crime

Batavia police officers issued 15 tickets at two checkpoints set up Thursday night in conjunction with the Phish concert at Darien Lake.

The checkpoints were on Pearl Street and Clinton Street.

Three arrests were made. Two were reported this morning.

A third arrest was of Sara Hill, of North Canton, Ohio, who was allegedly driving an unregistered vehicle with improper license plates. She also allegedly had no insurance. According to police, Hill has a DWI conviction in Ohio and is required to drive a vehicle with special license plates. Hill, who reportedly said she was heading to the Phish concert, reportedly told police she didn't want to drive her vehicle with the restricted license plates to the concert, so she took plates form her garage and put them on her car. The plates had reportedly been stolen previously. A possible charge of possession of stolen property is pending.

A man wanted in Pontiac, Ill. on a home repair fraud charge, who was arrested in Batavia on May 19, may go free because, apparently, the governor's office in Illinois has failed to file an extradition request.

At least, no request has reached the Genesee County District Attorney's Office, according to Will Zickl, an assistant D.A.

It's also possible, the request never made it out Gov. David Patterson's office.

Normally, it would be up to the Illinois governor's office to contact the New York governor's office with such a request.

William John Riley, who was reportedly living in the Rochester area at the time of his arrest, was stopped May 19 for allegedly having excessively tinted windows on the vehicle he was driving.

Under state law, a person cannot be held more than 90 days without a proper extradition request. The clock would have started ticking at the time of his arraignment, a few days within the time of his arrest.

Riley is out on bail. He was reportedly scheduled to appear in court today along with his attorney, Mike Ranzenhofer, at 1:30 p.m. Neither Riley nor Ranzenhofer were apparently in court at that time.

Sometime around 2:30 p.m., Ranzenhofer did meet with Judge Robert Noonan and Zickl in the judge's chambers.

Zickle said Ranzenhofer made a motion to dismiss the case, and Noonan requested that the motion be filed in writing.

It's unclear if Riley was in the courthouse today or where he is living. Ranzenhofer said during a phone interview later that he couldn't discuss the specifics of the case without his client's permission.

According to Zickl, a wrinkle in the case is that Riley isn't being held in jail, but is out on bail, which may change the 90-day limitation.

Ranzenhofer contends, in general, without discussing his client's case, that being held is being held, whether in jail or out on bail.

There's no word on when Noonan might issue an opinion on the motion.

A former Batavia firefighter who operates a train museum in Medina is accused of sexually assaulting a 27-year-old woman Friday at the museum and may have installed a videotaping system in the building.

Martin Phelps, 67, is accused assaulting the woman at 4:30 p.m.. Medina police have also removed an "extensive" videotaping system from the building.

Phelps bought the museum in 1991 and opened it in 1997 after spending six years remodeling the location.

He was remanded to Orleans County Jail on $5,000 bail.

(Source, the Batavia Daily News)

A motorcycle group out on a fundraising ride through Alabama on Sunday was confronted by a shotgun-wielding motorist when he apparently didn't like an intersection being closed by members of the group while the caravan passed.

William E. Buncy, 64, of Depew, was arrested by State Police and charged with a misdemeanor count of menacing.

The shotgun, which was reportedly unloaded at the time, along with three other unloaded firearms, were taken from Buncy at the time of his arrest. Buncy was returning from an event at a local gun club at the time of the incident.

The motorcycle group had 150 riders, and a few members of the group blocked the intersection at Lewiston Road and Route 63 to make it easier and safer for the entire group to pass through the intersection.

Titled the Jonathon Cote Memorial Motorcycle Run, it featured 150 riders and began in Amherst and was headed to Wilson Boat House in Wilson.

Buncy will be arraigned on the charge on Aug. 25 in the Town of Alabama Court.

Two men from Medina were taken into custody at 1:46 a.m. Monday on McAlpine Road in Pembroke after being found in possession of a number of reportedly stolen items.

All of the items appear to have been taken from parked cars.

Raymond J. Molina, 23, of 332 W. Oak Orchard St., Medina, and Shawn R. Wisniewski, 20, of 400 Erie St., Medina, are charged with criminal possession of stolen property.

They were jailed on $10,000 bail each.

Both Molina and Wisniewski were allegedly found with stolen GPS units, stolen purses and assorted stolen currency.

The case was investigated by Deputy Jason Saile, with assistance from Deputy John Weis and Sgt. Brian Frieday.

UPDATE: Chief Jerome Brewster clarifies that the items allegedly stolen were taken that night in the Pembroke area.

