Alabama

Dora L. Poodry, 18, of Shanks Road, Basom, is charged grand larceny, 3rd. Poodry is accused of stealing cash from a residence on Shanks Road over a period of four months totally more than $3,000. Poodry was jailed on $10,000 bail. The case was investigated by Deputy Kevin McCarthy and Investigator Kris Kautz.

Cynthia L. Clark, 41, of 115 Wolcott St., Le Roy, is charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, 3rd. Clark is accused of taking a vehicle and driving it to Rochester without the owner's permission.

Corey James Hemmer, 25, of South Main Street, Elba, is charged with criminal mischief, 4th. Hemmer is accused of intentionally damaging a vehicle on Maple Avenue, Elba, on Dec. 12. Hemmer was jailed on $800 bail.

Kevin Michael Waleski, 23, of Church Street, Basom, is charged with grand larceny, 3rd. Waleski is accused of stealing a 2001 Dodge pickup truck valued at $10,000 from a location on Lewiston Road, Oakfield. The truck was located by a passerby in a ditch off Watson Road, Elba.

Ryan M. Palmer, 29, of 37 Tracy Ave., Batavia, is charged with driving while impaired by drugs and reckless driving. Palmer was stopped at 6:42 p.m., Saturday, in Batavia, by Sgt. John Peck.

A large motorhome has broken down and is blocking both lanes of traffic on Bloomingdale Road. The location is between the reservation and the Hawk's Nest Cafe. Alabama traffic police are requested to the scene to handle traffic until the vehicle can be towed.

Reader submitted photo.

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries has been reported at Judge Road and Route 77, Alabama.

Two ambulances, one from Mercy EMS and one from Oakfield, are requested to the scene.

Alabama Fire Department on scene.

No serious injuries reported so far.

UPDATE 3:22 p.m.: Alabama fire back in service. Both patients transported to UMMC.

UPDATE 5:56 p.m.: According to a Sheriff's Office report, a 2003 Ford sedan driven by Joelle J. Reiner, 19, of Tooley Road, Cowlesville, was westbound on Judge Road. Reiner reportedly initiated a left turn onto Route 77. A 2010 Nissan SUV driven by Frederick C. Hart, 71, of Kennedy Circle, Medina, stuck Reiner's car.  Reiner was cited allegedly failing to yield right-of-way. Reiner was transported to UMMC with minor injuries. E.J. Hart, 74, a passenger in Frederick Hart's car, was transported to Medina Memorial Hospital. The accident was investigated by Deputy Chris Parker.

Leiland B. Jonathan, 42, and Larue F. Jonathan, 36, both of Basom, are both charged with both charged with DWI and three counts of driving drunk with children under 15 in the car. Leiland's DWI charge is a felony because of a prior DWI conviction. The couple was involved in a motor-vehicle accident at 11:39 p.m., Thursday, in the Town of Clarance, according to the Buffalo News. Following the accidents, witnesses reportedly told police they saw the driver and passenger switch places. Larue was also charged with charged with obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest.

Joseph Leonard Elmert, 24, of Dugway Road, Conesus, and Joseph Bly Gohlman, 20, of Maple Beach Road, Geneseo, are charged with criminal trespass. Following an investigation into a report of a suspicious vehicle complaint in Darien at 7:39 p.m., Thursday, Elmert and Gohlman were allegedly found in a secured area of Darien Lake Theme Park without permission. The two men allegedly climbed a fence to gain entry.

Kevin Michael Bartz, 35, of Route 98, Varysburg, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and trespass. Bartz allegedly became involved in an altercation with another person while on private property. The incident was reported in Corfu at 10:50 p.m., Dec. 4.

Jared R. Burns, 25, of 309 Washington Ave., Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief, 3rd, and endangering the welfare of a child. Burns is accused of pushing another person while that person was holding a child.

A controlled burn in Darien that took place yesterday was thought to be rekindled after fire and smoke were reported there a few moments ago.

The property owner at 9668 9688 Allegany Road told authorities he is aware of the situation and is burning off the residual debris from Sunday.

Darien and Alabama fire departments were called but the response was cancelled.

A law enforcement officer just witnessed a two-car accident with injuries at the junction of Judge and Allegany roads in Alabama. Their are two people injured, one is a pregnant woman nine months along.

Alabama Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 4:50 p.m.: A second ambulance is requested. Two occupants in each vehicle are not injured and will be "sign-offs."

UPDATE 4:53 p.m.: Traffic is getting tied up because of the accident. Two flatbed tow trucks are called to the scene.

UPDATE: One patient was transferred to the hospital in Medina, the pregnant woman to Women's and Children's Hospital in Buffalo.

