Bethany

A motor-vehicle accident with injuries is reported at 5488 Ellicott Street Road, Bethany. The location is between Main Road and Clapsaddle Road. Stafford Fire Department and Mercy medics are also responding.

UPDATE 4:23 p.m.: Fire police are responding for traffic control.

UPDATE 4:31 p.m.: Injuries do not appear to be serious according to a first responder.

UPDATE 5:05 p.m.: A sedan was pulling out of a driveway onto northbound Route 63 and it pulled into the path of a southbound Chevrolet. No one in the sedan was injured. The two occupants of the Chevrolet were sitting up and talking with medics and were going to be transported to a hospital for evaluation. The investigation is ongoing. It is unknown at this time whether citatations will be issued.

Drone shots of yesterday's field fire by Glenn Adams.

Previously: Cornfield fire reported off Creek Road in Bethany

A cornfield fire is reported in Bethany at 9561 Creek Road. The location is between Putnam Road and Old Creek Road.

"It's pretty heavy fire," says Bethany Fire Department command.

Alexander fire's UTV is called to the scene along with a tanker. A brush truck and "a lot of hose" will be needed.

Command: "What we've got is a 75-acre swamp -- right now it's burning toward the swamp and headed into the woods. "It's hard to get through ... at the moment."

Elba's brush truck is also en route.

The chief also asks for a brush truck out of Wyoming and a gator out of Le Roy.

UPDATE 1:50 p.m.: Attica Fire Department is asked to stand by.

UPDATE 1:51 p.m.: Town of Batavia's brush truck is called to the scene.

UPDATE 2:11 p.m.: Command reports an area near the fire is covered with about two feet of water. "If we can knock the edges down we'll be OK." 

UPDATE 2:24 p.m.: Command reports south end of blaze is mostly out; working on hot spots. "The only flames I'm seeing are in the middle." Smoke is rising on the northeastern portion, but it remains difficult to access.

UPDATE 2:59 p.m.: Attica is put back in service; the brush trucks are released from the scene. Bethany and a gator will remain there. A drone was deployed and was helpful but its battery died and a fresh one is being retrieved so they can use the drone again.

UPDATE 3:15 p.m.: Command says they are still putting water on the embers about 1,200 feet from the roadway. The drone is powered up and is being put back in action. Elba is called back to the scene.

Greg Robert Solomonidis, 24, of Little Canada Road, Bethany, is charged with second-degree assault. At 3 p.m. on July 24, Genesee County Sheriff's deputies took a report of an assault that allegedly occurred at a tavern on Attica Road in the Town of Alexander. Following an investigation, Solomonidis was arrested on Nov. 11, arraigned in Genesee County Court and released on his own recognizance. He is accused of striking a person in the face, causing serious physical injury. He is due in Town of Alexander Court on Dec. 21. The case was investigated by Deputy Erik Andre, assisted by Deputy Kenneth Quackenbush.

James Michael Caccamise, 32, of Warboys Road, Byron, is charged with: operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs -- first offense; criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree; and moving from lane unsafely. At 3:37 p.m. on Sept. 30, Caccamise was arrested after an investigation into a single-vehicle accident that occurred on Fotch Road in Satfford. It is alleged that Caccamise overdosed on fentanyl while driving on a public highway and that he possessed fentanyl at the time. He was released on appearance tickets and is due in Stafford Town Court on Nov. 24. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kenneth Quackenbush, assisted by Deputy Erik Andre.

Jason Ray Anderson, 39, of Batavia (no address provided), is charged with petit larceny, possession of burglar tools, and endangering the welfare of a child. Anderson was arrested on Nov. 7 after allegedly stealing items from Kohl's department store on Veterans Memorial Drive. He is accused of fleeing the scene on a bicycle while having a 6-year-old child flee with him on a separate bicycle. He was issued a ticket to be in Batavia Town Court on Dec. 3. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Austin Heberlein, assisted by Deputy Jacob Gauthier.

Shawn Philip Wolcott, 38, of South Main Street Road, Batavia, is charged with second-degree menacing and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree. On Nov. 7 at 1:19 p.m. on South Main Street Road, Wolcott was arrested after allegedly possessing a curved knife blade and menacing a victim, causing fear of physical injury. He was held in Genesee County jail until his arraignment at 7 p.m. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Jacob Gauthier.

