Stafford

A fire on the outside of a train car is reported by the railroad crossing at Seven Springs Road. Stafford Fire Department is responding. Someone was said to be using an extinguisher on it. "Looks like a brake fire and it's going pretty good" said a responder at the scene. But then they found it was coming from a traction motor which is attached to a 5,000-gallon tank full of diesel fuel.

UPDATE 5:19 p.m.: The blaze is on west side of the tracks. Fire police are going to shut down Seven Springs Road.

UPDATE 5:25 p.m.: Town of Batavia Fire Department is also responding.

UPDATE 5:31 p.m.: The roadway will be closed at East Main and Seven Springs roads. A fireman says there's rubber burning underneath on one side. "We might be able to yank it right out -- the part that's burning," which is said to be a bellows. The CSX railroad line is shut down for now and a CSX worker is at the scene. There appears to be no indication of any kind of leakage or either gas or oil.

UPDATE 5:42 p.m.: The fire commander said the fire is contained to the bellows of a motor that spread to the structure of the car. They expect to be able to put it out shortly. No fuel lines were affected. The commander asks whether CSX plans to start up the train soon and, if so, recommends fire personnel remain on scene to confirm there are no more safety issues.

UPDATE 5:51 p.m.: CSX is giving the go-ahead to open the tracks. The fire is apparently out.

UPDATE 6 p.m.: All Stafford units are back in service.

UPDATE 6:06 p.m.: All Town of Batavia units are back in service and the roadway is reopened.

Griswold Road, Town of Stafford, will be closed to all traffic between Godfreys Pond and the railroad overpass for approximately one week.

Road crews are reducing the size of the hill at that location.

Addresses from 5693 Griswold Road and lower should be entered from Byron Road, and from 5757 Griswold Road and higher, from Caswell Road.

Raymond L. Leach Jr., 55, of 24 Munson St., Le Roy, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st, criminal obstruction of breathing/blood circulation and endangering the welfare of a child. Leach is accused of using his hands to choke another person. An order of protection for the victim was in place at the time of the alleged incident. The alleged incident occurred in the presence of a child at a location on Thorpe Street, City of Batavia. Leach was jailed on $5,000 bail.

UPDATE: Leach entered a guilty plea in Genesee County Court this morning in satisfaction of all the charges against him to one count of criminal contempt, 1st. The plea deal allows for shock probation (six months in jail followed by probation). When Judge Robert Noonan asked Leach to admit to choking his victim, Leach held a private conversation with his attorney, who then spoke with District Attorney Lawrence Friedman and Friedman agreed to amend the language of the charge to pushing his victim on the bed and causing her to fear for her safety).

Jamie L. Broadbent, 29, of 62 Swan St., Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Broadbent is accused of shoplifting $115 in merchandise from a West Main Street business.

Robert L. Van Buren, 51, of 3 Willow St., Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Van Buren is accused of stealing a bicycle from outside a business in Court Street Plaza on July 23.

Karen L. Stone, 45, of Elm Street, Le Roy, is charged with burglary, 2nd, a Class C felony, and petit larceny. Stone is accused of forcing her way into a residence of an acquaintance and damaging numerous items inside. Stone also allegedly stole items from the home. Stone was released under supervision of Genesee Justice following arraignment.

David J. Reschke, 21, of Transit Road, Stafford, is charged with seven counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument, 2nd. Reschke allegedly possessed seven forged checks of a friend and cashed the checks at different locations in the Village of Le Roy. Following arraignment, Reschke was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Today was the Antique Truck, Farm & Construction Show at the Stafford Fire Hall sponsored by Empire State Antique Truck Association.

If you like trucks and tractors, it was the place to be today.

The event will continue Sunday, depending on the weather.

I'm in Byron/Bergen on a beautiful summer day? Of course I'm going to try and make a few pictures.

Above a barn off Route 237.

High power lines a little further up Route 237.

Old truck, Swamp Road.

Train crossing Ivison Road, Stafford.

Press release:

The 8th Annual Taste of Stafford, sponsored by the Stafford Historical Society, will take place at Ilette Park from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, July 12.

