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Shawn P. Wolcott, age 10, succumbed to injuries sustained in an accident on Ledge Road, Alabama, on Saturday.

The Sheriff's Office received notification of the boy's death late yesterday.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation, said Chief Deputy Gordon Dibble.

Wolcott was a resident of Batavia, living on Maple Street with his father, who was also injured in the accident.

The father, Shawn P. Wolcott Sr., was treated and released for his injuries at Erie County Medical Center.

Wolcott Sr. told investigators that his car jerked to the right, causing it to go off the roadway striking a utility pole.

The car hit the pole on its side causing the rear half of the car to shear off. The boy was sitting in the rear passenger seat.

Shawn was taken by Mercy Flight to Women & Children's Hospital in Buffalo.

Previously: Batavia boy seriously injured in accident in Alabama

Dustin C. Nicometo is indicted on a count of burglary, 3rd, and Michael A. Nicometo is indicted on two counts of burglary, 3rd, and one count of grand larceny, 3rd. Together, they are indicted on another count of burglary, 3rd, and two counts of grand larceny, 3rd. The defendants are accused of entering business properties in Le Roy and stealing electrical wiring and components.

Matthew J. Cronin is indicted on a felony count of DWI and felony driving with a BAC of .18 or greater. Cronin is accused of driving drunk March 18 on Route 5 in the Town of Batavia. He is accused of having a prior DWI conviction in 2010 in West Seneca.

From Rachael J. Tabelski, marketing and communications director, GCEDC:

Please be advised that the two projects that came before the Genesee County Economic Development Center Board for incentives at the Sept. 5 board meeting passed. The details of the projects are below. Please note that the project summary for Yancey's Fancy has been updated with further details of the project. The board approved an initial resolution which directs the GCEDC to schedule a public hearing on the Yancey's Fancy project and related incentives. As soon as the public hearing for Yancey's is scheduled we will send you the details. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Graham Corporation Expansion
Discussion: Proposed sales tax and property tax abatement.

Graham Corporation would like to renovate the "old" plant area, located at the corner of Harvester Avenue and Howard Street in the City of Batavia. A new bay will be constructed (12,439 square feet) that will enclose the area between two manufacturing bays located facing Harvester Avenue along with renovations of office and manufacturing areas. In addition, a new building (3,800 square feet) will be constructed on the 20 Florence Street campus. This new building will be used for X-ray inspections of welds done during the fabrication process. Graham currently has 311 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees and anticipates adding 30 more over three years after the certificate of occupancy is obtained for these renovations. At the Aug. 1 board meeting an initial resolution was approved to schedule a public hearing. A public hearing was held on Aug. 21 to solicit public comments on the project as the total incentive amount is more than $100,000. No members of the public attended the hearing.

Board Action Request: Approval of final resolution to approve the incentives for the project. The application for the expansion project includes an estimated sales tax exemption of $240,000 and estimated property tax abatement on the incremental increase in assessed value of $243,396.

Historical Look: The last expansion project that Graham undertook and the GCEDC assisted was in 2011. At the time Graham had 278 FTEs and pledged 30 new jobs in three years for a total of 308 FTEs. According to its 2013 application the company exceeded its employment goals and plans to keep growing.

Yancey’s Fancy Project -- *Updated Summary
Discussion: Proposed sales tax and mortgage tax exemptions and property tax abatement.

Yancey's Fancy has updated its project specifications since submission of its original application for incentives. The original application was received by the GCEDC in April. According to the original application, Yancey’s was planning an 112,000-square-foot expansion at its existing facility, 857 Main Road in Corfu. After moving forward with planning and permitting for the expansion, the company has decided to build a new facility within the Buffalo East Technology Park (BETP) located in Pembroke. Yancey’s Fancy would like to purchase approximately 12 acres within the BETP, and build a 112,000-square-foot facility. The capital investment is estimated to be $18.2 million.

The company plans to keep its artisan cheese operations and retail store in the current location (857 Main Road), and to undertake an expansion at this location as well. The second part of the project will include the addition of 3,500 square feet at the 857 Main Road location where they will install a new reverse-osmosis system. The instillation of a reverse-osmosis system will allow whey produced during the cheese-making process to be dried and sold. Currently, whey is transported by local farmers at a cost to Yancey’s. By utilizing reverse-osmosis technology, it is possible to concentrate the solid content enough to sell whey to processors and animal feed operations. Recent technological advances also allow the water removed from the whey to be pumped back into plant operations. These advances, as well as the expansion of the town and village sewer system, have made the reverse-osmosis project a viable opportunity in the overall growth strategy that Yancey’s Fancy in undertaking. The capital investment of this project is estimated to be $2.5 million.

