Elmira Telegram

Area police agencies will increase patrols to combat drunk, impaired, and reckless driving throughout this Memorial Day weekend. According to the New York State Police, the special enforcement period starts on Friday, May 26, 2023, and runs through Tuesday, May 30, 2023. Memorial Day is one of the busiest travel holidays of the year and police will be out in force to remove impaired and reckless drivers from area highways. Drivers can expect to see sobriety checkpoints and increased patrols by State Police and local law enforcement agencies during this holiday weekend. Troopers will be using both marked State Police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) vehicles as part of this crackdown to more easily identify motorists who are violating the law. CITE vehicles allow the Trooper to better observe driving violations. These vehicles blend in with everyday traffic but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated. According to the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research (ITSMR) at the University at Albany, 237 people were killed and 4,394 were injured in drunk driving related crashes in 2022. Another 237 people were killed in drug-related crashes. This initiative is partially funded by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC). The GTSC and the New York State STOP-DWI Foundation remind motorists that their “Have a Plan” mobile app (http://www.stopdwi.org/mobileapp) is available for Apple, Droid and Windows smartphones. The app enables New Yorkers to locate and call a taxi service and program a designated driver list. It also provides information on DWI laws and penalties, and a way to even report a suspected impaired driver. On Memorial Day weekend in 2022, Troopers arrested 213 people for driving while impaired, issued 13,688 total tickets, and investigated 808 crashes, which resulted in four fatalities.

On Wednesday afternoon at approximately 3:15 p.m., New York State Police arrested 31 year old Travis S. Fedock of Elmira after a pursuit in Tioga County. According to New York State Police, a state trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop after observing vehicle and traffic violations while in the village of Wavery. Fedock allegedly failed to comply and continued traveling out of the village on State Route 34. Fedock exited the roadway, went airborne and struck a front porch roof of a residence on State Route 34. The vehicle rolled off the roof and ended up on its roof on the front lawn. Fedock took off on foot and was taken into taken into custody by the Trooper. No injuries were reported. Fedock was transported to SP Owego where he was processed and then transported to the Tioga County Jail for Centralized Arraignment and Processing. He was charged with: Reckless Endangerment in the first degree, class “D” felony Fleeing an Officer in a Motor vehicle, misdemeanor Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the fourth degree, misdemeanor Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the seventh degree, misdemeanor

On Wednesday afternoon, a Chemung County Sheriff's deputy on patrol in the Town of Southport noted a large amount of smoke coming from the area of South Main Street near the Southern Tier Logistics building. At the same time, fire companies were being dispatched to the same location for a structure fire and burn victim. The deputy responded immediately to offer assistance to the burn victim as well as responding fire departments. When emergency crews arrived, they found 55 year old Thomas Byrnes in the parking lot with burns described as covering a majority of his body. An employee was with Mr. Byrnes waiting for help to arrive. According to the sheriff's department, Byrnes ran TJ's Ultimate Auto Repair in a separate building from the Logistics property. When emergency crews arrived, Mr. Byrnes was conscious and alert, and was airlifted to a medical burn unit in Syracuse by Guthrie Air. However Mr. Byrnes later died as a result of his injuries. The fire remains under investigation and the sheriff's office is working in conjunction with the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and the Chemung County Fire Coordinator's office to try and determine the cause of the fire. Multiple agencies responded to the fire, including Southport Fire Department, Elmira Fire Department, Webb Mills Fire Department, Elmira Heights Fire Department. In addition to the Chemung County Sheriff's Department, Elmira Police, New York State Police, Erway Ambulance and Guthrie Air Helicopter were on scene.

