crime

The 25-year-old Le Roy man accused of robbing Five Star Bank in Pavilion Oct. 5 pleaded guilty this morning in Genesee County Superior Court.

Nick A. Hawkins, of 24 W. Main St., copped to felony robbery in the third degree, which could result in two-and-a-half to seven years in state prison.

When asked by Judge Robert Noonan if he forcibly stole $443 from Five Star Bank, Hawkins said he did.

"I gave her a note that said 'Put the money in the bag now, thanks.' That's exactly what it said," Hawkins testified.

The crime prompted a four-hour manhunt in Pavilion involving deputies from Genesee, Wyoming and Livingston counties as well as State Police and the DEC all-terrain-vehicle unit.

Hawkins also pleaded guilty today to felony burglary in the third degree for breaking into a building at Frost Ridge Campground, located at 8108 Conlon Road, in the Town of Le Roy in April 2001.

The penalty for that is one-and-a-third to four years if his request for youthful offender status is accepted by Judge Noonan.

Sentencing on both charges, which are to run concurrently, is scheduled for 9:15 a.m. on Dec. 8. Hawkins remains in county jail in lieu of $25,000 bail.

Three orders of protection were also set forth by Judge Robert Noonan for the three bank employees present on the morning of the robbery.

Hawkins' attorney, Gary Horton, said afterward that he's probably looking at two-and-a-half years on a concurrent sentence.

Robin Lee Buckman, 40, 7 Otis Street, Batavia Rochester, is charged with petit larceny. Buckman is accused of shoplifting four DVDs from the TA Travel Center in Pembroke.

Ryan Lee Krupp, 24, 13 Pringle Ave., Batavia (pictured), is charged with criminal possession of stolen property and unlawful possession of marijuana. These are additional charges stemming from his arrest Oct. 16, which involved an alleged escape and an alleged assault on a deputy. At the time of his arrest, Krupp was allegedly found in possession of a stolen credit card and marijuana. Krupp remains in custody without bail.

William Didir Gamble, 18, of 144 Leicestershire Road, Rochester, is charged with harassment. Gamble is accused of striking and threatening two roommates at College Village.

A 10-year-old boy in Pavilion has been charged with sexual abuse in the first degree and endangering the welfare of a child. The charges stem from a report filed with the State Police on Aug. 25.  The arrest was Sept. 11. It was in the State Police blotter today. The boy was released without bail. No further details are available.

Spencer T. Johns, 18, of Castile, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Johns was issued an appearance ticket by State Police after being arrested in the Town of Bethany at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. No further details are available.

Kenardo Roshay Fields, 19, of 7 Watson St., Batavia, is charged with trespass. Fields was reportedly banned from College Village and was found there yesterday at 11:38 p.m. hiding under a bed.

Arnold D. Jock, of Hogansberg, is charged with trespass, obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct/fighting. Jock was arrested by State Police at the Holiday Inn on Park Road, Town of Batavia, at 6:12 p.m. yesterday. No further details are available.

Joshua L. Baltz, 33, of Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Baltz was arrested by State Police in the Town of Batavia at 10:33 a.m. on Oct. 15. No further details available.

Jesse P. Boop, 20, of Avon, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Boop was arrested by State Police yesterday at 10:15 a.m. in the Town of Bethany. No further details are available.

Gary J. Dempsey, 42, of Le Roy, is charged with criminal contempt and disorderly conduct. Dempsey was arrested by State Police in Le Roy at 11:11 a.m. yesterday. No further details are available.

The last suspect captured is the final defendant to plead guilty.

Matthew J. Wells, 24, of Buffalo faces five to 15 years in state prison after admitting this morning to his role in the June 18 stick up of the M&T Bank branch in Elba.

The guilty plea came on a morning when Wells was schedule to appear on a pre-trial hearing to determine if his statement following the robbery could be used against him in a trial.

Attorney Thomas Burns said after the guilty plea that his client took into account the substantial risk of going to trial, in which a conviction could mean 25 years in prison.

District Attorney Lawrence Friedman said the plea bargain accepted by Wells today was made back in June.

Wells didn't give up easily the morning and afternoon of the robbery, either. He led more than 100 law enforcement personnel on a five-hour manhunt through the woods and fields of Batavia and Oakfield before finally surrendering. His co-defendants, Dennis M. Abrams, Jr., 26, and Demone D. Dillon, 25, were captured within an hour of the robbery.

