corfu

Bryan M. Hargrave, 22, of 61 Myrtle St., Le Roy, is charged with two counts of burglary in the third degree. Hargrave allegedly broke into two Pavilion businesses on Sept. 23. He is accused of breaking into Pavilion Drainage Company on Route 63 and taking some cash from the office area. On the same day, he allegedly broke into BW's Bar on Perry Road, this time allegedly taking cash and an iPod. The investigation was conducted by deputies John Baiocco and James Diehl, with assistance from investigators William Ferrando and Roger Stone. Additional charges against Hargrave are pending. Hargrave was released under supervision of Genesee County Justice.

Bart Arthur Towne, 41, of 1795 Phelps Road, Corfu, is charged with attempted petit larceny. Towne allegedly attempted to steal televisions and other items from BJ's Wholesale Club by concealing the items inside a box labeled as a file cabinet. He presented the box at the register for purchase.

Erica M. Raphael, 24, of 335 Bank St., Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument and criminal possession of stolen property. Raphael is accused of possessing stolen NYS Official Prescription sheets from Batavia Ophthalmology and allegedly forging a prescription for hydrocodone tablets. Raphael allegedly attempted to get the prescription filled at Oakfield Family Pharmacy.

A 17-year-old resident of Bergen is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The youth was apprehended after a random K-9 search at Byron-Bergen High School. During the search of the east side parking lot, a K-9 alerted on a car. Marijuana was allegedly located in the car and the marijuana was seized by law enforcement.

Mary A. Brairton, 20, of 6790 Junction Road, Pavilion, is charged with aggravated DWI, aggravated driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to reduce speed on a curve, leaving the scene, unlicensed operation and aggravated unlicensed operation. Brairton was allegedly involved in a motor vehicle accident on Bernd Road, Monday at 12:42 a.m.  and allegedly fled the scene. Brairton was reportedly found later by Deputy Frank Bordonaro at her residence and taken into custody.

David S. Taylor, 49, of 2384 Titus Ave., Rochester, is charged with DWI, speeding and moving from lane unsafely. Taylor was allegedly driving on Route 33 in the Village of Corfu on Sunday at 12:04 a.m. when he was allegedly seen by Village police traveling at a high rate of speed and swerve into the oncoming traffic lane.

A boy whose death Oct. 22 shocked the communities of Pembroke and Corfu is a confirmed case of H1N1, according to Randy Garney, interim director of the County Health Department.

In a news release this morning, the health department said it would not identify the boy, but when we spoke to Garney, he said the death was the same one as a boy who died in Erie County.

That boy has been previously identified as Jared Peters, child of Timothy and Linda Peters.

Meanwhile, the county has begun receiving supplies of the H1N1 vaccine and is scheduling clinics as doses become available.

The priority group for vaccination include pregnant women, caregivers for infants 6-months and younger, health care and emergency medical personnel, people from 6-months to 24-years of age, and people over 25 with health conditions associated with a higher risk of complications from the flu.

UPDATE 1:15 p.m.: Randy Garney asks that we clarify that he did not explicity provide the name Jared Peters.

Patrick L. Gugliuzza, 30, of 94 Exchange St., Attica, is charged with DWI, criminal possession of a controlled substance and following too closely. Deputies were in the area of 104435 Route 98 in Alexander investigating a motor-vehicle accident. The deputies received a report of a minor property-damage accident on southbound Route 98 near the accident scene. Upon investigation of that accident, Deputy J.M. Graff concluded that Gugliuzza was allegedly driving while intoxicated. Further investigation allegedly revealed that Gugliuzza had a small quantity of heroin. His passenger, Brandon Eck, 29, of 51 Bunnel St., Attica, was also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument and unlawful possession marijuana.

Keith A. Finan, 44, of 10501 Bonnie Brae Drive, Darien, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving left of pavement markings in a no-passing zone. Finan was reportedly stopped on Bonnie Brae Drive in Darien on Friday. The investigation was conducted by Deputy Jason Saile.

William Daniel Nix, 48, of 55 Riverview Drive, Rochester, is charged with criminal mischief, harassment and disorderly conduct. Nix is accused of causing a disturbance at 48 Deli Express at 8204 Park Road. Nix was reportedly using foul language and was asked to leave. Nix allegedly continued to use foul language and got involved in a physical struggle with a clerk, tearing his shirt.

Ariana M. Busch, 19, of 10876 Bowen Road, Attica, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and failure to dim headlights. Busch was arrested following a traffic stop on Route 20 in Darien at 2:25 a.m. on Saturday.