One person was seriously injured Sunday morning in a two-car collision on Ledge Road, Alabama.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

Alabama Fire Department and Mercy EMS were dispatched to the accident at 6:21 a.m.

Gordon L. Montgomery, 53, of Batavia, was trapped in his vehicle and needed to be extricated. Montgomery was transported by Mercy EMS to ECMC where he is being treated for internal injuries.

John D. Anderson, 58, of Basom, suffered minor cuts and was treated at the scene and released.

The initial investigation indicates that Anderson was eastbound in a 2005 GMC Sierra when Montgomery's 1998 Pontiac Sunfire crossed into the eastbound lane for an undetermined reason. The two vehicles hit head on.

Also assisting at the scene were the Pembroke and Indian Falls fire departments.

Emergency responders are heading toward a location either on or near the Iroquois Wildlife Refuge.

The location is described as off Feeder Road, which is on the refuge.

It's also described as off Route 77.

The victim is described as shot in the jaw. Emergency dispatchers have had difficulty maintaining a connection with the mobile phone of the caller.

The injury is described as serious but not fatal.

The actual location may be in Shelby.

Alabama fire, Mercy EMS, Mercy Flight and Sheriff's deputies all dispatched.

UPDATE 12:33 p.m.: A deputy has found the vehicles of the callers. He describes the location as near where an Eagle Scout completed a blind that was written about on The Batavian. That's right on Feeder Road.  

UPDATE 12:37 p.m.: Orleans County notified the incident is in their jurisdiction. All Genesee County emergency response continuing. The caller is on the phone as is a deputy, and dispatch is working to coordinate the location of the victim.

UPDATE 12:42 p.m.: Caller located by a deputy, who will be with the victim momentarily.

UPDATE 12:49 p.m.: Patient located. He's in critical condition. Mercy Flight will land on Feeder Road.

UPDATE 12:54 p.m.: There will be no further updates to this post.

UPDATE 7:12 p.m.: Press release from the State Police:

On Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011 at about 12:20 p.m. New York State Police, Batavia, investigated a fatal hunting accident occurring on U.S. government land off of Lewiston Road, Town of Shelby, Orleans County.

While transporting a harvested deer through a wooded area an 18-year-old Lockport male was fatally injured when his 12-gauge shotgun accidentally discharged.

New York State Police were assisted with this investigation on location by NYS DEC Officers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, along with members of the Orleans and Genesee County Sheriff ’s offices.

Emergency services on location were fire departments from Alabama, Shelby, Lyndonville and Ridgeway accompanied by emergency medical services from Medina Ambulance, Mercy Ambulance and Mercy Flight.

An Oakfield resident accused of multiple burglaries and other crimes in several Genesee County jurisdictions was ordered held in jail without bail by Judge Robert C. Noonan on Monday morning.

Benjamin W. Muntz appeared in county court to be arraigned on charges of burglary, 3rd, possession of stolen property and petit larceny.

Assistant District Attorney Melissa Cianfrini asked that Muntz, who was already in jail, continue to be held without bail because he faces possible felony and misdemeanor charges out of Oakfield, Elba, Alabama and Bergen.

Thomas Burns, the attorney assigned Muntz, asked for a bail review once all of the other cases are brought before Noonan.

Muntz pled not guilty this morning.

In the current indictment, Muntz is accused of breaking into a garage on Judge Road, Alabama on Aug. 26 and stealing a Honda dirt bike.

UPDATED 7:25 p.m.

A 42-year-old Niagara County resident died while hunting today in Alabama off Sour Springs Road.

Charles E. Sossong, of Lockport-Olcott Road, Newfane, was not wearing a safety restraint while in a tree stand that was 35 feet off the ground, according to Sheriff's Office investigators.

Sossong was pronounced dead at 3:11 p.m. by Genesee County Coroner Christine Flanagan.

His body was first found by a friend at the base of the tree.

An investigation revealed the tree stand was still affixed to the tree.

Emergency dispatchers received a call from Niagara County dispatchers at about 1 p.m. today reporting that a caller had parked a blue truck somewhere on Sour Springs Road and gone to a location in the woods where he had found his friend fallen to the ground from a tree stand.

The caller was performing CPR and could not immediately be reached by phone to better determine his location.

Volunteers from the Alabama Fire Department as well as Shelby and Akron were called to the scene.

Mercy Flight was dispatched immediately and assisted in the search for the victim.  

It took rescuers 30 minutes to locate the hunter and his friend who had made the call.

Once the victim was located, Mercy Flight was put back in service and Sheriff's investigators and the coroner were summoned to the scene.

Alabama fire personnel were on scene for about three hours.

