Ë®¹ûÅÉAV

Police said the leaders of the ring were Auburn residents Nicholas Neville and Merritt Fletcher IV, who they said are members of the gang Gorilla Stone Nation, which is unit of the Bloods.

"During the investigation it was found that Neville and Fletcher were being resupplied with cocaine from New York City and City of Rochester," the task force said in a press release. "It was also found that the drug organization was also being supplied with pressed blue fentanyl pills and methamphetamine from California."

Fletcher, 31, of 6 Steel St., Auburn, was charged July 1 with third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Neville, 32, of 61 Cayuga St., Auburn, was charged July 5 with the same counts.

Those arrests followed the execution of multiple search warrants in January and April 2022 in Auburn, Cortland, Syracuse and Bakersfield, California.

In January, authorities said they recovered approximately 2.6 kilos of cocaine, 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine, over a pound of pressed blue fentanyl blues (approximately 7,000 pills), two defaced handguns, over $20,000 in cash, $15,000 in jewelry, a kilo hydraulic press and multiple cutting agents in searches conducted in Auburn and Cortland.

A search of a Syracuse storage locker in April 2022 found approximately 70,000 pressed blue fentanyl pills. On the same day in Bakersfield, California, a search by federal drug enforcement officers recovered 103,000 pressed blue fentanyl pills, 133 grams of fentanyl, 30 grams of cocaine, 17 firearms and $33,000.

The task force said 13 people were arrested on Monday and charged with second-degree conspiracy. Those arrests required the work of the Cayuga County District Attorney's Office to prepare a grand jury indictment, which took time due "new bail reform and discovery laws along with the magnitude of the case," the task force said.

The names of the defendants charged with conspiracy on Monday are as follows:

• Calvin D. Wilson
• Rondell T. Smith
• Taquann R. Jones
• Jennifer A. Richardson
• Chalise A. Bullock
• Robert N. O'Hara III
• Kyle T. Lerch
• Jacalynn A. Jacobs
• Brittani N. Dias
• Michael J. Wiltsie
• Dytalion P. Dennis
• Michael L. Jenkins
• Donald J. Sampson

Another defendant, Caitlyn E. Jacobs, was arrested on June 29 and charged with criminal possession of a firearm and first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Agencies and units within those agencies that were involved in searches and arrests included the Finger Lakes Drug Task Force, Auburn Police Department, Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, Cayuga County District Attorney’s Office, Auburn Police Emergency Response Team, Cayuga County Sheriff ERT, New York State Police SWAT, New York State Police Violent Gang Narcotic Enforcement Team from C, D, and E Troops, Cayuga County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit, New York State Police K-9 Units and US Army National Guard Counter Drug.

The Auburn Castle, the 1871 Gothic revival mansion at 45 Owasco St., does not appear to have undergone any significant work since it was bought for $368,500 in October 2020.

According to Cayuga County property records, the mansion was bought by a Suzanne Cranmer. But she represents the actual buyer, according to broker Michael DeRosa, who arranged an auction for the mansion that attracted more than 350 bids. Neither Cranmer nor the buyer, whom DeRosa declined to identify on the record, responded to requests for comment on the mansion by Ë®¹ûÅÉAV.

Much work was done on the mansion by its previous owner, Patrick Collier Connelly, who bought it in 2017 and popularized the Auburn Castle name by maintaining a page for the restoration on Facebook. The mansion was designed by Nelson Hamblin to resemble the manors of Scotland, the native country of its first occupants, Auburn Woolen Mill Superintendent Samuel Laurie and his wife, Jeanie.

While the castle sits quiet — and rumors stir once more this Halloween season that it's haunted — the restoration of another historic Auburn mansion is moving ahead of schedule.

The Seymour mansion at 113 North St. received its certificate of occupancy in July, two years after the 1861 mansion was bought for $50,000 by James and Katie Joynt of Doylesburg, Pennsylvania.

