batavia

A recent theft of cash, jewelry, and prescriptions from a home on Batavia Elba Townline Road and another attempted similar burglary on Indian Falls Road over the weekend has gotten the attention of the Sheriff's Office and Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster says local residents should be on the watch for Gypsy scammers in their neighborhoods.

In the Townline Road case, a dark-skinned man came to the front door of a 96-year-old resident and said he was there to investigate a problem with a telephone line behind the house.

When the resident and the visitor went behind the house, two other people, who had apparently been hiding in the car, entered the house and stole items.

In the case on Indian Falls Road, a person knocked on the door and said he was there to see about cutting down some trees behind the house.  Somehow, he talked the resident into walking behind the house. At which point, at least one person entered the residence. In that case, nothing was stolen.

In both cases, the visitors arrived in a white Kia. The Kia is missing a front plate and likely has an out-of-state back plate.

Brewster said the operation matches a well-known scam run by Gypsies who pass through the area occasionally. He said they are most likely staying at a motel in a neighboring county. They don't usually stay in the county where they are conducting their scams.

They will approach residents, usually elderly residents, with any number of stories to try and talk the resident into walking to the back of the house so confederates can enter the residence and make off with whatever valuables they can easily grab.

While there have been no reports of similar crimes in the city, he said city residents should be vigilant for people who try to talk their way into basements.

He said he isn't sure how the Gypsies select their victims -- whether they case neighborhoods beforehand to identify elderly residents or if they acquire names and addresses online.

Brewster said residents who observe suspicious activity at a neighbor's house, such as one person going to the door and then going into the backyard, followed by two more people getting out of a car and entering the front door -- call the police.

Press release:

This Sunday, June 10, the public is invited to the Batavia VA Medical Center for a special ceremony to honor the American flag.

The ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. honoring those service men and women who have fought to protect that flag and our country.

There will be a motorcycle procession, Special Presentation of Colors, and a special thank you from the Batavia Middle School to honor Mr. Leo Pelton (98 years young) for his service in World War II.

"Let's Ride" -- motorcyclists carrying the names of our fallen warriors listed on Batavia's memorial wall -- will gather at Stan's Harley-Davidson, 4425 Saile Drive, Batavia, at 11:30 a.m. for the noon memorial ride to the Batavia VA Medical Center. They will present those names to the veterans in the hospital to let them know they are not forgotten and present a new American flag on their behalf to the hospital.

Essays will be read by the student winners from BMS who won the essay contest on “What the American Flag Means to Me.“ 

St. Joseph’s of Batavia Brass Ensemble will perform its patriotic/military set for the VA patients and the general public.

It promises to be a great afternoon! Come on out and be part of this special celebration. Help us make this a very special Thank You to our veterans and service people!

The Batavia VA Medical Center is located at 222 Richmond Ave. in the City of Batavia.

Next week is National Flag Week. Flag Day is Thursday, June 14. The National Flag Day Foundation holds an annual observance for Flag Day on the second Sunday in June, which includes a ceremonial raising of the national flag, the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, singing of the National Anthem, a parade and other patriotic events.

The Genesee County Libertarian Party held its annual convention Monday evening at T.F. Brown's in Batavia.

Mark Potwora (top photo) was elected chairman. Dave Olsen is now vice chairman, and Lisa Whitehead is secretary.

The party endorsed one candidate for office in the 2018 election: Mark Glogowski for the State Assembly, District 139.

There will be a fundraiser for Larry Sharpe and Andrew Hollister, who are running for governor and lieutenant governor, July 22 at 1 p.m. at T.F. Brown's. 

The boys participating in this year's B Squad, a running group coached by Sarah Gahagan and other Batavia Middle School teachers, celebrated their first year as a team with a pizza party and individual recognition for their accomplishments.

Each boy was nominated for an award by a teacher or administrator based on improvements or contributions they made throughout the school year.  There are 50 boys who participated this year.