The Six Star Body Shop at 101 Lehigh Ave. Batavia, was apparently hit by a burglar on Thursday night or early Friday morning.

Batavia Police Officer Andrews is investigating the incident, in which a person or persons kicked in a door and ransacked the office.

The owner of the business is taking an inventory to determine what items are missing.

Chad M. Johnson, 23, of 15 Fairway Drive, Batavia, is charged with obstructing governmental administration. Batavia Police Officer Frank Klimjack reports that he encountered Johnson as a suspicious subject on South Main Street and when Klimjack requested to pat him down for weapons, Johnson allegedly refused. At that point, Johnson allegedly tried running away. After being ordered to stop, Klimjack used his Taser, at which point, Johnson stopped running. Upon further investigation, Batavia Police learned Johnson is reportedly on parole and was allegedly in violation of his terms of release from a state correctional facility. State parole officers were notified and further action is pending.

William Lyons, 36, of unknown address, Medina, is charged with harassment. Lyons was allegedly involved in a fight with another family member at 149 Ross St.. He was jailed on $1,500 bail.

Shane D. Vandenberg, 29, of 20 S. Main St., Batavia, is charged with harassment, menacing and endangering the welfare of a child. Vandenberg allegedly choked a female in front of the couple's child.

A 16-year-old boy is charged with criminal contempt. The boy was arrested at a roadside check point on Clinton Street Thursday night after allegedly being found in the company of a person whom he's been ordered not to contact.

Steven R. Goodrich, 27, of 649 E. Maine Road, Johnson City, is charged with DWI following a stop at a roadside checkpoint Friday night on Pearl Street. He is also accused of driving an uninspected vehicle.

UPDATE: The item below came in later this morning.

Andrew R. Miles, 20, and Benjamin M. Rogalia, 19, residences not given, were arrested at Darien Lake Theme Park on Monday at 3:07 a.m. for allegedly stealing a golf cart and running it into a locked gate. Both the gate and the cart were damaged. Both were jailed on $1,000 bail.

UPDATE II: More items that came in later in the day.

Darren W. Spencer, 26, of Springville, is charged with assault in the third degree after he allegedly punched the driver of another vehicle during a road-rage confrontation.  Spencer and the other driver confronted each other after an incident took place between the two of them on the roadway. The victim suffered a dislocated jaw in the incident.

Lawrence R. Laude, 22, of Corfu, is charged with robbery, criminal mischief and harassment in connection with a domestic incident last night. Laude was jailed in lieu of bail.

Valerie R. Mullen, 20, of Batavia, is charged with DWI following a property damage accident Thursday at 4:25 a.m. at 6835 Knowlesville Road in Alabama. Mullen was also charged with driving with a BAC of .08 percent or greater.

UPDATE III: And just missed this one this morning:

Charles P. Yaeger, 69, of 17 Madison Ave., Akron, is charged with DWI, driving with a BAC of .08, endangering the welfare of the child and violations of moving from a lane unsafely, failing to keep right and having an unsafe tire. Yesterday at 4:25 p.m., the Sheriff's Office received a complaint that a car had struck two parked cars at 1288 Little Falls Road, Pembroke, and then fled the scene. Yeager's car, which suffered a broken axle and flattened tire, reportedly left skid marks over eight miles of roadways, which Sheriff's deputies Patrick J. Reeves and Timothy Wescott said they followed from the scene of the accident to Yaeger's Akron home. Upon investigation, Reeves and Wescott found that Yaeger reportedly had a 17-year-old passenger in his car.

The following arrests were made during the Brad Paisley concert at Darien Lake Theme Park on Friday night:

Timothy Meade, 20, of 7326 Lakeshore Road, Derby, is charged with trespassing for allegedly re-entering the concert after being ejected.

Garrett Lang, 23, of 7195 Fish Hatchery Road, Bath, is charged with trespass after allegedly climbing a fence and going for a swim in the Grizzly Run Ride.

Checkpoints were set up in Genesee County yesterday by the Batavia Police Department and the New York State Police, leading to the arrests of 14 people.

The checkpoints were at Clinton Street, as well as in the Town of Darien and on Colby Road in Pembroke.

Sally C. Dixon, 39, of 5801 Byron-Holley Road, Byron, is charged with DWI. Dixon was stopped on Clinton Street by Batavia police.

The following arrests were made by State Police:

Robert Davis, 24, of N. Tonawanda, NY,  charged with DWI, allegedly driving with a BAC of .10 percent.

