Le Roy

Note: Reminder, innocent until proven guilty. While we use "allegedly" throughout this report, the nature of recounting the events as alleged by the FBI could leave an impression that the events occurred exactly as reported. That has not yet been proven in court.

For a little over two months, Donald G. Vanelli was a man being closely watched by the FBI.

Agents obtained a court order authorizing a wiretap on his phone on April 22. The FBI mounted a camera on a pole near his home at 8394 Lake Street Road., Le Roy, allowing them to observe who was coming and who was going, and all the trips Vanelli made to his white-washed, two-door garage, where he allegedly stored the methamphetamine he was selling.

By May 7, agents even had two confidential sources allegedly buying -- with federal dollars -- at least one, and sometimes four, "eight-balls" of meth on each visit to the house of the 47-year-old president of the Road Agents Motorcycle Club.

An eight-ball is approximately 1/8 of an ounce of meth.

The details of the surveillance and investigation into the alleged drug-dealing activities of Vanelli are contained in a 99-page affidavit written by FBI agent Mark R. Schirching.

The affidavit, unsealed at the time of Vanelli's arrest, was the basis for warrants for David H. Cohen, 49, of 918 Goodman St., Rochester; Andrew W. Chapman, 40, of 5 Cedar St., Batavia; and Kerry A. Ball, 51, of 7202 Meadville Road, Basom, as well as search warrants for the homes of Vanelli and Donna L. Boon (aka Donna Mcauly), 44, of 3658 Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road, Batavia.

All five suspects were arrested early Friday morning and arraigned in the U.S. District Court in Rochester on a federal charge of conspiracy with intent to distribute narcotics.

Vanelli is reportedly being held without bail, while the other four suspects were released on their own recognizance.

While Vanelli was the central figure in the investigation, and described by one investigator Friday as the center of the ring, Vanelli was not the person dealing with the higher level suppliers.

That job allegedly fell to Boon initially, but when Boon could either no longer allegedly supply Vanelli, or when Boon and Vanelli had some sort of falling out, Vanelli reportedly turned to Cohen, who had a contact -- a man who comes across in the affidavit as unreliable and arrogant -- named Igor. Cohen tagged Igor "The King," according to the affidavit, but the nickname doesn't have the ring of a compliment.

Igor's unreliability leaves the impression that he was buying from another source, not he himself manufacturing meth. It's also unclear from the affidavit whether Vanelli's other alleged supplier, Boon, was allegedly buying from a meth lab or dealt with another middle man.

There's no indication one way or another whether Boon or Cohen were themselves subject to a separate surveillance effort.

It's important to note that the affidavit itself is not the whole of the federal case against the suspects, only that portion which has been made publicly available.

The surveillance reveals an alleged attempt by the suspects to be coy about their activities, never discussing deals directly but using -- in the repeated phrase of agent Schirching -- "cryptic and coded" language to arrange meetings and alleged buys.

The alleged "cryptic and coded" language, in it's simplest explanation, usually involved an alleged customer calling Vanelli and asking if it was OK to stop by. If Vanelli had an alleged supply of meth, he would reportedly say, "yes," if not, "no," or perhaps, "it's pretty quiet."

In one conversation, Vanelli reportedly even joked about the Feds listening in.

The key break in the case came when agents asked a State Trooper to make a traffic stop on two people who had been observed -- via the pole camera -- leaving Vanelli's residence.

The alleged buy that led to the traffic stop came on May 7. It was the second time the man and woman were reportedly heard via wiretap making arrangements to meet Vanelli and later showing up at his residence, disappearing with Vanelli into the garage and leaving 10 minutes or so later.

The first alleged buy came on April 29, when a woman, identified as CS-1, allegedly called Vanelli at 4:14 p.m. She asked, "Are you going to be around later on? You want some company or?" Vanelli reportedly responded, "Yeah, sure."

The pole camera recorded the woman arriving at Vanelli's house with a man who would become the second confidential source.

They arrived at 5:19 p.m. and entered the garage with Vanelli and departed at 5:29 p.m.

The couple would later admit to buying methamphetamine from Vanelli. The pair reportedly confirmed the use of "cryptic and coded" language to arrange deals.

