Fatal Plane Crash On Friday Night In Hornellsville

FROM NYSP:  The New York State Police and emergency personnel remain on scene at a small engine plane crash that occurred on August 1, 2025, at approximately 7:00 p.m., on Morton Hill Road in the town of Hornellsville, Steuben County.

The sole occupant of the aircraft has been identified as Brian J. Valder, age 41, of Penfield, NY. Valder was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Preliminary investigation indicates that the aircraft had departed from the Brockport area prior to the crash.

Morton Hill Road is now open in the vicinity of the crash site.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are on scene investigating the cause of the crash.  Further information will be released as it becomes available.

 

United Way's Tour De Keuka Brings In Over $100,000

The United Way of the Southern Tier’s annual Tour de Keuka charity bike ride on Saturday raised more than $110,000 for programs supporting children, senior citizens, and people in need in Chemung and Steuben counties.  They say that over 270 cyclists from 17 states took part in Tour de Keuka and that75 community members volunteered for the day-long fundraiser. Participants started and finished at the Hammondsport Fire Station and rode distances of 45, 60, or 100 miles during the event.

 

The D.E.C. Talks About Chainsaw Safety In Bath

Recently, a D.E.C. official spoke at an event put on by the Bath Volunteer Fire Department.  Jon Cleveland from the Department of Environmental Conservation reminded those who use chainsaws, to gear up, inspect the chainsaw before you cut, to keep both hands on the chainsaw, to avoid using them after drinking alcohol and to make sure bystanders are at a safe distance.

 

Gillibrand: On Fighting Lyme Disease In New York State

 

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand held a virtual press conference to call for the passage of the Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act, which would support research, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease. Gillibrand is also fighting to secure over $200 million for research and programs that address Lyme disease, protecting families, communities, and service members across New York.

 

“Tick-borne illnesses are a growing threat in New York and across the country, and we must do more to ensure that all Americans are protected,” said Senator Gillibrand. “The Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act would help develop better treatments and preventative measures for the thousands of New Yorkers who suffer from tick-borne illnesses and for those who live in high-risk areas. Funding research and programs that address these diseases will also increase our ability to combat them. New Yorkers deserve the freedom to spend time outdoors without worrying about tick-borne illnesses, and I’m committed to getting this crucial legislation across the finish line.”

 

Tick-borne illnesses pose a growing threat to public health, and New York reports the highest incidence of Lyme disease in the country. Reported cases of Lyme disease in New York have skyrocketed in recent years, from about 2,200 in 2020 to over 22,000 in 2023. Areas like Suffolk County, Orange County, and Westchester County have some of the highest numbers of cases throughout the state, but cases are also rising in urban areas like New York City.

 

Specifically, the Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act would:

1. Require HHS to continue implementing and updating its National Public Health Strategy to Prevent and Control Vector-Borne Diseases in People;
2. Reauthorize Regional Centers for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases for five years; and
3. Reauthorize Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) grants to state health departments to improve data collection and analysis, support early detection and diagnosis, improve treatment, and raise awareness.

 

In addition to the Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act, Gillibrand has requested over $200 million in appropriations to support research and programs that address Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses. These funding requests include:

1. $30 million for the Department of Health and Human Services to implement the Kay Hagan Tick Reauthorization Act;
2. $35 million for the CDC to further its work on Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses;
3. $9 million to support the Department of Defense’s Tick-Borne Disease Research Program; and
4. $130 million for Lyme disease and tick-borne disease research at the National Institutes of Health.

Sheriff Jim Allard's Monthly Newsletter, July 2025

It’s a beautiful day in Steuben County.  The heat wave has finally broken for a few days and sunny and 70s is a welcomed weather event.  Today, August 1^st, was my father’s birthday, so to any Coopers BOCES students or instructors from 1967 to 1987, Mr. Allard would have turned 93 today!  It is easy for nostalgia to creep into my thoughts during summer as I smell fresh cut hay in the sun, see farmers working until nightfall and hear children outside playing after sunset.  I feel incredibly grateful to be able to live and work in Steuben County and fully enjoy all that it has to offer, from farm fresh vegetables to swimming in the lake to hiking our parks and forests.  The incredible sunsets over the past week have been nothing short of breathtaking.  Although summer is already about half over, with back-to-school sales beginning, vacation season remains in full swing, and the Steuben County Fair will start in two weeks.            

In July, we swore in two new Correction Officers and one new Deputy, Officers G. Audinwood and I. Blencowe, along with Deputy Noah Warriner, have now joined our family.  Deputy Warriner is the son of Deputy and Mrs. Alan Warriner, who are extremely proud of their son’s accomplishments!  The Inmate Garden gained new additions also in July; plum trees, blackberry and raspberry bushes.  Captain Mills, Lieutenants Wetherby and Thompson, Sergeants Ames and Towner, attended the DCJS Principled Policing training.  On Tuesday July 22^nd, Captain Mills cooked a hot dog lunch for Jail staff.  Sergeant Sorge and Deputy Butler taught another NYS Boater’s Safety Course, continuing our monthly presentation of this course.  Deputies Bush and Bendzlowicz provided weekly water safety trainings to the campers at the Sheriff’s Camp on Keuka Lake as part of our navigational patrol.  Deputy Butler taught Standardized Field Sobriety Testing to the SUNY Alfred Police Cadets and Sergeant Sciotti administered Defensive Tactics testing.  Sheriff Allard attended the New York State Sheriff’s Association Summer Conference, with classes in AI, automatic drone response capabilities, liaison with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for border issues as well as a presentation from the US Customs and Border Patrol Swanson Sector.  Sheriff Allard also attended training on a new DCJS resiliency program, attended the Senator Gillibrand NYS First Responder Summit and presented at the First Responder Wellness Symposium in Cortland, as well as appearing on the monthly “Frankly Speaking” interview.

            July was another busy and challenging month in the Sheriff’s Office.  Our investigators and deputies were tasked with a burglary investigation, a robbery investigation, ten assault investigations, a trespass investigation, two reckless endangerment investigations, two obstructing governmental administration investigations, two endangering a child investigations, one endangering an elderly person investigation, three sexual assault investigations, two stalking investigations, ten larceny investigations, six grand larceny investigations, one unlawful imprisonment investigation, one possession of a weapon investigation, two welfare fraud investigations, seven death investigations, two falsifying business records investigations, two filing a false instrument investigations, one criminal contempt investigation, two fire investigations, one unlawfully dealing with a child investigation, one bad check investigation, eight harassment investigations, seven criminal mischief investigations, four drug investigations,  one obstruction of breathing investigation, one fraud investigation and one filing a false report investigation.  Our Patrol Division was tasked with multiple domestic incident investigations along with mental health detainments, emergency medical aid, assisting other agencies, serving of warrants, and two intoxicated or impaired driving arrests. 

 

All of our deputies and officers performed in an outstanding fashion, and we received multiple commendations from the public regarding their outstanding performance.   We continue to pray for our first responder colleagues and deployed military across the globe, as well as their families.  We also pray for the victims of mass casualty events and state sponsored aggression.

Thank you for supporting the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office in these challenging times and stay safe!

 

Steuben County Sheriff Jim Allard