Le Roy

Press release:

On Thursday, Sept. 28, at approximately 12:14 p.m., State Police were dispatched to investigate a serious injury tractor-trailer accident on I-90, westbound near exits 47 and 48, in the Town of Stafford.

The investigation at the scene revealed that the driver of the tractor-trailer William W. Frank, age 46, of Alden, was traveling westbound on I-90, in the Town of Stafford and for an unknown reason drove off the right shoulder of the roadway and into a heavily wooded area. The driver of the tractor-trailer was ejected from the vehicle and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The accident is being investigated by New York State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit (CVEU). No other vehicles were involved in the accident, no other injuries were reported.

• Sylvia lovingly raised a family of five children and has five grandchildren;
• She is a member of the Presbyterian Church for over 60 years; helps with fundraising projects for the church;
• She has volunteered for over 30 years with the Le Roy Ambulance Service, serving in various positions including base officer, driver, and medic, volunteering virtually every Monday evening;
• Sylvia is a member of the Board of Directors and serves as Treasurer of the Le Roy Pantry and Help Fund and continues to serve weekly maintaining inventory, receiving shipments and distributing foodstuff to those in need;
• Sylvia volunteers with the American Red Cross for Drives at the American Legion and the county Mega Drive;
• She is an active member of the Pavilion Young at Heart Seniors serving as the Greeter and Vice President; she is also the contact for the Genesee County Office of the Aging.

The "Le Royan of the Year" Recognition Banquet 
Saturday, Oct. 7th
Social hour: 6 p.m.
Dinner:  6:45 p.m.
at The American Legion, 53 W. Main St., Le Roy
Tickets: $20, available at the American Legion -- 768-2090

A truck driver died this afternoon when his truck left the roadway on the westbound Thruway in Le Roy and headed into a line of trees.

The driver was ejected and found nearby with only a slight pulse. He died a short time later and a coroner was called to the scene.

Troop T, State Police, are investigating the accident, but have little to go on at this point. A spokesman said there is no apparent cause for the driver to have lost control of the truck and no prior reports of erratic drivers in the area.

The truck was apparently making drop-offs and deliveries in the area and the nature of its cargo is not currently available.

Both lanes are now open, but the shoulder in the area of mile marker 392 is closed, making travel through the area slower.

The name of the driver has not been released yet pending notification of his family.

Le Roy fire and Le Roy ambulance responded to the scene.

(Initial Report)

Our news partner 13WHAM contributed to this story.

A semi-truck has left the roadway and traveled into the trees on the Thruway in the area of mile marker 392 in the westbound lane.

The driver has been ejected and is unconscious.

Le Roy fire and Le Roy ambulance dispatched.

UPDATE 12:22 p.m.: Bergen requested to stand by in quarters with one engine.

UPDATE 12:29 p.m.: Bergen requested to fill in one engine at Le Roy Fire Hall.

UPDATE 1:48 p.m.: Statement from Troop T, State Police:

On Thursday, September 28, 2017, at approximately 12:14 p.m., State Police were dispatched to investigate a serious injury tractor-trailer accident on I-90, westbound near exits 47 & 48, in the Town of Stafford. The investigation is still ongoing, more information will be released as it becomes available. Expect traffic delays in the area.

ROC archive has obtained film shot by Harold W. Trott, who lived in the Livonia area, that may contain images of Amelia Earhart at the opening of the airport in Le Roy. It's definitely Earhart in the film, but whether it was shot at Le Roy isn't for certain.

Earhart is seen to speak briefly at a mic that is flagged WFBL. WFBL is a Syracuse radio station, but our local radio expert and broadcast history buff Dan Fischer, co-owner of WBTA, said it is possible, back in the era of fewer radio stations, that WFBL was in Le Roy for such a historic event.

The video also contains pictures of Charles Lindbergh at Sikorsky Airport Bridgeport, CT where he kept his “Spirit of St. Louis.”

Above, we've cued the video to start at the point were Earhart enters the film.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at mile marker 0.10 on eastbound Route 490. Le Roy fire and ambulance is responding along with Bergen fire.

Melissa Bender, a resident of Le Roy, made history at the Pennsylvania Bowhunters Festival, after competing with an all-male crowd, becoming the first and only woman to win the steel boar challenge.

