Le Roy

For months, we've heard the same mantra from county law enforcement officials: Lock your cars.

Now, after a spate of thefts from unlocked cars in the village, Le Roy Police are putting out the same plea.

If you don't want your stuff stolen, lock your car.

Le Roy Police report six complaints in the village of items stolen from vehicles left unlocked, mostly in the area of West Main Street, Myrtle Street and Church Street.

Most of the thefts occurred during the night Sunday, but the latest happened on Myrtle Street Tuesday night.

Anyone having information about these thefts is asked to contact the Le Roy Police at 768-2527.

A car-into-pole accident with power lines down is reported on Randall Road, just west of Keeney Road, in Le Roy. Le Roy Fire Department is responding.

Its fire police have closed Buckley Road at Randall to through traffic. A Le Roy ambulance is responding. No word on occupants or injuries.

Le Roy Ambulance Service is responding to a report of "at least two victims" who were bitten by dogs on North Street in Le Roy.

Apparently, the dogs were each with their owners/handlers and the dogs started to fight. The people got bit trying to separate the fighting dogs.

Jeffery M.  Rider, 31, of 8130 Route 5, Le Roy, is charged with resisting arrest. At 10:50 p.m., Tuesday, Deputy Bradley D. Mazur reportedly tried to execute an arrest warrant for Rider for alleged violation of probation. At the time of the attempted arrest, Rider allegedly resisted arrest. Rider was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Robert L. Vanburen, 48, of 370 W. Main St., lower, Batavia, is charged with throwing an injurious substance on the highway (littering), DWI and aggravated DWI with a BAC of .08 or greater. Vanburen was stopped by Officer Dan Coffey at 11:53 p.m., Wednesday, on West Main Street.

Robert F. Williams, 49, of 114 State St., Apt. #3, Batavia, is charged with harassment, 2nd. Williams is accused of grabbing a woman and throwing her. She was not injured.

A 17-year-old from Bergen is charged with criminal contempt. The youth is accused of shoving another person. There was an order of protection barring such conduct.

Kimmie A. Welsh, 43, of Corfu, is charged with DWI and operating a motor vehicle while impaired by drugs. Welsh was stopped by State Police at 9:40 a.m., Tuesday, at the intersection of Route 33 and Route 77 in the Village of Corfu. No further details available.

Clarence L. Blackmon, 39, of Oakfield, is charged with grand larceny, 3rd. Blackmon was arrested by State Police at noon, Tuesday. He is accused of stealing an item valued at less than $3,000. No further details are available.

Tanya L .Thyret, 31, of Rochester, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and an equipment violation. Thyret was stopped by State Police at 8:45 p.m., Tuesday, on Culver Road, Town of Bativia. No further details are available.

Accidents from the state police blotter:

4:59 p.m., Feb. 22, Thruway, Mile Marker 399 west, Pembroke, two vehicles; Driver 1: William Burton Lewis, 22, of East Amherst; Driver 2: Leonard E. Neal, 58, of Gravehurst, Ontario, Canada. One injury reported. No further details available.

Le Roy Police are investigating an accident on Lathrop Avenue that knocked out power to the eastern part of the village for two to five hours last night.

The driver fled the scene of the 1 a.m. one-car accident, according to Le Roy Police Chief Chris Hayward.

No further information is available at this time.

(Thanks to a reader for tipping us to this story.)

About a dozen boys and girls donned caps and coats, put away their cubbies and prepared to go home after class Friday morning at Le Roy Nursery School. They're in the pre-kindergarten program, which prepares them for a structured learning environment.

They were surprisingly quiet and orderly and then sat on the large carpet at the front of the room to sing the goodbye song with Teacher Debbie Chipre, who has taught a generation of children. She's been there for 20 years.

They clapped their hands, winked an eye and sang that is was time to say goodbye.

"On Monday we're going to learn about the letter L," Chipre said. "So don't forget to wear your Le Roy school shirt!"

She was assisted by Teacher Robyn Falcone, who's taught there for six years.

Both women are proud of the program offered, which teaches basics: letters and numbers; small-muscle coordination (such as using tiny scissors); age-appropriate social and self-help skills; how to write their name; even some Spanish and sign language. Chipre and Falcone also sometimes spot a potential problem area, such as speech or a physical limitation, so it can be addressed before they enter kindergarten.