The total capital investment for Yancey’s project is estimated at $20.7 million. The company currently has 108 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees and expects to add 50 more over three years after the certificate of occupancy is obtained for this new facility. Due to the changes in the project, a new public hearing will be held to solicit public comment on the incentives sought by the company, as they are more than $100,000 in savings.

Board Action Request: Approval of an initial resolution to set a public hearing for the Yancey’s Fancy project. The estimated sales tax exemption is valued at $638,608, and the estimated mortgage tax exemption is valued at $233,388. The new building and land located within the Buffalo East Technology Park will have an estimated property tax savings of $686,314, and the incremental increase in assessed value that will apply to the additional square footage at the 857 Main Road location will have an estimated property tax savings of $49,022. The total estimated property tax exemption is valued at $735,336.

Press release:

The water department will be repairing a water line on West Avenue this morning. This work may affect water service for residents on West Avenue, and Woodrow Road from Main Street to West Avenue during the repair. This work may also cause a period of discolored water in the immediate area so residents are advised to avoid activities such as laundry until water clarity has returned.

UPDATE 11 a.m.: The break is repaired.

New York Times: N.S.A. Able to Foil Basic Safeguards of Privacy on Web

Le Roy football is built around toughness, but even the man who has toughened up a lot of boys for 25 years had trouble fighting back a tear or two after being honored by his fellow coaches and team for all those years of dedication.

Very successful years.

Head Coach Brian Moran is closing in on 200 wins and would love to see his team snag its 14th sectional title this season under his guidance.

"It's like anything else, it's not my job, it's my life," Moran said after being presented with a medallion commemorating his 25th anniversary. "I've been blessed. I've been blessed to be here. I've been blessed to part of this community, and obviously, they take their football here very seriously. They've been playing it since 1897, so I'm just happy to be a part of it. Every day, it's really just enjoyable for me."

Tomorrow, the Oatkan Knights get a chance to prove what they're made of when they face Hornell, the team that vanquished Le Roy in last season's Section V title game.

With several key players from that 8-2 team returning this season, the Knights promise to be a hard team to beat. Tomorrow, Moran said, will tell us a lot.

"Tomorrow is going to be a great indicator of where we are," Moran said. "Obviously, we're playing a great football team with a great tradition. So tomorrow, let's find out where we are. I think we're prepared and the kids have worked hard."

Game time is 7:30 p.m., and if you love the whole "Friday Night Lights" aura, Hartwood Park will be the place to be.

There is apparently water spraying around the Burger King in Le Roy after the fire sprinkler system kicked on.

Le Roy Fire is being dispatched.

UPDATE 9:48 p.m.: A dispatcher tells a Le Roy police officer, "the place is flooded."

UPDATE 9:52 p.m.: Firefighters on scene. The water's been shut off. They will use thermal cameras to check things out.

Here's a little fact about Genesee County you may not know: Batavia's largest food processing plant is kosher.

Kosher, as in certified by a rabbi.

That means no animal -- except fish -- products are used in the plant's food production, as in no cow or pig parts to make gelatin.

A few days ago as I passed through the Tops check-out line with six containers of Frut Up (I really wish they would sell this in a six-pack container), the cashier said, "did you know there's tilapia in this?"

Heck, up to that point, I didn't even know what tilapia was. Some sort of fish, I recalled dimly.

When I got home, I read the label a little closer. Yup, tilapia is listed. So is "kosher gelatin."

If you know your history of Jell-O (and who doesn't in Genesee County), you know gelatin was originally made with from pork and pork skins, horses, and cattle bones or cattle hides. 

Those are all animals that in a kosher kitchen can't mix, even a single molecule.

As it turns out, you can also make gelatin from tilapia, and since observant Jews can mix fish and dairy, if you want fruity gelatin with your yogurt, and you want it to be kosher, you need tilapia to do it.

Rabbi Doctor David Sheinkopf inspected the Muller Quaker plant in Batavia and as a result, the yogurt products Frut Up and Corner can be sold as "Certified Kosher," according to Scott Gilmore, spokesman for PepsiCo.

"Taste is important and we use the best ingredients," Gilmore said. "We aim to make the best tasting yogurt on the market, but consumers told us it (kosher yogurt) was important to them and we wanted to honor that request."