The festival is held in Forksville in the middle of September, every year since 1957. It is the oldest gathering of bowhunters in the world.

“People come from all over the place to go,” Bender said.

The three-day event offers a variety of shooting activities and events designed to prepare the Bowhunters for the upcoming archery season. The festival features the famous “Forksville Running Deer” target, mechanical bear and turkey targets, pop-up and moving small game targets, a timed clay pigeon shoot, stationary targets set at variable distances, and three game trails designed with all 3-D targets.

The grand prize for the steel boar challenge, was a wild hog hunt, which drew Bender to competing.

“It was really neat because they had never had a girl win it before,” Bender said. “They were super excited for me.”

Bender’s love for archery began after she went hunting with her husband.

“When I was out hunting, I hit a deer,” Bender said. “We tracked it for two days and we never found it.”

Bender decided that she wanted to be a better shooter, so she started with the help of a local archery organization.

“The people down there [at C&C Archery] are so willing to help anyone,” Bender said. “Especially young people in becoming better shots, either in archery, in competitive form, just for shooting, or just in hunting.”

C&C Archery, in Le Roy, has an indoor archery range, with all different kinds of targets. They offer a variety of services and products to help anyone be successful.

“If I hadn’t gone down there to sign up for [archery] leagues, I obviously would have never had the opportunity to win that challenge.”

Bender hopes to continue strengthening her archery skills to become a more ethical hunter.

“I want to have a better shot so that I don’t have to go through what I went through a year ago,” Bender said.

David Alan Leach, 23, of Morganville Road, Stafford, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to stop at stop sign, and driving a motor vehicle on a sidewalk. Leach was charged following the report of a property damage accident at 12:18 a.m. Thursday at 337 Bank St., Batavia. The accident was investigated by Officer Peter Flanagan.

Brian Thomas Resch, 29, of Buffalo Road, Bergen, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th, criminal possession of marijuana, 5th, and unlawful possession of marijuana. At 5:33 p.m. Saturday, the Sheriff's Office received a complaint on Buffalo Road of man who had disabled a phone to prevent a person from seeking emergency assistance. Upon investigation by deputies Ryan DeLong and Richard Schildwaster, Resch was allegedly found in possession of a quantity of marijuana and he was accused of smoking marijuana in a public place.

Derek James Wert, 35, of Tracy Avenue, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Wert is accused of pushing another person during an argument at noon Sept. 18 at a location on North Street, Batavia. Wert was also charged with second-degree criminal contempt related to an incident at 7:02 p.m. Wednesday in Austin Park. Wert is accused of violating an order of protection.

Markeda D. Starks, 26, of Highland Park, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant. Starks posted bail and was released.

Adam Ross Atkinson, 29, of Kent Road, Stow, Ohio, is charged with under the influence of narcotics in public. Atkinson was arrested after deputies responded to multiple calls at 6:35 p.m. Friday of a disruptive male at a convenience store in Byron.

Brian R. Barnard, 53, of Leicester, is charged with burglary, 3rd, burglary, 2nd, and criminal mischief. The alleged burglary was reported at 3:08 p.m. Thursday in Le Roy. This is a State Police case. No further information released.

Brandon A. Brott, 20, Jacey L. McGregor, 19, and Jessica H. Shepard, 26, all three of Lockport, are charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Brott, McGregor, and Shepard were arrested at 3:36 a.m. in the Town of Alabama by State Police.

Five people were hospitalized late this afternoon after a T-bone accident at the intersection of Griswold Road and West Bergen Road, Le Roy.

The extent of the injuries is not known at this time. Troopers are handling the investigation. There has yet to be a press release issued on the accident.

There were a driver and three passengers in the vehicle that was struck. 

The car with heavy front-end damage was heading south on West Bergen Road and the car that was struct was heading west on Griswold Road.

Le Roy fire responded to the scene.

(Initial Post)

Photos and information provided by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service.

About 70 members of rod and gun clubs in Genesee County were at the Northwoods Sportsman Club in Le Roy this afternoon to fire one shot each at noon to protest the SAFE Act and express support for Rep. Chris Collins' bill to block the SAFE Act at the Federal level.

Both Collins and State Senator Micheal Ranzenhofer were on hand to participate in the "Shot Heard Around New York" event at precisely noon today.