Like the Auburn Castle, the Seymour mansion made headlines in the months prior to its sale. The Joynts were among more than 200 who submitted offers to the city of Auburn, which owned the property, after a marketing campaign coordinated by DeRosa. Among those interested were Netflix star and influencer Christine McConnell, who visited the mansion in December 2019.

After they acquired the property, the Joynts set a timeline of five to six years for restoring it, James told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV on Tuesday. But the mansion should be ready for them and their children to move in even sooner. That's perhaps because the residents are also the restorers: Aside from a contractor who repaired the mansion's four furnaces, all the work there has been "Joynt labor," James said.

"I've got very talented kids," he said, noting that two of his and Katie's eight children are carpenters.

The Joynts have been working on the whole 6,000-square-foot Victorian mansion at once, James continued, both stabilizing it and stripping away the apartments where its most recent occupants lived.

Two apartments have been removed, including one that filled a single room of the mansion with a living room, dining room, bedroom, kitchen and bath, as well as drop ceilings. Another apartment and two kitchens have also been removed. The Joynts repaired all the plaster in the mansion to seal it, from the bottom of the curved wooden staircase to the attic, and caulked over every room.

The mansion's bats have been evicted as well, James said.

"It's one big family house now, instead of six different apartments," he said. "I suppose we've just sort of been chipping away at the whole thing. We're approaching everything slow and steady."

Outside the mansion, the family has fixed the stone front steps, repointed the brickwork, landscaped half of the overgrown yard, and cut down seven ash trees killed by the emerald ash borer. As they decide what to plant they're referring to old gardening books, James said, hoping to find what thrived on the 1-acre property when the mansion was built for Auburn banker James S. Seymour. 

The Joynts know a little about planting, having managed Amish produce co-op Path Valley Farms. They've sold their farm in Pennsylvania, James said, as they transition to living in the mansion. He now spends most of his time in Auburn, where Katie grew up, née Klink, and has grandparents. Some of her childhood friends in the Rochester area are thinking about moving back, James added.

"If we didn't like it here as much as we do, I don't think they would think about coming back," he said. "But we love it and we advertise it as much as we can. It's wonderful."

Before the Joynts can call their new Auburn home completed, however, there's still much work left on their list. Many of the mansion's rooms need to be trimmed out, and the floors need to be refinished. The two-story carriage house behind the mansion is a "year four" item, James said. The family also has to figure out how to manage its space, as the rooms are large but limited in number.

Still, James doesn't foresee any major challenges in what's been a faster, cheaper restoration than he expected.

"The mansion actually wasn't in as bad a shape as I imagined," he said. "Everything that was wrong had to be fixed, but most of it was just that — fixing it."

The operator of the motorcycle was transported to Auburn Community Hospital by ambulance and later succumbed to their injuries.

Police said the driver of the van was the only person in the vehicle and was not injured.

The names of those involved were not being released Wednesday afternoon, police said, due to ongoing notifications to family members.

The investigation was still ongoing Wednesday and the sheriff’s office asks that anyone with information regarding the crash contact its Criminal Investigations Division at (315) 253-1610.

The sheriff’s office reported that it was assisted by the New York State Police, Cayuga County E-911, Aurelius Fire Department, AMR Ambulance, the Cayuga Fire Department and the Cayuga County Coroner’s Office.

The musical, originally planned for 2020 until the pandemic forced that season's cancellation, opened Aug. 17.

"Trust me — this was very much a last option," Smock wrote. "Making a choice to push forward with the show means sacrificing something else — and that's not how we work — it's not in line with my ethics as an arts leader and it's not in line with The Rev's priorities or governance. Theatre is only possible with people — healthy people. We must prioritize them first — and the show second."

Smock said the company's box office team will be in touch with the thousands of ticket-holders affected by the cancellation.

The company's next show, "Ain't Misbehavin': The Fats Waller Musical," will proceed as planned Wednesday, Sept. 21, through Tuesday, Oct. 11, at the playhouse.