At 12:46 p.m., May 7, Vanelli reportedly received a phone call from CS-1, who said, "Yeah, I was wondering if you wanted some company later?" Vanelli reportedly responded, "Yeah, what time?"

CS-1 reportedly said, "Ah, well, I could ... I just gotta .... I get out probably about 3:30, quarter-to-four, and then, ah, run home, grab some money and, ah, head over. So 4:30?" Vanelli reportedly responded, "Sounds good ... OK, I'll see you then."

Schirching reports that via the pole camera, CS-1 and CS-2 were shown arriving at 4:35 p.m. and entering the garage with Vanelli. They departed at 4:43 p.m.

At 5:05 p.m., under the direction of FBI agents, NYSP Trooper Christopher Neidert stopped the soon-to-be-informant's car on Randall Road.

Neidert reportedly smelled a strong odor of marijuana when he approached the driver's side door of the car. Neidert reportedly recovered a small amount of marijuana and a pipe from CS-1's purse.

When CS-2 exited the vehicle, Neidert reportedly observed a yellow envelope sticking out under his arm, which was in a sling.

"Trooper Neidert then asked CS-2 what was in the envelope and CS-2 admitted that it contained four eight-balls of methamphetamine," Schirching writes.

Later that evening, CS-1 and CS-2 agreed to cooperate in the investigation. They admitted to buying four eight-balls of meth, allegedly from Vanelli, for $1,200.

The description of the buying process for CS-1 fits the pattern of other alleged buys -- from the non-specific phone conversations, to people arriving a short time later, going into the garage, allegedly with Vanelli, and leaving minutes later.

The affidavit lists more than a dozen alleged customers of Vanelli. They are generally identified as Customer 1, Customer 2, and so on, as well as listing the phone numbers used in calling Vanelli.

CS-1 and CS-2 would be used to make controlled purchases -- wired for video and audio each time, using federal money -- on May 14, June 11 and June 25.

The Feds also intercepted calls to and from Vanelli involving Boon, Cohen, Chapman and Ball. Schirching states that he believes these phone calls were made in order to arrange either the transfer of money or meth among the five alleged dealers.

On May 24, Vanelli reportedly received a call from Ball. It's the first time Vanelli turns down a meeting with an alleged associate or customer. Schirching took this to mean that Vanelli was tapped out of meth.

The next several pages of the affidavit detail a number of calls in which Vanelli is allegedly unable to supply his customers and having difficulty obtaining a new supply of meth.

He repeatedly told customers, according to the report, that he might have time to meet the following week.

On May 25, Vanelli reportedly received a call from Cohen.

"I guess I am gonna have to go to your schedule. Tell -- tell me a time to show up there after 3:30 and I will be there. I don't care if it's midnight or whatever I just got appointments and all this shit 'til then."  

Vanelli reportedly replied, "Yeah, nah, I don't know if I'm going to be around." 

Cohen: "Ah, .... all right so, f--k it today. When -- when, next week, stop by or?"

Vanelli: "Next week I think."

Later that day, Customer 4 reportedly called Vanelli, who said, "Well, I just wanted to run into ya for about 15, 20 minutes. I know you're busy. I know you're tryin' to get your shit together, but I gotta stay home by myself so I might as well do somethin', I might as well clean."

Vanelli reportedly responded, "Yeah. I can't help you though, I don't got... "

Customer 4, "No."

Vanelli: "No, next week."

Customer 4: "This sucks."

Vanelli: "Yes it does. Yes it does. Never when I need it, you know."

On May 27, at 6:11 p.m., CS-1, at the direction of the FBI, reportedly called Vanelli, but Vanelli declined to set up a meeting and said he would call CS-1 the following week.

Cohen isn't recorded calling Vanelli until June 1, when he says, "I called, I just haven't had the chance to go f--king take off to see if they got the shit." 

Cohen later added, according to Schirching, "Whatever, but I will try to do the best I can and I will call you if I can't, because I got a call into about three different places."

Schirching interpreted this conversation to mean that Vanelli was unable to obtain meth from Boon and Cohen was trying to find another supplier.

Later that day, Cohen reportedly told Vanelli, "I don't know man, later on. I got, I got, I mean, I, I got, I'm not a shining star, but I guess I could help you better than nothing if you could bring like a buck, buck-fifty, something like that."