A brush fire is reported in the woods behind a house at 7405 Reuben Road. Town of Alabama Fire Department is called to the scene. Oakfield Fire Department is called to standby in its quarters.

UPDATE 3:18 p.m.: Indian Falls and Pembroke are called in to provide mutual aid.

UPDATE 3:36 p.m.: Corfu requested mutual aid. Corfu's engine with its "deluge gun" requested to the scene. Firefighters are having a hard time reaching the fire through the woods.  A chief says, "the only way we're going to get back there is with a deluge gun."

UPDATE 3:42 p.m.: Fire is out. Chief says, "we're just wetting things down."

UPDATE 3:58 p.m.: All units back in service.

A caller has reported finding his friend fallen from a tree stand in an area off Sour Springs Road, Alabama.

There is a truck parked beside the road. The caller is no longer on the phone and is reportedly performing CPR on his friend.

Alabama Fire Department and Mercy EMS dispatched. Mutual aid requested from Akron and Shelby.

Mercy Flight being dispatched.

UPDATE 1:06 p.m.: The caller called his mother in Lockport, who called 9-1-1. The information was relayed to Gensee County Emergency Dispatch by Niagara County dispatchers.

UPDATE 1:08 p.m.: Medina ambulance in route. Mercy Flight may be needed to help spot the location of the victim from the air.

UPDATE 1:15 p.m.: The truck has been located. It's in the area of Onondaga Nature Trail.

UPDATE 1:16 p.m.: Patient not located, but the caller has a visual on Mercy Flight 5 overhead. Chief states, "I believe we're in the right area." (At some point, dispatch got the original caller on the line and patched the caller through to a chief on scene.)

UPDATE 1:20 p.m.: The caller said they were more than a mile off the road. A chief is cutting a chain off a gate. Contact with the caller has been lost.

UPDATE 1:24 p.m.: Responders have reached the end of the trail. "We're going to have to backtrack. We're unable to locate anybody."

UPDATE 1:26 p.m.: The caller has been found and is walking responders back to the patient's location.

UPDATE 1:28 p.m.: Manpower needed to carry the patient out. The trail is not accessible by vehicle.  

UPDATE 1:31 p.m.: Medina put back in service. If Shelby has manpower on the south side of the bridge, they are requested to the scene.

UPDATE 1:35 p.m.: Patient located. 

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A grass fire is reported at 510 Bloomingdale Road in Alabama. Alabama Fire Department is called to the scene.

UPDATE 11:12 a.m.: "We've got it knocked down pretty good. We're all set." The assignment is being held to Engine One.

UPDATE 11:48 p.m.: The fire is out. Alabama fire is back in service.

There's a report of smoke on the first floor of Leisure Timers Apartments, 364 Bloomingdale Road, Basom.

Alabama Fire Department along with mutual aid from Indian Falls and Akron, is responding.

The residence has not yet been evacuated.

UPDATE 2:18 p.m.: Akron and Indian Falls put back in service. Alabama units still in route can respond non-emergency. Residence is evacuated.

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An Oakfield man already accused of other thefts is facing new burglary and larceny charges following an investigation by Sheriff's investigators into a recent series of crimes in the Oakfield and Elba area.

Benjamin W. Muntz, 22, of 6966 Knowlesville Road, Basom, is being charged with burglary, 3rd, grand larceny, 3rd, and petit larceny.

Muntz is already being held in the Genesee County Jail on a third-degree burglary charge.

Investigators suspect Muntz of stealing an ATV, a dune buggy and a dirt bike from a residence in the Town of Oakfield between June 20 and June 26. The value of the three vehicles is reportedly more than $2,500.

He's also suspected of stealing a large quantity of tractor weights from a location in Elba between Aug. 1 and Sept. 7 with a total value of more than $8,000.

Muntz is also suspected of stealing tractor weights from outside a building in Alabama around Sept. 1 with a value of about $500.

The ATV, dune buggy and dirt bike have been recovered, officials report, but they believe the tractor weights were sold for scrap metal.

In early September, Muntz was arrested and accused of entering a barn in Alabama and stealing a small child's dirt bike. He's also been accused of trespassing and attempting to steal items from a property in Byron.

On the two new felony charges, Muntz was ordered held without bail.

There's been an increase in home burglaries and overnight vehicle break-ins in the Oakfield and Alabama area, according to Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster.

Some of the burglaries may be related and there is at least one person whom investigators suspect being involved in several -- but not all -- of the thefts.

Items ranging from jewelry and electronics to cars and motorcycles have been stolen during the spree.

"Business is kind of booming out that way," Brewster said.