The pre-K program consists of three half-days, Monday, Wednesday and Friday for preschoolers up to age 6. Nursery school is half-days Tuesday and Thursday for potty-trained tykes, age 2-ish. Each program is limited to 20 students.

"We primarily serve local kids -- we want to give these kids a fighting chance to succeed," said parent Russell Western, a native of England who moved to the United States 10 years ago and serves as the school's vice president in charge of scholarship funding.

What really sets Le Roy Nursery School apart from others is that it's a nonprofit with a seven-member board of directors made up of parent volunteers who oversee all aspects of the school charter. The school opened in 1963 and gets not a dime of public aid.

Melissa Cone is the parent representative and has three children, the youngest of which, 5-year-old Lydia, is currently enrolled there. She said the essence of the school is oversight by parents for the benefit of children and betterment of the community.

Those who attend Le Roy Nursery School will eventually go to Wolcott Street School and then on to Le Roy Central School. One of the developments that has put a financial strain on Le Roy school, is the implementation of a pre-K program at Wolcott.

Now in its second year, the program is five days a week with "half-day" sessions, either two and a half hours in the mornings or afternoons. Western said the school district views Le Roy Nursery School as a viable option for families, not as competition.

But he thinks the Wolcott program's schedule might be too demanding for some children.

Cipre said her school offers greater flexibility ( you can drop off your child earlier or latter than the schedule if needed due to work conflicts, at no additional charge) and is an easier transition for many preschoolers because they are in a half-day class only three times a week.

Le Roy is considered very reasonable -- $65 a month for pre-K, $50 a month for nursery school. But when enrollment drops off because parents opt for the free, public preschool program, the nonprofit must work that much harder to raise money. The teachers have to be paid, supplies purchased. Lights, heating and rent remain the same.

"We don't get to waste money," Western said.

So throughout the year they stay busy to keep the school open and raise scholarship funds. There's an annual Turkey Trot, a breakfast with the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus at McDonald's, car washes, bake sales, etc. All of the events are intended to be fun for the whole family and welcoming to the community.

Le Roy Nursery School also conducts an annual, general-operating-fund drive in which it directly solicits around 100 local businesses and sponsors. The most recent one raised about $13,000.

Western said scholarships to attend Le Roy Nursery School are available. Those are allocated by the board based on need.

An open house and registration opportunity is scheduled from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday (Feb. 22). On March 28, the community is invited to breakfast with the Easter Bunny at McDonald's in Le Roy. Tickets are $6 to benefit Le Roy Nursery School.

The school is located on the side of the Presbyterian Church, across from the fire station at 7 Clay St. Phone is 768-7700.

I have not posted a blog entry in a while and was feeling it was long overdue. As most of you know I began blogging on The Batavian when I was running for LeRoy Town Council last fall. I continued blogging on The Batavian because it is an excellent forum for which to discuss what is going on in our world.

I am blogging today to announce (in case you haven't heard) that I am running for Trustee in the Village of LeRoy in the local March elections. Many of the issues that I ran on for Town Council are cross over issues that remain valid and important to the Village of LeRoy as well. I have blogged here in the past on most of the campaign issues. Most of you have also already read about my credentials in a past blog. I don't want to waste your valuable time by repeating myself.

The bottom line is that I believe in the Village of LeRoy and its future. I continue to want to be a part of the solutions and not a part of the problems. It is my goal to be YOUR voice on the Village Board! Everyone deserves to be heard and deserves equal representation regardless of any demographic factors. Please feel free to post comments, questions, and concerns here. If you do not feel comfortable with this open forum then feel free to contact me at my new/private campaign e-mail:

Keys4Trustee@rochester.rr.com.

I have begun knocking on your doors in this lovely Western New York in February weather and look forward to knocking on more.

As always, thank you for your time and consideration!

Le Roy Fire Department is responding to a report of power lines down in the area of Asbury and Harris roads.

UPDATE 3:45 p.m.: The source of the outage is identified as Niagara Mohawk Power pole no. 9428, which was replaced just last weekend. The cable company is being alerted because the line is arcing into its line.