Vanelli and Cohen reportedly agreed to meet later that night. Later, they allegedly set up a meeting near Irondeqouit Bay, across from Bazil's Restaurant in Webster.

At 8:30 p.m., Vanelli was alleged observed entering a gated boat-repair facility (entering a code to get in) and leaving about 9 p.m.

Schirching concluded, he writes, that Vanelli was able to obtain a small amount of meth from Cohen, but not enough to service his customers.

CS-1 attempted to set up a buy on June 2, but Vanelli allegedly declined a meeting.

At 1:1 p.m., June 3, Vanelli reportedly received a phone call from Cohen in which Cohen says, "I don't, I don't mind taking a drive man just cause, ah, like actually that motherf--cking Igor got an attitude on me ... I call him last night he said, 'I can't make it' and ah, it's cool man, I'll catch ya, you know, Thursday or whatever today is ... yeah, and I call him, hey, so 'well I'm working,' so I didn't know how things are going out there?"

Vanelli: "Pretty quiet."

Cohen: "Yeah, all right. Well, whatever, give me a holler cause I, I, I mean it comes down to it, I'd rather spend more time and have ya know, professionalism than, than, than f--cking, these f--cking guys are a joke, man."

Schirching writes that he believes Cohen was indicating that he was having difficulty acquiring meth from Igor and that Vanelli indicated he had not yet found a supply of meth.

On June 4, Cohen reportedly speaks with Vanelli and says, "I would have to see when it would be convenient for the king ... being Igor, Igor being the king."

Vanelli reportedly said, "Yeah, I called him and left him a message. He didn't, he didn't return my call yet."

Cohen: "You know, that's f--cked up. You know, it's like, whatever. He, he, he's the king, you know cause ... I'll do my best when I see him, but he doesn't return my calls either."

It isn't until June 11 that Schirching believes Vanelli was able to drive to the boat-repair yard at Irondequoit Bay and obtain a supply of meth from Cohen.

Later that day, Vanelli reportedly called Boon. At this point, it had been a couple of weeks, based on the transcripts in the affidavit, since Boon and Vanelli spoke.

Schirching believes this conversation was intended to set up a meeting at Vanelli's house where Vanelli could hand over a quanity of meth to Boon and discuss business.

On June 11, Vanelli reportedly contacted four of his alleged customers, including CS-1. CS-1 allegedly arranged a meeting with Vanelli where she reportedly purchased -- according to a taped transaction -- three eight-balls for $760 (because CS-1 apparently didn't have the correct denominations to pay the reported asking price of $775).

By June 14, Vanelli was reportedly running low on meth again and arranged another meeting with Cohen. When Customer 15 called, Vanelli indicted, according to the affidivate, that he couldn't meet immediately with the alleged customer, but perhaps later. Customer 15 reportedly responded, "As long as you give me a Scoobie."

Schirching believes that Vanelli obtained some quantity of meth on June 14 during a meeting at a Thruway gas station with Cohen, and later supplied Ball. Further, Schirching believes that Vanelli later arranged a second meeting at his residence with Cohen for the next day in order to procure additional supplies. Schirching states that he doesn't believe Vanelli obtained a large supply from Cohen.

On June 17, Cohen and Vanelli are allegedly hoping for more meth from Cohen's supplier, but the supplier reportedly showed up to a meeting with Cohen empty-handed.

Cohen and Vanelli reportedly talk twice on June 18, and in the second conversation, Cohen reportedly says, "you know, I can't hurry the king."

By June 22, neither Cohen nor Vanelli have allegedly found a supply of meth, and Cohen bemoans the apparent disappearance of Igor. He hadn't heard a word from him. 

At 3:41 p.m., Vanelli reportedly receives a call from his girlfriend.

Vanelli reportedly says, "Fat ass [Donna Boon] called me this morning."

Vanelli reportedly says he didn't talk with her.

Girlfriend: "Are you going to call her?"

Vanelli: "F--k no."

Later he reportedly said, "I ain't got nothin' to say to her [unintelligible] no more. Make sure you tell her."

The next day, however, Vanelli does reportedly call Boon.

Boon: "I, um, what did I want last night, oh geez, I don't know, oh my friggin', I, can you stop by today and check my lawn mower? This mornin'?"

Vanelli reportedly departed his house at 11:19 p.m. Sheriff's investigator Pete Welker reportedly spotted Vanelli's truck at Boon's place at 11:57 a.m. and he reportedly returned home at 12:25 p.m.

Four minutes later, Vanelli reportedly made his first outbound call to an alleged customer, Customer 9, and set up a meeting at Vanelli's house.

Immediately after that call, Vanelli reportedly called Ball and set up a meeting.

Ten minutes later, Vanelli's girlfriend called.

Girlfriend: "You went back on your word, your word, huh?"

Vanelli: "What are you doing?"

Girlfriend: "Just got to her house ... thought you weren't coming here."

Vanelli: "What, you want to talk about it on the phone?"

Later in the conversation, Vanelli's girlfriend reportedly says, "I knew you were talking shit."

That phone call terminated abruptly, but the girlfriend reportedly calls back a minute or two later.

Girlfriend: "I just wanted to, you just went back on what you said, that's all."

Vanelli: "You know what? I'm not going to talk about this on the phone."

At 4:05 p.m., the girlfriend reportedly calls Vanelli again and launches into, "you motherf--ked her yesterday ... f--kin' f--k that fat bitch. I don't f--king need her, but you do."

Vanelli: "How many times have I heard you say that?"

Girlfriend: "But you do need her."

On June 25, Schirching, working with investigators from the Sheriff's Office, set up CS-1 for another alleged buy from Vanelli.

On June 26, Cohen allegedly arranges for his girlfriend, Nancy, to drive to Le Roy to pick up a supply of meth from Vanelli.

The affidavit ends with Schirching stating that he believes he has probable cause to arrest Vanelli, Boon, Cohen, Ball and Chapman.

Top photo, the residence at 8394 Lake Street Road, Le Roy.

Insets, from top, Vanelli, Cohen, Boon.

An alleged meth distribution ring with a hub in Le Roy and alleged dealers in Batavia and Rochester was broken up by a region-wide law enforcement effort early this morning.

Five individuals were arrested and now face a federal charge of conspiracy with intent to distribute narcotics.

None of the individuals are suspected of manufacturing methamphetamine.

U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. said at a press conference this afternoon that 75 grams of meth were recovered following the months long investigation that included wiretaps and the use of informants.

Sheriff Gary Maha would only say that the suspected meth was being manufactured "somewhere in the states."

"We're not concerned about there being a major lab out there in Genesee County," Maha said.

Donald G. Vanelli, 47, of 8394 Lake St., Le Roy, is suspected of playing a central role in acquisition and distribution of meth.

Vanelli, according to a press release put out late Friday by Hochul's office, is president of the Road Agents Motorcycle Club.

Much of the meth allegedly distributed by the ring was being sold in Batavia and throughout Genesee County, but one suspected dealer lived in Rochester. He is David H. Cohen, 49, of 918 Goodman St.

Also taken into custody were Donna L. Boon (aka Donna Mcauly), 44, of 3658 Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road; Andrew W. Chapman, 40, of 5 Cedar St., Batavia; and Kerry A. Ball, 51, of 7202 Meadville Road, Basom.

“We’ve made a number of significant drug arrests here in Genesee County, but this is pretty significant as far as the distribution of methamphetamine,” Maha said. “We think these people are major, major suppliers here in Genesee County.”

Cohen, Boon, Chapman and Ball were arraigned in U.S. District Court in Rochester this afternoon and released. Federal prosecutors were going to ask that Vanelli be held without bail.

Cohen is accused of obtaining meth in Genesee County and distributing it in Monroe County, as well as sometimes being a conduit to resupply Vanelli.

Search warrants were executed at the homes of Boon and Vanelli. K-9 units from Orleans and Monore counties were used in the searches.

A 9mm semi-automatic gun, loaded with 10 rounds, was reportedly seized at Vanelli's home.

Authorities believe that Boon would sometimes supply meth to Vanelli for redistribution.

The federal charge carries a minimum five-year prison sentence, with a maximum available sentence of 40 years and a $2 million fine.

The street value of the 75 grams of meth, according to Hochul is about $7,000.

The stiffer federal penalties are exactly why the FBI and U.S. District Attorney's Office were brought into the investigation, according to Maha.

"We said in the beginning (a little less than a year ago when the first alleged meth lab was found in Alabama), we’re not going to tolerate methamphetamine here in Genesee County," Maha said. "So when it’s brought to our attention that people are manufacturing, or that people are distributing, methamphetamine we’re going to go after them as hard as we can."

The investigation is continuing and there may be additional arrests.

"An investigation into any crime isn’t complete until everybody who is responsible for either the trafficking, procurement of any of the substances and finally the financing are identified and prosecuted," Hochul said.

The culmination of "Operation Deep Freeze" began at 3 a.m. with members of the Batavia Police Department rapid response team (SWAT) meeting at the Sheriff's Office before heading out to serve search warrants and arrest the suspects. By 5:30 a.m., investigators from the Sheriff's Office and the FBI were heading into the field to conduct searches on the suspects' residences.

The investigation began, according to Maha, with informants. He shied away from characterizing them as "citizens" or people involved in criminal activity. He said there was no connection between this alleged distribution ring and the five previous alleged meth labs found in the county.

Also participating in the investigation were the Drug Enforcement Administration, State Police and the Le Roy Police Department as well as the Genesee County District Attorney's Office.

Inset photos: top, Vanelli; bottom, Boon.

Kristopher David Cadieux, 32, of Strathallen Park, Rochester, is charged with petit larceny, criminal possession of stolen property and aggravated unlicensed operation. Cadieux allegedly stole two video cameras from Target on Monday. On Tuesday, he reportedly returned to the store and was spotted by Target security. As he left the store, the Sheriff's Office was contacted. He was later spotted at Walmart. He then reportedly drove to the Lowe's parking lot, where he was stopped and identified. During the stop, Deputy John Baiocco reportedly found four stolen video games in Cadieux's car.

Jordon J.J. Herthum, 20, of 7109 Chili-Riga Road, Churchville, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, unlawful possession of marijuana and failure to keep right. Herthum was stopped at 3:37 a.m. on Lake Street in Le Roy by Sgt. Michael Hare.

A 17-year-old resident of North Lyons, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. The youth is accused of stealing money from Darien Lake Theme Park while an employee.

Michael Aaron Witkop, 18, of Ross Street, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of fireworks, possession of alcohol under 21 and inadequate vehicle exhaust mechanism. Witkop was stopped at 1:54 a.m. by Deputy Patrick Reeves on Law Street, Batavia for an alleged traffic violation. He was allegedly found in possession of fireworks and alcohol.

This morning, United Memorial Medical Center announced that it opened Genesee County's first Urgent Care center at its Le Roy site July 1, right on schedule.

The first patient was seen two hours before our "official" start time of 11 a.m., when a woman visiting the area felt ill and needed to see a healthcare provider. Amy Ireland, FNP, was already on site to prepare for the opening and was able to provide great customer service and treat the patient.

Urgent Care provides cost-effective and convenient treatments for patients when their primary care physician is unavailable or they do not want to spend time waiting in an emergency room for a non-life-threatening injury or illness.

Le Roy is a 15-minute drive from Batavia.

Urgent Care is available seven days a week to treat children, adults and seniors from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (with variations in hours for major holidays).

The new facility is located at 3 Tountas Ave. in the same building as United Memorial’s Diagnostic Lab and X-Ray services, next to the Family Care Center. The Urgent Care center's phone number is 768-4220, #1.

The Le Roy site will now be called United Memorial Community Care -- providing Urgent Care, Diagnostic Laboratory and X-Ray Services and Family Care.

“The addition of Urgent Care in Le Roy continues the strong tradition of service that United Memorial has offered the residents of Le Roy and those in the eastern portion of Genesee County. It shows our commitment to improving the accessibility of appropriate and affordable medical care to our community,” said Mark Schoell, president and CEO of United Memorial, in a new release.

Patient volumes have shown a steady increase each day since the opening.

United Memorial Medical Center is a 131-bed not-for-profit community hospital located in Batavia. With nearly 750 employees, UMMC is the largest private employer in Genesee County and serves a region of 90,000 residents.

