Le Roy

Press release:

A “Candlelight Gathering” on Thursday, Dec. 20, will honor the victims of last week’s elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn., while helping the local community come to terms with the tragedy.

The event will begin at 7:15 p.m. in Trigon Park.

Le Roy school officials and representatives, and local clergy have been invited to speak during Thursday’s gathering, which is aimed at supporting peace, reaffirming that safety is of the utmost importance and honoring the victims of the shooting.

Among the organizers is Christine Gephart, a social worker with the Honeoye Falls-Lima School District who has a private practice in Le Roy.

Twenty-six people — 20 of them first-graders — were killed on Dec. 14 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., by a gunman who then committed suicide. The tragedy received widespread media attention.

Gephart said children are affected more than we might assume by minor and major losses.

“Tragic events, such as what happened in Sandy Hook, can leave a profound impact on young children,” Gephart said. “As a community it is important to come together to support each other, allow our children and ourselves to grieve, to support our district’s initiative to promote peace and to help our children feel reassured of their safety and well-being.”

The event is supported by Girl Scout Troop 42027 — which Gephart leads — and the Le Roy Parent Teacher Service Organization.

For more information, contact organizer Holly Eschberger, Le Roy PTSO secretary at hollyesch@yahoo.com; or visit the Facebook event page at www.facebook.com/events/574633139228867/

Carmen Vega, the 40-year-old Le Roy resident who was seriously injured Dec. 8 when her car was hit head-on on Route 33 in Stafford remains in Strong Memorial Hospital, but is listed in satisfactory condition.

The accident claimed the life of Collin Crane, 17, a senior at Batavia High School.

The accident remains under investigation by the State Police and no cause has been released.

Another member of an alleged meth distribution ring in Genesee County that was broken up in 2009 has been sentenced in federal court, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced today.

Andrew Chapman, 42, of Batavia, will serve two years on probation for his part in the distribution of methamphetamine.

In June, Chapman admitted in federal court to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, methamphetamine.

Chapman received the meth he sold from Donald G. Vanelli II, 49, of Le Roy, who is serving more than 17 years for his role in the sale and distribution of meth locally.

Three other people were arrested in the raids in 2009.

All of the cases have been resolved, except that of Donna L. Boon (aka Donna McAuley), who lives at 3658 Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road. Her original charges were dropped but she remains under federal indictment for other alleged offenses.

Roxanne G. Rowe, 25, of Maple Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with animal cruelty and unlawful possession of marijuana. Rowe is accused of trying to harm a neighbor's dog by placing pieces of metal in a meat product and making it available for the dog to eat. At the time of her arrest -- 10:15 a.m., Saturday, by Deputy Brian Thompson -- Rowe also allegedly possessed marijuana.

Lakiesha A. Gibson, 26, of 13 Williams St., Lockport, is charged with disorderly conduct and endangering the welfare of a child. Gibson is accused of shouting obscenities while outside on Thorpe Street at 10:20 p.m., Saturday. Gibson also allegedly refused to remove two children out of the roadway and away from a dispute.

Timothy J. Wenzel, 19, of 13 Harvester Ave., Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Wenzel was allegedly seen with a person who is protected by a "stay away" order of protection.

Makeen K. Ithna-Asheri, 52, of 111 State St., Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass, 2nd. Ithna-Asheri allegedly entered a residence he had previously been advised not to enter.

Danielle M. Stevens, 36, of Ford Road, Elba, is charged with three counts of petit larceny. Stevens is accused of stealing $140 and a gold pendant from a relative's house within a six-week period. Stevens was jailed on $500 bail.

Brenden Kirstipher Steck, 23, of Broadway Road, Darien, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Steck was allegedly found to be the operator of a disabled motor vehicle on Route 20 in Darien at 1:15 a.m., Saturday, by Deputy James Diehl.

Joseph E. Marr, 34, of Attica, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Marr was reportedly involved in a motor vehicle accident at 10:13 p.m. Friday on Keeney Road, Le Roy. He was arrested by State Police.

A clerk at the Sugar Creek store on Lake Street in Le Roy has reported the larceny of a cup of coffee, allegedly by a resident of Le Roy Manor. "It's apparently an ongoing problem," says the dispatcher. Le Roy PD is responding.