"We will miss our 'State Fair.' For those of you (who) were not able to see it, we are sorry. It was a beautiful production centered around family, young love, and chasing your dreams. Its characters navigate what life brings and figure out how to adjust. We are taking a lesson and following suit," Smock wrote.

"For those of you who were able to see it, thank you for supporting live theatre. We need you now as much as we did in 2020 — perhaps more."

The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office confirmed Friday that Walczyk, 65, died after a collision with a delivery van in Aurelius Aug. 31.

Robert Franklin, detective lieutenant with the sheriff's office and commander of the criminal investigation division, said a 2007 Honda motorcycle, operated by Walczyk, was northbound on Fuller Road at around 1:13 p.m. when it collided with a van, driven by Seth Kasarda, 23, of Camillus, that was turning into a driveway. 

Walczyk was taken to Auburn Community Hospital via ambulance and later succumbed to his injuries. Kasarda, the only person in the van, was not injured. Franklin said the sheriff's office's accident reconstruction unit recreated the incident, with results pending. Any charges are pending the results of the overall investigation, Franklin said.

Since Walczyk's death, Perkins and others remember him as devoted to his community and to helping others. In addition to being a life member of the fire department because he served for over 25 years, Walczyk was also a member of the Aurelius Town Board at the time of his death. Perkins said Walczyk had previously been a town fire commissioner, adding he believes Walczyk had been with the fire department for around 40 years.

The chief said he knew Walczyk for over 30 years and that his selflessness served as an example to the fire department and "he set a standard for the fire department in being a community servant." Perkins praised Walczyk's dedication.

"He's in his 60s, he's retired, it would have been very easy for him to say, 'I'm going to stay in bed at 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning and let the younger people handle it,'" Perkins said. "He was still very, very active, still getting up, answering alarms up in the middle of the night, still answering alarms during the day."

Walczyk's steadfast inclination to assist others is what made him a good firefighter, Perkins said.

"It didn't matter if your car was broke down, you needed to borrow $20, you needed help fixing something in your house. He was just a very, very kind  person that was extremely willing to help anybody, whether he knew you or not, a perfect stranger to somebody who was a longtime friend. He was that kind of guy," Perkins added.

Walczyk's helpful nature was present earlier this spring, when Aurelius received a lot of rain and people were having issues with their basements. The fire department was called at one point to a woman's house who was having problems with the sump pump in her basement. The department determined the sump pump wasn't working and "did everything we could to try and get that sump pump working," although it was evident the woman was going to either need to acquire parts for it or get a new sump pump. 

Since Walczyk owned a lot of rental properties in the area and had performed plumbing, carpentry work and more, Perkins said, the department figured Walczyk might have a sump pump or parts for one. Perkins called Walczyk, and he went over to the woman's house, free of charge, on at least three occasions because she was having difficulties. At one point, Walczyk gave the woman his cell phone number so she could call him when an issue arose, Perkins said.

The past few days have been "extremely difficult" for Perkins and the Aurelius fire department, he said. The department responded to the collision Walczyk was involved, but did not know he was there at first. 

"We're a volunteer organization, there's not a lot of us, we're a very tight-knit group. It's bad enough that we have to go to these incidents and the tragedy, but it compounds the situation, makes it exponentially worse when it's one of your own people, you show up and realize who it is and you have to help," Perkins said.

Perkins is not sure he will ever meet another person like Walczyk again.

"I think everybody that volunteers to do whatever they volunteer to do, whether it's a firefighter, volunteering for the church or whatever, is very selfless, but I don't know that I will have the opportunity to meet a more caring and selfless person than Tom ... I thank him for teaching us that, living his life as that, making that example for us to live our lives by," Perkins said.

On the morning of Sept. 1, the fire department changed its profile picture to include a black band saying "LIFE MEMBER" and the No. 70, which was Walczyk's badge number.