Dylan C. Miller, 21, of 3883 Eagle Harbor Road, Albion, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving an unregistered car and failure to yield right-of-way. Miller was stopped by Officer T.S. Mart on Oak Street at 2:18 a.m. on Saturday.

Brian L. Smith, 47, of 8655 Jones Road, Houston, Texas, is charged with DWI and driving with improper tail lamps. Smith was stopped by Officer Dan Coffey at 1:05 a.m. on Sunda. Smith was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Scott D. Kingdon, 43, of 6243 Sparks Road, Pavilion, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Kingdon was reportedly involved in a verbal argument with a friend. The friend called the Sheriff's Office and reported that Kingdon might be at her house. While Deputy Kevin McCarthy was checking the residence, Kingdon reportedly pulled into the driveway. McCarthy allegedly found Kingdon was driving while intoxicated.

Two teenagers, one from Alexander and another from Bethany, are charged with petit larceny for an alleged theft in Alexander. The original incident was reported to State Police on Sept. 15.

David H. Robinson, 45, of Corfu, and Amber M. Robinson, 40, of Batavia, are charged with identity theft. Amber is also charged with forgery of a public record. David and Amber were arrested by State Police at 3 p.m. on Thursday. No further information is available.

There are 215 carved pumpkins in front of the home of Julie Allein, but that's just the introduction to a haunted house that has been scaring the bejeebus out of kids and adults alike for nearly two decades.

"It's all about the fright," says Allein.

Her barn is converted into two stories of horror show, with carved up body parts, cadavers and sculls and a ghoulish funeral that features a dead Michael Jackson as a guest.

Amazingly, it takes Allein and her family only about a month to prepare for the Halloween haunt, and that includes each of the 215 carved pumpkins, gutted by her mother-in-law and cut by Allein. Each one has a unique design.

She might not start the work until early October, but "the mind's always turning" she says, and she tries to think of ways of improving on the previous year's effort.

"It’s grown throughout the years, adding a bit here in there, but probably the last five years we can’t grow any more, so we just change it every year," Allein said. "This year, we made a real casket. It’s a lot of fun."

The Allein's haunted barn is located at 8894 Boyce Road. It will be open Halloween evening and admission is free.

Top photo, courtesy Julie Allein.

An obituary appeared today in the Buffalo News for Jared Peters, child of Timothy and Linda Peters.

Friday, Pembroke Central School District announced the death of one of its students. We cannot confirm at this time that the reports are connected.

Visitation will be.. at the Wendel & Loecher Funeral Home, 27 Aurora St., Lancaster, 4 to 8 p.m. tomorrow. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Mary's RC Church, Lancaster, at 8:30 a.m. on Monday.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Women's and Children's Hospital.

Jared's sisers are Megen and Kristin.

New York is appealing last month's decision by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to deny disaster assistance to five counties, including Genesee.

The state's formal appeal asks President Obama to overturn FEMA's denial and provide aid to Genesee, Columbia, Delaware, Rensselaer and Sullivan counties for damages suffered from storms that occurred from July 25 through Aug.16.
 
Damage, debris and response costs in the five counties exceed $7 million, according to a press release from Tim Yaeger, coordinator of Genesee County Emergency Services.

“The...counties are reeling from this summer’s flooding and storms, which have caused severe damage and hardship,” Gov. Paterson said. “The repetitive nature of these events has strained local governments’ ability to implement the recovery process and placed a severe fiscal burden upon the state and its local communities.” 

FEMA maintains that Genesee and the four other counties sustained infrastructure damage that was "not of the severity and magnitude" to warrant a separate disaster declaration (from a storm system that hit Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chenago, Cortland and Erie counties).

But the state argues that New York had the wettest summer in 138 years and the third wettest in recorded history. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration reported rainfall greater than 200 percent above normal for July.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture calculated soil-moisture content in excess of 500 percent above normal range in the five counties named in the appeal. This super-saturation of the soil resulted in "immediate significant rises in creeks and streams for even minor rainfall amounts."

“A failure to provide this desperately needed support to some of our most impoverished counties will leave them vulnerable to increased damage from even moderate future flooding events," Patterson said.

Corfu's damage assessment was found to be $246 per capita for Genesee County. That's well in excess of the per-capita threshold for aid established by federal law and cited in FEMA’s own preliminary damage assessment.

Damage and debris/response costs for all 10 counties affected by the summer storms is estimated at more than $60 million.

A dog was hit by a car yesterday at 1:30 p.m. and Deputy Brian Thompson, a K-9 officer, and Animal Control Officer Bill Taylor responded to the scene.