Last year, United Memorial cared for more than 5,000 inpatients, 22,000 Emergency Room visitors and 500 newborns.

Michael J. Wilkins, 28, of Nunda, is charged with manufacturing/possession/selling of a prescription controlled substance, criminal possession of a controlled substance 7th and unlawful possession of marijuana. Matthew A. Moir, 19, of Portageville, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Wilkins and Moir were arrested by State Police on Route 20 in Alexander at 11:30 p.m., Friday. No further details were released.

Vamaca Noe Velazquez, 22, of Hundred Mark Road, Elba, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, unregistered motor vehicle, switched license plates and operating without insurance. Velazquez was stopped at 1:02 a.m., Monday, on Hundredmark Road, Elba, by Deputy Patrick Reeves. Velazquez was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Assante Darrell Huggins, 18, of Brunswick Road, Buffalo, is charged with petit larceny. Huggins is accused of stealing $416 while employed at Darien Lake. The alleged thefts occurred between June 6-26.

Matthew R. Norstrand, 25, of Vroom Road, Spencerport, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana and unlicensed operation. Norstrand was stopped at 8 p.m., Friday, on North Street Road, Le Roy, by Matt Butler. Norstrand was allegedly driving on a suspended license. During the traffic stop, a marijuana pipe was allegedly found in his car. Norstrand was jailed on $500 bail.

Samuel F. Richardson, 45, of 231 Vine St., Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and unsafe backing. Richardson was reportedly involved in a minor traffic accident at 4:15 p.m., Monday, at the Wilson Farms store on West Main Street.

Cindy S. Dudek, 51, of Darien, is charged with harassment 2nd. Dudek was arrested by State Police at 9:45 p.m., Saturday. No further details released.

Jayson L. Bryant, 26, of Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt/disobeying a court order. Bryant was arrested in Oakfield at 1:45 p.m., Sunday, by State Police. No further details were released.

Cheryl A. Vagg, 53, of Warsaw, is charged with driving under the influence of drugs, 2nd offense in 10 years. Vagg was arrested at 5:22 p.m., Friday, by State Police on Ledge Road, Alabama. Vagg was jailed on cash bail. No further details were released.

Melissa C. Kent, 18, of 131 State St., Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of stolen property, 4th. Kent is accused of being with Kyle Monroe when he made purchases at a local store using an allegedly stolen credit card. Monroe is accused of stealing a credit card from a car on Gateway Drive on June 14.

Juanita Jackson, 53, of 214 Ellicott St., Batavia, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. While investigating a report of two children fighting, Officer Kevin DeFelice found that a 9-year-old had allegedly been left to care for a 3-year-old. The 3-year-old was reportedly left alone in the house. Jackson was located and arrested.

Annette C. Eleczko, 50, of Gilbert Street, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and failure to dim headlights. Eleczko was stopped at 11:20 p.m., Saturday, on Route 77 in Pembroke by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Lisa Marie Elmore, 45, of Pearl Street, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and failure to dim headlights. Elmore was stopped at 2:37 a.m., Sunday, on Route 33, Batavia, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Jamie Lynn Haseley, 25, of 30th Street, Niagara Falls, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and driving left of pavement markings. Haseley was stopped at 11:06 p.m. on Harlow Road, Darien, by Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Cheryl Adele Vagg, 53, of Warsaw, is charged with promoting prison contraband and unlawful possession of marijuana. Vagg was arrested at 3 a.m., Sunday. She was allegedly found to have marijuana in her purse while in Genesee County Jail.

Abram W. Harrison, 21, of Pratt Road, Batavia, is charged with driving while impaired by drugs. Harrison was stopped at 9:57 p.m., Friday, in the Walmart parking lot by Deputy Chad Minuto.

Jarrett Tyler Pietrowski, 21, of Broadway Road, Lancaster, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, criminal possession of a controlled substance, improper right turn, failure to keep right. Pietrowski was stopped at 1:40 a.m., Saturday, on Route 20 in Darien by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

Tashara Moore, 28, of Andrews Avenue, Cheektowaga, is charged with petit larceny.  Moore and James Alfred Hicks, 40, of Andrews Avenue, Cheektowaga, were detained by loss prevention officers at Kmart, where they were accused of trying to steal more than $450 in merchandise.

