Stafford

Chance J. Barnwell-McClary and Marvelous C. Williams are indicted for the crime of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, a Class B felony. It is alleged that on Oct. 10 in the Town of Byron, that the defendants knowingly and unlawfully possessed a narcotic drug -- fentanyl -- with the intent to sell it. In count two, Barnwell-McClary and Williams are accused of criminally using drug paraphernalia in the second degree, a Class A misdemeanor. It is alleged in count two that on Oct. 10 in the Town of Byron that the defendants knowingly possessed or sold gelatin capsules, glassine envelopes, vials, capsules or other material suitable for packaging individual quantities of narcotic drugs or stimulants under circumstances that evinced the intent to use or unlawfully manufacture, package or dispense narcotic drugs or stimulants.

Niasia S. Jiggetts is indicted for the crime of second-degree assault, a Class D violent felony. It is alleged that in 2017 at an apartment in the 4000 block of West Main Street Road, Town of Batavia, that the defendant, being age 18 or older, intentionally caused physical injury to a person under age 7. In count two, she is accused of another count of second-degree assault. It is alleged in count two that last year on Thomas Avenue in the City of Batavia that the defendant, an adult, intentionally caused physical injury to a person less than 7 years old.

Edwin Peart Jr. is indicted for the crime of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, a Class B felony. It is alleged that on Aug. 29 in the City of Batavia the defendant knowingly and unlawfully possessed a narcotic drug, cocaine, with the intent to sell it. In count two, Peart is accused of promoting prison contraband in the first degree, a Class D felony. It is alleged in count two that Peart introduced dangerous contraband -- cocaine -- into the Genesee County Jail. In count three, he is accused of tampering with physical evidence, a Class E felony. It is alleged in count three that on Aug. 29, believing certain evidence was about to be produced, he tried to suppress it, by an act of concealment, alteration, destruction, intimidation or force. Peart is accused of retrieving bags of cocaine from his underwear while being processed at the jail, placing them in his mouth and chewing them, "refusing all commands to open his mouth and spit the substance out."

Walter H. Bennett is indicted for the crime of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree, a Class B felony. It is alleged that on Oct. 24 in the City of Batavia that he knowingly and unlawfully possessed a narcotic drug -- cocaine -- with the intent to sell it. In count two, he is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a Class A misdemeanor. It is alleged in count two that on Oct. 24 in the City of Batavia that he knowingly and unlawfully possessed a controlled substance -- cocaine.

James R. Blakeslee is indicted for the crime of driving while intoxicated, as a Class E felony. It is alleged that on Dec. 28 in the Town of Le Roy on Route 19, Blakeslee drove a 2003 Dodge while intoxicated. In count two, he is accused of DWI, per se, as a Class E felony. In is alleged in count two that the defendant had a BAC of .08 percent or more at the time, according to an chemical analysis of his breath. In Special Information filed by the District Attorney, Blakeslee is accused of having been convicted of DWI as a misdemeanor on Sept. 16, 2014 in Wyoming County Court, and that conviction was within 10 years of the crimes alleged in the current indictment.

Schnell A. Ogletree is indicted for the crime of driving while ability impaired by drugs, as a misdemeanor. It is alleged that on Sept. 14 in the Town of Stafford that Ogletree drove a 2012 GMC Terrain on Route 33 while her ability was impaired by the use of drugs. In count two, she is accused of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in the first degree, a Class E felony. It is alleged in count two that when she drove that day she knew or had reason to know that her driver's license was suspended or revoked by authorities. In count three, Ogletree is accused of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree, a Class A misdemeanor. It is alleged in count three that on that day she knowingly and unlawfully possessed a controlled substance -- cocaine. In Special Information filed by the District Attorney, Ogletree is accused of having been convicted of driving while ability impaired by the consumption of alcohol. It is alleged in Special Information that the defendant was convicted of this on June 12 in the Town of Onondaga and this conviction forms the basis of count two in the current indictment.

Shamya Brown is indicted for the crime of grand larceny in the fourth degree, a Class E felony. It is alleged that on March 19 in the Town of Batavia that Brown stole cosmetics and/or skin care items having a value exceeding $1,000.

A 23-year-old man who was released from custody in December after entering a guilty plea to stolen property charges and went on an apparent crime spree starting New Year's Day is facing new charges.

Daniel Jon Lewis, sometimes of Lima, sometimes of North Chili, also listed in arrest reports with no permanent address, has been charged with five counts of criminal possession of stolen property, 5th.