The accident occurred at Route 77 and Reynolds Road, where a stray boxer-mix darted into the road, according to Deputy Chief Gordon Dibble.

The dog was struck by a car driven by a person from Florida.

Thompson and Taylor first took the dog to an animal hospital, which recommended treatment at Corfu Vet Clinic, so Taylor and Thompson transported it there.

From what I heard on the scanner, the dog didn't sound seriously injured. Dibble said there's no information on how the pooch did after being transported.

I spoke with Shannon at the vet, who was off that day, and she said the dog was transferred to another facility, although she doesn't know where.

But it was good to hear on the scanner Monday about the extra effort Thompson and Taylor went to to care for the stricken animal.

A garage fire that destroyed a car, a truck, a lawn tractor and an ATV last night was sparked by a short in an electrical outlet, according to a Sheriff's Office investigation.

The fire was first reported at 12:47 a.m. at 8880 Allegheny Road in Corfu and well before the first fire units could arrive, the garage was fully engulfed in flames.

No residents of the Swiatowy home were injured, nor were any firefighter injuries reported.

The garage was unoccupied at the time.

Destroyed were a 1984 Olds Delta 88, a 2003 Ford F150 pickup truck, an ATV and a lawn tractor. A tractor parked outside of the garage was also damaged.

The home is insured.

Sgt. Brian Frieday investigated the incident.

UPDATE 10:29 p.m.: Above is a reader-submitted photo of the fire we received a little while ago.

Previously: Garage fire reported in Corfu

A detached garage at 8880 Alleghany Road is fully engulfed in flames.

Fire units from Corfu and East Pembroke have responded.

Fire police have been dispatched to shut down traffic at routes 5 and 77 as well as routes 33 and 77.

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James S. Gibbs, 39, of Batavia, is charged with grand larceny, insurance fraud and offering false instruments for filing and a violation of the worker's compensation law. Gibbs is accused of collecting full disability related to an on-duty injury while drawing income from plowing driveways and sealing parking lots in Batavia. Gibbs was jailed on $10,000 bail.

Kathleen M. McBride, 44, of 115 State St., lower, is charged with assault and criminal possession of a weapon. McBride is accused of cutting her husband's face during a domestic dispute. Her husband was not seriously injured in the alleged attack. After he was cut, her husband allegedly pushed her onto the bed and held her there, not allowing her to get up. McBride was jailed on $3,000 bail.

Jean Marie Lorenz, 49, of 7907 Allegheny Road, Corfu, is charged with two counts of assault. Lorenze allegedly attacked and cut two people with a knife Saturday night. Lorenz was reportedly drunk at the time. She was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Karen Ann Garcia, 45, of 13535 Miller Road, Albion, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Gardia allegedly allowed her daughter to shoplift at Kmart. Garcia also reportedly lied about her daughter's name and age.

Jamie Luis Santiago, of 5057 Hundredmark Road, Elba, is charged with assault. Santiago was taken into custody for an alleged incident July 12. Santiago allegedly punched his wife in the face causing injury on that date.

Sath P. Dhanda, 29, of 219 Washington Ave., Batavia, is charged with disorderly conduct and assault. Dhanda allegedly instigated a fight. At the time of his arrest, Dhanda allegedly made verbal threats to a police officer. Dhanda was arrested at 7:48 p.m. on Friday.

Dylan A.J. Dembrow, 18, of 14 Pearl St., Akron, is charged with unlawful dealing with a child. Dembrow is accused of hosting an underage drinking party at a location on Akron Road in Pembroke on Saturday night.

James M. Wisniewski, 19, of Attica, was charged by State Police with harassment. The charge stems from a Sept. 19 incident in the Village of Alexander. No further retails are available at this time.

Thomas J. Preedom, 21, of Wyoming, is charged by State Police with rape in the second degree and acting in a manor to injure a child. According to the State Police blotter entry, Preedom is accused of raping an underage girl. The alleged incident took place in the City of Batavia on Sept. 25. He was subsequently charged with bail jumping, criminal mischief, escape and harassment. Cash bail was set at $50,000.

Ronald G. Albertson, 51, of Albion, is charged with DWI. Albertson was stopped by State Police in Elba on at 10:03 p.m. Saturday.

This is a reader submitted photo from the scene of an accident this afternoon in Corfu. We are told a motorcycle hit the van on the left side of the picture. We have no further information at this time about the accident.

Cody L. Pahuta, 18, of 9548 Alleghany Road, Corfu, is charged with rape in the second degree, a criminal sexual act and endangering the welfare of a child. Pahuta is accused of having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl. He was jailed on $10,000 bail. The case was investigated by Village of Corfu Police.

