crime

A fight in front of Genesee Community College, by the Clock Tower, is just now breaking up and it reportedly involves 15 people. Campus security is on scene and multiple law enforcement officers are responding.

UPDATE 4:48 p.m.: The fight has reignited. An ambulance is requested for injured victims.

UPDATE 4:50 p.m.: A law enforcement unit on scene reports other officers responding may disregard the call. They have the situation under control.

UPDATE 4:52 p.m.: Mercy medics are put back in service as they are deemed not needed.

UPDATE 5:18 p.m.: Subsequently, medics were again called to the scene, in non-emergency mode. One 19-year-old male who was allegedly involved in the fight is being taken to UMMC with lacerations to his lips and an injured left hand.

An alleged hit-and-run accident in Genesee County has led to the arrest in Wyoming County of a man wanted in Texas.

Taken into custody by the Wyoming County Sheriff's Office and held on $25,000 bail was Guy J. Bontrager, 41, of 3269 Humphrey Road, Varysburg.

In Wyoming County, Bontrager is charged with unlicensed operation, aggravated unlicensed operation and operating a vehicle without an interlock device.

Bontrager's license had allegedly been revoked because of a prior DWI conviction.

Sgt. Daniel Hummel, Wyoming County, stopped Bontrager on Route 77 in the Town of Sheldon after receiving a report in Genesee County on Friday of a hit-and-run accident.

During the traffic stop, a records check indicated that Bontrager has a warrant for his arrest in Texas. The Wyoming County Sheriff's Office did not indicate whether he would be extradited on that warrant.

There's no information yet on whether Bontrager also faces charges in Genesee County.

The following three suspects were accused of shoplifting at Kmart on Tuesday at 8:14 p.m.:

Chrisina Maria King, 19, of South Main Street, Castile, is charged with petit larceny. King is accused of shoplifting from Kmart.

Lisa Marie Uvenio, 34, of Borden Avenue, Perry, is charged with petit larceny. Uvenio is accused of shoplifting $56.88 in merchandise from Kmart.

Ashley Nicole Dumbleton, 17, of Lamont Road, Gainsville, is charged with petit larceny. Dumbleton is accused of shoplifting at Kmart.

Local residents are being warned once again by the Sheriff's Office to be on the alert for scammers.

According to the Sheriff's Office, a person or persons have been calling area residents posing as a Microsoft employee and telling them their computer system has been compromised, potentially with a virus.

The caller then attempts to guide the person through a series of steps supposedly meant to fix the problem, but may actually give the caller remote access to the computer system.

Once a malicious person has gained such access it's possible to capture passwords, steal identity or install malicious software.

Three such calls have been reported locally and the Sheriff's Office is aware of similar scams being run on residents on Niagara County.

In all reported cases, the Sheriff's Office said, residents became suspicious and terminated the call.

Any resident who has questions about potential telephone scams are encouraged to contact local law enforcement.

A fight involving six people is reported at 5 Dellinger Ave. in the City of Batavia. One or more of the participants is said to have fled the scene westbound on Main Street in a green Ford Explorer. Police are on scene.

Le Roy PD suspects that a Buffalo-area man who is accused of stealing $700 worth of baby formula and two boxes of diapers intended to sell the products on the black market, or as the press release put it, at "unscrupulous locations."

A store employee at the unnamed retail location in Le Roy is credited by police with providing crucial information to help catch the alleged shoplifter.

Taken into custody and charged with petit larceny was Edward P. Clark, 23, of Lakeview.

According to Le Roy PD, a store employee spotted an alleged shoplifter leave the store and contacted the dispatch center with a description of the individual, his vehicle and plate number.

As Le Roy PD gathered information at the scene of the alleged crime, law enforcement units in the area were notified of the suspected crime and description of the alleged perpetrator.

After about 10 minutes, a vehicle matching the description was located and stopped by a Sheriff's deputy and state trooper on Route 5, westbound toward Batavia.

The items that were alleged to have been stolen were found inside the vehicle.

The tote contained 44 containers of baby formula.

Clark was jailed on $1,000 bail.

A 22-year-old Le Roy resident who broke into a friend's house and stole a PS3 game system has 30 days to show Judge Robert C. Noonan he "gets it."

Eric Bratcher, of 7 ½ North St., Le Roy, entered a guilty plea to third-degree burglary after originally being charged with burglary, 2nd, and offered a chance at a "split sentence" (possibly six months in jail and five years probation).

