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Le Roy

Law and Order: Pair accused of conspiracy to steal a purse

By Howard B. Owens

John A. Cabrera Jr., 22, with no permanent address, is charged with criminal mischief, petit larceny and conspiracy; Rosemary R. Waters, 26, with no permanent address, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property and conspiracy. Cabrera and Waters are accused of teaming up on a larceny at Tops Friendly Market at 7:30 p.m., Monday, when Cabrera allegedly used a rock to smash a window of a parked car and steal a purse from the front passenger seat.

Robert VanDyne, 30, of 46 South St., Le Roy, is charged with harassment, 2nd, and two counts of criminal mischief, 4th. VanDyne is accused of being involved in a domestic dispute early Sunday morning in which he allegedly grabbed a female's wrist and twisted a mobile phone out of her hand and then broke the phone, preventing the woman from calling 9-1-1.

Bradley Michael Crandall, 44, of Lake Street, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or higher and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Crandall is accused of driving drunk in the Tops parking lot in Le Roy at 7:03 p.m., Tuesday, when he allegedly struck a parked vehicle and then moved his car to another parking space.

Tip leads to arrest of Pavilion resident on Leandra's Law charge

By Howard B. Owens

State Police in Wyoming Country received a tip Friday that a woman was allegedly driving drunk with a 4-year-old in the car.

After checking the Town of Covington area, Troopers were informed the woman was heading to Top's Market in Le Roy.

Angela R. Kruse, 40, of Pavilion, was stopped at Tops and subsequently arrested.

State Police alleged Kruse was driving with a BAC of .14 and had a 4-year-old in the vehicle.

Kruse was transported to the Warsaw station for processing and the young girl was turned over to a childcare provider at the scene.

Following arraignment in Le Roy, Kruse was jailed on $1,000 bail.

The Wyoming County Sheriff's Office assisted in the initial investigation.

Le Roy PD quickly nabs robbery suspect who may also face Leandra's Law charge

By Howard B. Owens

A 32-year-old Monroe County resident is accused of robbing a gas station on Lake Street on Saturday morning, and then leading police on a pursuit. He may also face drunken driving charges under Leandra's Law.

Robert Lee Hizer, who police believe has been staying temporarily at a residence in Le Roy, allegedly walked into the convenience store of the gas station and handed the clerk a note demanding cash and cigarettes.

While Hizer initially fled on foot, police believe he got into a car, which a witness quickly identified and responding units -- which included Le Roy PD, Sheriff's deputies and State troopers -- were provided the description.

A short time after the 9:27 a.m. robbery report, a police officer attempted to stop the suspect's vehicle, but the driver allegedly sped to School Street, stopped the car and fled on foot.

Officers pursued the suspect on foot on School Street, Mill Street and into the Oatka Creek.

Hizer was apprehended as he came out of the creek on the east side, at which time officers identified him as the suspect in the robbery.

Hizer is charged with one count of robbery, 3rd, and may face drunken driving charges under Leandra's Law for allegedly driving drunk with a child under age 16 in his car. He may also be charged with endangering the welfare of child.

Following arraignment, Hizer was jailed on $25,000 cash bail or $50,000 bond.

In a statement, Le Roy PD said, "The Le Roy Police wish to acknowledge the cooperation of nearby citizens, the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department, the Genesee County District Attorney’s Office, the Livingston County Sheriff’s Department and the New York State Police for assisting in the incident in which the suspect was identified and arrested within two hours."

Shed fire on Munson Street in Le Roy

By Billie Owens

A shed fire is reported behind a residence at 38 Munson St. Le Roy firefighters are responding.

UPDATE 4:33: The shed is small and there's not much in it. They are holding the assignment to Engine 63.

UPDATE 4:35: Le Roy police are also on scene.

UPDATE 4:39 p.m.: Le Roy ambulance also responded, but is now back in service. UPDATE 4:44 p.m.: The fire is out. Le Roy firefighters are back in service.