Batavia residents Will Jakes II and Julio Morales were outside the Pok-A-Dot this afternoon belting out a few tunes. It was a beautiful day. There's a bench outside the restaurant, so it seemed to them like a good place to hang out and jam.

BTW: Jakes recently welcomed his grandson into the world, Will Jakes IV.

Just three weeks after being released from state prison, John J. Saddler, 26, has been accused of attempting to rape a young woman while in a motel room on West Main Street Road, Batavia.

According to state police, the young woman had been hanging out at the motel with friends and relatives Saturday evening when she joined a group of other women who were talking with Saddler in his room.

After awhile, the other women left, leaving the alleged victim alone with Saddler. He allegedly locked the door and tried to force himself on her.

Saddler is charged with attempted rape, 1st, criminal obstruction of breathing, forcible touching and unlawful imprisonment.

While Saddler was allegedly trying to rape the young woman, a group of people who had been with her and Saddler returned to the room and found the door locked.

That was apparently a violation of the motel's rules, according state police, so Saddler opened the door and "acted nonchalant."

The alleged victim later told another woman what happened, but didn't go to the State Police barracks on West Saile Drive until the next day.

According to state police, the woman was hesitant to come forward for fear of reprisals from Saddler's family.

Saddler is being held on bail in the Genesee County Jail.

On Aug. 11, Saddler was released from the Collins Correctional Facility after serving nearly six years on a pair of felony assault charges.

One of the assault charges stemmed from an incident in October 2006. Saddler was accused of assaulting a Batavia police officer and damaging a police vehicle by jumping on top of it after an officer found he possessed marijuana.

Criminal investigators want to know more about this cigar box.

Obviously, it once held 25 Arturo Fuente Flor Fina 858 cigars, but what interests investigators is how it wound up yesterday morning at a location in the Village of Oakfield.

It's location has investigators in the Sheriff's Office thinking it may be related to a recent rash of burglaries in the area.

The box was found shortly after at least three burglaries in the village two nights ago.

The recent series of burglaries have been "pretty nervy," said Investigator Kris Kautz.

The burglars are entering homes when people are home and likely to be awake, such as later afternoon and evening hours, and grabbing anything of value that can be snatched quickly, such as a purse, wallet or a box of potential valuables.

"They're going in when people are home and that's scary stuff," Kautz said. "We don't want something ugly to happen."

The same M.O. has been reported with a series of burglaries in Albion and in one case there, two unidentified young white males were spotted at a time that have investigators thinking they may be involved.

If you are the owner of the box, or if you're the person who placed it where it was found (or know who did place it there), or have other information about the recent burglaries, contact the Sheriff's Office, Investigator Kris Kautz, at (585) 343-5000.

Press release and photos submitted by Douglas R Mellentine:

The "Ghost Riders Drum & Bugle Corps" based in Batavia, NY, took home the coveted "1st Place World Title" in the "Mini Corps" competition. The Drum Corps Associates World Championships were held at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium this past Labor Day weekend in Annapolis, Md.    

The "Ghost Riders" were formed in 1996 to compete in the "DCA World Championships." This is the 18th consecutive appearance for the "Ghost Riders" -- a record that may never be broken by anyone else. They own two 1st Place titles, the first in 2000 and now again 2013.  

Many hours of preparation went into achieving this goal. They defeated the reigning Champion "Star United" from Indianapolis, an undefeated corps, who has held the title for the past six years. This year was no exception for them, "Star United" was on their game as well.

Special mention must go to the following for their contributions to this achievement. 

First, a Huge Thank You to the membership who have worked so hard to make this a reality.

Second, special thanks to The Salvation Army of Batavia, who allow us to use their facility for winter rehearsals. 

Third, Thank You to Donny Allen our music arranger and instructor, who painstakingly gets us to a level we need to be, in order to achieve such a lofty goal. 

And finally, thanks to the neighborhood near Clinton Street and Grandview Terrace, who through the summer months, hear the sounds of music coming from GRC (Ghost Riders Central) in the backyard at 63 Clinton St.

As director and founder of "Ghost Riders Drum & Bugle Corps," I could not be happier.  Not only to win this title, but to observe the friendships and camaraderie this fine group of individuals has developed throughout the years. As we always say "GO GHOST"!!!

Bonnie S. Olsandi, 44, of 31 Montclair Ave., Batavia, is charged with falsely reporting information about an actual offense/incident. Olsandi is accused of providing false information to police about an actual incident in an attempt to have the wrong person arrested for the alleged crime.