The park is located at the corner of routes 5 and 237.

There will be entertainment, foods to purchase and fun to be had by all.

To commorate the 1812 Bicentennial, Ford Best will appear in the 1812-era military garments and the mode of the Militia of America will also be represented.

Come and bring your most comfortable lawn chairs and visit with friends, relatives and neighbors. Should it rain, the event will be held at the Stafford Fire Department.

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at Route 5 and Clipnock Road. Stafford Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 1:17 p.m.: A second ambulance is requested. It is reported that a car was rear-ended. The availability of Mercy Flight is being checked.

UPDATE 1:18 p.m.: The vehicles are off the road, not blocking. There is no entrapment, but head injuries are reported. Mercy Flight out of Buffalo is on an in-air standby.

UPDATE 1:24 p.m.: Traffic control is requested.

UPDATE 1:25 p.m.: Mercy Flight is cancelled.

UPDATE 1:48 p.m.: Mercy Medic #3 is transporting one patient to Strong Memorial Hospital.

UPDATE 1:55 p.m.: Mercy Medic #1 is transporting two patients -- mother and daughter -- to UMMC. The driver is 48 years old and has neck pain and a right wrist abrasion. Her air bag did deploy. The passenger is 13 and has slight pain in her right shoulder. Her air bag did not deploy. She is able to walk into the facility. Neither person lost consciousness. Stafford Fire Department is back in service.

UPDATE 2:04 p.m. (by Howard): The driver of the Mercury Mountaineer reportedly told a deputy she didn't see the silver sedan stopping to make a left-hand turn and then couldn't stop in time to avoid a collision.

A driver was cited for allegedly following too closely, leading to an accident Monday evening that sent one person to the hospital.

Joshua A. Miller, 22, of Church Street, Le Roy, was reportedly heading west at 7:21 p.m. on Route 5 in the area of Roanoke Road, Stafford, behind another vehicle.

He reportedly said he didn't realize the car driven by Linda Marie Wolf, 60, of Merle Street, Attica, was slowing down to make a turn.

Wolf's passenger, Wayne C. Wolf, 61, was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital with a complaint of neck pain.

The accident was investigated by Sgt. Greg Walker.

(Initial Report)

A two-car accident with injuries is reported at Route 5 and Roanoke Road. Stafford Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding. It is blocking traffic.

UPDATE 7:25 p.m.: Fire police from Le Roy are called to stop westbound traffic at Route 5 and Buckley Road.

UPDATE 7:29 p.m.: They're going to turn traffic around at the Red Osier Restaurant.

UPDATE 8:25 p.m.: The roadway is reopened. The Stafford assignment is back in service.

Robert Lee Hizer, of East Avon - Lima Road, Avon, is charged with: aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child in the vehicle under age 15 (Leandra's Law); driving while intoxicated; aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, 3rd; improper signal; and not wearing a seat belt. Following arraignment, Hizer was jailed on $25,000 cash bail or $50,000 bond. The charges stem from the 32-year-old's alleged robbery of a convenience store on Lake Street in Le Roy on the morning of June 23, and then leading police on a pursuit. He is scheduled to appear in Le Roy Town Court at 1 p.m. on Monday, July 9. The case was investigated by Deputy Jason E. Saile.

Eric R. Swede, 24, of Perry Road, Pavilion, was arrested by Wyoming County Sheriff's deputies at his home on June 26 on an outstanding warrant for a violation of probation. He was arraigned in the Town of Covington Court and committed to the Wyoming County Jail without bail. He is scheduled to appear in the Covington courtroom on July 2 for further proceedings.

Kyle W. Nash, 24, of Route 5,  Stafford, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd, for allegedly violating a stay away court order of protection which was issued June 25. The following day, he allegedly entered the residence of the protected person. He was issued an appearance ticket for July 3 in Stafford Town Court. The case was investigated by Deputy Frank Bordonaro.

Jamie Call is living the dream. After 23 years as a volunteer with the Stafford Fire Department, Call now wears the uniform of the City of Batavia Fire Department.

Call, at 41, was the second oldest member of his Utica Fire Academy class, which graduated Friday.