Salvatore Paul Scarlata, 36, of Ladue Road, Sweden, is charged with disobeying a court mandate. He was arrested Nov. 5 on an arrest warrant for second-degree criminal contempt. It is alleged that at 11:55 a.m. on Oct. 10 on Main Road in Stafford that Scarlata violated an order of protection. The defendant is accused of fleeing the scene before responding patrols arrived, and an arrest warrant was issued. He was arraigned then given a return date of Nov. 12 for Stafford Town Court. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kenneth Quackenbush.

Tyler John Griffin, 20, of Amherst, is charged with: driving while intoxicated, with a BAC of .08 percent or more; DWI -- first offense; moving from lane unsafely; and speed not reasonable and prudent. Griffin was arrested following a rollover acccident on East Road in the Town of Bethany at 12:06 a.m. on Nov. 7. Griffin was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Town of Bethany Court on Nov. 17. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Austin Heberlein, assisted by Deputy David Moore.

Lawrence Donnell Williams Sr., 60, of Ross Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a forged instrument in the second degree, a Class D felony. On Oct. 6, the Genesee County Sheriff's Office received a report of a counterfeit $100 bill at a store on Veterans Memorial Drive. Following an investigation, it is alleged that Williams knowingly presented the money as if it were real U.S. currency to pay for a transaction at the store at 12:12 p.m. on Oct. 4. He was arrested, arraigned virtually in Genesee County Court, then released on his own recognizance. The case was investigated by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong, assisted by Sheriff's Investigator Kevin Forsyth.

Katherine Jeanne Briggs, 41, of South Main Street, Batavia is charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree and possession of switched license plates. At 12:49 p.m. on Nov. 6, a Genesee County Sheriff's patrol car equipped with a license plate reader received an alert of a stolen license plate. The status of the suspected stolen plate was allegedly confirmed through a registration check and the motor vehicle was stopped on Route 33 in the Town of Stafford. Briggs was identified as the operator of the vehicle. She was transported to Genesee County jail for processing and photographs and released with a ticket to appear in Stafford Town Court on Dec. 2. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong, assisted by Deputy Robert Henning.

Benjamin Gobe Evans IV, 32, of Federal Drive, Batavia, is charged with third-degree criminal trespass. At 4:35 p.m. on Nov. 6 on Federal Drive, Evans was arrested after allegedly going to a gas station where he is no longer allowed. He was released with a ticket to be in Batavia Town Court on Dec. 17. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kyle Krzemien, assisted by Deputy Nicholas Chamoun.

Joey Aaron Evans, 30, of State Street, Batavia, is charged with third-degree criminal trespass. At 4:35 p.m. on Nov. 6 on Park Road, Batavia, Evans was arrested after allegedly going to the Citgo gas station where he is no longer allowed. He was released with a ticket to be in Batavia Town Court on Dec. 17. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Nicholas Chamoun, assisted by Deputy Kyle Krzemien.

Fire in the woods behind a house is reported at 5455 Jerico Road in Bethany. The location is between Bethany Center and East roads.

Pavilion Fire Department is rerouting a tanker from a mutual aid call in Wyoming County to the Bethany fire incident. Stafford is asked to stand by in their quarters with a tanker. Alexander is called to the scene with a tanker.

York is asked to stand by in their hall in case Bethany calls for their mutual aid.

UPDATE 11:41 a.m.: Attica Fire Department, with a tanker en route to the scene, is asked to "drive by" in case they are needed. Attica says it can also send a brush truck if warranted.

UPDATE 11:49 a.m.: The fire is mostly out, command says, and they are working on hot spots now. Stafford is put back in service. Alexander is on location. Attica is continuing to the scene in non-emergency mode.

Tom Stringham, an entrepreneur based in Bethany, inspired by a trip to Burning Man, imagined a new way to play ping-pong: Instead of trying to get the ball past an opponent, a player would instead use touch and finesse to strategically land the ball on colored squares, trying to blackout an opponents squares before the opponent did the same to the player.

The game is called TapGlo and it's manufactured in Bethany. The pandemic has slowed down sales but not Stringham's enthusiasm for the game.

A car-into-pole accident with injuries is reported in Bethany at Transit Road and Ellicott Street Road. The pole is down along with wires. Bethany Fire Department is responding along with Mercy medics.

