Oakfield

A car fire has been reported at 2878 Batavia Oakfield Townline Road, Oakfield.

The car is in front of the Arnold Farm.

Oakfield Fire Department is responding.

The first chief on scene reports heavy smoke.

UPDATE 11:33 p.m.: The fire is out. A tow truck is en route to haul the vehicle away. The road is reopened. Oakfield is back in service.

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Another of the five defendants rounded up July 9, 2009, as part of a local and federal investigation into the distribution of methamphetamine in Genesee County entered a guilty plea today in federal court.

Andrew Chapman, 42, of Batavia, admitted to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute,  methamphetamine.

He faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine, or both.

Chapman received the meth he sold from Donald G. Vanelli II, 49, of Le Roy, who is serving more than 17 years for his role in the sale and distribution of meth locally.

Also charged as a result of the investigation by the Local Drug Enforcement Task Force, the FBI and the DEA, were David H. Cohen, 51, of 918 Goodman St., Rochester, Donna L. Boon (aka Donna McAuley), 46, of 3658 Batavia-Oakfield Townline Road; and Kerry A. Ball, 53, of 7202 Meadville Road, Basom.

The status of Ball's case was not released, but the case against Cohen is still pending.

Boon's charged related to the initial arrest were later dismissed and Boon proclaimed her innocence, but she was subsequently re-arrested.

Chapman will be sentenced Sept. 17.

Clifford Leo Regimbal, 33, of Oakfield, is charged with criminal possession of marijuana and unlawful growing of marijuana. Regimbal was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped at 6:57 p.m. Monday on Route 77, Basom, and allegedly found in possession of a bag containing more than 25 grams of marijuana and a 2-foot tall marijuana plant. Also charged with unlawful possession of marijuana was Ashley Nicole Janikowski, 28, of Oakfield. The traffic stop was initiated by Depty Patrick Reeves.

Jamie R. Bachorski, 18, of Webber Avenue, Oakfield, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Bachorski is accused of smoking marijuana with a child May 29.

Amber Michelle Hufsizer, 21, of Newark, is charged with petit larceny. Hufsizer is accused of stealing merchandise valued at $90.89 at Darien Lake Theme Park.

Brad C. Doward, 22, of 10 Hall St., Batavia, is charged with criminal trespass, 2nd, criminal mischief, 4th, harassment, 2nd, and endangering the welfare of a child. Doward allegedly unlawfully entered the residence of a friend, damaged property, had physical contact with the resident, all while in close proximity to a child. The incident was reported at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, and Doward appeared at police HQ at 12:30 p.m. Monday.

Mark W. Nassivera, 21, of Rochester, is charged with criminal mischief, 3rd. Nassivera was taken into custody by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 10:03 p.m. Sunday in Alabama. Nassivera was jailed on an unspecified amount of bail. No further details available.

David L. O'Neil, 22, of 101 Elmwood Parkway, Tonawanda, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. O'Neil was stopped by State Police at 12:29 a.m. Saturday in the Town of Pembroke.

Rodney L. McKenzie, 47, of Orangeville, is charged with two counts of menacing, including a count that alleges the use of a weapon. McKenzie was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 11:20 a.m., Sunday, in the Town of Alabama. No further details were release.

Paul H. Burch, 32, of Townline Road, Byron, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and speeding. Burch was stopped by Le Roy Police Saturday in the Village of Le Roy.

Roger K. Rumble, 27, of Lake Street, Le Roy, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI, aggravated unlicensed operation, refusal to take a breath test and speeding. Rumble was stopped by Le Roy Police Saturday in the Village of Le Roy.

Marche La'Shon Brown, 26, of Doran Street, Rochester, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and failure to keep right. Brown was stopped at 3:15 a.m. Sunday on Route 98, Batavia, by Deputy Matt Fleming.

Coretta Melissa Pitts, 44, of Swamp Road, Byron, is charged with criminal contempt, 2nd. Pitts was allegedly at the residence of a person she was ordered not to contact.

Jeffery M. Johnson, 24, no permanent address, is charged with menacing, 3rd. He was arrested by State Police for an incident reported at 11:27 a.m. Sunday in Oakfield. Johnson was held in jail.

Jerod P. Norcross, 33, of Batavia, is charged with criminal mischief. Norcross was arrested by State Police in connection with an incident reported at 3:50 p.m., April 11, in Alexander.

Michael J. McCarthy, 24, of Pembroke, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 and inadequate plate lamp. McCarthy was stopped by State Police at 2:35 a.m. Saturday in the Town of Batavia.

The Oakfield Fire Department, along with Alabama fire, Mercy EMS and the Sheriff's Office staged a DWI fatal accident at Oakfield-Alabama Central School on Thursday night to demonstrate for students what happens at a serious motor-vehicle accident scene. The demonstration went along with a message about the dangers of drinking and driving and texting while driving. The State Police also provided a demonstration on what happens in a rollover accident to people who aren't wearing a seat belt.

