

Elba

Viviana Gaytan                      Human Services

Le Roy

Alexandra Beswick                Computer Information Academy

Christopher DeFelice             Legal Careers Academy

Emily Morrill                           Health Dimensions

Verneda Peete                       Legal Careers Academy

Brittany Shultz                       Culinary Arts

Oakfield Alabama

Brian Borkholder                    Electronics & Comp Tech

Paige Chatt                            Legal Careers Academy

Chelsea Cleveland                 Health Careers Academy

Brittany Denton                      Health Careers Academy

Jenifer Igoe                            Health Careers Academy

Casey McVay                         Computer Information Academy

Brennan Neidrauer                 Metal Trades

Sadie Schultz                         Legal Careers Academy

Haley Woodrich                      Human Services

Pavilion

Nicole Forti                             Health Careers Academy

Heather Yuhnke                     Cosmetology

Pembroke

Mitchell Allen                          Auto Technology NATEF

Kari Ammon                           Health Careers Academy

Nick Blackwell                        Graphic Arts

Austin Blaszak                       Graphic Arts

Brooke Keller                         Cosmetology

Tyler Lang                              Conservation

Rollover accident with injuries reported on Route 262, Byron

By Howard B. Owens

A one-vehicle rollover accident with injuries has been reported on Route 262 at Chapel Road.

A person may be entrapped and is reportedly unresponsive.

Byron and South Byron fire along with Mercy EMS responding.

UPDATE 9:05 a.m. (by Billie): The victim is trapped beneath the vehicle. Mercy Flight was called, then cancelled. Fire police are shutting down traffic at routes 262 and 237. Pembroke is called to provide mutual aid, along with Elba, which is asked to bring air equipment to jack up the vehicle.

UPDATE 9:16 a.m.: Bergen is called to stand by in Byron's fire hall and Oakfield is called to stand by in Elba's.

UPDATE 9:23 a.m.: Mercy medics are back in service.

UPDATE 9:34 p.m.: Responders say they will be at the scene for quite awhile and that it "looks pretty bad" there. Bergen's standby in Byron is cancelled and South Byron will return to stand by in their own quarters.

UPDATE 9:53 a.m.: A coroner is at the scene.

UPDATE 10:02 a.m.: Fire police are shutting down traffic at Transit Road and Chapel Road.

UPDATE 11:53 a.m. (by Howard): Correction: This was a two-car accident.

An SUV southbound on Chapel T-boned a westbound pickup truck. The pickup truck rolled and the driver was ejected and became trapped under his vehicle. The IDs of the drivers have not yet been released. The driver of the SUV was not seriously injured, or not injured at all. He declined transport to a hospital. The driver of the truck was pronounced dead at the scene.

We'll add pictures from the accident scene to this post later.

UPDATE 12:15 p.m.: Route 262 is reopened. Byron and South Byron back in service.

UPDATE 3:29 p.m.: The deceased is Jeremy C. Murray, 28, originally from Hamlin, was living in Clarendon and is the father of a small boy. The name of the other driver is Terry A. Boyce, 57, lives on Lewiston Road in Alabama. Boyce was cited for failure to yield and an additional citation may be pending. Investigators do not think drugs or alcohol were factors.


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Law and Order: Mother accused of not being at home when children were dropped off by school bus

By Howard B. Owens

Susan Marie Norway, 29, of Cockram Road, Byron, is charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Norway was allegedly not at home when her children were dropped off after school by a school bus. The children went to a neighbor's house, where they stayed while the neighbor contacted the Sheriff's Office.

Melissa Marie Morton, 27, of West Middlebury Road, Bethany, is charged with petit larceny and criminal contempt. Morton was arrested on warrants from Stafford Town Court for alleged failure to appear on the charges. She was jailed on $200 bail.

Law and Order: Batavia man accused of ramming car into truck and house in Stafford

By Howard B. Owens

Richard Joesph Liberte, 46, of Batavia Stafford Townline Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 2nd, and criminal mischief, 3rd. Liberte is accused of deliberately driving his vehicle into a parked truck and then into a residence, causing substantial damage to the structure at 2:18 a.m., Sunday, at 7997 Batavia Byron Road, Stafford. Liberte was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Yolanda E. Johnson, 26, of 8 Wood St., Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Johnson is accused of stealing a bag of money from the apartment of a friend.

Melissa M. Morton, 27, of 4802 Middlebury Road, Bethany, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Morton was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for alleged traffic violations on Main Street by Officer Chad Richards. There was an active bench warrant for Morton out of Batavia City Court. She was jailed on $500 bail.

Daniel C. Dilaura, 38, of 32 Brooklyn Ave., Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Dilaura is accused of hitting a woman he knew in the face. Dilaura was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Brian Lee Smith, 51, of Colonial Boulevard, Batavia, is charged with stalking, 4th. Smith is accused of having continued contact with an ex-girlfriend after being advised by law enforcement to cease all contact.