The group runs as a team and often to locations where they learn about the community or local businesses.

Three suspects were arraigned this afternoon in Genesee County Court for crimes stemming from a May 17 incident on Central Avenue in Batavia in which one man was stabbed to death and another man shot with a handgun. All pled not guilty to the charges.

Nathaniel D. Wilson Jr., 30, was ordered held without bail. He is charged with second-degree murder, which carries a maximum prison term of 25 years to life, and criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree.

He was in court represented by criminal defense attorney Fred Rarick, who made routine demands for discovery of evidence and the "bill of particulars" for the crimes alleged.

Motions in the case are scheduled for July 19; answers July 26; oral arugments at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 6.

Wilson made no statement in court.

He is accused of stabbing 41-year-old Jerry J. Toote to death in the confrontation between a group of people on Central Avenue.

Jennifer Urvizu-Hanlon, 48, was granted $50,000 cash bail or bond by Judge Charles Zambito.

She allegedly handed her revolver, which she is licensed to carry, to 17-year-old Samuel Blackshear that night and he, in turn, allegedly shot Wilson in the leg. The owner of La Mexicana store in the Valu Plaza is charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, both Class C violent felonies.

The District Attorney's Office asked that no bail be granted in her case and First Assistant District Attorney Melissa Cianfrini told the judge the defendant was harboring Blackshear in her home at the time of his arrest.

Urvizu-Hanlon's counsel, public defense attorney Marty Anderson, told the court his client is a 20-year resident of Genesee County and has been a small business owner here for six years. He noted further that she has no substance abuse issues and no criminal history.

Wearing bright lemon-lime jail clothes, Urvizu-Hanlon smiled wanly as she entered the courtroom with hands shackled at her waist. Petite, about 5' tall, she softly pronounced her name for the judge when prompted to do so.

Anderson asked that she be released into the custody of Genesee Justice.

Zambito said he would not release Anderson's client to Genesee Justice but allowed that bail was appropriate and he asked the people what bail they would prefer for Urvizu-Hanlon. The people suggested $50,000 and the judge agreed to that sum.

The judge also ordered Urvizu-Hanlon to surrender her gun(s) and informed her that her license to carry a concealed weapon in New York State was suspended.

"My client's ex-husband was in possession of a gun, both their names were on the permit, and he sold it," Anderson said. "I will provide documentation to the court as soon as possible."

Motions are set in the Urvizu-Hanlon case for July 19; answers July 26; oral arguments at 2 p.m. Aug. 6.

Blackshear is charged with attempted assault in the first degree, assault in the second degree, and two counts of criminal possession in the second degree. He facees up to 15 years in prison.

A private attorney hired by his sister appeared with Blackshear in court, James Hinman.

Hinman asked for "reasonable bail" to be set for his client. He said he received the bail evaluation from Genesee Justice, provided to him by public defense attorney Michael Locicero, and noted that Blackshear has a misdemeanor case (criminal possession of a controlled substance) pending in Batavia City Court and two failure to appear citations.

Blackshear, tall and lanky with a prematurely furrowed brow, has extended family here and is a lifelong resident, his attorney said. About eight family members were in the gallery in a show of support for their kin.

Hinman disputed Cianfrini's claim that Blackshear was being harbored by Urvizu-Hanlon and said his client had been staying with his mother for a couple of days at a motel at the time of his arrest.

The teenager, if he is able to bail out of custody, would live with his father, Hinman said.

"He has no violent history," Hinman told Zambito.

The District Attorney's Office suggested bail be set at $100,000 and said Blackshear actually failed to appear on the misdemeanor in city court on three occasions not two -- March 28, April 17 and May 11 -- and the current charges are way more serious.

Hinman said his client witnessed the individual he is accused of shooting, stab his uncle, Toote, to death so "his behavior is not as egregious as Mr. Friedman would have the court believe." He suggested bail should be set at $25,000.