John Blackmore, 36, of Ewing, N.J., charged with three counts of criminal possession controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Michael Hirsch, 26, of Tonawanda, charged with DWI for allegedly driving with a BAC of .14 percent.

Richard Gentilozzi, 25, of Fairfield, Conn., charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Ryan Rich, 23, of Norwalk, Conn., charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Lawrence Taylor, 36, of Depew, charged with DWI for allegedly driving with a BAC of .08 percent.

Bret Cimerman, 27, of Buffalo, charged with unlawful possession of marijuana.

Hunter Ciliberti, 20, of Redwood, charged with DWI for allegedly driving with a BAC .13 percent.

Adam Drexler, 30, of Rochester, charged with DWI for allegedly driving with a BAC of .10 percent.

Thomas Lalomia, 26, of Getzville, charged with DWI for allegedly driving with a BAC of .16 percent.

Gregory Martin, 31, of Niagara Falls, charged with DWI for allegedly driving with a BAC of .09 percent.

Michael Sargent, 29, of Rochester, charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs.

The following arrests were made last night in conjunction with the Phish concert at Darien Lake Theme Park:

Matthew Maziarz, 26, of 216 Spaulding St., North Tonawanda, charged with criminal possession of marijuana.

Ryan P. Flannery, 20, 52 Lookout View Road, Fairport, allegedly found with LSD and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Ramon Ratiniskiy, 18, of 1048 N. French Road, Amherst, and a 16-year-old companion where charged with petit larceny for allegedly pushing a Darien Lake water cart through the crowd allowing patrons to take water for free.

Nhut D. Frawley, 41, 2 Brookside Drive, Catawissa, Pa., was allegedly found in possession of LSD and charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was jailed on $500 bail.

Michael R. Sunley, 26, of 3893 Foleys Trail, Lexington, Ky., was charged with selling a noxious material. Sunley was allegedly selling balloons containing nitrous oxide. He was jailed on $500 bail.

Michael E. Mugridge, 24, of 47 Coldwater St., Hillsdale, was charged with disorderly conduct. He was jailed on $250 bail.

Justin D. Ritchie, 27, of 19 Chestnut St., Waretown, N.J., was allegedly found in possession of psilocybin (hallucinogenic) mushrooms. He was charged with possession of a controlled substance. Ritchie was jailed on $500 bail.

Robert J. Krueger, 37, of 38 Kenneth Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly trying to break into vehicles in the parking lot. He was jailed on $500 bail.

Richard W. Tweedy, 24, of 6011 Fallough St., Taylor, Mich., was charged with selling a noxious material. Tweedy was allegedly selling balloons containing nitrous oxide. He was jailed on $500 bail.

Dianna M. Quinn, 36, of 65 Ashwood Lane, Phoenixville, Pa., was charged with selling a noxious material. Tweedy was allegedly selling balloons containing nitrous oxide. He was jailed on $500 bail.

Apparently, Dannie Sims didn't want to pass through a State Police road check on Route 63 in Oakfield today.

Troopers spotted a Chevy Lumina making an alleged illegal u-turn after it started to approach the road check, so a trooper initiated a traffic stop.

It turns out that Sims may have had good reason for avoiding the road check -- a felony warrant in Monroe County. He is also a suspect in several alleged larcenies of purses, wallets and other items at several retail store locations. Sims is a "person of interest" for the Genesee County Sheriff's Office in several alleged larcenies in the Batavia area.

Sims, 53, is a resident of Alabama.

After his apprehension, Sims was turned over to the Monroe County Sheriff's Department. The investigation is ongoing in Genesee County.

The purpose of the road checks is to check all safety related equipment that is required by the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Laws as well as ensuring that all vehicles are properly registered, insured and inspected.

William G. Potter, 53, and Tina L. Ground, 49, of 6924 Council House Road, Alabama, are charged with crimes stemming from a dispute at their residence. During a fight, Ground allegedly threatened Potter with a claw hammer. Potter allegedly made contact with Ground, which violated a court order. During the investigation of the incident, Deputy Kevin McCarthy and state troopers allegedly found seven potted marijuana plants in the house. Ground also allegedly had marijuana on her person. Potter is charged with criminal contempt. Ground is charged with menacing, unlawful possession of marijuana and unlawful growing of marijuana.