The property was allegedly stolen from vehicles in Stafford prior to Jan. 28 when the Sheriff's Office received complaints about items being stolen.

Lewis was arrested in Pavilion on Memorial Day after he and another person were found sleeping in a car that was filled with stolen property. In December, Lewis entered a guilty plea to criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree as a second felony offender and as a result, he faces a minimum prison sentence of one and a half to three years and a maximum sentence of two to four years.

However, citing the bail reform law that would be implemented in New York before sentencing, Judge Charles Zambito released Lewis from custody. Lewis would have been released from custody on Jan. 1 under terms of the bail reform law.

New accusations against Lewis for alleged crimes that took place in January:

• Stealing a vehicle on Jan. 23.
• Possession of stolen property charges from Jan. 24.
• He faces an additional 13 counts of criminal possession of stolen property from a Jan. 24 incident.
• He is being held in jail now as a suspect in a Jan. 1 robbery on Bank Street. He is also a person of interest in the theft of a Spectrum Truck and subsequent chase and foot pursuit on Jan. 25.

The Stafford crimes were investigated by Investigator Chad Minuto, Deputy Austin Heberlein, Deputy Ryan DeLong, Deputy Brook Cummins, Deputy James Stack, Deputy Chris Erion, and Trooper Hersee (first name not provided).

A possible structure fire is reported in Stafford at 8538 Route 237. A snowmobile is ablaze inside a barn where a lot of hay is stored. Stafford Fire Department is responding. The location is between Barthof and Morganville roads.

UPDATE 3:41 p.m.: Working structure fire. Byron Fire Department and ambulance are called for mutual aid, along with South Byron, Bergen, Le Roy, Bethany, Pavilion and city fire's Fast Team. The city's second platoon is called to headquarters on Evans Street. Town of Batavia Fire Department is asked to stand by in their own quarters.

UPDATE 3:55 p.m.: Alexander Fire Department is asked to stand by in Stafford's fire hall.

UPDATE 3:58 p.m.: Fire police are told to shut down Route 237 between Bartof and Morganville roads. Oakfield fire is requested to stand by in their hall for Town of Batavia fire. Elba asked to stand by in their hall for Stafford.

UPDATE 4:38 p.m.: Donny Branton told us his parents bought the property in the 1940s. The main barn was built around 1900, he says, and the barn on the south side of the property was built with wood Donny Branton's father cut into timber from trees on the land that he cut down himself. The property now belongs to Donny's son, Chad and his family.

UPDATE 4:57 p.m.: Le Roy Fire Department's Women's Auxillary requested to the scene to provide refreshments for the firefighters.

A 3-year-old child was found wandering around in the 6200 block of Main Road in Stafford. The caller to the Emergency Dispatch Center who found the tot is heading to the Le Roy Police Station where an officer is en route to take custody of the child until his or her parent or guardian is located.

Statement from David Bertola, spokesman for National Grid in WNY, about yesterday's power outage:

A faulty piece of equipment that caused a Le Roy area substation to fail yesterday at around 9:08 a.m.
As a result, around 5,500 customers lost power. Around 5,000 of those customers had power restored by 2 p.m.

The remaining were restored by around midnight.

Leah R.H. Kelly, 35, of Jackson Street, Batavia, is charged with: menacing with a weapon; criminal possession of a weapon; and endangering the welfare of a child. Kelly was arrested following an investigation into a domestic incident which occurred at 1:26 p.m. on Dec. 12 on Jackson Street. The defendant is accused of using a knife unlawfully against another person or persons. Kelly was issued a computer-generated appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on Jan. 14. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Peter Flanagan.

Michael Abdellah Jamil, 35, of Hart Street, Batavia, is charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief. Jamil was arrested after allegedly damaging property at Williams Park on Pearl Street in Batavia at 1:45 p.m. on Sept. 30. He was issued an appearance ticket for Jan. 14 in Batavia City Court. The case was handled by Batavia Police Sgt. Christopher Camp.

Cheyne A. Hoerner, 35, of Chapel Street, Lockport, is charged with driving while intoxicated with a BAC of .08 percent or more, and DWI. At 12:04 a.m. on Dec. 29 on Clinton Street Road (Route 33) in Stafford, Hoerner was arrested on the charges following a dangerous condition complaint. It was reported that a rim on motor vehicle was creating sparks while the vehicle was being driven. Hoerner was released on appearance tickets and is due in Stafford Town Court on Jan. 14. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Nicholas Chamoun.