Adam James Robertson, 23, of Pennels Drive, Rochester, is charged with assault, 3rd. Robertson is accused of breaking the arm of another person while attending the Dave Matthews concert at Darien Lake on June 2.

Justin Mathew Forrester, 29, of Evergreen Circle, Fairport, was arrested in Monroe County on a family court warrant and turned over to the Genesee County Sheriff's Office.

Robert J. VanPelt, 33, of Council House Road, Alabama, is charged with vehicular assault, 1st, DWI and driving with a BAC of .18 or greater. VanPelt's arrest stems from an investigation into a motor vehicle accident May 2 at 7605 Sandhill Road.

A vehicle crashed into a utility pole at 8005 North Road in Le Roy, breaking the pole in half. Minor injuries are reported. Le Roy Fire and Le Roy Ambulance are responding.

The location is between Conlon and Hebbard roads, but closer to Conlon.

The roadway is completely blocked. Fire police are called to halt traffic at North Road and Route 19 and also at Conlon Road and Oatka Trail.

UPDATE (12:28 p.m.): The driver is out of the vehicle and walking around.

UPDATE (12:32 p.m.): National Grid has been notified about the damage. No ETA given.

UPDATE (12:45 p.m.): Before fire police could handle the traffic flow, a vehicle mowed down a stop sign somewhere in the vicinity and the county highway department is being notified. The authorities are determining whether there is a power outage. A pair of German shephards are in a nearby yard and if there is no power there, the dogs will need to be restrained, presumably because an electrical fence would not be working and the residents aren't home. National Grid is on scene.

UPDATE (1:05 p.m.): There is no phone service east of Conlon Road. The dispatcher says the downed line is reportedly for one of the largest service areas.

UPDATE (2:54 p.m.): National Grids says it will be four to five hours to complete repairs. More hazard cones to block traffic are requested from the county highway department, enough to block off three different traffic areas.

Jeremy Dean Lyons, 25, of Judge Road, Oakfield, is charged with unlawful growing of cannabis and unlawful possession of marijuana. Lyons is accused of having four marijuana plants growing outside of his residence in plain view. He was arrested at 6:42 p.m., Sunday, by Deputy Patrick Reeves.

James C. Cooper, 47, of 7 1/2 North St., Le Roy, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Cooper was taken into custody after Le Roy Police responded to a report of a disturbance at 1:27 a.m., Saturday, on North Street.

UPDATE: Two additional items from the weekend that did not initially reach our inbox for some reason:

Robert Steven Zona, 53, of Lake Street Road, Le Roy, is charged with rape, 1st. Zona, reportedly a resident of Le Roy Manor, is accused of attempting to rape another resident. Zona was arraigned and released under supervision of Strong Memorial Hospital for mental health evaluation.

James Christain Oehler, 18, of Lake Road, Bergen, is charged with unlawful fleeing a police motor vehicle, and numerous other alleged traffic violations. Oehler is accused of failure to stop his motorcycle on Route 19 in the Village of Bergen. Oehler was reportedly first observed doing 49 mph in a 30 mph zone on Route 19 near Rochester Street in the village. Oehler reportedly turned onto Hunter Road and then Swamp Road, where his speed allegedly exceeded more than 25 mph over the posted speed limit. Oehler was subsequently located at his residence on Lake Road. Upon investigation, Oehler was allegedly operating an unregistered and uninsured motorbike with improper license plates.

I drove out to Le Roy this afternoon to take some pictures of the first Jell-0 Olympics. Unfortunately, it ended earlier than scheduled. Since I was out that way, I figured I'd swing by Oatka Creek in the village and see what I could photograph.

More pictures after the jump:

An RV fire with heavy smoke is reported in a yard at 6854 Clinton St. Road in the area of Warner Road. It is near a barn and it is unknown if it is occupied. Byron, South Byron, Stafford and Le Roy fire and Mercy EMS is called to respond.

UPDATE (12:55 p.m.): The fire is contained to the RV and is under control.

UPDATE (by Howard): Fire crews cleared the scene at 1:41 p.m.  The possible cause was a fan left on to air out the trailer. The motor may have overheated.