Grand Jury Report: Man accused of getting girl stoned and engaging in sex act

By Howard B. Owens

Alexander J. Kessler is indicted on counts of criminal sexual act, 1st, criminal sexual act, 3rd, sexual abuse, 1st, endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful dealing with a child. Kessler is accused of providing a female age 17 or under with marijuana and alcohol, and then subjecting her to oral sexual contact without her consent and at a time she was unable to consent because she was physically helpless. The alleged conduct reportedly took place Feb. 25 and/or Feb. 26 in the Town of Le Roy.

Anthony J. Goulet is indicted on a count of assault, 2nd. Goulet is accused of injuring another person by hitting him with a beer bottle on June 15.

Thomas Hammerl is indicted on counts of falsifying business records and criminal purchase of a weapon. Hammerl is accused of attempting to purchase a J. Stevens single 12-gauge shotgun from Gary C. West of Sheard’s Antiques and Guns and falsely answering a question on a U.S. Department of Justice form ATF 4473 regarding his legal eligibility to purchase a gun. Hammerl is allegedly barred from owning firearms due to either a prior conviction or "some other disability which would render him ineligible to lawfully possess a firearm, rifle or shotgun in this state."

Local student athletes named to NJCAA Academic All-Region List

By Billie Owens

Several student-athletes from Genesee Community College were named to the NJCAA Academic All-Region List for the 2011-2012 athletic seasons. Students honored on the NJCAA Academic All-Region List have maintained full-time enrollment and earned a grade point average of 3.5 (roughly equivalent to an A) or better.

Those who made the list include:

  • Summer Bliss, of Bethany, a member of the women's soccer team;
  • Lauren Hughes, of Elba, a member of the volleyball and swimming and diving teams;
  • Cody Niccloy, of Le Roy, a member of the men's soccer team;
  • Emily Mott, of Oakfield, a member of the swimming and diving team;
  • Lindsay Chatt, of Oakfield, a member of the softball team;
  • Amanda Brown, of Bergen, a member of the women's soccer team.

Genesee Community College Athletics Program endeavors to provide a quality and competitive intercollegiate athletics program consistent with the National Junior Collegiate Athletics Association (NJCAA) philosophy and the overall educational mission of Genesee Community College.

Participation in collegiate athletics should be an extension of the total educational experience for the student athlete. The inherent philosophy emphasizes the athletic setting as a classroom used to teach character, commitment, work ethic, respect for differences, and the importance of sacrifice, teamwork and cooperation.

For further information and pictures go to Genesee's Athletic Web page, which is updated regularly with game results, team rosters, photographs and information about Genesee's overall athletic program. http://www.genesee.edu/athletics

Clor's chicken BBQ to benefit last graduating class of Le Roy's Holy Family School

By Billie Owens

A chicken BBQ to benefit the last graduating class of eighth-graders from Holy Family School (Class of 2012) in Le Roy will be held at Clor's Meat Market in Batavia on Sunday, June 24.

The dinner costs $9 and includes: barbecued chickem, salt potatoes and cole slaw. It will be available from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. (or 'til sold out). Clor's is located at 4169 W. Main St. Road.

Holy Family School closes at the end of this academic year.

Event Date and Time
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Person out of control on Gilbert Street, Le Roy

By Billie Owens

A subject out of control is reported at 82 Gilbert St., Building 14, in the Village of Le Roy. Multiple law enforcement units are responding.

UPDATE 2:29 p.m.: "It's calmed down now," says a police officer at the scene. Other responders headed to the location are told they can back it down.

UPDATE 2:55 p.m.: The subject is a 13-year-old male being transported to UMMC after suffering a seizure and becoming "very violent," according to a medic. Two police officers are asked to respond to the emergency room to make sure there are no problems.

Grand Jury Report: Jail inmate accused of falsifying business records to place phone calls

By Howard B. Owens

The Grand Jury issued the following indictments:

Jayson M. Connolly is indicted on 13 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Connolly is accused of using the identify of another Genesee County Jail inmate in the jail's phone system when contacting a person who was protected from contact by court order.