Thomas William McCabe, 42, of East Avenue, Attica, is charged with petit larceny. At 8:27 p.m. on  Jan. 1, deputies responded to Kohl's Department Store on Veterans Memorial Drive following a larceny complaint. Following an investigation, McCabe was arrested. He allegedly stole clothing from the store. He was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Batavia Court and is due there on Jan. 16. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Erik Andre, assisted by Deputy Joshua Brabon.

At about 1:30 p.m. today a Stafford resident thought he saw a dog fall through the ice at Horseshoe Lake and after the dog didn't reemerge from the water, he called emergency dispatch.

Stafford fire along with the water rescue team from City of Batavia fire responded but the prospects appeared grim. The dog was nowhere to be seen, there was no motion in the area where the dog reportedly went in, and 15 minutes may have already passed.

Still, the water rescue team went about its task of inflating its boats and slipping into cold water gear.

Then a call came over the radio, "tell them not to go into the water yet."

A second later, a deputy received a phone call, "It's not a dog?" he said to the person who called him.

It turns out, another resident has been aware of what was going on all along but wasn't aware emergency crews had been dispatched. Mike Mullen, a retired City firefighter, had seen the animal out on the frozen lake and spied it through his binoculars. His wife grabbed her camera and a long lens and took pictures. It was an otter eating a fish.

Every once in a while, the otter would dive back in the water with its giant catch of the day and then come back up on the ice to surface to feast some more.

"Without binoculars, it would look like a dog struggling," Mullen said.

When his wife had to leave the house a short time later, she spotted the police and fire response and Mullen came out with the camera, with its LCD screen on the back to show the pictures, and let everybody know, "it's just an otter."

(Initial Post) (Mobile App users, click here to view the video)

There's a report of a dog falling through the ice in the area of 5420 Horseshoe Lake Road, Stafford.

Stafford fire is responding.

UPDATE 1:36 p.m.: The city's Water Rescue team is called to provide mutual aid.

UPDATE 1:46 p.m.: A source on scene says the dog has been in the water for about 15 minutes. It was last seen about 100 yards from the shoreline in the icy pond. It is no longer visible. The owner is not known.

UPDATE 1:57 p.m.: Rescuers made contact with another witness who reported the animal that went in the water was not a canine. The witness, Mike Mullen, retired City of Batavia fireman, subsequently told The Batavian that it was a river otter, and the witness said he watched it for a while. The otter had captured a fish that was as large as the otter itself. The otter proceeded to eat the fish, sometimes diving in the water with the fish, coming back out, and gnawing on it some more. "If you didn't have binoculars, it might look like a dog struggling in the water," Mullen said. 

UPDATE: Photo by Mike Mullen. We have a video interview with Mullen we'll post later.

Aleasa Dominiak submitted this photo of the sunrise she captured yesterday morning in Stafford.

A possible chimney fire is reported at 8783 Prole Road, Stafford.

Stafford fire dispatch.

UPDATE 9:13 a.m.: A second alarm: Bethany, Alexander, Le Roy, Town of Batavia, and Mercy EMS requested to the scene. The fire is still reported as a chimney fire.

UPDATE 9:18 a.m.: This is now a working structure fire.

UPDATE 9:48 a.m.: Fire is knocked down; doing overhaul.

UPDATE 9:55 a.m.: The fire itself was mainly contained to the fireplace and a couch next to it. But there was heavy smoke damage throughout the house and "multiple pets were lost," said Stafford Fire Chief Matt Hendershott.

Ernest D. Lane, 61, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with: criminal obstruction of breathing; unlawful imprisonment; aggravated family offense; and first-degree criminal contempt -- physical contact. Lane was arrested at 8:21 p.m. on Dec. 25 following a domestic incident on East Main Street. It is alleged that he prevented a person from leaving an apartment and had physical contact with that person, in violation of a stay away order of protection. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court on the morning of Dec. 26 and is to appear in court at later date (unspecified). The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Mitchell Cowen, assisted by Officer Wesley Rissinger.

Zachary N. Knapp, 22, of East Avenue, Batavia, is charged with: driving while intoxicated; aggravated DWI with a BAC of .18 percent or higher. Knapp was arrested at 2:53 p.m. on Dec. 23 on East Avenue after allegedly operating a vehicle that had a flat tire. He was transported to Batavia Police Headquarters and issued appearance tickets. He is due in Batavia City Court on Jan. 15. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider, assisted by Officer Mitchell Cowen.