UPDATE 3:13 p.m.: The accident is not blocking traffic, according to a first responder on scene, who also reports a Sheriff's deputy is there.

UPDATE 3:17 p.m.: There is one patient "who is not very coherent." The vehicle is in a ditch; there is no debris in the roadway.

UPDATE 3:25 p.m.: The pole is sheared in half -- "I don't even know where the bottom half is," says a first responder. A NYS Trooper is also on scene.

UPDATE 3:47 p.m.: Responders believe this accident was the result of a medical issue. Just prior to the accident, callers to the dispatch center reported a vehicle being driven erratically. It was southbound on Route 63, went off the road onto a lawn, possibly damaging a decorative pole, then back on the road and off again on the west side of the roadway. It careened over to the opposite side and landed on its wheels in a grassy area on the east.

A one-vehicle accident is reported in the area of 1007 Francis Road, Bethany.

A utility pole was struck and wires are down.

A female occupant attempted to exit the vehicle and the caller advised the woman to say in the vehicle because of the possibility of live electrical wires. It's unknown if there are other occupants in the vehicle.

Bethany fire and Mercy EMS dispatched.

Francis Road is being closed to through traffic.

UPDATE 10:37 a.m.: A chief on scene reports a pole in the road, live wires down, and asks National Grid to expedite its response. No ETA.

Attica author Rob Thompson has released his 17^th book, but only his second historical fiction. "Candle in the Rain" is the story of the 1997 Genesee County homicide of Ann Rippel (inset photo, right).

Her body was found in the Little Tonawanda Creek near Brookeville and Creek Roads in Bethany. No arrest has ever been made and Ann’s case has been labeled cold for many years.

“I’ve been working on a book about Ann’s case for a couple of years now,” Thompson said, “I had to be very careful, I was limited in what information I could access, and I remained in touch with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department along the way to make sure I wasn’t jeopardizing an active investigation.

“Above all I wanted to be respectful to Ann and to her family; so historical fiction seemed to be the best way to go. I don’t deviate from known facts of the case, but I do incorporate some fictional elements around those publicly known facts.”

Thompson uses vivid imagery in telling his own personal story and that of Rippel's.

“I found it a good opportunity to share with my readers aspects of our lives they may not know,” Thompson said. "Poets, balladeers, and purveyors of prose have bemoaned at how close their protagonists have been during the layout of damnable syntax. I’ve been personally close to many things in life, so close at times. I’ve been close to winning, close to losing, close to God and awfully close to His rival.” 

“In my opinion, the investigating officers are and have been very close to solving this case, I believe it comes down to just one or two things or even just one long-silent voice stepping forward. I wanted the readers to know Ann was a very real person and not a just a dusty file folder…for example what might she had said to her family if she had been given a chance.

“Perhaps she would have something like this…

“If tomorrow starts without me…if the sun should rise and find your eyes filled with tears for me; I wish so much you wouldn’t cry the way you did today…God looked down and smiled at me. He said, your life on Earth has passed, but here, life starts anew. You have been forgiven and now at last are free.”

Thompson said, “I conclude the book with my providing a behavioral profile on a possible suspect to the family. My background in psychology and literary psychoanalytical criticism aids me during such pursuits. Based on studying the scene, the public information on the crime and after interviewing Ann’s family my detailed profile concludes with the labeling of the possible suspect as a sociopath.

Because of COVID-19, there may be no public signings, the book is available on Amazon (paperback, $9.29) and if anyone knows anything about Rippel’s case, or have heard about what may have happened during that April in 1997 please call the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department.

A wooden bridge over a trail in the area of 9963 Covell Road, Pavilion, is on fire, according to a passerby who called dispatch. Bethany Fire Department is responding to the blaze at the "Covell Secondary Trail Bridge."

UPDATE 6:18 p.m.: A state Department of Forestry employee is on scene, investigating.

UPDATE 6:19 p.m.: A first responder is switching from heading to a Byron house fire to the bridge fire in Pavilion, which he characterized as "probably intentional."

On the drive back from Genesee County Park early this afternoon, I stopped for some scenic shots along Bethany Center Road.