A couple of years ago the wine distributor for D&R Depot Restaurant in Le Roy convinced Sean Valdes that he should drop his dream of serving only New York-produced wines.

New York wines are too seasonal, he said. They would be too hard to keep in stock.The wine list would always be changing.

Then about six months ago, another distributor, one based in Batavia, came by and Valdes mentioned his desire to stock only New York wines. This distributor listened and agreed to work with Valdes on coming up a suitable wine list.

"We figured out that we could do year-around reds and year-around whites from New York," Valdes said. "New York wines are seasonal, so we choose larger vineyards and different choices that we could get all year around, but ones that wouldn't be so different -- not the peaches and the apricots -- not my crowd. Pretty much the standards."

And as of Wednesday, D&R Depot is the only restaurant, according to Valdes, outside of the Finger Lakes or Albany, to serve only New York wines.

"Champagne only comes from a certain region of France, otherwise it's sparkling wine, so even our sparking wine is from New York State. It's Goose Watch," Valdes said.

So why go to an all New York wine list? Valdes' answer:

"First, New York has some great wines. We focus on Finger Lakes, but there's a winery in this area. Long Island has a lot of wineries. There's even some in the Adirondacks. I think it's a neat thing. It's a niche market. It's always good to be local and it's what we strive for anyway, so this is a neat thing to fit in with that. And they're different. Even the riesling that you get from New York has a little bit different flavor than you would get from California or France or Australia. It's something different to offer our customers and it's been a big hit so far."

Some of the wines on the list include Fox Run Chardonnay from Penn Yan, Glenora Riesling from Dundee, Thirsty Owl Diamond from Ovid, Brotherhood Pinot Noir from Washingtonville, Heron Hill Game Bird Red from Hammondsport and Knapp Superstition from Romulus.

Pictured above with a selection of their wines are Valdes and Nancy Nickerson.

James J. Santiago Jr. was formally charged yesterday with stealing pot from an alleged drug dealer. After a sealed Grand Jury indictment was opened, Santiago was arranged on three felony counts and he entered a non-guilty plea to each count.

Count one of the indictment alleges that Santiago "forcibly stole property from Eric Merritt."

Merritt has been accused of bringing in friends from Batavia and Corfu and heading to Santiago's residence at 31 Myrtle St. in Le Roy and attempting to recover the marijuana. That attempt on Jan. 22 led to a fight that put three people in the hospital with apparent knife wounds.

The three counts against Santiago are: robbery 3rd, criminal possession of a weapon, 3rd, and assault 2nd.

Previously:

• A dispute over marijuana leads to fight, according to Le Roy Police
• Suspect in Le Roy Village melee over stolen pot jailed
• Third suspect arrested in Le Roy's 'Stolen Pot' case

A person checking on a neighbor's house Sunday in Le Roy was surprised to find an intruder hiding in the basement.

Nobody was hurt in the incident, but the Le Roy Police Department is looking for assistance from the public in identifying the burglar.

The incident occurred between 8:30 and 9 p.m. on Hilltop Drive after a person returned home from watching the Super Bowl half-time show at another location and noticed a suspicious person standing near a neighbor's house.

The suspicious person disappeared from sight and the resident checked his neighbor's door and found it ajar. The resident then checked the house and found the intruder in the basement.

The intruder pushed the resident out of the way and fled.

The police press release did not specify whether anything was stolen nor did it provide a description of the suspect.

Police investigators are asking that anybody who might have information related to this incident to call 768-2527.

The Grand Jury has issued a two-count indictment against Lekisha M. Avant. Avant is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance 3rd and criminal possession of a controlled substance 4th. The indictment alleges that on Feb. 8, 2005, Avant, while at the Days Inn, 200 Oak St., Batavia, did knowingly and unlawfully possess a narcotic drug, cocaine, with the intent to sell it. The indictment further alleges that on Dec. 29, 2009, Avant was again at the Days Inn and knowingly and unlawfully in possession one or more preparations, compounds, mixtures or substances containing a narcotic drug (cocaine) having an aggregate weight of one-eighth an ounce or more. (For initial arrest report, click here.)