Stormy Marie Watts, 22, of Main Road, Stafford, is charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property -- a credit card. At 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 27, Watts was arrested following an investigation. It is alleged that Watts possessed and attempted to use a stolen Walmart credit card at 7:02 p.m. on Dec. 22 at the Batavia Walmart. She was issued an appearance ticket and is due in Batavia Town Court on Jan. 9. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Jordan Alejandro.

Brittney N. Rodriguez, 31, of Washington Avenue, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. She is accused of stealing fake nails from the Dollar General store on East Main Street in Batavia at 9:43 a.m. on Dec. 12. She was arrested and released on an appearance ticket. She is due in Batavia City Court on Jan. 7. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Nicole McGinnis.

Daniel William Mosholder, 27, of North Spruce Street, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. He was arrested after a shoplifting incident was reported at Dollar General on East Main Street in Batavia at 8:22 p.m. on Dec. 23. He was processed on scene and released with an appearance ticket for Jan. 14 in Batavia City Court. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Felicia DeGroot, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Charles Elias Cooper (inset photo left), 36, of West Seneca Street, Lodi, is charged with: first-degree burglary -- the use or threatened use of a dangerous instrument, a Class D felony; first-degree robbery -- forcible theft with use of a dangerous instrument, a Class B felony; third-degree grand larceny -- of property value that exceeds $3,000, a Class D felony.

The charges stem from an alleged home-invasion robbery at 8:45 p.m. on Nov. 5 on Clinton Street Road.

Cooper is accused of forcing his way into a residence with a Crosman SNR357C02 dual ammo full-metal revolver pellet gun, a dangerous instrument. It is alleged that Cooper verbally threatened the lives of the homeowners with the dangerous instrument and then stole more than $3,000 in cash from them.

It is believed that Cooper was familiar with the residence and specifically targeted it.

Cooper was arraigned in Stafford Town Court at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 26 and then jailed on $50,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear again in Stafford Town Court at 9 a.m. on Jan. 7.

At 9:05 p.m. on the day of the incident, the Genesee County Emergency Dispatch Center received a call from a resident on Clinton Street Road in Stafford who reported that an unknown male suspect, later identified as Charles Elias Cooper, had forcibly entered their home with what appeared to be a pistol. The suspect threatened the homeowners and demanded money.

According to the preliminary investigation, the homeowner was able to retrieve his own long gun during the confrontation and he fired one round, which struck and incapacitated the suspect.

Shortly thereafter, Sheriff's deputies arrived and took the suspect into custody without further incident.

The suspect was treated at the scene and then transported via Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester for further treatment. He was subsequently listed in critical condition.

The two occupants of the home were not injured.

Because the investigation indicates this was not a random act and that the residence was specifically targeted, investigators believe there is no reason to have further concern for the public safety of residents in the vicinity. It is believed the suspect acted alone.

The case was investigated by Genesee County Sheriff's Investigator Joseph Loftus.

Red Osier Landmark Restaurant in Stafford hosted its third annual Community Days and Winter Wonderland of Lights on Monday night, which included visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus and a petting zoo with animals from Party Animals in North Tonawanda.

This year's Christmas light display includes 2.5 million lights. 

There were also free horse and carriage rides.

The third annual "Red Osier Landmark Restaurant Community Days --Winter Wonderland of Lights" will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. on the next two consecutive Mondays -- Dec. 2 and Dec. 9. 

The public is invited to the restaurant grounds at 6492 Main Road in Stafford to stroll through the "Winter Wonderland of Lights" featuring more than 2.5 million lights.

Santa and Mrs. Claus will be there and families are welcome to take free photos with them.

There will also be free horse and carriage rides and a free Petting Zoo.

The Stafford Volunteer Fire Department will be there with fire trucks and they'll help with traffic control.

The bar will be open for adult beverages and gift certificates are available to purchase.

The lunch trailer will be open for food to purchase, too. (The main restaurant, as always, is closed on Mondays.)

(Submitted photo of Quinn and James with Santa.)

Press release:

The Stafford Garden Club, together with the Town of Stafford, will present the Fourth Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at 6:27 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the gazebo in Ilette Park corner of routes 5 and 237.

We will gather at the gazebo for the special tree-lighting ceremony featuring a brass ensemble. After the lighting ceremony, all are invited to join us across the street at St. Paul's Episcopal Church and the Parish Hall for a fun-filled evening featuring holiday jazz music, singing and storytelling by local talent.

Caroling, bagpipes, wassail bowl punch and holiday cookies will round out the evening.

The public is invited. Come and bring your family, friends and neighbors as we begin the Holiday Season!