After his guilty plea, he was released under supervision of Genesee Justice with certain requirements for his conduct, including no drug use.

The next time Bratcher came before Noonan, he was accused of smoking marijuana while out of jail under supervision, so Noonan sent him back to jail to await his sentencing.

At that hearing, according to Noonan, Bratcher "editorialized" that he didn't see why it was a big deal. "It was just a little weed," according to Noonan.

Since that time, while in jail, Bratcher has reportedly been going through some rehabilitation programs and making progress.

Rather than sentence him today, Noonan gave Bratcher 30 more days to show what sort of progress he can make. He remains jailed without bail.

Noonan could send Bratcher to state prison.

"I'm not certain it won’t come around to the point where a split sentence could be possible," Noonan said. "I’m going to have to be shown something that Mr. Bratcher gets it and I just haven’t seen it yet."

Noonan expressed concern that Bratcher doesn't understand he committed a serious crime.

"You haven't shown me that you understand that you went into somebody's house and -- even though it was a friend and even though it was just a PS3 that was stolen -- the statement he gave on the condition of his residence before he had any idea it was you (was) 'it looks like a burglary,' " Noonan said. "It doesn't look like a friend who just happened to wander into a friend's house."

A 29-year-old Batavia man was arrested by federal authorities today and accused of transporting a minor to another state with the intent of sexual activity.

Timothy Logsdon was taken into custody following an investigation that started Saturday when the parents of a 16-year-old girl contacted the Genesee County Sheriff's Office to report her missing.

During an interview with FBI agents, the parents indicated the girl might be with Logsdon.

Authorities obtained a court order and traced Logsdon's mobile phone activity and determined he was in Kentucky.

That same day, State Police in Kentucky located Logsdon in Bowling Green and he was allegedly with the teenager.  

“Thanks to the awareness of the victim’s parents and the hard work by the FBI and Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, this case was investigated and closed in extremely rapid fashion,” said U.S. Attorney William Hochul in a news release. “This is yet another example of how the public coming forward to police with important information can stop criminal conduct before it gets too far.” 

Logsdon remains in federal custody pending further legal proceedings.

UPDATE AND CORRECTION: The first name of the alleged perpetrator contained in the original post was wrong. The story has been changed to contain the correct first name.

Brandon M. Maldonado, 24, of 146 Summit St., Batavia, was arrested on warrants for alleged petit larceny and criminal mischief. Maldonado was located at the scene of the fire Sunday night at 140 Summit St.

Bethani M. Dibble, 20, of 146 Summit St., Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Dibble allegedly drove her vehicle into the porch and fence of her residence and then left the scene of the accident at 2:38 a.m., Saturday.

Daniel E. King, 36, of 2058 Phelps Road, Basom, is charged with petit larceny and harassment, 2nd. King is accused of stealing a can of Mike's Hard Lemonade from a convenience store on West Main Street and then hitting the store manager when confronted.

Daryl R. Hamler, 18, of 6786 Westcott Road, Le Roy, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Hamler was charged after allegedly being found in possession of marijuana while driving through a DWI checkpoint on Clinton Street.

Alicia M. Stanwick, 21, of 318 E. Main St., Apt. 2, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and inadequate stop lamps. Stanwick was stopped at 1:36 a.m., Sunday, on Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Katelyn Louise Hodgins, 24, of Pringle Avenue, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving left of pavement markings and open container. Hodgins was stopped at 1:17 a.m., Saturday, on Seven Springs Road, Batavia, by Sgt. Greg Walker.

Thomas Allen Pfalzer, 45, of Harper Road, Darien, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, driving while on a mobile phone, consumption of alcohol in a motor vehicle and unlawful stopping or parking in the roadway. Pfalzer was allegedly located at 2:04 a.m., Saturday, in his vehicle stopped on Sumner Road, Darien, talking on his mobile phone. Upon investigation by Deputy Jason Saile, Pfalzer was allegedly found to be intoxicated.

Darrell Jerrod Holloway, 44, of Crowydon Road, Rochester, was arrested on a bench warrant for alleged failure to pay a fine. Holloway was taken into custody following his release from the Elmira Correctional Facility, where he was held on an unrelated matter. Holloway was jailed pending a court appearance.

Tyanna Desiree Green, 17, of Lewis Place, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Green allegedly stole two CDs from Kmart.

James Pontillo wants to know who dumped 15 black commercial garbage bags in the Dumpster of his property in Stafford.