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As spring moves into full bloom, you may encounter young or newborn wild animals. While a baby animal might appear abandoned, it is much more likely that a parent is in the area or the individual is an independent juvenile. Please do not touch a wild baby animal – call your regional DEC office or a licensed wildlife rehabilitator if you are concerned for its well-being. Many wildlife parents leave their young in a safe place, where they instinctively remain quiet and still to avoid detection by predators. The parents return periodically (sometimes only a few times within 24 hours) to feed the young. Fawns, cottontail rabbits, and fledgling birds are the most common species that are mistakenly “rescued” by people thinking that the animals have been abandoned. Unfortunately, this leads to the death of many young animals, as wildlife is difficult to raise in captivity. It is also illegal to rehabilitate or keep wildlife in captivity without a license. Photo courtesy of P. Mercier If you come across a young, wild animal on its own, the best thing to do is leave it where it is and observe from a distance. The parents may not approach their young if they sense you in the vicinity. Additionally, DEC reminds the public that young wildlife are not pets. Keeping wildlife in captivity is illegal and harmful to the animal. Wild animals are not well-suited to life in captivity and may carry diseases that can be harmful to humans. Anyone who observes wildlife that appears to be sick or behaving abnormally should contact their DEC regional wildlife office or a wildlife rehabilitator. You can find a list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators as well as more information on young wildlife on the DEC website.

On Monday evening at approximately 7:20pm the Elmira Police Department became aware of an incident that took place at Chapel Park in the Town of Southport in which an individual had displayed a handgun. The Elmira Police Department obtained the vehicle information that the subject with the handgun had fled in. A short time later, the vehicle and suspect were located in the area of Linden Place and Lake Street. Officer’s attempted to conduct a traffic stop with the vehicle on Stephens Place near McKinley Place. At that point the driver immediately fled on foot. While being pursued by uniformed officer’s, the suspect pulled a handgun from his waistband and threw it. He then continued to run and was ultimately taken into custody in the 900 block of Grand Central Ave. The subject was identified as 31-year old Elmira resident Quayshaun Hubbard. Police say Hubbard is currently on NYS Parole for a conviction on a previous charge of Criminal Possession of a Weapon. Hubbard has been charged with Criminal Possession of a Weapon 2nd Degree (Class C Felony) and is being held pending arraignment in Elmira City Court.

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On Sunday evening, Elmira police department reports that officers were dispatched to three separate reports of gunfire in the city in less than thirty minutes. At 7:55 pm, police were called to the area of the 300 block of West Church Street for a man reported to have fired a shotgun outside. Several people were interviewed about the alleged shooting, but no evidence of one was found. Then, at 8:10 pm police were called to the Pine Street area for a report of twelve shots being fired. However police note there was only one caller for this incident, and when they arrived there was no evidence of any gunfire found. At 8:20 pm officers responded to the area of West Hudson and Harmon streets on the Southside for a report of a single gunshot and two individuals seen fleeing the area. When police arrived they interviewed the two people and again, no evidence of a shooting was found. These three incidents are still being investigated as police attempt to identify anyone connected with them. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Elmira Police Department at 607-737-5626 or 607-271-HALT.

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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has enabled another long-sought scientific breakthrough, this time for solar system scientists studying the origins of Earth’s abundant water. Using Webb’s NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) instrument, astronomers have confirmed gas – specifically water vapor – around a comet in the main asteroid belt for the first time, indicating that water ice from the primordial solar system can be preserved in that region. However, the successful detection of water comes with a new puzzle: unlike other comets, Comet 238P/Read had no detectable carbon dioxide. More here.

On Friday afternoon at approximately 2:45 PM Elmira Police Department Officers were dispatched to 267 W Chemung Place for a report of a stabbing. When police arrived they located two victims on the front porch of the residence with multiple wounds. Officers developed information that the suspect was still in the residence. Once police were inside they learned that the suspect had retreated to a rear bedroom and was still armed with a knife. Officers were able to successfully negotiate with the suspect who was taken into custody without incident. The victims in this case were both transported to area hospitals and are expected to recover. As a result of this investigation 44 year old Michael G Burchard of Elmira was charged with Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, a class B Felony. As of Friday evening Burchard was awaiting arraignment in Elmira City Court. Anyone with further information regarding this incident is asked to please contact the Elmira Police Department at (607)737-5626, or the tip line at (607)271-HALT.

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott has announced he will announce his candidacy for president on Monday.

Former KISS guitarist Ace Freely will be coming to town in October: