Hit-and-run victim dies

Oct. 2, 2019 -- A man severely injured by a hit-and-run diver has died two days after the incident, Strong Memorial Hospital officials said.

Michael Keating, 55, died after being hit on East Main Street in downtown Rochester. The car that hit him left the scene, according to police.

RPD said Kenneth Smith, 45, was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident.

Court documents state Smith hit Keating while turning left from East Avenue onto East Main Street. Keating was thrown onto the hood of the SUV, then was run over by Smith. The documents say Smith accelerated away from the scene while simultaneously turning off the headlights of the SUV.

Arrest made in Orchard Street fatal shooting

Sept. 29, 2019 -- A Rochester man is accused of shooting another city resident to death in the Rochester's west side. Craig Stanford, 26, faces multiple charges, including second-degree murder, in connection with the death of Duane Quamina, 31, according to the Rochester Police Department.

Officers responded to 238 Orchard Street at 2:09 a.m. for the report of a shooting. When they arrived there was a large crowd in the street and Quamina was lying in the road with two gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Stanford is also charged with second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and second-degree criminal use of drug paraphernalia.

Ex-RPD officer Sippel sentenced to probation

Sept. 16, 2019 -- Former Rochester Police Department officer Michael Sippel, convicted of misdemeanor assault in May, was sentenced to three years' probation.

He was charged in connection to the May 2018 arrest of Christopher Pate. Sippel and his partner, Officer Spenser McAvoy, reportedly believed Pate matched the description of a wanted suspect. Pate said he was beaten despite showing identification and had a stun gun used against him.

Defense attorneys argued Sippel had used a discretionary blow against Pate during the arrest, a move that is permitted under police training. In body camera footage, Sippel can purportedly be heard saying, "Blasted my hand off his head. ... Look how swollen my hand is ... he turned his head."

Judge Thomas R. Morse found Sippel guilty of assault in the third degree during a bench trial. Sippel was subsequently fired from the Rochester Police Department.

Terms of Sippel's probation include getting help for PTSD as well as abstaining from drug and alcohol use for three years.

Melee outside East High following football game

Sept. 13, 2019 -- A series of fights involving hundreds of people broke out Outside East High following the Eagles' football game against Irondequoit.

Rochester police officers needed an hour to disperse the crowd and made five arrests. Two officers were reported injured. Officers responded to the initial calls were pelted with rocks, bottles and other debris, according to police.

"We had some uses of force, unfortunately," Rochester Police Capt. Naser Zenelovic said, adding that about 50 officers responded to the scene.

RPD officers deployed pepper balls and pepper spray while closing down Culver Road between Atlantic Avenue and just north of the McDonald's location at the corner. East Main Street was closed down between Culver Road and Sidney Street.

Zenelovic estimated that officers could have arrested close to 100 people but credited the department for its patience.

"We don't have enough officers to arrest our way out of numerous fights. We just want order," Zenelovic said. "We just want people to go home after enjoying the game and not come out here and ruin it, quite frankly, for everybody else who is here to enjoy a very competitive game at a beautiful stadium."

All arrested were thought to be students, said Rochester City School District spokesman Carlos Garcia. Discipline will be handled on a case-by-case basis, he said.

"We're trying to get to the nexus of the problem," Garcia said, "because if we don't resolve the problem it doesn't matter how many we suspend."

Guilty plea in death of migrant worker, infant

Sept. 11, 2019 -- The man accused of killing a woman and her 14-month-old son in Sodus last May has pleaded guilty to causing their deaths.

Andrew Correia, the public defender for Alberto Ebarado Gutierre-Reyes, said his client pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree manslaughter in the deaths of Selena Hidalgo-Calderon and her 14-month-old-son, Owen. The plea agreement was entered in a Wayne County Court.

Gutierre-Reyes will be sentenced to 20 years in state prison and five years of post-release supervision on each count. The sentences will run concurrently.

Selena and Owen were reported missing May 16, 2018. After several days of searching by hundreds of law enforcement officers and volunteers, the mother's remains were found buried under dirt and branches on the Joy Road farm where she worked in Sodus. Gutierre-Reyes was arrested May 24, 2018, the day Selena's remains were found. He was initially charged with tampering with physical evidence.

The child's remains were located and identified in October.

Gutierre-Reyes is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 7.

Single shot slays man in Northeast Rochester

Sept. 7, 2019 -- One man is dead after he was shot in the upper body in the area of Dyson and McKinley Streets, police said.

James Green, 46, of Rochester, was shot around 10:30 a.m. He was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

No suspect was in custody, the Rochester Police Department said.

Former bakery owner ordered to pay IRS more than $365,000

Sept. 4, 2019 -- The former owner of a bakery in the city has been sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service for a conviction on a charge of subscribing false tax returns..

William Cruz, 54, former owner of Borinquen Bakery, was accused of hiding more than $1 million in income from the IRS between 2012 and 2017.

In addition to probation and community service, Cruz was also ordered to pay more than $365,000 to the IRS.

Final suspect in terror plot sentenced

Sept. 3, 2019 -- The last of four suspects who pleaded guilty to a plot to attack a Muslim community in the Southern Tier was sentenced to seven years in state prison.

Vincent Vetromile, 20, was also sentenced to five years of post-release supervision for his role in the plan to attack Islamberg, approximately 50 miles northeast of Binghamton.

The four men were arrested and charged in January. Nicholas Pheilshifter, Brian Colaneri and Andrew Crysel were all sentenced in August. Prosecutors say three explosive devices were found in the course of the investigation.

During the sentencing hearing Tuesday, Judge Sam Valleriani called Vetromile's actions "a threat to everyone in our free and democratic society."

Northeast Rochester shooting claims life of man, 21

Aug. 29, 2019 -- A Rochester man was found shot to death in the backyard of a home in northeast Rochester.

Jose Ubiles, 21, was pronounced dead at the scene just before 8 p.m. after city police responded to a report of shots fired, Capt. Frank Umbrino said.

The slaying occurred in the vicinity of Caspar and Bay streets.

Police were interviewing witnesses at the scene and were also collecting video footage from nearby cameras.

No suspects were in custody, police said.

Aspiring teen journalist accused of stealing unmarked RPD car

Aug. 27, 2019 -- Two teenagers were charged with stealing an unmarked Rochester Police Department car after police responded to reports of an erratic driver on the northeast side of the city.

While investigating, RPD officers determined the teens had taken the vehicle from the city's Mount Read Boulevard garage. The vehicle was part of the department's Special Investigation Section, according to court paperwork.

Geoffrey Rogers, 17, is accused of driving the car and pointing a BB gun at a man who was at a gas station during that time. A 13-year-old passenger was also taken into custody.

Rogers, previously in the news as an aspiting teen reporter, was charged with felony fourth-degree grand larceny, second-degree menacing, falsely reporting an incident, and several traffic citations. Both youths were charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

Rogers was arraigned in Rochester City Court, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges. The judge signed an order of protection for the victim who had the BB gun pointed at him.

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