Walczyk submitted a letter to the editor during his 2019 campaign for the town council seat, saying "I know what the town is like and what it can be. I'm not one to 'follow the crowd' and will never be classified as someone to sit on the sidelines. I ask questions. I listen to people to find out how a decision will impact ALL the people of the town — not just a select few."

Cayuga County Sheriff Brian Schenck told Ë®¹ûÅÉAV Friday he knew Walczyk well.

"He was a very active member of the community, very active member of the Aurelius fire department," Schenck said. "He was a dedicated public servant and he will certainly be missed."

Auburn field hockey knocked off Weedsport 4-0 in the semifinals of the Cayuga County tournament Thursday at Holland Stadium. 

The Maroons advance to Friday's championship game, when they'll play Port Byron in a rematch of last year's final. 

Holding a 1-0 lead already, Auburn was awarded a penalty corner attempt in the waning seconds of the first half. 

The Maroons put the ball in play as the halftime horn went off. Despite zeroes on the clock, rules dictate that play continues until the offense has the ball knocked away, so Auburn continued to whack at it until BB Wilson converted the goal. 

"It boosted their confidence," Maroons coach Sara Patane said. "I'm letting the athletes make their decisions when it comes to penalty corners because they're the ones in the game. They know what's going on, and when they can make those decisions it builds the momentum."

Wilson finished with a pair of goals for the winning side. Madilyn Babb and Alyssa Hogle had the other tallies, while Finley Hogan and Erica Leeson were credited with assists. 

Weedsport goalie Arieanna Giacolone finished with eight saves. 

It was an inspiring season-opening effort for Auburn, who is trying to win its second straight county tournament. The Maroons are going for it with a new coach, as Patane takes over the varsity team from Sarah Pitcher. 

Patane was previously the junior varsity coach. She is also a former goalkeeper for the Maroons. 

Assessing her team's performance, Patane said it was satisfying. The team entered this season unsure of participation numbers and decided to combine the varsity and junior varsity. 

So far that decision's paid off. 

"You never know the team dynamics or if they'll play well together," Patane said. "I'm very proud of the outcome tonight."

While there's still plenty of season left, Auburn has high hopes for the 2022 fall season. The Maroons went 9-5 last year and earned a berth in the Section III Class A tournament. 

Auburn was ousted in their first game, the section quarterfinals, by Fayetteville-Manlius. 

There's hope the team can advance deeper this year around. But first, they'll look to close out another county tournament victory. 

"I'm very excited for this season," Patane said. "I'm very proud of these athletes, and I hope that this season will showcase their talent and all the hard work they put in this summer. I hope they can build on this, and I think they have the right team dynamic to do so."

Port Byron 8, Cato-Meridian 0: The Panthers were ahead by only a goal after the first quarter, but poured it on the remainder of the game. 

Abby McKay and Sadie White each recorded hat tricks, while Kylee Cordway and Mackenzie McDowell finished with a goal apiece.

McDowell and White also chipped in two assists each. Cordway and McKay both had one. Maria Burns made four saves.

Marisa Bartholomew racked up 13 saves in goal for the Blue Devils.

St. Albert held an open house at the newly renovated building on Thursday. The school year for both academy buildings starts Wednesday, Sept. 7. 

Erin Burroughs, a member of the St. Albert the Great Academy development committee, said the construction for the work at the Pulaski building is set to cost over $20,000. She said St. Albert has spent money conservatively, noting that the academy's funding comes from private benefactors. The academy felt the work done, including flooring or carpeting on five rooms, was necessary. Construction began in July.

"We spent our money where our priorities lie, which is with our staff and our students," she said in an interview Wednesday.

Burroughs also noted volunteers have done significant work on the building, thanking them for their time, talents and efforts. She lauded those who have fit "us into their schedule to allow us to get started for the school year, that's pretty amazing. It's a great community." Burroughs also praised the St. Hyacinth's Polish Catholic Church, 61 Pulaski St., for its collaboration with the school.