Students participating in the drill as accident victims: Beth Johnson-Walsh, Arielle Thompson, Casey McVay and Jaden Ohlson.

If you are unable to view the slide show below, click here.

Press release:

The Board of Education is proud to announce our unanimous selection of
Mr. Mark Alexander as the next superintendent of the Oakfield-Alabama Central School District. Mark began his career as a third-grade teacher at the Churchville-Chili Central School District before joining the faculty at Oakfield-Alabama in 2000. He was promoted to the position of elementary principal in 2008.

Mark has also served as an adjunct instructor at Genesee Community College where he was awarded the prestigious National Institute of Staff Development and Organizational Development Award for Excellence in Teaching and Leadership.

Mark earned degrees in mathematics education and curriculum specialization at the College at Brockport before pursuing his certification in school leadership through the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. 

Mark has served in many leadership positions while a member of the Oakfield-Alabama team, including: chair of the Safety, Health and Wellness Committee; Anti-Bullying Committee member; past chair of the District Advancement Team; past chair of the Career Day Committee; and past president, treasurer, and Negotiations Team member of the Oakfield-Alabama Teachers’ Association.

Most importantly, Mark is an educational leader who has a demonstrated record of commitment to the children of this community, their families, support staff members, teachers, administrators and the broader school community. He is a leader of great character, passion and intelligence.

The board would also like to take this opportunity to express our community’s gratitude to Chris Todd for his outstanding leadership over the past five years. We wish Chris and his family well as he begins his new position as district superintendent of Oswego County BOCES on June 1. We also would like to welcome Mr. Ed Orman, our interim superintendent, who will stay on board with Oakfield-Alabama through our transition in leadership.

Mr. Alexander is a uniquely talented educational leader who will be leading a wonderful school system. He attended and graduated from Oakfield-Alabama and has deep roots in our community. The board looks forward to welcoming Mark and his family with great anticipation and enthusiasm.

Please join us in welcoming Mark on Tuesday, June 12 for a light refreshment reception, from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Middle-High School Community Room.

Two teenagers from Oakfield were arrested today following an investigation into a report of a missing child and accused of smoking marijuana with a 12-year-old.

Charged with endangering the welfare of a child were Emily Joan Walker, 19, of Sunset Parkway, Oakfield, and Mark Anthony McNutt, 17, of Webber Avenue, Oakfield.

One incident was reported at 33 Sunset Parkway, allegedly involving Walker, and one incident, allegedly involving McNutt, was reported at 20 South Pearl St., Oakfield. The first alleged incident was reported at 2 a.m., the second at 3:30 a.m.

Both Walker and McNutt were issued appearance tickets.

Deputies Jason Saile and Kevin McCarthy handled the investigation.

A boat at 3113 Batavia Oakfield Townline Road, Oakfield, is reportedly on fire.

It is out of the water, but near a structure.

Oakfield Fire Department responding.

A tanker from Town of Batavia requested to the scene.

UPDATE 9:01 p.m.: Batavia back in service.

UPDATE 9:37 p.m.: Oakfield back in service.

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A car-deer accident with injuries is reported at Fisher Road and Lewiston Road, Oakfield.

Oakfield fire and ambulance responding.

UPDATE 1:38 p.m.: At least one victim with cuts from glass and minor bruising where the deer hit her.

UPDATE 1:45 p.m.: Oakfield Engine 72 back in service.

Alec Covel and the Oakfield-Alabama Hornets persevered through seven innings of playoff baseball Friday to secure berth in the Class CC finals Tuesday against #1 seed Lyons.

Covel gave up 11 hits against Perry, but more importantly, he struck out 10 and surrendered only two runs to lead the Hornets (17-4) to an 8-2 victory.

Covel said he just wanted to "win one for the team."

The Yellow Jackets got to him for a quick run in the first inning, but then Covel settled in and gained confidence as the game went on.

"In the beginning I had trouble spotting my curve ball," Covel said. "It started coming through. It was working and they weren’t hitting it so I kept throwing it."

The sophomore mixed his off-speed stuff with a dominating fastball to keep the Perry hitters off balance for most of the night.

His lone base on balls came in the final frame, when Perry scored its only other run of the night.

Co-head Coach Dan Gilbert, who shares the position with James Patrick, said the win was a team effort -- Covel was backed by solid defense, but praised Covel's attitude and work ethic.

"It's a combination of Alec's temperament -- he's a great pitcher, great work ethic, hard-nosed kid who doesn't get rattled, and he had great defense behind him," Gilbert said.

Gilbert said the Hornets knew they would have their hands full with Perry, but the team never gave up and the five-run sixth was just what the Hornets needed to put away the #11 seed.