Call's first day on his new job was Monday.

Yes, there aren't many 41-year-old rookies in full-time, paid fire departments, acknowledged Jim Maxwell, Batavia's chief, but Maxwell said age isn't a criteria in the hiring process.

"We were very impressed during the interview process," Maxwell said. "He did very well in the oral interviews.He did very well on the physical agility test we put everybody through.

"Age?," Maxwell added, "He’s the one who had to determine that. We’re not going to discriminate by age. He’s still young enough where he’ll get his years in and go through the state retirement system, so more power to him."

Call said becoming a full-time firefighter has been a lifelong dream, but something he didn't really get serious about until a year ago.

"The fire service has meant a lot over the years and coming here it means a lot more," Call said. "I like helping people and this is the perfect job to be in that situation."

Maxwell said Call's 23 years with Stafford will be an asset to the department in two ways. First, Call has acquired some leadership skills and Call might have some different ideas on how to do things that he's picked up from the neighboring department.

"I think we’ll benefit from some of that seasoned leadership on some of the younger candidates we’ve hired over the last year," Maxwell said.

"Because we’re such a small organization I encourage people to be able to think outside of the box," Maxwell added. "If he’s bringing a different perspective from 23 years at Stafford, bringing some of that thought process here, maybe do things differently or more efficiently, then we welcome it."

Call said his biggest concern at age 41 was getting through the physical aspects of testing and training, but he found he was able to handle it all just fine.

Maxwell said all city fire candidates must complete, as part of the application process, the same physical agility course that the state requires academy graduates. It's eight different stations that must be completed in 10 minutes 20 seconds.

"It’s physically challenging," Maxwell said. "I went through it after the candidates did last week and I was, ah, I was whipped.”

Candidates also interview with a panel of six people and are required to write two essays, one on integrity and one on work ethic.

The department is looking for leaders, Maxwell said, because firefighters aren't just responsible for the safety of the community and their colleagues, they are also ambassadors for the department.

"Even though we catch people at their worst time, we need to leave them feeling good about the service we provide to them," Maxwell said.

Currently, there are 12 more candidates competing for the next opening in the department, including several more local volunteers, Maxwell said.

Call said his family (pictured above in a photo supplied by Maxwell: wife Stephanie, daughter Samantha, and son Nicholas) has been proud and supportive of his career change. He suggested we take a look at a drawing his son placed on Call's Facebook wall (reposted below with permission) to see an example of the support he's gotten.

Jacob Anthony Gilmore, 26, of Alleghany Road, Darien, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater and moving from lane unsafely. Deputy Kevin McCarthy responded to a complaint at 3:57 a.m., Thursday, to a report of a vehicle in a ditch at 2180 Bennett Road, Darien, and following an investigation placed Gilmore in custody for allegedly driving drunk. Gilmore was jailed on $500 bail.

David B. Bruise Jr., 39, of Knapp Road, Akron, is charged with petit larceny and harassment, 2nd. Bruise is accused of shoplifting from Kmart. When Bruise left the store, he allegedly pushed an employee who tried to stop him from leaving. Bruise was located in the parking lot of Target and taken into custody.

Rosemary Renee Waters, 26, of Roosevelt Drive, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny, criminal trespass, 3rd, and false impersonation. Waters is accused of shoplifting at Kmart. When confronted by Kmart security and a Sheriff's deputy, Waters allegedly fled on foot. After a short pursuit, Waters was taken into custody. Waters was allegedly banned from Kmart because of a previous shoplifting complaint. While being processed on the arrest, Waters allegedly provided Deputy Howard Carlson with a false name and false date of birth.

Kyle William Nash, 24, of Main Road, Stafford, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, unlawful imprisonment, 2nd, and harassment, 2nd. Nash is accused of arguing with another person, pushing that person to the floor and holding that person down for a period of time. The alleged incident occurred within close proximity to a 2-week-old infant.

Saturday evening I swung back by the Stafford Carnival just to get some night-light pictures of the fun.

If you're unable to view the slide show below, click here. To purchase prints of these photos, click here.