Both previously pled guilty to charges stemming from the hold up. Abrams, the apparent mastermind of the scheme, was looking at up to 25 years in prison, and Dillon, who apparently served as a somewhat reluctant look out, facing three-and-a-half to 10 years.

Wells was the only one of the three to make any real attempt to challenge the state's case, with his attorney filing motions to suppress his statements and for a change of venue. The latter motion was eventually denied.

The case has left many in the criminal justice community shaking their heads. None of the three suspects had any prior adult criminal record, and only Dillon had a youthful offender conviction. All three had jobs and wives or girlfriends. All three men are fathers.

Abrams reportedly sent a text message to his wife before he was captured that read simply, "I messed up."

Friedman's job, of course, isn't to get wrapped up in sympathy for three men who made a bad decision. He's spoken to the victims.

"I spent hours talking with the victims of this crime," Friedman said. "I feel the impact that it has had on these women. With almost 28 years in this office, I've been surprised by the depth of emotion expressed by these women over what they went through in the bank. It was very traumatic. I had one of these women tell me she thought she was about to die. I have no idea what that must feel like."

As for the defendant's lack of prior criminal history, Friedman said, "that's what the pre-sentencing investigation is about."

"My job is to either secure a conviction or get an appropriate plea," Friedman said. "I  think in this case, I've given the court sufficient latitude in light of these crimes and in light of the defendants."

Six Halloween decorations have been stolen from the yard of Thelma Hall, on Watson Street, and she's disheartened that somebody would take from something she and her husband do for kids' enjoyment.

Hall called us this morning hoping that we would publicize the thefts and the person or persons who took the items would return them, "no questions asked."

The Batavian ran a picture of the Hall's yard on Oct. 1.

Six items, including two headstones, were stolen, Hall said.

"Please return what was taken," Hall said. "We wouldn't want to stop (decorating the yard). It's a lot of fun, but we can't keep doing it if our stuff is going to get stolen."

The Halls moved to Batavia from Indiana five years ago and have had Halloween and Christmas displays each year since.

"There's nothing in this town for the kids to do, that's why we do it," said Hall.

"I'm just heartbroken," Hall added. "We just try to be nice."

She said she and her husband are now afraid to put up their annual Christmas display, fearing more thefts.

Anthonly J. Spearance, 24, of 107 Washington Ave., Batavia, is charged with disorderly conduct and reckless endangerment. Spearance allegedly punched his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach. He was jailed on $1,500 bail.

James T. Moore, 50, of 115 Summit St., Batavia, and Patricia L. Brinkman, 48, of the same address, are both charged with assault in the third degree. Both were allegedly involved in a physical altercation during a domestic dispute. Both were jailed on $500 bail each.

Christopher C. Say, 18, of 514 E. Main St., Batavia, is charged with menacing. Say allegedly brandished a large knife and threatened another person with it during a fight. He was jailed on $1,000 bail.

Jeremy A. Weatherbee, 40, of 65 Roosevelt Ave., Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt. Weatherbee allegedly sent text messages to a person he was barred by court order from contacting.

Amanda L. Spring, 26, of 34 Walnut St., Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater, refusal to take breath test and unsafe turn without signal. Spring was stopped on Walnut Street at 3:03 a.m. on Sunday.

Kara M. Marquez-Davidson, 24, of Tonawanda, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Marquez-Davidson was stopped by State Police on Route 77 in Darien at 9:42 p.m. on Friday.

Mark S. Wells, 44, of Oakfield, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Wells was stopped by State Police on Route 5 in Pembroke at 2 a.m. on Thursday.

A 15-year-old from Oakfield has been arrested by State Police and charged with sexual abuse of a person under 14 and endangering the welfare of a child. The alleged incident was reported Oct. 10. The teen was taken into custody at 6:04 p.m. Friday. No further details were released.

A Batavia man, who has allegedly had at least one previous confrontation with cops, is in jail tonight after reportedly pushing a Sheriff's deputy down a flight of stairs and escaping an attempt by the deputy to arrest him on a bench warrant.

Ryan L. Krupp, 24, of 13 Pringle Ave., is charged with assault in the second degree and escape in the second degree.

Krupp allegedly charged Deputy Patrick Reeves and shoved Reeves as the deputy attempted to arrest him at his residence yesterday at 10:19 p.m.. Reeves was treated and released at UMMC for an ankle injury.