A jury convicted a 26-year-old Le Roy man Thursday of a Class B felony that could send him to prison for five to 25 years for getting a teen girl drunk and forcing her into sexual relations.

Alexander J. Kessler, of Myrtle Street, was convicted by unanimous verdict of criminal sexual act, 1st, criminal sexual act, 3rd, sexual abuse, 1st, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful dealing with a child.

The top count carries a mandatory prison sentence of at least five years.

Sentencing is set for March 5.

Kessler was arrested by Le Roy PD in March and accused of supplying alcohol and marijuana to a girl under age 17 and then subjecting her to sexual contact without her consent and while she was unable to consent.

Assistant District Attorney Kevin Finnell, who tried the case, said the jury found the testimony of the victim both compelling and credible, which was key to winning a conviction.

The trial started Monday and the jury reached a verdict following two and a quarter hours of deliberations.

Philip Clarke McMahon, 72, of Creamery Road, Bergen, is charged with disorderly conduct. McMahon was stopped at 7:59 a.m. in the area of 8097 Clinton St. Road, Bergen, for an alleged traffic violation by Deputy Jason Saile. McMahon is accused of using obscene language in a public place.

Brian Feurimond, 21, of Saint Raymond Avenue, Bronx, is charged with trespass. Feurimond was allegedly found on College Village property after previously being banned from the housing complex.

David Lavelle Andrews, 25, Wood Street, Batavia, is charged with trespass. Andrews is accused of being at College Village after previously being banned from the property.

Russell Ray Miles, 44, of West Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with a violation of probation. Miles was released from jail on an unrelated matter and taken into custody on a warrant out of Town of Le Roy Court for an alleged violation of probation. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Lemar Jerimain Leach, 27, of Central Avenue, Batavia, is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation. Leach was wanted on a bench warrant related to the listed charge. Leach was jailed on $200 bail.

Tyler F. Longhini, 21, was arrested by the Le Roy Police Department on Tuesday and charged with multiple felonies in connection with crimes reported on Lake, Bacon and Pleasant streets in the Village of Le Roy.

His arrest was the result of an ongoing investigation that started in mid-July. The crimes he is suspected of committing include: entering unlocked vehicles; damaging the interior of a vehicle; attempted forced entry burglary to a shed; and an actual burglary of a residential apartment while the tenant was sleeping.

The charges are: one count of burglary, 2nd, a Class C felony; one count of attempted burglary, 3rd, a Class E felony; one count of grand larceny, 4th, a Class E felony; and two counts of criminal mischief, 3rd, a Class E felony.

Longhini, who lives at 82 Gilbert St. in Le Roy, was arraigned in the Le Roy Town Court and released under the supervision of Genesee Justice.

CLARIFICATION 4:34 p.m.: Longhini was originally arrested on July 15 after being caught in the act of rifling through vehicles. But he was only charged with misdemeanors at that time, pending continuing investigation of the break-ins and forensic lab results. Then on Tuesday, Le Roy police were able to bring mulitple felony charges against Longhini, according to Det. John Condidorio.

Justin M. Wotherspoon, 26, of Gibson Street, Oakfield, is charged with felony DWAI, aggravated unlicensed operation and criminal possession of a controlled substance, 7th. Witnesses reportedly observed a vehicle allegedly driven by Wotherspoon operating in an erratic manner on Lewiston Road, heading from Batavia to Oakfield. The vehicle reportedly traveled over fog lines before going off the roadway on the opposite side of the road, then traveled a short distance in the ditch before reentering the roadway. Witnesses followed the vehicle to a residence in the Village of Oakfield and waited for police to arrive. Wotherspoon was allegedly found in possession of several prescription medications that were not his.

Stacey N. Cino, 24, of 22 Old Meadow Lane, Batavia, is charged with aggravated harassment, 2nd. Cino is accused of sending harassing and annoying text messages to another person. Batavia PD reportedly previously advised Cino not to have further contact with that person.

Sharon Y. Sharman, 41, of 8487 Seven Springs Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Sharman is accused of violating an order of protection. Sharman allegedly contacted, repeatedly, the person covered by the order of protection.