Robert M. Browne, 48, of 282 Route 20, Room #3, Darien, is charged with DWI and criminal contempt. Reportedly, law enforcement received a report that Browne had contact with a person he is ordered not to contact. Deputy Patrick Reeves was dispatched to find Browne, and reportedly found him driving on Route 20 in Darien. Reeves determined that Browne was allegedly driving while intoxicated. Browne was also charged with unlicensed operation and operating a vehicle that was unregistered, uninsured and that had improperly switched plates.

State troopers stopped a van last night on Route 98 in the Town of Batavia for allegedly speeding and found that two people inside were apparently in the country illegally.

Taken into custody were Leodegario Vazquez-Rodriguez, 48, and Francisco Hernandez-Gomez, 24.

Both were charged with unlawfully entering the United States.

Hernandez-Gomez was also charged with seven vehicle and traffic violations.

Vazquez-Rodriguez was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Hernandez-Gomez was placed in Genesee County Jail on the alleged vehicle and traffic violations, awaiting transfer to federal authorities after the local charges have been answered.

Joanne C. Buchanan, 50, of Box 70 Country Road Route 37, Central Square, and Jayne E. Best, 52, of 9384 Woodlawn Drive, Brewerton, were arrested for allegedly attempting to evade or defeat tax and possession of untaxed cigarettes. Deputy Tim Wescott initiated a traffic stop for alleged speeding and reportedly found 10 cartoons of cigarettes in the car Buchanan and Best were in.

Donald J. Cummins, 60, of 104 Bernice Drive, Seneca, is charged with DWI. Cummins was reportedly driving westbound on Route 33 at 11:53 p.m. when his vehicle allegedly strayed from the roadway toward the left shoulder striking a road cone. Deputy Kevin R. McCarthy stopped Cummins and found he was allegedly driving while intoxicated. He was also cited for allegedly driving with a BAC of .08 or greater and moving from a lane unsafely.

Susanna E. Venti, 60, of Alexander, is charged with DWI. Venti was stopped by a state trooper on Walker Road in the Town of Darien for allegedly crossing the center line. Venti's alleged BAC was .08 percent. Venti was cited for DWI, failing to keep right and driving an unregistered vehicle.

The following arrests were made related to the Creed concert at Darien Lake Theme Park over the weekend:

Adam R. Murray, 22, of 6173 Knickerbecker Road, Ontario, charged with disorderly conduct after allegedly fighting with security officers.

Alan R. Harris, 20, of 9783 State Road, Glenwood, allegedly possessed alcohol under the age of 21.

Michael A. Hill, 19, of 12670 West Schutt, Sardinia, allegedly possessed alcohol under the age of 21.

A 17-year-old from Delevan faces the same charge.

Apparently the message isn't getting through.  The police are once again asking local media to get the message out: Lock your cars.

A thief or thieves continue to prey on people who leave valuables in unlocked vehicles.

The latest spate of break ins occurred recently on East Avenue, Vine Street, Summit Street and Farwell Drive.

Among the items stolen recently were an iPod and a computer along with small change.

Anybody with information that might lead to the arrest of the thieves are encouraged to call 345-6350. If you see a crime in progress, call 9-1-1.

Eric C. Smith, 21, of 15 Edwards St., Batavia, is charged with three counts of harassment and one count of disorderly conduct. Smith was allegedly involved in a fight in which he allegedly pushed and punched three individuals. Further, Smith is accused of urinating on the floor and walls at police headquarters while being processed. He was jailed on $2,500 bail.

Kevin Q. Thomas, Jr., 20, of 193 S. Main St., Batavia, is charged with harassment. Thomas was allegedly involved in the same fight as Smith, above, and allegedly pushed another person. He was jailed on $500 bail.

Thomas K. Lee, 14 Highland Park, Batavia, is charged with petit larceny. Lee allegedly stole items from the Kwik-Fill store in Batavia. He was jailed on $250 bail.

James S. Gibbs, 33, of 34 Vernon Ave., Batavia, is charged with criminal contempt. Gibbs allegedly sent numerous text messages to a woman he was barred from contacting. He was jailed on $5,000 bail.

David J. Alvarado, 27, of 2103 S. 9th St., Lafayette, Ind., is charged with DWI. Officer Dan Coffey suspected Alvarado of driving drunk after a traffic stop for allegedly driving without headlights. He is also accused of having a BAC of .08 or greater.

Robert Michael Browne, 48, of 282 Route 20 Road, Room #3, Darien, is charged with two counts of criminal contempt. Browne allegedly violated a court order by going to a residence in the Town of Darien which he had been ordered to avoid.