Stephen D. Reamer is indicted on counts of felony DWI and felony driving with a BAC of .18 or greater. Reamer is accused of driving drunk March 23 in the Town of Le Roy. Reamer was previously convicted of DWI in December 2004.

Cody L. Osborn is indicted on counts of felony DWI, felony driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, aggravated unlicensed operation and criminal impersonation in the third degree. Osborn is accused of driving drunk March 4 in the Town of Le Roy. Osborn allegedly identified himself as a person employed by the Le Roy PD. Osborn was previously convicted of DWI in May 2009.

Jon N. Roblee is indicted on a count of criminal contempt 1st. Roblee is accused of placing a phone call to a person protected by a court order and saying, "I am going to get you and him too, if it takes the rest of my life."

Law and Order: Man charged with assault in alleged domestic incident in Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens

Billie J. McMurty-Rivera, 27, of 863 North St., Rochester, is charged with assault, 2nd, aggravated unlicensed operation, and open container in a motor vehicle. A vehicle later found to be operated by McMurty-Rivera was reportedly observed in the parking lot of a closed business in Le Roy early Sunday morning by Le Roy PD. Upon investigation, McMurty-Rivera officers discovered an alleged domestic incident involving McMurty-Rivera and his female passenger. McMurty-Rivera was jailed on $20,000 bail.

Morgan L. Cox Jr., 20, of 14 Vine St., Batavia, is charged with obstructing governmental administration, 2nd. Cox was arrested during an investigation into a domestic incident.

Shawn C. Bulow, 41, of Corfu, is charged with felony DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, failure to notify DMV of address change, aggravated unlicensed operation, moving from lane unsafely and speeding. Bulow was stopped at 8:55 p.m. Sunday in the Town of Newstead by State Police.

Three members of Le Roy family jailed after scuffle with police

By Howard B. Owens

UPDATED Monday, 8 a.m., with confirmation of the suspects' identities, charges, additional details about the arrests and information provided by another person who said she witnessed the events.

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What would normally be a routine arrest -- for alleged criminal contempt -- took a quick turn for the worse Sunday evening in Le Roy bringing out a significant response from multiple law enforcement agencies.

In the end, three people were arrested and no officers nor civilians were seriously injured.

"It went from zero to 60 in under a couple of seconds. It was just that quick," said Chris Hayward, chief of police for the Village of Le Roy. "Speaking to the officer afterwards, you're standing there waiting for that extra help to get there and it feels like it's taking forever and it's only taking a couple of minutes for people to get there to help you. These situations just spiral out of control real quickly. Fortunately, it's not something that happens on a regular basis."

Taken into custody were three residents of 21 Maple Ave.: Michael J Mead Sr., 25; Donald E. Mead Jr., 49; and Elaina J. Mead, 43.

Michael Mead is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd, resisting arrest and harassment, 2nd. He was jailed on $20,000 bail.

Donald Mead is charged with assault, 2nd, a Class D felony, criminal possession of a weapon and obstructing governmental administration. He was jailed on $15,000 bail.

Elaina Mead is charged with attempted aggravated assault on a police officer, a Class C felony, menacing a police officer, a Class D felony, and obstructing governmental administration. She is being held on $15,000 bail.

The incident began some time around 5 p.m. when Deputy Matthew Butler and Officer Emily Clark went to the Maple Avenue address to speak with Michael Mead about a criminal contempt complaint.

According to Hayward, after an interview, Butler informed the suspect that he was under arrest.

Allegedly, Michael Mead physically resisted arrest.

Michael Mead Donald Mead Elaina Mead UPDATE 3:01 p.m.: Booking photos weren't available earlier because of computer problems at the Sheriff's Office.

As officers attempted to take Michael Mead into custody, Donald Mead allegedly tried to slam the front door on the officers, striking Butler with the door.

As the officers reportedly wrestled with the Michael Mead, Elaina Mead allegedly came out of the house and pushed a knife against Butler's chest.