Joel D. Prouty, 23, of 705 Old State Road, Bergen, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI with a BAC of .08 percent or greater and citations for alleged unsafe lane change, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle, uninspected motor vehicle and failure to notify DMV of an address change. Prouty was stopped by Deputy Jason Saile on Thwing Road in Stafford following a report of a suspicious person in the area. Prouty was issued an appearance ticket.

George M. Hodges, 19, of 9 S. Lyon St., Batavia, and Daniel D. Williams, 20, of 20 Mill St., Batavia were both charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing governmental administration. Batavia Police officers were at an Oak Street residence assisting the Department of Social Services in an investigation when the suspects allegedly yelled profanities at the officers and confronted investigators and attempted to prevent them from speaking to the residents.

Randy Johnson, 21, of 10182 Brookville Road, Alexander, is charged with criminal mischief and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. Johnson allegedly took a vehicle without permission of the owner, and when confronted by the owner, Johnson allegedly caused damage to the vehicle. The incident was investigated by Deputy Chad Minuto.

Richard Jordan Franz, 19, of 9898 Simonds Road, Corfu, and Michael Richard Bitter, 19, 3198 Pike Road, Alexander, are charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Franz and Bitter were arrested after deputies came to an unspecified residence to investigate a reported suspicious circumstance and allegedly found Franz and Bitter in possession of marijuana. The incident occurred at 1 a.m. Saturday.

Hal D. Philips, 58, of 11096 Molasses Hill Road, East Bethany, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI, refusal to submit to breath test, failure to keep right and operating with a suspended registration. Philips was stopped on Molasses Hill Road by Deputy Kevin McCarthy for alleged failure to keep right at 11:45 p.m. on Tuesday.

Billy Joe Budziszewski, 18, no permanent address, is charged with rape in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child. Budziszewski is accused of having sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old girl in the Village of Corfu. He was jailed on $10,000 bail.

An 11-year-old boy from Harpersville is charged with rape, having sexual intercourse with a minor, a criminal sex act and sex abuse. According to a State Police blotter item, the victim appears to be 11-years-old or younger. The arrest was made in Elba. The case remains under investigation.

A dump truck is on fire and reportedly "fully involved" near the intersection of Genesee road and Boyce Road in Corfu.

The Corfu Volunteer Fire Department has been dispatched.

UPDATE 12:54 p.m.: The truck is reportedly under power lines.  It is west of Boyce Road, well up a driveway.

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

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

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

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

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

George Michael Thompson, 32, of 310 Wilson Drive, Milton, Ontario, Canada, is charged with criminal mischief and endangering the welfare of a child. Thompson allegedly got in a argument with a woman at Darien Lake Theme Park and proceeded to cause at least $250 damage to a camping trailer owned by the facility.  A 12-year-old child was present during the incident.

A 17-year-old from Albion is charged with petit larceny for allegedly stealing $53 worth of merchandise from K-Mart.

Wendy M. Cilnyk, 25, of 9 Liberty Ave., Lancaster, is charged with DWI, refusal to take breath test and moving from lane unsafely. Cilnyk was stopped by officer Chris Camp on Pearl Street after police received several calls about an erratic driver.

Jane Amanda Richardson, 24, of 788 Route 33, Corfu, is charged with falsifying business records and petit larceny. Richardson allegedly falsified business records at the Elba Yellow Goose store. The case was investigated by Deputy Brian Thompson.

A truck and motorcycle have hit at the intersection of Indian Falls Road and Little Falls Road, but the motorcycle rider is reportedly up and walking around.

An ambulance is responding.

UPDATE 10:47 p.m.: First responders are reporting no injuries.

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There may be some federal relief coming to Corfu and Darien for tornado damage clean up after all, according to Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

Hawley announced this morning that the Genesee County communities will be included in an omnibus relief rquest to the Federal Inspection Team along with other counties recently damaged by severe weather events.

Federal relief requirements mandate that eligible areas damaged by storms must have at least 25 uninsured houses, or five damaged businesses, among other guidelines, which means Darien and Corfu alone may not qualify.

The single relief package would include Cattaraugus, Erie, Chautauqua & Allegheny counties, also hit by heavy storms recently, and Columbia, Rensaleer, Cortland and Chenango counties, which also suffered storm-related damage.

"We will continue to keep all residents and businesses who were adversely 
affected apprised of the progress regarding possible monetary assistance as a 
result of these catastrophic weather patterns of destruction," Hawley said in a statement.