Afternoon News Brief

According to the District Attorney’s Office, a former Batavia parochial educator and administrator has been charged with two counts of sexual conduct against a child in the second degree. He was put on leave at the time of the investigation and has since been fired. Jason Clark had been at St. Paul Lutheran as a teacher since 2002 and became principal in 2019. He was arraigned in County Court yesterday. Clark pleaded not guilty to the charges of engaging in two or more acts of sexual conduct spanning three years with a child less than 11 years old. The alleged abuse happened in the school. One count allegedly occurred on or about and after Labor Day 2014 to mid-June 2015 in the City of Batavia over a period of time and less than three months in duration, the DA’s Office said. The second count allegedly occurred on or about and after Labor Day 2015 to mid-June 2016 in the City of Batavia over a period of time not less than three months in duration. He was released on his own recognizance and is to appear at 10:30 a.m. on March 27. Anyone who may know of any other possible victims is asked to contact police at 345-6350.

 

 

A Wyoming County man has pleaded guilty to first-degree sexual conduct against a child. The Wyoming County District Attorney’s Office announced yesterday that 73-year-old Roger Bartz of Sheldon admitted to committing two or more acts of sexual conduct involving a child who was six years old when the abuse began. According to the district attorney’s office, as part of the plea agreement, Bartz will be sentenced on April 20 to a 10-year sentence followed by 10 years of post-release supervision and if he is released he will be subject to the sex offender registration act. Had he not accepted the plea deal, Bartz could have faced 25 years in prison.

 

 

27-year-old Nasir Nathan of Walnut Street Batavia has been arrested and charged with 1st degree gang assault. It is alleged that he participated in the assault in October 2019 on Highland Park in Batavia. Nathan was arraigned in Batavia City Court and held on bail; he is scheduled to return to court on 2/14/23 at 1:00pm.

 

 

 

 

44-year-old Robert Griffin of State Street Batavia is charged with Criminal Contempt, Aggravated Family Offense (more than one offense within five years) and violating a stay-away order of protection. Earlier this month Griffin was arrested following an investigation into a domestic incident. Griffin was turned over to the Genesee County Jail to await Centralized Arraignment Part Court.

 

 

 

33-year-old Jessica Saeli of Morse Place Batavia is charged with Criminal Contempt, Assault, and Unlawful Imprisonment. The charges stem from a domestic incident on September 16th where Saeli was arrested, arraigned and released under the supervision of Genesee Justice until her return. Saeli was turned over on the bench warrant to the Genesee County Jail to await Centralized Arraignment Part Court.

 

 

 

30-year-old Bradley Jordan of Liberty Street, Batavia is charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Criminal Mischief, and Aggravated Family Offense, following an investigation into a domestic incident. Jordan was arraigned in Centralized Arraignment Part Court and held without bail until his next appearance.

 

 

 

 

OTHER BATAVIA POLICE BLOTTER ENTRIES: 31-year-old Joseph Jeffords of Chestnut Street Batavia is charged with Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle. Last week, he was arrested and it’s alleged that Jeffords borrowed a friend’s vehicle to go to Rochester late last month and did not return it. Jeffords was issued an appearance ticket and is scheduled to be in Batavia City Court on February 7th. ALSO:  45-year-old Anthony Vanelli of Federal Drive Batavia has been charged after not appearing in court on a Petit Larceny arrest. Vanelli was originally arrested and given an appearance ticket for Petit Larceny on 5/2/22 after allegedly stealing a Kit Kat candy bar and a can of Nitro Pepsi from a local business. Vanelli was arraigned on the warrant and remanded to the Genesee County Jail on $1 bail pending his next court appearance on 2/1/23.  ALSO:  64-year-old Robert Shuttleworth of Gaslight Lane, Batavia has been arrested and charged with Operating a Motor Vehicle with a suspended registration, Aggravated Unlicensed Operation 2nd, Operate a Motor Vehicle Without Insurance, and Operation of a Motor Vehicle by an Unlicensed Driver. Shuttleworth is to reappear in Batavia City Court on 2/14/23 at 2:00pm.  ALSO:  58-year-old Michael Ostrander of East Main Street Batavia is charged with Criminal Contempt in the Second degree. Last July, Ostrander was arrested after a domestic incident investigation and released on an appearance ticket. However, he failed to appear and a bench warrant was issued by Batavia City Court. Ostrander was released under supervision and returned to court yesterday.

 

The extra money that people received in SNAP benefits is coming to an end. At the beginning of the pandemic, recipients were receiving emergency allotments of $95 or more in monthly benefits. Congress temporarily increased these benefits because of Covid-19, but after February’s payment, that emergency allotment will stop. The amount was based on the number of people in the family so some families could see a dramatic drop in how much they receive each month.

 

 

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles is teaming up with SUNY Empire State College to provide college credits to eligible DMV employees. In order to qualify, new or current workers must have finished all three components of the DMV’s New Employee Training Program in addition to a customer service component. Anyone who has done so can get six credits from SUNY Empire State. Those credits can then be used towards any undergraduate program at the school.

 

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Department is doing its part to try and prevent residents from having their vehicles stolen. The agency is handing out wheel locks at its substations around the area. In recent months, hundreds of cars have been stolen and many of them have been Hyundai’s and Kia’s. There’s no cost to get a wheel lock and information on how to contact the substation closest to your home can be found by going to monroecounty.gov.

 

 

The latest data from the New York State Flu Tracker shows that, in our region, Monroe County continues to report the highest number of flu cases. They had 69 new infections during the week ending January 21st. Erie County had the second highest, with 58 new cases; Seneca County came in third with 18; Ontario County had 15. Niagara County reported 12 new cases of flu and Genesee County had 8. Since flu season started in October, 305,354 New Yorkers have tested positive for the illness.

 

 

Three more members of the Buffalo Bills have been selected to take part in the upcoming NFL Pro Bowl. It was announced yesterday that Dion Dawkins, Rodger Saffold, and Dawson Knox have been added to the AFC’s roster. They will be joining teammates Matt Milano, Stefon Diggs, Josh Allen, Jordan Poyer, and Mitch Morse. The Pro Bowl game is taking place this Sunday at Allegiant Stadium which is the home of the Las Vegas Raiders. Knox is the first Bills tight end to be named to the Pro Bowl since Paul Costa in 1966. Eight members of the Bills are now headed to the Pro Bowl, the most since 1992 according to Buffalo Bills PR.

 

 

NFL teams will have more money to spend ahead of next season. That’s because the salary cap is increasing to a new record of $224,800,000 (million). That’s a more than $16,000,000 (million) bump from this season.

 

 

Country music superstar Luke Bryan is going on tour later this year, and his second stop is going to be right here in Western New York. Bryan is set to perform at the Darien Lake Amphitheater on Friday, June 16th. Byran is known for several big hits including “Play It Again,” “Drunk on You,” and “Drink a Beer.” Tickets for the show go on sale this Friday morning at 10:00 through LiveNation.

 

 

The Powerball jackpot is sky high with no grand prize winner in Monday night’s drawing. That pushes the top prize for tomorrow up to at least $653,000,000 (million), with a cash value optional payout of just over $350,000,000 (million). Please play responsibly.