Today, Krupp was spotted entering the Bank of Castile branch on East Main Street. He was apprehended inside the bank at 11:43 a.m..

Details on what led to the bench warrant issued by Judge Robert Noonan were not released, but Krupp was arrested in May 2008 for allegedly stealing prescription drugs from his girlfriend. At the time of his arrest, Krupp allegedly got "belligerent with police."

In April of this year, Krupp was arrested again, this time accused of trying to cash a forged check at a local bank.

Krupp was jailed today without bail.

A Buffalo resident already under indictment for allegedly scamming a Batavia woman out of $2,000 is now facing similar charges in Albany.

Yusef Hassem, 69, is a suspect in two cases in in Albany in October 2007 and June 2008.

Det. Chuck Dudek said this afternoon that the Genesee County Jail received faxed arrest warrants from the Albany Police Department accusing Hassem of petit larceny on the first incident and robbery, 1st degree on the second.

In the June 2008 incident, according to Dudek, Hassem, a.k.a Louis A. Reed, threatened a woman with a gun after she refused to turn over her money.

In the Genesee County case, Hassem is accused of tricking a woman into handing over $2,000, saying he needed help with a financial transaction at Tonawanda Federal Credit Union.

Albany Police used the surveillance photo from that alleged incident to connect Hassem to the alleged crimes in Albany.

A Le Roy resident has been busted for allegedly possessing more than five pounds of marijuana.

Investigators estimate the street value of the weed at $13,000.

Sergio A. Forte, Jr., 43, of 88 Myrtle St., is charged with a felony count of criminal possession of marijuana and criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Forte was also allegedly found with a small quantity of crack cocaine and a digital scale.

Forte was jailed on $5,000 bail.

Members of the Genesee County Local Drug Enforcement Task Force executed a search warrant on Forte's residence yesterday as part of an investigation into "the unlicensed growing and possession of marijuana" in and around the Le Roy area.

Participating in the investigation were the Le Roy Police Department, Genesee County Sheriff's Office and the District Attorney's office.

A 22-year-old man with no permanent address has been accused of breaking into an unlocked car and stealing a credit card.

Sheriff Office investigators also believe the suspect is linked to several other car break-ins.

Danny J. Torok, Jr. is in jail on $5,000 bail, charged with grand larceny in the fourth degree.

Additional charges are anticipated.

There have been a rash of break-ins to unlocked cars in both the city and town of Batavia this past summer. One of the most interesting string of hits were the night of Sept. 21, in which a subject left blood evidence in at least one car. The Sheriff's Office release on Torok's arrest did not indicate if Torok is a suspect in that night's break ins.

Torok was arrested at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday.

The investigation is being conducted by Investigator Kristopher Kauts and Deputy Loni Nati.

UPDATE: In response to our question about blood found at the scene of previous car break-ins, Chief Deputy Jerome Brewster responds: "Our investigation to this point leads us to believe that Mr. Torok's DNA will be a successful match with DNA evidence recovered from several vehicles."

On the morning of March 6, 29-year-old Ryan Shumway reportedly threatened Batavia Police officers with a knife.

This morning, Shumway was sentenced to one-and-a-half to three years in prison for the crime. The sentence follows a guilty plea June 23 to menacing a police officer, a felony.

The incident began when two police officers responded to a domestic dispute on Dewey Avenue, where Shumway, of Stafford, threatened the officers with a knife. The officers ordered him repeatedly to drop the knife before he finally did.

It's Shumway's second strike. He has a prior felony conviction for grand larceny, stemming for an incident in 2005.

Shumway told Judge Robert Noonan that he would like to turn his life around.

"Well, sir, I've been in trouble before and everything (I've) done, I pled guilty," Shumway said. "I'm looking forward to geting this behind me and, hopefully, this will be behind me and I can start a new, good life."

Noonan wasn't without sympathy, but also wasn't about to cut him any slack (the sentence Noonan imposed was arrived at through a plea bargain).

Noonan said there were two version of the events of March 6, but even the one that Shumway's friends and supporters agree on indicate Shumway was drunk and waving a knife.

When liquor and weapons are involved, Noonan said, it can be a scary situation, "no matter how good of a person you are or how good you want to be."

"All I can say to you sir, is that if you want to stay out of trouble, you need to stay away form alcohol and drugs or you’re going to get in trouble," the judge said. "You’re just one of those people, that if you get involved with alcohol or drugs, you’re going to get in trouble."