Catherine Klinkbell, 52, of Bethany Center Road, Bethany, is charged with confinement with extreme temperature of companion animal in vehicle. At 1:08 p.m. on July 27, the Genesee County Emergency Dispatch Center received a report of a canine inside a vehicle in the Walmart parking lot on Veterans Memorial Drive. The outside termperature was 84 degrees. Genesee County Animal Control was dispatched and reported that the canine was in distress and found that the temperature inside the vehicle was harmful to the canine. The canine was removed from the vehicle and transported to the Genesee County Animal Shelter. The registered owner of the vehicle, Klinkbell, was located and charged with one count of violating Section 353-D of the NYS Agriculture & Markets Law. If found guilty, the violation is punishable with a fine $50 to $100 for a first offense (and up to $250 maximum for subsequent offenses). She is due in Town of Batavia Court at 1 p.m. on Aug. 20. The case was investigated by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong, assisted by Animal Control Officer Ann Marie Brade.

Heidi Nicole Pitcher, 27, of Parkedge Street, Rochester, is charged with reckless endangerment in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child. At 7:19 a.m. July 28, the Genesee County Emergency Dispatch Center received a report of a domestic incident on Route 237 in the Town of Stafford. Following an investigation into the incident, it is alleged that Pitcher drove the vehicle recklessly, creating a substantial risk of serious physical injury to another person while in the presence of children. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Town of Stafford Court at a later date. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Ryan DeLong.

From Timothy J. Hens, P.E., superintendent, Genesee County Highway Department:

More oil and stone work will be done next week on East Road (Route 63 to the county line), East Bethany-Le Roy Road, and Fargo Road (Route 5 to Route 63).

Please drive slowly to avoid kicking up stone. It's a temporary inconvenience, but it's a necessary evil for road maintenance. Biggest bang for the buck by far.

Signs are up in advance of these areas including sides roads.

A loose bull is reported in the roadway in the vicinity of 9495 Francis Road, Bethany. Genesee County Sheriff's deputies are responding.

UPDATE 5:38 p.m.: A deputy reports the bull is no longer in the roadway and the officer says the owner lives at 9453 and will be trying to corral it. The deputy cleared the scene.

A caller reports hearing a loud boom and can now see smoke and flames near a barn in the area of 10740 Transit Road, Bethany.

A second caller reports a chicken coop is on fire.

A responder reports seeing a lot of smoke as he approaches.

Bethany fire responding. The chief has asked for a second alarm. The location is south of Sparks Road.

UPDATE(S) (By Billie) 5:52 p.m.: Alexander, the city's FAST team, Le Roy, Town of Batavia, Pavilion and Stafford are responding as mutual aid. Town of Batavia is also having a crew stand by in quarters.

UPDATE 5:56 p.m.: The city's FAST team is cancelled per Bethany command, so is Town of Batavia Ladder #22 to the scene.

UPDATE 5:58 p.m.: Fire Police are on scene to control/direct traffic. Mutual aid is also on the road responding from Attica and Wyoming.

UPDATE 6:01 p.m.: Genesee County Sheriff's deputies are on scene.

UPDATE 6:12 p.m.: Fire is under control. Responding tankers can continue non-emergency.

A one-vehicle rollover accident is reported in Pavilion at Transit and Keller roads. A female sustained a back injury and is unable to exit the vehicle. A male complains of head pain.

Bethany Fire Department is responding along with two Mercy ambulances.

UPDATE 8:45 p.m.: Extrication equipment is requested and more manpower from Bethany.

UPDATE 8:56 p.m.: The patient with the back injury has been extricated.

From Carl Hyde Jr., Bethany town supervisor:

At an emergency financial Town Board Meeting in Bethany last night, May 27, after discussion on the FACT of Genesee County breaking its agreement with the towns and villages for Shared Sales Tax Revenue it agreed to, the Town of Bethany made some hard choices.

The Sales Tax Revenue Sharing has made up 50 percent of the town's budget for decades to keep town taxes low.

The Genesee County Legislature ended that on the evening of May 13, 2020.

The Town of Bethany's budget was passed in November of 2019 for the 2020 year; taxes came in and plan were made for 2020, the county dropped a BOMB on all towns and villages.

The Town of Bethany voted unanimously to furlough the Highway Department from June 1, 2020 through Aug. 31, 2020. The employees will be brought back on occasion in emergency situations.

With the revenue to the town cut off, we need to have money to get through the winter plowing.

The Bethany Town Board is planning budget adjustments and cuts in spending to plan for the 2021 budget, which will likely have a tax increase if the county keeps the sales tax revenue going forward.