Patricia Kathleen Vogel, 52, of Exchange Street, Attica, is charged with petit larceny. Vogel is accused of stealing clothing and a book with a total value of $112.58 from Kmart.

Jerry Guity, 21, of Beach 54th Street, Far Rockway, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Guity was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for an alleged traffic violation at 1:47 a.m. Monday on Route 33, Batavia, by Deputy Patrick Reeves. Guity was allegedly found in possession of marijuana.

Stephanie Leigh Hyatt, 19, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with falsely reporting an incident, 3rd. Hyatt allegedly reported that her vehicle was struck in the parking lot of Applebee's and provided a vague description of the "suspect vehicle." Hyatt allegedly later admitted to having an accident on the I-490 in Monroe County at a prior time.

Eric Michael Kelckler, 24, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Kelckler allegedly tried turning around in a private driveway on Hopkins Road at 4:15 a.m., Saturday, when his vehicle became stuck in the front yard of the residence. Upon investigation by Deputy Jason Saile, Kelckler was arrested for alleged drunken driving.

Suzanne Ryder, 46, of South Newstead Road, Akron, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and speeding. Ryder was stopped at 10:24 p.m. Friday on Main Road, Pembroke, by Deputy Patrick Reeves for allegedly driving 53 in a 40 mph zone.

Pamela Lynn Palaszynski, 27, of Tillotson Place, Buffalo, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, speeding, operating without headlights and failure to yield to emergency vehicle. Deputy Patrick Reeves attempted to stop Palaszynski's vehicle on Main Street, Batavia, at 10:39 p.m. Thursday for allegedly speeding (52 in a 45 mph zone) and other alleged traffic violations. Palaszynski allegedly did not stop for 2/10ths of a mile from the original traffic stop location.

Robert James Dempsey, 23, of Prole Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and moving from lane unsafely. Dempsey allegedly drove his vehicle into a tree on Junction Road, Pavilion, at 2:30 a.m. Saturday. The accident was investigated by Deputy Eric Seppala.

Erik A. Kendell, 34, of East Bethany, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater, moving from lane unsafely and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Kendell is accused of being in involved in car vs. telephone pole accident at 5:20 a.m. Saturday on Route 20, Alexander, and then fleeing the scene. The incident was investigated by Deputy Howard Carlson and Deputy Frank Bordonaro.

Rochester man accused of stealing copper pipe from vacant house in Byron

By Howard B. Owens

An alert neighbor helped local law enforcement catch a man who may have been stealing copper pipe from vacant residences.

Donald M. Walls, 34, of Rochester, has been jailed on $25,000 bail after being charged with burglary in the second degree, a Class C felony.

Walls was allegedly located inside a vacant house on Lyman Road, Byron, at 6:40 a.m., Sunday, after a neighbor reported suspicious activity.

Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster said the Sheriff's Office is sharing information about the arrest with State Police and law enforcement in Monroe County on the possibility that Walls was involved in similar crimes in other jurisdictions.

Yesterday morning, Deputy Brian Thompson checked several other vacant houses in Genesee County but found no further break-ins.

The investigation is continuing and is being conducted by Thompson, Deputy John Duyssen, Sgt. James Meier and Investigator Kris Kautz.

People with additional information that may be related to the investigation can contact the Sheriff's Office at (585) 343-5000.

Man allegedly caught committing one burglary charged with five more

By Howard B. Owens

A man allegedly caught in the act of burglarizing a residence on Griswold Road in Le Roy Feb. 12, has been charged with five more burglaries in Stafford and Bergen.

Jeffrey J. Leaton, 22, of Caswell Road, Byron, was arraigned in Bergen Town Court today on five counts of burglary, 2nd, a Class C felony.

Leaton is accused of stealing jewelry and cash from two homes on Griswold Road, Stafford, and homes on West Bergen, Hunter and Peachey roads, Bergen.

The suspect remains jailed on $20,000 bail.

Burglary suspect arrested yesterday may be linked to other break-ins in the county

By Howard B. Owens

An observant resident may have helped the Sheriff's Office yesterday nab a suspect in a series of burglaries in the county.

So far, Jeffery James Leaton, 22, of Caswell Road, Byron, has only been charged with an alleged burglary on Griswold Road, Le Roy.

According to Deputy Chief Jerome Brewster, Leaton was caught in the act at the Griswold Road home after a person reported suspicious activity at the residence.

Brewster said investigators are looking at Leaton as a possible suspect in other burglaries. There have been strings of burglaries reported since early January in Elba, Oakfield, Byron, Bergen and Stafford.

Leaton has been charged with one count of burglary, 2nd, and is accused of making forced entry into the Griswold Road residence. He was allegedly in the process of stealing jewelry.

Following arraignment in Town of Le Roy Court, he was jailed on $20,000 bail.

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