The Grand Jury also issued a two-count indictment against Charles Brown. Brown is charged with aggravated unlicensed operation 1st and aggravated unlicensed operation 2nd. The indictment accuses Brown of driving on Aug. 20, 2009, on the Thruway through Le Roy when he knew, or had reason to know that his license was suspended. Brown allegedly was operating with 10 or more suspensions imposed on at least 10 separate dates. The alleged suspensions date back to Feb. 6, 2003.

A third arrest has been made in "The Case of the Stolen Pot" in Le Roy.

Taken into custody by Le Roy Police is Eric J. Merritt, 20, of 4070 Rose Road, Batavia. Merritt is the man suspected of trying to sell marijuana to two people in a parking lot on Lake Street on Jan. 23.

One of those people is reportedly 16 years old, so Merritt has been charged with endangering the welfare of a child. No other charges were announced by the Le Roy Police Department tonight.

James J. Santiago Jr., 30, of 31 Myrtle St., Le Roy, is accused of stealing the marijuana. Santiago turned himself into police yesterday.

After Santiago allegedly stole the marijuana, the alleged dealer brought friends in from Batavia to confront Santiago at his home at on Myrtle Street. In the ensuing fight, three people, including Ronald G. Carney, 21, of Corfu were injured. All three were hospitalized. Carney has been charged with burglary.

As many as nine people participated in the fracas -- allegedly Santiago and two friends as well as the suspects Merritt and Carney plus four of their friends.

Besides Merritt, Carney and Santiago no other arrests have been made yet.

The Le Roy Police Department arrested warrant suspect James J. Santiago Jr., of 31 Myrtle St., Le Roy, after he turned himself into the Le Roy Police Department accompanied by his attorney.

The arrest stems from the intensive investigation into the disturbance which occurred Jan. 23 at his address in the village in which three persons were sent to the hospital for knife wounds to the arm, neck and chest, respectively.

The police were able to determine that this disturbance was the result of an alleged robbery of two ounces of marijuana.

It is alleged that between 10 p.m. and midnight Friday, Jan. 22, people from Le Roy, including Santiago, ordered two ounces of marijuana from a person in Batavia. The marijuana was delivered and the deal was to take place in a local parking lot. During the transaction, the marijuana was allegedly forcibly stolen by Santiago who then left the area.

The person who brought the marijuana called others from Batavia notifying them of the robbery at which time six people drove to Le Roy to attempt to get the marijuana back.

The group arrived in Le Roy and walked to Santiago's residence where they allegedly confronted Santiago demanding the return of the marijuana. When he refused, an alleged violent physical altercation occurred involving a knife and golf clubs. Afterwards, the group fled the area without the marijuana.

Santiago is being charged with one count of robbery 3rd (forcible stealing of the marijuana), assault 2nd (assault with a weapon) and criminal possession of a weapon 3rd (possession of a weapon with intent to use against another and having been previously convicted of a crime). All charges are Class D-Felonies. Santiago was arraigned before the Hon. Charles Dusen of the Town of Le Roy Court and committed to the Genesee County Jail without bail.

The Le Roy Police were assisted in this investigation by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department, the Genesee County Drug Task Force, the New York State Police and the Genesee County District Attorney’s office.

Wanted by the Genesee County Sheriff's Office for an alleged violation of probation: Christopher A. Laird.

Laird was placed on probation following a charge of burglary 2nd. He has reportedly failed to comply with the terms of his probation.

Laird frequents the Village of LeRoy and the City of Batavia. 

Warrant Officer Eric Olson asks that people with information on the whereabouts of Laird call 911.

A Le Roy man allegedly stole marijuana from a suspected drug dealer, who then brought friends back from Batavia, leading to a fight at 31 Myrtle St., Le Roy, on Jan. 23.

Sought in connection with the fight is James J. Santiago Jr., 30, of 31 Myrtle St., Le Roy. The arrest warrant charges him with robbery 3rd (stealing the marijuana), assault 2nd and criminal possession of a weapon 3rd. (Santiago is pictured left.)

Already in custody is Ronald G. Carney, 21, of 1990 Genesee Street Road, Corfu. Carney, who reportedly suffered a three-inch cut to his neck in the fight, is charged with burglary 2nd. Carney is accused of entering Santiago's home with the intent to commit a crime. He was jailed on $1,000 bail. (Carney is pictured below.)