Clark knocked the knife from the woman's hand and suffered a minor cut in the process.

Elaina Mead then reportedly reentered the house, raising further concern for the officers and their safety as they continued to wrestle with the suspect.

It's unclear what Donald Mead was doing at this point.

At some point during the scuffle, Clark requested back-up from Genesee County Emergency Dispatch, informing dispatchers that she and Butler were dealing with multiple agitated subjects and that at least one person had come at them with a knife.

As additional deputies and State Troopers responded, Butler said, "Keep sending all units. Multiple people are going to be arrested."

A Livingston County deputy responded and deputies in Orleans and Wyoming counties staged on the county lines ready to respond if more manpower was needed.

Within minutes of back-up arriving, all three suspects were in custody and additional units responded were told they could "back it down."

Sunday's incident, Hayward said, emphasizes the need in Genesee County for multiple law enforcement agencies to provide sufficient coverage in emergencies.

"Today demonstrates that if we didn’t have services along those lines, one or more officers would have been hurt," Hayward said.

Judging from scanner traffic, it sounded like several individuals were involved in the ruckus, but Hayward said up until the point of the arrests, only son, mother and father were involved.

According to Lourina Jeanotte, who emailed The Batavian in response to our initial report, said she was at the scene Sunday and said the suspects were gathered with other friends and family members for Father's Day when Butler and Clark knocked on the Mead's door.

She claims Elaina never threatened Butler nor Clark with the knife and only had it in her hand because she was cutting a steak and she forgot to put it down when she rushed out of the house because she believed Clark was beating her son.

Another person who said in an email she was there and witnessed the events, Cassidy Pucci, said Butler grabbed Michael Mead for no reason and that Donald Mead tried to assist his son.

She said Elaina Mead had a knife in her hand, but dropped it and started yelling at the officers, "Why are you hurting my son? It's Father's Day. Why are you hurting my son?" 

Pucci said Clark kicked the knife away.

At some point, Elaina Mead and Donald Mead started back toward the house, Pucci said, and Donald yelled something about the officers being in the wrong, that they had no reason to come to his house and grab his son.

When Donald Mead was cuffed and sitting in a Le Roy PD cruiser, Jeanotte said she saw Donald in the patrol car with the windows rolled up and he "began to shake and sweat horribly."

Jeanotte began to yell that he was having a medical emergency and several other people began to yell and one young man tried to open the back door of the cruiser and Clark pushed him away.

EMS personal were on scene and got Donald Mead out of the car quickly.

One male at the scene yelled that Donald Mead had a heart condition.

Donald Mead was placed on a stretcher and transported by Le Roy Ambulance to UMMC. He was released from the hospital about an hour later and taken into custody.

According to Hayward, the Sheriff's Office has been trying to resolve the criminal contempt charge for a couple of weeks, but the suspect had been uncooperative.

"Speaking to the deputy, it appears that they went above what they would normally do to get the matter resolved and that’s what resulted in the deputy going there tonight," Hayward said.

Michael Mead is accused of violating an order of protection.

Some of the Mead's neighbors said 21 Maple Ave. is a regular source of disturbances. Hayward confirmed that police have responded to the address on prior occasions, but did not have specifics on the nature of the calls.

The property is owned, according to online county records, by Troy Overholt.

It's unusual for a misdemeanor arrest to escalate as this one did, but it points out why officers need to be vigilant in all situations, Hayward said.

“There wasn’t anything that would have raised concern any more than what you typically go through when you go to deal with people," Hayward said. "It was one of those situations where they went there and it escalated out of control quickly."

Asked about how some people criticize police for how they conduct themselves in arrest situations, Hayward said many times people really don't understand the safety concerns.

"You’ll see people criticize the actions that officers take but until you’ve been in that situation where you are really concerned about your safety or the safety of others around you, you really have no basis to speak from," Hayward said. "These officers were in a situation where they were taking appropriate measures and because of that neither was seriously hurt."