Haley H. Humphrey, 19, of 21 Wood St., Batavia, is charged with offering a false instrument for filing and falsely reporting an emergency. Humphrey is accused of falsely reporting a domestic incident.

Melissa A. Broadbent, 35, of 52 Walnut St., Batavia, is charged with obligation of a parent or guardian. Broadbent was arrested because of alleged curfew violations after her 15-year-old son was apprehended following an investigation of a report that two males were attempting to break into cars near the fire hall. The alleged incident was reported at 11:26 p.m., Sunday. Also charged was Priscilla M. Aiken, 40, of 2 Miller Ave., Batavia.

Joshua R. Hofer, 17, of 67 Mechanic St., Elba, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of alcohol under age 21. Hofer was arrested following an investigation by Batavia PD into a reported disabled vehicle on Walnut Street at 4:07 a.m., Saturday.

Lena M. Evans, 26, of 46 Washington Ave., upper, is charged with petit larceny. Evans is accused of shoplifting at Tops.

Micahel L. Kennedy, 26, of 45 Prospect Ave., Batavia, is charged with felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation and driving a vehicle without an interlock device. Kennedy was stopped at 1:05 a.m. Saturday on West Main Street by Officer Felicia Degroot.

Ted E. Kingsley, 40, of 119 State St., upper, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Kingsley is accused of stealing an 18-pack of beer from Tops.

Douglas A. Porter, 43, of Basom, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle. Porter was stopped by Deputy A.J. Previty of the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office at 1:15 a.m. Tuesday on Route 354, Town of Bennington. Previty responded to a report of an erratic driver coming into Wyoming County from Erie County. Porter was jailed on $500 bail.

Elan B. Pire, 24, of Elba, is charged with criminal obstruction of breathing and unlawful imprisonment, 2nd. Pire was arrested by State Police for an alleged incident reported at 8:51 p.m. Saturday in the Town of Byron. No further details released.

The following people were arrested during the  Maroon 5 Concert at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center on Wednesday.

Emily L Simmons, 21, North Central Avenue, Springville, is charged with two counts of second-degree harassment after allegedly grabbing a security guard by the head and then kicking several deputies and security guards. Simmons was jailed on $250 bail.

Patrick P. Sheridan, 45, Via Cimato Drive, Clarence Center, is charged with second-degree harassment and resisting arrest after allegedly pushing a security guard and then resisting arrest by refusing to be taken into custody.

David J. Irwin, 49, Pinyon Court, Clarence Center, is charged with two counts of second-degree harassment after allegedly pushing a security guard and then pushing and hitting another security guard in the face.

Joseph M. Ciliberto, 42, Pine Terrace, Orchard Park, is charged with second-degree harassment after allegedly striking a deputy during an investigation. Ciliberto was jailed on $250 bail.

Kara M. Balog, 22, Cochran Avenue, Springville, is charged with second-degree harassment after allegedly pushing a deputy after repeatedly being told to leave the venue. Balog was jailed on $200 bail.

Amanda N. Hayden, 21, Hefner Drive, Webster, is charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree harassment after allegedly causing a disturbance in the venue and then punching a deputy in the chest after being instructed to leave the concert venue. Hayden was jailed on $300 bail.

Amanda C. Snyder, 20, Woodhaven Circle, Hamburg, issued a citation for using another’s license.

The following people were cited for alleged consumption or posession of alcohol under age 21:

Brandi L. Hartman, 19, Railroad Avenue, Arcade
Emily M. Nichol, 20, Celtic Lane, Rochester
Marissa J. Lake, 19, Chesterton Road Rochester
Amber M. Adolf, 19, French Lea Road, West Seneca

Times-Union: Cuomo: Sheriffs don't choose laws to enforce

A passerby reports seeing a resident at 693 E. Main St., Batavia, trying to put out a porch fire with either a garden hose or a pan of water.

City fire responding.

The location is just within city limits. A first responder reports the fire is out, but smoldering.

UPDATE 11:31 p.m.: Fire is out. Ventilating.

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If you've driven down West Main Street Road, Town of Batavia, recently you might have seen this peacock off the side of the road.

It's the creation of Mike Cleveland, town justice. He's started decorating his yard for fall. The idea was inspired by a trip he and his wife made to Maine last year where they saw several yards creatively decorated using bales of straw. He said that since farmers are often willing to loan out straw, he's hoping other residents will catch onto the idea.

The most significant news out of County Court today is that Craig Lawson showed up.