In Alabama there's been a pair of daylight burglaries that investigators think are connected because of the type of items stolen, the similarity between the houses and the close proximity to each other.

Other burglaries include:

    -- a garage on Drake Street, where a pipe wrench was stolen;
    -- homes on Galloway Road and Fisher Road, both with televisions, cash and other items stolen;
    -- a pair of dirt bike thefts on Oak Street and Cary Street in the Village of Oakfield;
    -- a pick-up truck, also stolen in the village, on Mill Street;
    -- and copper stripped and stolen from a home across from Oakfield-Alabama Elementary School on Route 63.

It's likely, Brewster said, that local thieves -- in addition to the one person already a person of interest -- is involved in these larcenies.

A local resident whose car was broken into over night called The Batavian and wondered why the Sheriff's Office isn't increasing patrols in the area.

Brewster said that approach isn't really productive. Unless a deputy is super familiar with a neighborhood, he might not spot cars or people who are out of place.

"That's why it's so important that people call us if they see something suspicious," Brewster said.

Brewster said if a resident sees an unfamiliar car drive down a street and drop somebody off, or if a garage door has been left open, for example, it's a good idea to call the Sheriff's Office (343-5000).

WBTA's Geoff Redick contributed to this report.

Joshua Ray Radley, 25, of Old Meadow Lane, Batavia, is charged with unlawfully growing cannabis, unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful possession of fireworks. Radley was arrested following an investigation into a complaint filed on July 27.

Loralyn L. Bateman, 35, 874 Gabbey Road, Corfu, is charged with driving while ability impaired by alcohol. Bateman turned herself in at Batavia PD on a warrant out of Batavia City Court.

Michael A. Witkop, 19, 249 Ross St., Batavia, is charged with DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation and improper right turn. Witkop was stopped at 12:38 a.m., Sunday, on River Street, Batavia, by Officer Darryl Streeter.

Brian M. Raphael, 23, of 4 Noonan Drive, Batavia, is charged with aggravated DWI, moving from lane unsafely and improper turn. Raphael was stopped at 1:09 a.m., Saturday, on Liberty Street, Batavia, by Officer Marc Lawrence.

Peter J. Kaiser, 50, of Jackson Road, Middleport, is charged with driving while ability impaired by alcohol, failure to stop for stop sign and speed not reasonable and prudent. Kaiser was charged following an investigation into a traffic accident that occurred Sept. 16 on Lockport Road, Alabama.

Rusty Everett Vanson, 46, of Jefferson Street, Attica, is charged with felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and driving left of pavement markings in a no-passing zone. Vanson was stopped at 12:57 a.m., Sunday, on Attica Road in Alexander by Deputy Jason Saile.

Eric Michael Duda, 49, of Main Road, Stafford, is charged with criminal contempt, 1st. Duda allegedly asked a third party to contact a person he is barred by court order from contacting. He has a previous conviction for criminal contempt, 2nd, within the last five years. Duda was jailed on $5,000 bail.

While driving through the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge yesterday, I came across this damp and dark wooded area and felt, well, compelled to make a picture.

It's taken more than 160 hours of his own time, and countless hours of help from volunteers, but Christopher Clarke, Indian Falls Boy Scout Troop 6066, has completed the key component of his Eagle Scout project -- a birder blind at the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge that is handicapped accessible.

After getting assistance from an engineer to design the structure and help from fellow Boy Scouts and Boy Scout leaders during the construction of the modular blind, Chris supervised installation of the parts Sunday afternoon.

"A lot of people from all over come here, so this is something that is pretty much for everybody," Chris said when asked why he decided to tackle this project.

During waterfoul hunting season -- which opens Saturday -- only hunters with disabilities will be able to make reservations to use the blind, according to the park's assistant manager, Dawn Washington.

After the season ends Nov. 17, photographers -- both those with disabilities and those without -- will be able to reserve the blind.

Only birders with reservations will be allowed in the blind, Washington said, and visitors to the park who happen down Feeder Road are asked not to disturb anybody using the blind. A sign next to the entrance to the blind's walkway asks visitors to respect the solitude of people using the blind.

During the spring and summer, the gated entrance to the road is locked, but park officials will help people with reservations gain access to that portion of the park.

The blind is at the end of a long dock that was installed by Jonathan Hoste and members of Troop 40 from Wrights Corners. The dock was paid for with federal grant money.

Chris, who enjoys hunting and fishing and has taken a few scouting hikes in the park, said when he heard park officials wanted to get a handicapped accessible blind installed at the end of the dock, he decided he would like to help the park with the project.

"It all came along pretty smoothly," Chris said. "We only had a couple of minor changes."

To make reservations to use the blind, call (585) 948-5445.