Nathan A. Dowty, 23, of Arpin, Wis., is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Dowty was allegedly observed by a Le Roy police officer in the Fire Star Bank parking lot on West Main Street, Le Roy, driving the wrong way in the drive-thru lane and striking the curb. Dowty was jailed on $500 bail.

Thomas C. Zimmer, 36, of 3 1/2 Thomas Ave. Batavia, was arrested for allegedly failing to abide by a release under supervision contract. Zimmer was located at the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office and turned over to Batavia PD on a bench warrant. Zimmer was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Andrei P. Sliker, 21, of 318 W. Main St., Batavia, was arrested on a bench warrant for alleged failure to appear. Sliker was located in Le Roy by Le Roy PD and turned over to Batavia PD. Sliker was jailed on $300 bail.

Thomas M. Moe, 37, and Todd J. Corron Jr., both of Pleasant View Avenue, Syracuse, are charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Moe is also charged with operating on a suspended registration. During a traffic stop on Route 5, Pembroke, Moe was allegedly found with a bag of marijuana in his pocket and remnants of marijuana cigarettes in his vehicle. Corron allegedly possessed a bag of marijuana in his pocket. The traffic stop was conducted by Deputy Lonnie Nati with assistance from Deputy Brian Thompson and K-9 "Pharoah."

Steven Michael Witkop, 46, of State Street, Medina, is charged with felony driving while impaired by druges with a child less than 16 in the vehicle, driving impaired by drugs and endangering the welfare of a child. Witkop was stopped by Deputy Joseph Corona on Bank Street, Batavia, following a complaint of a vehicle being driven erratically.

Sam Michael Cassidy, 21, of Montclair Avenue, Batavia, is charged with trespass. Cassidy is accused of being on College Village property after previously being barred from the property.

Brandon Nicholas Benz, 17, of Clinton Street Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Benz allegedly left a threatening message about the victim on his Facebook wall after being served an order of protection. Benz was jailed on $750 bail.

Anthony Paul Dibble, 23, Bethany Center Road, Bethany, is charged with burglary, 2nd, criminal mischief, 4th, and harassment, 2nd. Dibble allegedly kicked in the door of another person's apartment, entered without permission and while in the apartment destroyed a bathroom door and struck two other people during an altercation. Dibble was arraigned on $2,500 bail.

Jeffrey Michael Johnson, 24, of Farnsworth Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, criminal possession of a controlled substance and possession of a hypodermic instrument. Johnson was allegedly found in possession of heroin, hypodermic needles and unidentified pills lacking proper documentation or containers. Johnson was allegedly supervising a child at the time. Also charged was Lauren Marie Peters, 22, of Martin Road, Akron.

Press release:

A new offer to purchase the Wiss Hotel from the Village of Le Roy has been submitted to the village by Le Roy New York, LLC. The new offer eliminates the prior provision that the village loan the group money to purchase the property. The village board will provide the opportunity to residents to appear at the beginning of its meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 12, in the Le Roy Village Hall to comment on the proposal.

UPDATE: The backers of the project have established an e-mail address for people who would like information regarding the Wiss Hotel Project and the formation of the LeRoyNY LLC.  It is WissHotelProject@gmail.com.

Trevon L. Armstrong is indicted on counts of burglary, 2nd, criminal possession of stolen property, 4th, two counts of criminal mischief, 4th, falsely reporting an incident, 3rd, six counts of forgery, 2nd, three counts of offering a false instrument for filing and tampering with a witness, 4th. Armstrong is accused of entering a residence on East Avenue on Oct. 9 with the intent to commit a crime inside the residence. Armstrong is accused of possessing stolen property, a 46-inch Hisense LCD TV, a HP laptop computer and two boxes of jewelry. Armstrong is accused of damaging a window at the East Avenue property, as well as a door. Armstrong is accused of falsely reporting a burglary at a neighboring residence. He is accused of falsely implicating another person in possessing the stolen property. He is accused of signing a fake name on a fingerprint card, a witness statement and a deposition, as well as other government documents. Armstrong also allegedly tried to keep another person from testifying before the grand jury.