Lawson is accused of hitting Jason McNeil, a former WNY resident living in Alabama, following the Kid Rock Concert at Darien Lake in July.

Following the punch, according to court documents, McNeil's head hit the ground. He was in a coma for more than a week and has been hospitalized since.

Initially, Lawson, who lives in Canada, was charged with a misdemeanor, assault 3rd, and bail was set at a mere $1,000.

Once it became apparent that McNeil's injuries were serious and McNeil might face an upgraded charge, there was concern in the community that Lawson would just skip his next scheduled court appearance.

Last month, a grand jury indicted Lawson on a single felony count of second-degree assault.

Today, Lawson appeared before Judge Robert C. Noonan and pled not guilty.

To win a conviction on an assault, 2nd, charge in New York, a prosecutor must prove that the defendant intended to cause serious physical injury.

Noonan dismissed a similar charge against Jacquetta Simmons in the Walmart case, ruling that the grand jury had not received enough evidence to sustain the assault, 2nd, count (Simmons was convicted by a jury on a subsection of assault in the second degree dealing with hitting and injuring an elderly person).

Mike Ranzenhofer, co-counsel with Buffalo attorney Joel Daniels, for Lawson, said it's hard to compare different cases and until the defense has received all of the supporting documents from the DA's office, it's hard to say if the charge can be supported.

But he expressed skepticism that his client is guilty as charged.

"This is a one-punch situation," Ranzenhofer said. "I don't think anything was intended here. That's pretty clear. But we'll have look at the documents once we get them."

The DA's office is dealing with another reportedly one-punch assault case right now, as well.  Last month, Batavia resident Scott Baker suffered a fractured skull when he was punched on Harvester Avenue. In that case, Shane Bell is accused of delivering a single punch that was the direct cause of Baker's injury.

Baker remains in critical condition and in a coma at ECMC.

Lawson is accused of delivering a hit that caused the victim to fall to the ground and hit his head.

Assistant District Attorney Robert Zickl said that of course the DA's office believes it can get a conviction on the crime as charged.

"We're very confident presenting that to the court and ultimately to a jury," Zickl said.

Last week, a page that had been set up by Pam McNeil to supply followers with status updates about her husband's medical condition, reported that McNeil was improving and that she was hopeful he would soon return home to Alabama.

Two nights ago, McNeil complained in a status update that the media was using the page to "harass" her and announced she would be removing the page from Facebook. As of today, the page no longer exists. She offered no details on what she considered harassment.

It took nearly three hours for Benjamin Muntz to find out that Judge Robert C. Noonan would be tacking another two to four years onto his prison term.

In the arcane labyrinth of our judicial system's sentencing guidelines, there was no clear cut answer on what to do with Muntz's case.

It's that complicated.

In January, Muntz entered guilty pleas to counts of burglary, 3rd, and grand larceny, 4th. Rather than show up for his sentencing in March, he flew south. He also became a suspect in another burglary and was charged with another felony.

Eventually, he was caught and returned to Genesee County.

He was sentenced in April by Noonan to three and a half to seven years in state prison and charged with bail jumping.

If the only charges against Muntz were those earlier felonies and the bail jumping, the sentencing guidelines are clear: Any sentence Muntz received on bail jumping would need to be served consecutively (not at the same time, or concurrently) with his other sentence.

As part of a plea deal, Muntz had received a one and a third to three year sentence cap on the bail jumping charge.

The curve for Noonan was that newer burglary, 3rd, charge.

If Noonan gave Muntz another three and a half to seven on that charge, could the bail jumping sentence be concurrent with that sentence, or would it need to be served consecutively?

Noonan didn't have the answer. The attorneys for the prosecution and the defense didn't have the answer. The prison guards who transported Muntz in his DOCs green jumpsuit to County Court today certainly didn't have the answer.

After consulting his law books and case law in chambers and conferring with attorneys -- in between hearing other cases -- Noonan concluded that if the second burglary sentence was consecutive then the bail jumping sentence would be consecutive to that.

In other words, Muntz would be looking at more than eight years and up to 17 years in prison.

Through his attorney, Thomas Burns, Noonan offered Muntz a deal: waive his sentence cap on the bail jumping conviction so Noonan could sentence him at two to four years and Noonan would make his other burglary charge, at three and a half to seven, concurrent with his prior sentence.

Once Burns got it all thoroughly explained to Muntz, with a little assistance from one of the prison guards, Muntz agreed to the arrangement.

For prior coverage on Muntz, click here.