Noonan then imposed the sentence and within minutes Shumway was escorted from the courtroom and into custody by a bailiff.

Those who pay close attention to the arrest reports on The Batavian will recognize the name Nicholas Jacob Ridge Adkins, 18, of 6954 Swamp Road, Byron.

Adkins has made two previous appearances in our crime reports. First in July when he was accused of burglary for entering a neighbor's house and allegedly stealing stuff, and again in August when he was arrested along with four other young men and charged with criminal mischief for allegedly causing $3,500 in damage to a rental property.

He was scheduled to appear in court today for a sentencing.  I don't know what happened in court. I couldn't make it because of prior appointments.

I do know that Adkins was arrested again last night for allegedly taking the vehicle of another person without permission.

Adkins was arrested by Investigator Weis and Sgt. Brian Frieday. No further details of the case are available.

Manuel Zuniga Perez, 28, of 10248 Brookville Road, Alexander, is charged with DWI, unlicensed operation of a vehicle, and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Perez was stopped in the City of Batavia by Officer Chris Camp after a domestic dispute was reported at his home in Alexander. Perez reportedly had two children in the car with him at the time he was stopped. He was jailed on $2,000 bail.

After a long weekend off, Deputy Chief Jerome Brewster got back to us on some questions we had about the arrest of Nick A. Hawkins for allegedly robbing the Five Star Bank branch in Pavilion.

He referred most of the questions to the district attorney's office, but did say: "...the jacket did not play as significant (a) role as we thought it would. "

The bank robber wore a light blue and black jacket with "Husqvarna" lettering on the left sleeve. 

Brewster said, "The arrest was the culmination of a thorough, cooperative investigation conducted by the Sheriff's Office and State Police."

He also provided this mug shot of Hawkins.

Previously:

• Accused bank robber comes from Le Roy family having a tough time
• Le Roy man arrested and charged with Pavilion bank robbery
• Search continues for Pavilion bank robber
• Manhunt in Pavilion for bank robber winding down

Brian M. Raphael, 21, of 4 Noonan Drive, Batavia, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and criminal possession of a weapon. Police Officer E.E. Bolles reports that he found Raphael sleeping in his car with the engine running Saturday at 3:10 a.m. at 419 E. Main St., Batavia. Upon his arrest, Raphael was allegedly found in possession of a collapsible billy club.

Michael D. Snyder, 37, of 679 E. Main St., Apt. 4a, is accused of criminal contempt and harassment. Snyder allegedly violated the terms of an order of protection by shoving his girlfriend. He was jailed without bail.

Timothy P. Tucker, 35, of 12 Ellicott St., is charged with DWI, refusal to take breath test, failure to stop for a stop sign, speed not reasonable and prudent, improper turn and leaving the scene of an injury accident. On Sunday at 1:48 a.m., Tucker allegedly ran a stop sign from northbound Union Street at Oak Street. His vehicle reportedly continued through the intersection until it hit a tree. Officer Dan Coffey reports that Tucker allegedly fled the scene on foot. His female passenger suffered minor injuries in the accident. Tucker was found a short time later at his residence, according to Officer Coffey.

James Frank Webb, 27, of 10215 Colby Road, Darien, is charged with criminal contempt and harassment. Webb is accused of violating an order of protection that barred him from contacting a particular person. He allegedly called that person on the phone.

Shaundalee M. Hill, 20, of 81 Lyncourt Park, Greece, is charged with DWI and driving with a BAC of .08 or greater. Hill was arrested by Deputy Tim Wescott after Hill was reportedly involved in a one-car accident Fisher Road in Oakfield at 6:46 p.m. on Friday. Hill was also charged with unlicensed operation of a vehicle and having an open container.

Adam M. Ganzhorn, 25, of Town of Batavia, is charged with obstruction of governmental administration and filing a false report of an incident. He was arrested at 4346 Batavia-Elba Townline Road by State Police and jailed on $2,000 bail. No further details available.

Christopher A. Saddler, 25, of Albion, is charged with petit larceny. Saddler was arrested in the Town of Batavia by State Police. No further details available.

It's been a rough couple of months for the Hawkins family of Le Roy.

Lori Hawkins, after 32 years working for area dairy farmers hasn't been unable to find a job. On Sept. 5, her second-oldest son, Mike Burrs, died at age 31 after a lifetime battle with a congenital heart disorder.

