Morning News Briefing
Written by Michael Baldwin on March 15, 2021
A driver told deputies he fell asleep prior to a head-on collision on Galloway Road that sent both that driver and another driver to ECMC. It happened around 9 a.m. Sunday. According to the accident report, 18-year-old Rylend L. Callicutt of Batavia was driving eastbound when he crossed the center line. The vehicle struck a sedan driven by 31-year-old Danielle C. Neuhaus of Batavia. Neuhaus was trapped in the vehicle and sustained serious injuries. She was transported by Mercy Flight to ECMC. Callicutt was transported by Mercy EMS. He was issued a ticket for failure to remain in the right-hand lane.
Police investigators have yet to determine what may have caused a driver of a minivan to accelerate after the vehicle struck a Town of Batavia Fire chief’s car that was heading to a serious injury accident on Galloway Road. The minivan appears to have been exiting the Tops Market parking lot when it struck the emergency vehicle, which was in emergency mode, driven by Fire Chief Dan Coffey. Coffey’s vehicle sustained damage on the passenger side front fender. The minivan then swerved and struck a utility pole, snapping the pole off near the base. The minivan continued east and came to rest on its side in the yard of 389 W. Main St. Charges are pending. Coffey was uninjured in the collision and did eventually make it to the accident scene on Galloway Road.
The statewide STOP-DWI Crackdown efforts in NY start tomorrow and will end on Sunday. St. Patrick’s Day Weekend is a notoriously deadly period for impaired driving due to the number of celebrations and drivers on the road. New York State Police, County Sheriff and municipal law enforcement agencies across the state will be out in force in this across-the-board effort to reduce the number of alcohol related injuries and deaths.
Le Roy Town Supervisor James Farnholz said that while he respects the wishes of his colleagues on the town board to restrict community solar farms in residential and agricultural districts, his preference would have been finding a “middle ground” to give farmers the chance to repurpose their land. The subject of the town’s proposed local law and zoning on solar projects was part of the agenda of the recent Genesee County Planning Board. Planners discussed the Le Roy Town Board’s 4-1 vote to not allow these smaller solar projects in the aforementioned designated zones. Farnholz cast the lone vote to permit them.
The City of Batavia Police Department has launched CRIMEWATCH, a new website that gives people who use social networks and mobile devices an easier, more effective way to help fight crime and stay informed. The new Batavia Police Department website was developed in partnership with CRIMEWATCH Technologies and is part of the CRIMEWATCH Network. The website is an online tool that gives the public direct access to crime and public safety-related information happening in their community. The City Police Department is the first New York based police department to go live on the CRIMEWATCH Network. The new Batavia Police Department Website can be found at BataviaPolice.org.
Two people, including a woman from Batavia, are facing drug charges following a traffic stop in the Wyoming County Town of Sheldon. Sheriff’s deputies say a metal cylinder with 2.19 grams of methamphetamine was recovered in the front seat of the vehicle. Multiple pieces of methamphetamine paraphernalia were also seized. Through investigation, it was also alleged that the passenger had another bag and a glass vial containing 1.97 grams of methamphetamine, both concealed. 35-year-old Michael Sweet of Varysburg and 34-year-old Rachel Baehr of Batavia were both was charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the Seventh Degree and Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia in the Second Degree. Sweet faces additional charges as well. Both were issued appearance tickets for court on March 29. They were both processed and then released.
The operation of youth sports in the LeRoy community will never be more important than in the coming months. LeRoy Youth Softball’s Board of Directors announced that it is getting a grant for $3,700 from the Victor L. Blood and Maudaline L. Blood Charitable Foundation to support youth athletics in the community of LeRoy. Youth softball in Le Roy has been steadfast for decades, in the local community. The Blood Foundation, as it is commonly known, was created on April 14, 1989 through the generosity of Vic Blood, a prominent businessman from LeRoy. He envisioned a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for the residents of the Town and Village of LeRoy. Vic Blood passed on in 1996, but his legacy lives on through the work of the Blood Foundation.
