Upstate N.Y. — As the nation celebrates Thanksgiving, there are many in the Rochester community especially thankful this year. We searched for stories throughout all of 2012 where someone said they were “thankful,” several stories were chosen.
Pittsford Home Invasion
March 16th 2012 is a day that Margaret Thompson won’t soon forget. Three kidnapping suspects ended their run which spanned from western suburbs to Park Road School in Pittsford. That’s where authorities say Kareem Fuller, Lamar Sharpe and Sean Tyrrell stopped and fled from the car they were in.
“It was scary. It’s unusual to have somebody walk right into your kitchen from out of no where,” said Thompson. One of the suspects entered her home which sits just outside of the school’s grass field. Thompson was armed with a small yellow spatula that has a smiley face on it.
“Apparently, he listened to me, when I told him to get out,” explained Thompson. “He did and the police were there within ninety seconds.”
All three men pleaded guilty to robbery and burglary charges, according to a report in the Democrat and Chronicle.
Child’s Face Bitten By Dog
On August 31st, three-year-old Jayden Forrester was playing at a relative’s house when a family member’s pit bull attacked her face.
“She’s got a large laceration under the jaw, she’s got a fractured jaw, and she lost five teeth,” said her father shortly after the incident.
Fast forward two months and Jayden has healed enough to be back to school and acting like your typical, anxious toddler.
“We’re just so thankful that she’s here with us and we have an opportunity to learn from her,” said Forrester in an interview on Tuesday.
Jayden’s mother and father have added to a series of tattooed bubbles to their arms to symbolize their daughter’s love of blowing bubbles.
Castile Fire Destroys Offices
It was a tragic start to October for the village and town of Castile, Wyoming County. Overnight October 2nd fire ripped through a second floor apartment and eventually engulfed the municipal offices housed on the first floor. Restaurant owner and resident Lorraine Qutermous died. The cause of death and cause of the fire have not yet been revealed by authorities. As family and friends of Qutermous mourned, local officials wondered what they would do for space.
“(The) Mayor and I have talked since two-o-clock this morning,” said Steve Tarbell, Town Supervisor at the time. “What in the heck are we going to do?”
The Bank of Castile, which has an branch directly across the street from the former municipal building, offered two offices to serve as space for the town and village until a new place is found.
“Everything is running smooth,” said Tarbell Wednesday. “We are still at the bank. We are working on plans to start construction of a new facility in spring.”
Tarbell for one remains thankful that bank managers were kind enough to volunteer their space for the village and town.