Now her 25-year-old son, Nick A. Hawkins, is charged with robbery, accused of handing a demand note to the cashier at the Five Star Bank branch in Pavilion last Monday. He is in Genesee County jail being held on $25,000 bail.

We first met Lori Hawkins at a dairy rally at Dale Stein's farm organized by Assemblyman Steve Hawley. She showed up with a cardboard sandwich sign that read "Exp. milker 4-hire. Unemployment benefits denied. Labor dept. not much help. Can you afford to hire me? I want to work!"

So far, Hawkin's efforts to land a job haven't panned out.

Hawkins said she knows how to milk cows, care for calves, administer medication and do any of the tasks associated with being a dairy farm hand. But her experience doesn't seem to matter much these days.

"Now they're hiring Mexicans," Hawkins said. "I'm 50 years old. They look at me and I think they think I'm too old. I don't know what they are thinking."

Hawkins is the mother of four children, but she said Nick is always the one she had trouble with. School counselors advised her when he was young that Nick might be borderline ADD (Attention-deficit disordered). She said he's never been properly checked out, but wonders if he might be bipolar or have obsessive-compulsive disorder.

"When he was younger, he would always act out and then regret it later," Hawkins said.

Nick Hawkins has a criminal history that Lori said started when he was a teenager. At 14 or 15, he he was accused of stealing a bike.

She said Nick was on probation from 2002 to 2007 for stealing a four-wheeler, plus she's heard of various petty crimes.

"I'm sure he's done stuff that I don't even know about," she said.

Lori said she last saw her son one evening last week and they watched TV together.

"It (news of the bank robbery) was a shock to me," she said. "I didn't even know about it."

She said Nick has no stable work history. He learned welding at BOCES and has some dairy farm experience ("I taught him how to milk cows," she said), but he never seems to be able to hold a job.

"I don't know if he develops an attitude problem or what," she said.

The death of Mike Burrs has been hard on the entire family, Hawkins said, and there's been some dispute over what to do with Mike's belongings, which includes a snowmobile and a dirt bike. Nick didn't want his grandmother to sell those items, Lori said, and the issue upset him.

"Since his brother died five weeks ago, I've been telling him he should go to counseling," Lori said. "But he's 25 years old. He's not going to listen to what his mother tells him to do."

We saw a couple of busts this summer of people accused of growing pot, and of course the State Police flew its helicopter around looking for marijuana fields, but it turns out, increased domestic production maybe putting more hurt on Mexican drug cartels than years of "the war on drugs."

American pot growers now produce half of all the weed sold in the United States.

Contrary to traditional images of rural pot farming, small-scale production and indoor farming may have played a large role in the increased production. "While the trafficking of cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine is the main focus of U.S. law enforcement, it is marijuana that has long provided most of the revenue for Mexican drug cartels," the reporters write.

And like Starbuck adjusting its brand to meet increased local competition, the drug cartels are changing the way they do business.

Mexican cartels are improving their product and streamlining delivery to compete with increased U.S. production, they report. The National Drug Intelligence Center says cartels are increasingly growing pot on public lands in the U.S. to move closer to the market.

Of course, state treasuries aren't seeing a dime of benefit from all of this commerce.

Four-hundred and forty-three dollars.

That's the amount of money Nick A. Hawkins allegedly stole from Pavilion's Five Star Bank branch on Monday.

Hawkins, 25, of 24 W. Main St., Le Roy, is in custody tonight.

The money is all gone. Hawkins reportedly spent his loot before his arrest, which he allegedly took from the bank using a demand note.

The 11:30 a.m. robbery triggered a four-hour manhunt in Pavilion involving deputies from Genesee, Wyoming and Livingston counties as well as State Police and the DEC all-terrain-vehicle unit.

Hawkins is charged with robbery in the third degree. He was jailed on $25,000 bail.

No word yet on what led to his arrest.

Previously:

• Police pursue bank robbery suspect in Pavilion area
• Search continues for Pavilion bank robber
• Manhunt in Pavilion for bank robber winding down
• No hot leads in Pavilion bank robbery investigation, Sheriff says

Matthew Kyle Johnson, 21, of 2509 E. Main Road, Pembroke, is charged with petit larceny. Johnson is accused of stealing a mobile phone while employed at Darien Lake Theme Park.

Kenneth R. MacGreagor, 23, of Cheektowaga, is charged with false personation and having no motor vehicle license. MacGreagor was stopped at 1:30 p.m. Thursday by State Police on Stephen Hawley Drive in the Town of Batavia.