"We knew coming in they were scrappy and they played scrappy," Gilbert said.  "We knew we would have to persevere through any kind of adversity or bumps in the road. We had a couple of mistakes along the way that we had to persevere through and we didn’t quit and we didn’t give up. And we got the big inning when we needed it."

The offense was led by Kurtis Dunlap, who reached base four times -- one hit, two walks and one hit by a pitch -- and scored three runs.

Tommy Manzella had a triple and a run scored.

Hunter Spiotta had his second 2-3 game of the playoffs and scored a run.

The Hornets go into the finals as the #2 seed and getting to the championship game is what O-A's seniors have had in mind all season, Gilbert said.

"The senior leadership has been phenomenal," Gilbert said. "They’ve had a desire to make a run the whole year. They’ve picked up everybody along the way. Our hats go off to the seniors every day because sometimes when you’re a senior, senioritis kicks in. These guys just want to play baseball, do the best they can for the team. That’s been the key to our success all year."

Even though they will be facing the #1 seed, Gilbert said the Hornets are ready for the challenge.

"We feel confident," Gilbert said. "We know we have a chance. We’re going to have to play quality baseball, but we have good quality kids who are going to work hard and leave it on the field."

The game will be played Tuesday at a location yet to be determined.

If you have trouble viewing the slide show, click here.  To purchase prints of these photos, click here.

LaVerne "Vern" M. Bridge was a man known to enjoy working in his yard and being seen around town in work boots, blue jeans, suspenders and a baseball cap.

Today, at the Maple Avenue Cemetery in Elba, Bridge was laid to rest in his favorite attire while his pallbearers and some friends wore similar clothing in his honor.

The 84-year-old Oakfield resident was working in his yard at 6624 Fisher Road last week, apparently cutting down a tree, when the tree fell on him.

Pallbearers in the top photo are, from left, Joe Seweryniak, John Latko, Rob Warboys, Scott Mabon, Andrew Fowler and Roy Scroger.

For the full obituary of Bridge, click here.

Mike and Laura were doing a little yard clean up when Mike went to grab a fallen tree branch. It stopped when he spotted a bunny hiding in the wedding bells. Laura ran in, grabbed her camera, attached a long lens and was able to snap this shot before the bunny hopped away.

A two-car accident with minor injuries is reported at Maltby and Lewiston roads in Oakfield. Sheriff's deputies are on scene. Oakfield Fire Department and Mercy medics are responding.

An 85 84-year-old man who has been missing since yesterday was found lying in a creek this morning beneath a fallen tree off Fisher Road in Oakfield.

A third-party caller reported this to dispatch around 10 a.m. Oakfield Fire Department was dispatched as were Mercy medics since it was not yet known if the man was injured, but still alive.

Responders discovered the body, which was well off Fisher Road between Lockport and Maltby roads.

The coroner is en route. Family members are at the scene as are Sheriff's investigators.

UPDATE 11:30: (Provided by Howard at the scene) The victim's name is Lavern Bridge, who lived alone at 6624 Fisher Road, according to Deputy Chief Gordon Dibble. The man's son last spoke to him on Wednesday at 3 p.m. A friend told investigators Bridge's normal routine was to have breakfast with him and when Bridge didn't show up this morning, his friend went looking for him and found Bridge's ATV first and then his body nearby. Bridge had been cutting down a tree and a chainsaw was found next to his body. The tree appears to have fallen and hit his head, Dibble said. Emergency responders describe his back yard as "park like." Dibble said that family members told him Bridge loved taking care of his yard and kept it well maintained.

UPDATE 11:41 a.m.: Oakfield is back in service.

A grass fire is reported at 3962 Batavia-Elba Town Line Road in Oakfield. It's on the Lamb Farms property and is estimated to be the size of four or five football fields. Town of Batavia Fire Department is responding

This is a dairy farm.

UPDATE 12:25 p.m.: There are no barns or other structures currently in the path of the fire.

UPDATE 12:28 p.m.: A tanker from Oakfield is called. The chief on scene says "This is nowhere near the size it was originally dispatched as." It appears to be following a path along a ditch, not approaching any structures.

UPDATE 12:33 p.m.: Firefighters approaching the scene are told they'll probably see more black smoke than gray smoke because some tires in the field have caught fire.

UPDATE 12:42 p.m.: Foam is being used to put out the tires on fire. The easterly edge of the blaze is knocked down. The chief says "I think we'll be in good shape" when asked if more manpower or equipment will be needed.

UPDATE 12:47 p.m.: The foam has squelched the tire fire. The overall blaze is under control.

UPDATE 12:58 p.m.: The fire is out.

UPDATE 1:11 p.m.: All units are back in service. The revised estimated area of the fire swath is 30 feet by 200 feet.