Pontillo is restoring the old Odd Fellow's Hall, the former location of the Stafford Trading Post, now known as Pontillo's Place, at the corner of Route 237 and Route 5.

He is offering $100 for the arrest and conviction of whomever dumped the garbage bags.

To report any information, the Sheriff's Office can be reached at 585-343-5000.

UPDATE 6:36 p.m.: Pontillo says the matter has been resolved.

Following a slow-speed chase through the Village of Le Roy, a Rochester resident was arrested and charged with multiple crimes, including felony DWI and fleeing a police officer.

Nicholas M. Klusek, 31, of Electric Avenue, Rochester, was jailed on $25,000.

The chase started about 10 p.m., Friday, when a Le Roy PD officer observed Klusek's vehicle allegedly fail to stop for a stop sign and make a turn without a turn signal. The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but Klusek allegedly just kept driving.

The chase wound its way down several village streets and was joined by a Sheriff's deputy, who observed the driver stop at Village Square and run into the woods.

The deputy apprehended Klusek.

At one point, Klusek reportedly stopped his vehicle and as a Le Roy officer exited a patrol car, Klusek allegedly put his car in reverse and hit the passenger door of the patrol car.

The officer was not injured.

Besides felony DWI and fleeing, Klusek was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation, 1st, attempted aggravated assault on a police officer, unlawful possession of marijuana, 12 counts of failing to signal, five counts of failing to stop, two counts of speeding in zone, one count of failing to yield to an emergency vehicle, one count of leaving the scene of a property damage accident and one count of unsafe start.

The alleged assault on a police officer is a Class C felony.

Four men, including two with reputed ties to the Hell's Angels, were convicted by a jury in Federal Court today of stealing scrap metal in Batavia.

Convicted of conspiracy to steal an interstate shipment and theft of an interstate shipment were Richard E. Riedman, 39, of Webster, Anthony Toscano, 47, of Rochester, Anthony J. Russell, 39, of Rochester and Timothy M. Stone, 32, of Chili.

Riedman and Stone were indicted in April 2011 on federal racketeering charges for their part in an alleged plot to help James Henry McAuley Jr. (aka "Mitch"), 62, an alleged Hell's Angel vice president, avoid apprehension for an alleged assault on a person viewed as a threat to the motorcycle club.

McAuley is married to 45-year-old Donna L. Boon (aka Donna L. McAuley), a Town of Batavia resident, who was first arrested in July 2009 as an alleged member of a methamphetamine ring headed by Donald G. Vanelli, 48, of 8394 Lake St., Le Roy. Vanelli is currently serving a lengthy federal prison sentence, but the original charges against Boon were later dropped.

In February, Boon, along with Riedman, was re-arrested by federal authorities and accused of being part of a meth distribution ring.

All of those charges are still pending.

Riedman, Toscano, Russell and Stone face a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

The four men, along with Christopher Monfort, who was previously convicted in the case, were caught June 30 by Sheriff's deputies using a logging truck and pickup truck to steal more than 16 tons of scrap steel from a rail car at the CSX Transportation yard in Batavia, along with 17 tons of processed scrap steel.

The stolen scrap was awaiting shipment to a steel mill in Pennsylvania.

The federal case was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Brett A. Harvey.

Sentencing is scheduled for January.

Nabbed through DNA evidence in May for a Dec. 15 break-in of a Town of Batavia home, a 19-year-old Buffalo man entered a guilty plea in Genesee County Court today and faces up to seven years in prison.

Steven Carnell McKnight, already sentenced to a prison term of one to three years for an unrelated crime in Erie County, will be sentenced Oct. 15.

McKnight will be sentenced on two charges. There's today's guilty plea on second- degree attempted burglary, plus an earlier plea to the same charge for a break-in Dec. 14 in the Town of Pembroke.

All three sentences -- Erie County, Pembroke and Batavia -- will be served concurrently.

The entire sentence range, from probation up to seven years in prison, is available to Judge Robert C. Noonan. McKnight could have been sentenced today under the plea arrangement, but there is paperwork that must be completed first.

Press release:

The Le Roy Police Department is asking for assistance in identifying the white female in these surveillance photographs as a forgery suspect who has allegedly passed numerous forged checks in numerous locations n Genesee, Monroe and Ontario counties.

If you can identify this female, please contact Detective John Condidorio of the Le Roy Police Department at 585-768-2527, ext. 2219, or Investigator John Falbo of the Ontario County Sheriff’s Department at 585-396-4628.