Charles J. Fetterman, 37, of Lockport, is charged with DWI. Fetterman was stopped by a state trooper after allegedly failing to keep right on Route 20 in Darien. He is accused of driving with a BAC of .10 percent.

Bryan P. Falictico, 20, of Batavia, is charged with DWI. Falictico allegedly failed to keep right on Route 5 in Batavia, which led to a traffic stop by a state trooper. Falictico allegedly registered a BAC of .16 pecent.

William V. Mattucci, 53, of 414 Schenk St., North Tonawanda, is charged with DWI, failure to yield to an emergency vehicle and driving left of pavement markings. Mattucci was arrested in Corfu by village police.

Cynthia L. Carlo, 44, of 10 Gaslite Lane, Batavia, is charged with DWI, with a BAC of .08 or greater and moving from a lane unsafely. Carlo was stopped on Route 98 by Deputy H.J. Carlson early Sunday morning.

Jeffrey J. Klar, 29, 7178 Lovers Lane Road, Cattaraugus, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI with a BAC of .18 or greater, and leaving the scene of a property damage accident. Klar allegedly drove his car off a grass parking area on Sumner Road in Darien when he reportedly hit another car. He was stopped by a Sheriff's deputy on Sumner Road after allegedly trying to leave the scene.

Victor Trejo, 21, of 4238 West Ave., Elba, is charged with DWI and unlawful possession of marijuana. Trejo was stopped for allegedly speeding on Bank Street Road in Elba.

Luke W. Ritzenthaler, 26, of Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Ritzenthaler was allegedly found in possession of a pipe containing marijuana residue. He is also charged with operation a motor vehicle on a revoked license.

Patrick J. Lamendola, 48, of Rochester is charged with DWI. Lamendola was stopped by a state trooper for allegedly driving down the shoulder of Route 19 in Pavilion. Lamendola's BAC was reportedly .09 percent.

Craig L. Schrutt, 56, of 50-2 Spring Meadow Drive, Williamsville, is charged with two counts of grand larceny and two counts of issuing a bad check. Schrutt, the former operator of of CARP's Auto Sales in Clarence, is accused of writing checks that were later returned for insufficient funds to a local car dealership. The reported amount of the checks were for $11,300 and $2,500. Schrutt was sent to the Genesee County Jail on $10,000 bail. The investigation was conducted by Warrant Officer Eric Olson with assistance by Investigator Timothy Weis, and deputies James Diehl and Tim Wescott.

Jean Rebecca Fili, 31, of 8089 E. Main Road, Le Roy, is charged with petit larceny and possession of a controlled substance. Fili allegedly stole merchandise from Wal-Mart and was allegedly found in possession of a controlled substance at the time of her arrest.

Molly A. Crowe, 45, of Bergen, is charged with DWI, aggravated DWI with a BAC of .18 or greater, and refusing an initial roadside breath screening. Crowe was reportedly stopped on Route 262 in Byron by state troopers after allegedly driving her car across the center line several times. Crowe was sent to Genesee County Jail on $250 bail.

If you see any gypsies in the area, they may be doing more than playing a little music, warns local law enforcement officials.

A release from the Genesee County Sheriff's office, written by Chief Jerome Brewester, warns of "'Traveler' or 'Gypsy' activity" may be hitting the area, even though there are no formal complaints.

"Of particular importance is the fact that these scam artists usually prey upon the elderly and we ask that everyone assist in protecting your elderly neighbors," Brewster wrote.

Brewster passed along an information sheet of things to look for from the National Association of Bunco Investigators.

Some warning signs:

• The repair person drives an unmarked truck or van with out-of-state plates
• The worker has no business identification
• You are offered a "special price" if you  sign today
• The worker wants upfront costs or fees or accepts cash only
• No written estimates or contracts
• The worker has no references
• The offer "sounds too good to be true"

Residents who spot suspicious activity are asked to contact local law enforcement.

Catherine Dawn Yarington, 42, of 10051 Bethany Center Road, Bethany, is charged with harassment. Yarington allegedly struck her daughter's boyfriend in the face.

Charles Bryan Harrington, 19, of 7762 Clinton Street Road, Bergen, is charged with petty larceny. Harrington allegedly stole $500 while employed at the Bergen Wilson Farms store.

Franis A. Meldrum, Jr., 32, of 1711 Indian Falls Road, Corfu, is charged with DWI. Meldrum was stopped by Village of Corfu police for allegedly driving left of the pavement marking in a no-passing zone. He was also charged with unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.