Speaking Wednesday at the Pulaski building as some last-minute work was being done and preparations were being made for the open house, Ellen Patulski, the new vice principal for both buildings, looked at the renovations with a smile on her face. She noted St. Albert leased the gym and some rooms last school year to use for special classes such as physical education and music.

Patulski, who was a fourth-grade teacher at St. Albert last school year, talked about why the academy wanted to use the first floor.

"We need to expand," she said. "We're growing, we're a growing school."

Between the two buildings, Patulski noted, the academy is currently slated to have about 95 to 100 students, which she said was about the total students St. Albert boasted last year. Having that many students in the Washington Street building for the 2021-22 school year was difficult for some of the classrooms teachers, she said, adding that some parents that parents brought up concerns about students walking back-and-fourth between the two buildings last year.

The vice principal also talked about why the academy wanted to renovate a building they are leasing but don't outright own.

"It's a part of who we are today, and it's a beautiful building and we're all about restoring what is good, true and beautiful," Patulski said.

Although five rooms were renovated, including classrooms and the library, other rooms on the first floor will be used, as well. Walking around the first floor as the whirring of machinery could occasionally be heard, Patulski said the room that will be the school's library received new tiles, new flooring and new paint. A new security system was also installed for the building.

As she put away books in her fourth-grade classroom, teacher Katie Verdi said she was excited about the new building. She also noted that she had taught fifth grade at the Washington Street campus for the previous two school years. While she had nine students last year, she will have seven fourth-graders this year. Verdi mentioned that she has already built a rapport with the returning students who are going to be in her class this year, since she saw them every day because the third grade and fifth grade classrooms were close by at that school.

With a smaller class size this year, Verdi said she is looking forward to doing more individual one-on-one work with her students.

"I love this school, I believe in this school and what it has to offer," she said. 

Verdi expressed optimism for the upcoming school year.

"I think that people should know that even though it's different, with different buildings, it's still the same St. Albert education and the same St. Albert love that they're going to be getting regardless (of) what building they're at," she said. "They're still going to be taught with love through each other and loved by God."

Major, who has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, will remain in federal custody through a trial. A federal magistrate judge concluded that Major would be a flight risk and also noted "the nature and circumstances of the offenses charged, including whether the offense is a crime of violence, a federal crime of terrorism, or involves a minor victim or a controlled substance, firearm, explosive, or destructive device; ... the weight of evidence against the defendant; ... the history and characteristics of the defendant; and ... the nature and seriousness of the danger to any person or the community," according to court records.

A trial date has been set for Oct. 18 in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California.

Major was found and arrested on a stalking charge in Iowa in July following an investigation that began the prior month. The FBI said Major convinced two women, including one he knew from Auburn, to make tens of thousands of dollars in purchases for him by claiming he couldn't make transactions due to the secret nature of his intelligence work. When both women attempted to cut ties with him, he sent them threatening messages, according to the criminal complaint and the indictment.

The alleged victim from the Auburn area told investigators that she stopped communication with Major in October 2020, but he then began sending frequent texts and emails and attempted to call her up to 1,000 times per day. She reported the threatening messages to the Auburn Police Department in January 2021, but local law enforcement authorities said they could not investigate because the alleged conduct took place in California.

Major began reaching out to the alleged victim's father with the threatening messages, but he also at one point told the father he had arranged to reimburse the man's daughter. Major had his mother, who worked at Auburn Community Hospital with the alleged victim's father, write a check to her for $25,000. That checked bounced, and Major's mother was arrested in April 2021 for knowingly issuing a bad check. According to the FBI complaint, Michelle Major has been ordered to pay restitution of $100 per month for five years.

The federal investigation of Major began in June when the other alleged victim, a woman he met in San Francisco, filed a complaint with the FBI National Threat Operations Center.

Both the stalking and interstate communications charges against Major are punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a fine.