Friedman said it's not a matter of what he believes -- he reviewed the evidence and viewed the video of the incident -- and maintains there is "no valid self defense claim here."

Zambito said he is concerned about where the youth would live, his young age, his failure to appear three times on a misdemeanor charge.

The judge agreed to set the higher bail as requested by the people of $100,000 cash or bond.

Motions are due by July 20; answers by July 27; oral arguments at set for 1:30 p.m. Aug. 13.

Today, Terry Hills hosted the annual Jim Kelly Golf Celebrity Classic, a fundraiser created by the Buffalo Bills great to help support several children's' charities in Western New York.

Above Dean Cain, who played for the Buffalo Bills for a short time before launching an acting career that has included a role as Superman, talks with his golf partners for the tournament.

Dean Cain on the tee.

Willie Hutch Jones with fans. Jones played for the San Diego Clippers in the early 80s. He's originally from Buffalo and for the past 30 years has been director of the Willie Hutch Jones Educational & Sports Programs in Buffalo. The program's mission: "... to provide every child, at no cost, equal opportunities to engage in the highest quality program and to offer character building activities through academics, sports, and the arts."

Thurman Thomas

Thurman Thomas with his golf partners.

Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, former Dallas Cowboys receiver, signs a Buffalo Bills cap for Luke Gutman.

LPGA professional golfer Cindy Miller.

Danielle Rotondo with actor Dennis Haskins.

Local golfers T.J. Woodward, Ray Tortorice, Tim Woodword, and Matt Meyer, with former Bills player Ed Rutkowski (center).

Danielle Rotondo with ESPN's broadcasting legend Chris Berman.

Chris Berman.

When Terry Hills Golf Course built the 14th hold more than 30 years ago, the green, on one of the course's signature holes, was mostly surrounded by water. To provide a bridge to the green, two telephone polls were placed across the water.

In the three decades that passed, the weather did its work on the wood, so last summer the bridge was removed.

This year a new bridge was installed, and with Jim Kelly on hand to cut the ribbon, it was officially opened.

Top photo: Mary Brown, Casey Brown, Danielle Rotondo, Jessica Ecock-Rotondo, Ellen Simkulet and Nick Rotondo.

Below, two photos provided by Terry Hills. First, Tom Brown walking across the telephone polls when first placed over the water. Second, Casey Brown walking across the first beam placed for the new bridge.

GO ART! and local poetry lovers will have a special event featuring poet Stephen Lewandowski at 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 14, at historic Seymour Place in Downtown Batavia. It is free and open to the public.

At "Poetry in Batavia," Lewandowski will read poems and this will be followed by an open reading -- an opportunity for people to read their own work or that of a favorite poet.

Lewandowski has published 13 books of poetry, and his poems and essays have appeared in regional and national environmental and literary journals and anthologies.

He was a student of poet Howard Nemerov, a graduate assistant to philosophical essayist William Gass and later studied with folklorist Louis Jones.

His two most recent books are "Under Foot" from May Apple Press in Woodstock (2014) and "Last Settler in the Finger Lakes" from Foothills Publishing in Avoca (2015).

He is working on "Local Life, a Natural History of the Finger Lakes."

GO ART!, in the Seymour Place building, is located at 201 E. Main St. The bar will be open for those wishing to purchase beer or wine.

Matthew J. Hyland, 38, of Canandaigua, is charged with petit larceny. Hyland was arrested following an investigation by a trooper into the theft of $103 from a wallet that had been accidentally left on a counter by a customer at the TA Travel Center in Pembroke. The customer reported returning for the wallet and finding $103 had been removed from the wallet. The trooper used video surveillance to help identify Hyland as a suspect. According to State Police, Hyland admitted to the larceny and stated he wanted to return the money to the owner. Hyland turned himself in to State Police at the Batavia Barracks.

Adam J. Arsenault, 32, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with menacing a police officer, resisting arrest, and criminal possession of a weapon. Arsenault allegedly brandished a knife at police officers who were attempting to arrest him on a warrant. He was jailed without bail.