UPDATE Monday, 1:57 p.m.: Donald and Elaina posted bail. Michael Mead remains in jail.

PHOTOS: Top, Donald Mead on a stretcher being assisted by Le Roy medics after suffering an apparent health issue while sitting in a patrol car. Second, Lourina Jeanotte becomes alarmed while observing Donald Mead in the patrol car. Bottom, Trooper Holly Hansell adjusts the handcuffs on Elaina Mead.

Officer being attacked in Le Roy

By Howard B. Owens

An officer is apparently being attacked by people at 21 Maple Ave., Le Roy.

Multiple law enforcement units are responding. The location is between North and Church streets in the Village of Le Roy.

UPDATE 5:19 p.m. (by Billie): A female in front of the house is armed with a knife. A man has been pinned down by police. An officer on scene says "Keep sending all units. Multiple people are going to be arrested."

UPDATE 5:25 p.m.: At least three arrests will be made. Manpower called to this point is sufficient.

UPDATE 5:27 p.m.: Law enforcement has the scene under control.

UPDATE 5:31 p.m.: Sheriff's deputies from Wyoming and Orleans counties are staged at the county line just in case they are needed. But an officer says things have calmed down. Suspects are in custody.

UPDATE 5:59 p.m.: One patient is being transported to UMMC.

UPDATE 6:54 p.m.: The Le Roy assignment is back in service.

UPDATE 6:10 p.m. (Info. from Howard at the scene): The incident allegedly began when a Sheriff's deputy arrived at 21 Maple Ave. to serve an arrest warrant on a male, who allegedly became uncooperative. Then the suspect's father allegedly interjected himself into the matter and the suspect's mother allegedly grabbed a knife and threatened the deputy with it. One of the individuals was taken to UMMC for a health complaint not directly related to the incident on Maple Avenue. When feasible, that individual will be transported to county jail. The two other people involved are already in custody.

UPDATE 6:29 p.m.: The individual taken to UMMC is the father.

UPDATE 6:54 p.m.: Le Roy is back in service.


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Possible grass fire in woods off westbound Route 490

By Billie Owens

A possible grass fire in two spots is reported in the woods off westbound Route 490 in the area of mile marker 0.9. Bergen and Le Roy fire departments are called to investigate.

UPDATE 12:23 p.m.: Firefighters found five or six large controlled burns. The farmer had notified the Emergency Dispatch Center beforehand about the planned burns. However, authorities decided because of their location, they should be looked at for safety reasons. The responders are back in service. And the property owner, who is actually on Lake Street Road, is "highly agitated" with the situation.

Law and Order: Woman accused of stealing trash stickers

By Howard B. Owens

Doris L. Mayl, 59, of 2 Manhattan Ave., Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Mayl is accused of taking bulk trash stickers from items on South Main Street. The stickers are purchased from the city to put on large items that need trash pick up.

Andrea M. Whitbeck, 23, of 196 Henderson Drive, Penfield, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and speeding. Whitbeck was stopped at 3:20 a.m. Thursday on Church Street, Le Roy, by Le Roy PD.

Hanson employees reportedly catch subject stealing

By Howard B. Owens

Law enforcement is requested to one of the Hanson Aggregates properties in Le Roy to deal with a subject who may have been stealing.

The car the person was in is blocked from leaving and the subject has taken off running toward the golf course.

UPDATE 9:47 p.m.: There are two subjects. The person with the car is being interviewed by police and the other's on foot. The subject who ran has a Le Roy address, but the subject with the car says his friend moved recently.

UPDATE 9:48 p.m.: The subject on foot has been apprehended.

Lawn mower driver said to be enjoying a brew near Maple and North, Le Roy

By Billie Owens

Le Roy Police are responding to a report of a driver of a ride-on lawn mower consuming an open container of alcohol near the junction of Maple Avenue and North Street.

UPDATE, Friday, 9:55 a.m.: (by Howard): The driver was issued a citation for an alleged violation of the open container law. No further details available at this time.

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