Collins said his bill, the Second Amendment Guarantee Act, has a good chance at passage if it gets out of the Judiciary Committee for a vote on the House floor because the NRA has said it will score the vote if it comes to a floor vote.

Even though New York's SAFE Act is the impetus for the bill, many members of Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, recognize this isn't just a New York issue because their states could also pass bills that violate the Second Amendment.

"I absolutely support the 10th Amendment, states' rights," Collins said. "Some folks have said this is a Federal preemption of sorts, and I’ve tried to remind them what we’re doing here is preventing a state from restricting Second Amendment rights; just like a state cannot restrict First Amendment rights, a state cannot restrict religious freedom, and they should not be able to do as New York has done -- restrict Second Amendment rights."

The bill has not been popular in Albany, Collins said.

"Andrew Cuomo knows this is a real fight because we know how he does things," Collins said. "He threw a tantrum in his office. The report we got back was there were objects being thrown through the area. That’s typical of what we’ve heard of the governor.

"He knows once we get this passed he can sue us all day long, but we’re going to make sure it’s written in a way that we’re simply saying that a state cannot preempt federal law when it comes to restrictions or requirements on long guns."

Ranzenhofer thanks Collins for his efforts.

"Every year issues come before us and we stop a lot of bad legislation from coming through, but we need your help on this particular piece of legislation," Ranzenhofer said. "You know with our governor, he is not going to sign a repeal bill.

"That’s why I’m so thankful that Congressman Collins is leading this fight in Congress because when you can’t do it directly this is the option that we have, doing it at the Federal level and saying 'New York State, this is not going to happen.' "

A two-car accident, blocking, is reported at Griswold Road and West Bergen Road, Le Roy.

There's a report of CPR in progress.

Le Roy fire and Le Roy ambulance dispatched.

UPDATE 4:19 p.m.: Mercy Flight #9 out of Buffalo is available if needed.

UPDATE 4:27 p.m.: Cancel Mercy Flight.

UPDATE 4:22 p.m.: Two victims, unresponsive but breathing.

UPDATE 4:38 p.m.: An additional ambulance requested to the scene.

NOTE: We anticipate more coverage of this accident, but I won't be available for further updates of this post.

A one-car accident with unknown injuries is reported in Le Roy in the area of 491 North Street Road. It is off the road, possibly "east of the bridge in the stream bed." Le Roy fire and ambulance are responding and Caledonia fire is called for mutual aid.

UPDATE 10:25 p.m.: Le Roy command on scene requests all units responding to proceed in non-emergency mode.

UPDATE 10:34 p.m.: Command orders the roadway shut down and lights turned on to illuminate the scene.

After replacing the injured starter at QB, Le Roy's Cole Biggins helped his offense put together two scoring drives in the 4th quarter Friday night to lift the Oatkan Knights from 18-7 down to a 19-18 victory over archrival Cal-Mum/Byron-Bergen.

Biggins capped the second drive with a nine-yard TD pass to Reece Tresco with 10 seconds on the clock.  

After coming in during the 2nd quarter, Biggins was 9-14 passing for 73 yards and gained 65 yards on the ground in eight carries.

Kyler LaCarte gained 48 yards on 13 carries and scored on a 14-yard run for Le Roy's first 4th quarter TD.

Reece Tresco caught four passes for 33 yards and a TD. Gavin Luckey gained 25 yards on two receptions.

Bryce Bordonaro had eight tackles and forced and recovered a fumble.

Photos by Ed Henry.

Top photo: Senior Luke Stella and Coach Brian Herdlein celebrate the Knights’ victory.

Reece Tresco hauls in the game-winning TD 

Reece Tresco (16) and Cole Biggins (22)

Kyler LaCarte

Gavin Luckey with a tackle.

Bryce Bordonaro with a tackle.

Cole Biggins races 31 yards through the Raiders’ defense for a TD.

A three-car accident with unknown injuries is reported at the Le Roy Park & Ride, 7855 Lake Street Road, Le Roy. Le Roy fire and ambulance responding, along with a Mercy medic unit.

A two-car accident with a possible head injury is reported in the area of 93 W. Main St., Le Roy.

Le Roy fire and Le Roy ambulance dispatched.