Scott David Beswick, 44, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt. Beswick is accused of consuming alcohol at his residence in violation of a court order of protection.

Nathan Robert Arnold, 26, of Terry Street, Byron, is charged with criminal obstruction of breathing. Arnold allegedly obstructed the breathing of another man while engaged in a fight at 7:35 p.m. Wednesday at a location on Terry Street, Bryon.

Bleyke Z. Culver, 21, of Walnut Street, Batavia, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to comply with court-ordered programs as part of his sentencing on a conviction. He jailed on $1,000 bail or $2,000 bond.

Latiqua S. Jackson, 24, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property, 5th, and conspiracy, 6th. Jackson was arrested on a warrant. Jackson is accused of pawning, trading or selling stolen property and that she was aided by at least one other person. She was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Luis Alberto Ramos-Mercado, 33, of South Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass, 2nd. Ramos-Mercado is accused of entering another person's dwelling through a window without that person's knowledge or permission.

Edward R. Loper, 30, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property, 5th. Loper was arrested on a warrant while incarcerated in the Genesee County Jail on unrelated charges.

Nathen Edward-Donald Brege, 25, of Alleghany Road, Basom, was arrested on a warrant for alleged failure to appear for sentencing on a resisting arrest charge. He was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Matthew J. Florian, 29, of Slusser Road, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and following too closely. Florian was stopped at 11:18 p.m. Saturday on West Main Street, Batavia, by Officer Arick Perkins.

A minor injury accident with fluids leaking is reported on West Main Street at River Street, Batavia.

A neck injury is reported.

City fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

Pony riders from age 5 to age 17 were at the Genesee County Fairgrounds today for a regional competition hosted by the Western New York Pony Club.

The competition is a series of games, relay races, that test the riders' skills for placing, picking up, and handing off objects while on horseback.

The children age 5 to 9 compete in five races and the older competitors race through 10 relays.  

The rulebook contains 46 possible games that organizers can choose and teams only learn a month before the competition which games will be played.

The winning teams will have an opportunity to compete at the national championship in North Carolina later this year.

There were 36 competitors in Batavia today from throughout Western, Central, and a portion of Northern New York.

EIghth-grader Cody Harloff was the first to cross the finish line in a 1K fun run at Centennial Park this morning held to promote the Batavia High School Cross-country Team.

The run was promoted to Batavia Middle School students.

Below, Coach Rich Boyce explains to the rules of the race to the runners.

First-place awards were given to the winners at each grade level participating.

A heavy rainstorm delayed the start of the annual mother and sons Mud Run at John Kennedy School today, but once the clouds cleared, the race was on.

Jennifer Desautels, covered in mud, gives a mock hug to her uniformed father, Firefighter Tom Douglas.

A large fight is reported in the City of Batavia at Austin Park, 10 Jefferson Ave. City police are on scene with "a large group on Jefferson."

Law enforcement is responding to the parking lot on Veterans Memorial Drive in the Town of Batavia outside GameStop for a report of a dog locked inside a blue Chevy Silverado truck. It's 79 degrees now here.

GameStop is located at 4232 Veterans Memorial Drive, unit E-2.

This course will focus on what you can do as a concealed carrier to protect yourself and your loved ones during an active shooting, as well as the moral, ethical and legal aspects. There will also be a hands-on, scenario-based component covering emergency first aid and tourniquet application, taught by a current NYS Tactical Paramedic.

Seats are limited -- Call 585-219-4248 or visit www.mandstactical.com today!

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported at Lewiston and Park roads in front of Town of Batavia Fire Station. Four vehicles were involved. "All the vehicles are clear; there's just a lot of debris in the roadway."

Injuries are reported; one victim is a 12-year-old child. Town of Batavia Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

UPDATE 5:28 p.m.: A second ambulance is requested for a victim with a knee injury.