Earl F. Sprague III, is indicted on a count of criminal solicitation, 2nd. Sprague is accused of trying to engage another person in a Class A felony, murder in the second degree.

Janet M. Brady is indicted on counts of felony DWI, felony DWI with a child under age 15 in the car. Brady is accused of driving drunk Aug. 9 in the parking lot of Darien Lake Theme Park, Darien.

Martin F. Jones is indicted on counts of felony DWI, two counts of aggravated unlicensed operation and criminal mischief, 4th. Jones is accused of driving drunk Oct. 9 in the City of Batavia in the parking lot of Settler's Restaurant and Hess Mart. He is accused of damaging property at Settler's Restaurant with a value that exceeds $250.

Dennis E. Hopkins is indicted on charges of burglary, 3rd, and grand larceny, 4th. Hopkins is accused of entering a residence in February on Lewiston Road, Batavia, with the intention of committing a crime inside. He is accused of stealing $2,000 in cash.

Guillermo Roman Roque is indicted on three counts of incest, 3rd. Roque is accused of having sexual relations with a person he knew to be a family relative.

Elaina J. Mead is indicted on counts of menacing a police officer, assault, 2nd, criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd, and obstructing governmental administration, 2nd. Mead is accused of placing a knife to the chest of a deputy while attempting to block the arrest of her son, Michael Mead Sr., on June 17. Mead is accused of intentionally injuring a Le Roy police officer with a knife. She is accused of unlawfully using a knife as a weapon. She is accused of attempting to prevent the arrest of another person.

James Smith Jr.,  is indicted on counts of criminal possession of a weapon, two counts of menacing, 2nd, and assault, 2nd. Smith is accused of using a weapon with the intent to injure another person. He allegedly displayed a knife. He allegedly injured another person using a knife on July 22.

A fire is reported in the basement of 8706 Haven Lane, Le Roy.

Le Roy fire and Bergen's ladder truck are dispatched.

UPDATE 4:31 p.m.: Chief on scene reports a house full of smoke, fire may be out, but undetermined at this time.

UPDATE 4:33 p.m.: "Working fire" reported in the basement. Stafford and Pavilion asked to stand by in quarters.

UPDATE 4:37 p.m.: Fire contained to the furnace. Ventilation needed.

UPDATE 4:44 p.m.: Fire knocked down.

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A fully involved house fire is reported at 5 Myrtle St. in Le Roy. Heavy smoke and flames showing. There are still people inside the house -- entrapment. Le Roy fire is responding along with mutual aid from Caledonia.

UPDATE 2:19 p.m.: It is believed everyone is out of the house. Bergen and Pavilion are also responding. The address is between Clay and Bank streets. Le Roy medics are on scene.

UPDATE 2:25 p.m.: Town of Batavia's Fast Team is called in and National Grid is notified about the fire.

UPDATE 2:26: "It looks like they've got it knocked down."

UPDATE 2:28 p.m.: They are going to bring in fans to clear the smoke. National Grid has no ETA.

UPDATE 2:31 p.m.: Stafford is standing by in Stafford's quarters, in case needed for any other Le Roy incident. Firefighters on Myrtle Street are taking out their tools for overhaul.

UPDATE 2:34 p.m.: "It looks pretty clear on the second floor."

UPDATE 2:37 p.m.: They are asking the Town of Batavia to go back in service. Fire is out. Doing overhaul.

UPDATE 2:43 p.m.: Caledonia is released from the scene.

UPDATE (by Howard): At the time I left the scene, about 3 p.m., the cause of the fire was under investigation. Chief Tom Woods said when he arrived on scene, there were flames showing in the back of the structure and two people were partially out of a window. It's a little unclear, but apparently they had tried to put the fire out and thought the fire was out. Investigators had not yet completed interviews with them. Woods told the people to get out of the building and they did. Crews were quick the scene and interior firefighters made entry and knocked the fire down before it could do serious damage. A neighbor called the fire in, not the residents. Woods said that if the fire had been going five more minutes before fire crews arrived the whole structure would have been lost and it would have been a difficult fire to fight because of how close together units are on Myrtle.

Le Roy held it's annual Winterfest, which is a chance for the children to visit Santa and mom and dad to check out the local merchants.