State Police have been advised to be on the lookout for two white males who may be in the Genesee County area in an allegedly stolen vehicle with the intention of robbing a farm.

One of the suspects reportedly told a witness a week ago that if law enforcement interfered with his plans he would lead them on a high speed chase and exchange gunfire.

The subject, identified as Robert Jones, was seen at the time with a shotgun.

The other subject was identified as Benjamin W. Muntz, who has resided in Basom and Oakfield.

A warrant was issued for the arrest of Muntz on March 27 when he failed to appear in county court for sentencing on his burglary, 3rd, and grand larceny, 4th, convictions.

That warrant and one other from Genesee County are still active for Muntz.

The duo is allegedly in a stolen gold Ford Focus with a decal in the back window of an unknown cartoon character holding a cross.

The original officer advisory was issued by authorities in Fayetteville, Ark.

Law enforcement is advised that if the two men are located to use extreme caution.

Citizens should not approach the subjects if spotted but call 9-1-1 immediately.

A 26-year-old woman who recently relocated from Florida to Le Roy was arrested today, accused of stealing a purse from a local business and then using debit and credit cards to make purchases at local stores.

Maria A. Matos was taken into custody after an employee of a retail store in Le Roy became suspicious of a woman who was carrying multiple credit and debit cards and so contacted authorities.

The employee said the woman left in a local taxi and Le Roy PD began a search for the cab.

When located on Route 5 in Stafford, the taxi had no passenger and the driver said he had dropped off a woman at a business on Lake Street because she admitted she didn't have cash for the fare.

That led police to the residence of Matos, who was staying in a boarding house on Lake Street.

According to Le Roy PD, Matos was allegedly found in possession of two stolen credit cards and the identification of a Medina resident.

Numerous items purchased with the allegedly stolen cards were also found in the room.

About this time, Batavia PD received a report of a purse being stolen from an office in Batavia.

Police accuse Matos of allegedly stealing the purse and then securing a taxi ride to Le Roy, where she used the stolen credit cards.

Matos was arraigned on two counts of criminal possession of stolen property, two counts of identity theft, two counts of unlawful possession of personal identification, two counts of petit larceny and one count of theft of services (for allegedly not paying for taxi fare).

Following arraignment, Matos was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Further charges are pending in Batavia.

A 24-year-old Batavia man is accused of violently assaulting an 8-month-old baby, causing head injuries.

Randy Johnson, of Walnut Street, Batavia, is charged with three counts of reckless assault of a child.

According to Det. Kevin Czora, Batavia PD opened an investigation after a child was transported to Women's and Children's Hospital in Buffalo and treated for seizures that were believed caused by brain injuries.

The injuries are not believed to be permanent.

Johnson is accused of inflicting the injuries over a period of several weeks.

The child was released from the hospital and is now in the custody and care of Child Protective Services.

Johnson was released under supervision of Genesee Justice.

He was able to get himself into a garage and later help another man escape jail, and now he's going to be locked away for five to seven years.

Paul J. Doctor, who entered guilty pleas Aug. 2 to attempted burglary, 2nd, and escape, 1st, will serve five years on the first charge and three-and-a-half to seven years on the second.

He will serve the sentences concurrently, Judge Robert C. Noonan ruled this afternoon.

Doctor, 34, and a resident of 20 Maple St., Batavia, at the time of his arrest, was accused in February of breaking into a garage and residence on Jackson Street and stealing appliances.

By May, he was a wanted man, accused of violating the terms of his release under supervision.

Besides pleading guilty to the burglary charge, Doctor also admitted that he helped an inmate escape from the Genesee County Jail in July.

Charges are still pending against 22-year-old John Anthony Cabrera, who is accused of a handful of local church burglaries over the summer.

Cabrera allegedly climbed through the jail building, after getting a boost from Doctor into the ceiling area, and into the basement. Cabrera reportedly managed to get out of the jail area -- constituting escape -- but never made it out of the building at 14 Main St.

Once out of jail in five to seven years, Doctor will be on parole for five years.

An assault at Batavia High School this afternoon sent one teenager to UMMC for undisclosed injuries and/or an evaluation. The person was later released from the hospital. No furthers details are available. Police responded and will be filing a report.

Kids are reportedly partying by the State Street maintenance entrance to the New York School for the Blind, and officials there called dispatch to report it. City police are responding.