A skip loader being removed from a flatbed truck has reportedly rolled over in the area of 8669 North Road, Le Roy.

No reports on injuries, though a medic is on scene.

The loader reportedly rolled into the woods.

Le Roy Fire and law enforcement is en route.

The county highway department is also requested to the scene because the roadway is "tore up pretty good."

Dispatch describes it as an eight-inch gouge in the roadway.

UPDATE 9:06 a.m.: Clarification: A truck was hauling a trailer with equipment on it. It apparently went around a curve too fast and the trailer rolled over. When the truck stopped, the parking brake either wasn't on or malfunctioned and the truck rolled into the woods.

UPDATE 9:39 a.m.: A wrecker is on scene and the road will be closed so the truck can be moved.

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A car has crashed into a tree just south of the intersection of West Bergen and Selden roads in Le Roy and the fire department is responding.

Tonya L. Buzzell, 27, of 26 Rochester St., Bergen, is charged with aggravated harassment. Le Roy Police report that officers responded to a report of a domestic disturbance in the village allegedly involving Buzzell.  Some time later, Buzzell allegedly sent a series of harassing text messages to a resident of the village. The alleged incidents occurred Saturday.

A 49-year-old truck driver from Decatur, Ala. was killed in an early morning crash on the Thruway just east of the Le Roy exit.

State Police investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the one-vehicle accident that took the life of Freddie R. Hatfield.

Hatfield was reportedly seen driving erratically before his truck veered off the roadway and into a line of trees 50 feet from the shoulder, where his truck burst into flames.

"It could have been a medical issue or he may have simply fell asleep,"  State Police Capt.  Michael Nigrelli told WBTA.

No other vehicles were involved.

Le Roy Fire responded to the scene of the 6 a.m. crash to handle the accident and the fire, which was just over the Genesee County line.

Hatfield was hauling building material from Ohio to Gates, driving for Crete Carriers of Lincoln, Neb.

For a year-end project, I thought it would be cool to take some video and pictures of music- and arts-related activities -- respectively -- in the Genesee County schools.

The following video is 20 minutes long and divided into two parts (Youtube limits most users to about 10 minutes per video). It features concert footage from various schools in the county.

PART 1

PART 2

I have to make a quick apology for the poor video quality in a couple of instances. I had to be very careful to protect the identity of the kids (the ones photographed without parental approval), so I made sure none of the students' faces appeared too clearly on camera; plus, to be honest, the first camera I used turned out to be pretty awful when it came to taking video (even while taking decent pictures).

I also feel bad that I couldn't include every group I filmed in the video. My selections were based on a combination of different criteria, including:

•  making sure the best songs were included
•  making sure all of the schools I visited were included
•  arranging the selections in a way that flowed nicely

So there's the music part. Here are some pictures I was able to take of art work done by Elba and Leroy students:

ELBA ELEMENTARY ART

Kindergartener Cody Soules stands in front of his drawing of a tree branch (top right).

First-grader Taylor Augello stands with her rendition of Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" (right above her head).

ELBA HIGH SCHOOL ART

Both of the following pictures were submitted by Dan Carnevale. Sophomore Sydney Gallup (top photo) and two unidentified students stand with their drawings.

LEROY JUNIOR/SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL (art and artists)

Also, see the May 27 announcement on the winners of the Architectural Drawing contest for fourth-graders.

Congratulations all of the students for a job well done!

Melissa Christine Schnitzer, 22, of Daunton Drive, Rochester, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 and failure to reduce speed. Schnitzer was stopped at 1:21 a.m., Friday, by Sgt. Brian Frieday in the area of 6734 Randall Road, Stafford.

Denise M. Groff, 33, of Highland Parkway, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, and failure to keep right. Groff was stopped at 1:38 a.m., Friday, on Route 33, Stafford, by Sgt. Greg Walker.

Jeremy M. Denton, 24, of 481 Ladue Road, Brockport, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .18 or greater and failure to keep right. Denton was stopped at 1:24 a.m., Friday, by Le Roy Police Sgt. Michael Hare on West Main Street, Le Roy.

James D. Holstein, 60, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny, grand larceny, 4th, grand larceny, 3rd. Holstein was taken into custody by State Police for an alleged incident on Jan. 12, 2009. No further details available.