According to Le Roy Police Det. John Condidorio, two Le Roy residents ordered two ounces of marijuana from a dealer in Batavia. The deal was to take place around 10 p.m. in a parking lot on Lake Street. As the deal went down, Santiago allegedly stole the marijuana and fled with two other men.

The person who had the marijuana stolen called friends in Batavia. He then returned to Batavia and met up with five other people, and all six reportedly returned to Le Roy with the intent of recovering the marijuana.

The six individuals arrived in Le Roy and walked into Santiago's home and reportedly confronted Santiago. Santiago allegedly refused to return the marijuana, and the confrontation reportedly became physical.

Police say the weapons used in the fight included a knife and golf clubs.

There were initially reports of shots fired, but Le Roy Police have been unable to corroborate the use of a gun in the incident.

A total of nine people were involved in the alleged melee.

The six people who attempted to retrieve the marijuana fled the scene without it, according to police.

A total of three people, including Carney, suffered knife cuts and were treated and released at area hospitals, according to police.

The investigation is continuing and further arrests are pending.

The Le Roy Police are seeking the public's help in locating Santiago.

Le Roy Fire responded to 8 Garden Lane, Le Roy for the report of a garbage can on fire.

A first responder reports the fire is out, but it did some damage to the house.

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"Fulge and Giesy" doesn't quite have the poetic ring of "Bonnie and Clyde," but the Rochester couple are allegedly partners in crime.

The duo was reportedly caught in the act this afternoon of allegedly burglarizing a home on Griswold Circle in Le Roy.

Operating on a tip from the Monroe County Sheriff's Department, members of the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, the Le Roy Police Department and the Genesee County Local Drug Enforcement Task Force were quickly on scene at 2:50 p.m. after Benjimin Giesy, 31, allegedly entered the a home at 7878 Griswald Circle.

Lindsey M. Fulge, 27, reportedly sat in the getaway car waiting for Giesy.

Giesy had allegedly broken down the front door of the house to gain entry and had already allegedly stolen jewelry, silver and coins from the residence.

When law enforcement officers arrived, they took Fulge in custody first and then entered the house to apprehend Giesy.

Giesy reportedly tried escaping by jumping from a first-floor window. He was quickly apprehended without further incident.

Fulge and GIesy were also allegedly found in possession of a small amount of heroin, hypodermic needles and marijuana.

Both were charged with burglary 2nd, grand larceny 4th, criminal mischief 3rd, possession of a hypodermic instrument, criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Monroe investigators have been working on a string of burglaries involving Rochester residents hitting Genesee, Ontario and Wyoming counties.

All items allegedly taken from today's burglary were recovered.

Fulge's bail was set at $50,000 and bail for Giesy is $100,000.

An alleged would-be burglar has just been busted on Griswold Road.

Law enforcement (probably Sheriff's Deputies and State Troopers) officers on scene were setting up to take the suspect while he was still in the house.

A female was reportedly waiting in a car outside the house.

It's unclear how law enforcement became aware of the burglary in progress. Several units responded to the scene.

The owner was not apparently home and officials did not have contact information for him.

UPDATE: While the initial call said "Griswold Road," it was actually Griswold Circle in Le Roy. You can read the arrest report here.

Todd James Pangrazio, 34, of 8032 E. Main Road, Le Roy, is charged with coercion 1st, criminal mischief 4th, endangering the welfare of a child and harassment 2nd. Pangrazio allegedly got into a fight with his girlfriend and "instilled fear in her," and damaged her mobile phone, preventing her from calling for help. He also allegedly had physical contact with her and two children under age 17. The case was investigated by Deputy Frank Bordonaro.

Eslie James Worthington III, 20, of 2609 Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road, is charged with harassment 2nd. Worthington is accused of striking another person in the face at about 2 a.m. on Dec. 20. (Worthington was also involved in a one-vehicle accident Dec. 27 in which he suffered a head injury.)

A 17-year-old boy from Oakfield has been charged with forcible touch. The alleged incident occurred in December. He is accused of inappropriately touching a female who was at his residence. The case was investigated by Kristopher Kautz.