A Stolen Painting and a Threatening Pitbull on the Loose: Scarsdale Police Report
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Stolen Painting: A $10,000 painting was stolen from an Innes Road home that is for sale, sometime between January 25 and February 1. In addition, a walnut sideboard that stood directly underneath the painting was damaged when someone tried to pry open the lock. Because the house is on the market, it had been shown several times from 1/28 – 1/30.
Stolen car found in Scarsdale Village: Police found a 2005 Mazda RX8 parked overnight on East Parkway at 5:30 am on 2/3. A check of the license plate number revealed that the car had been reported stolen on February 1st. The car had been damaged and was towed by Ted Hermann to the Police impound lot.
Break-in: There was an attempted break-in at a home owned by the Scarsdale Congregational Church on Woods Lane on the afternoon of January 30th between four and five pm. The resident retuned home and found the front door open, and determined that both the lock and the doorframe were damaged.
Identity theft: On 1/30 a Weaver Street woman was advised that someone made a fraudulent purchase using her American Express card number. The transaction was for a car hood valued at $1,020.00 which was to be shipped to an address in California.
On January 31, Tyrone Murphy, age 42 of Mt. Vernon was arrested for identity theft in connection with defrauding a 79 year-old man who lives at the ARC residential facility on Foxhall Road. After Murphy was booked he was given a court appearance date and released on $100 cash bail.
Damage: A tow truck damaged a Kingston Road lawn on the night of February 1, when it was sent to a neighboring home to repossess a car. The man who complained about the damage to his property was given the contact information of the repossession company to call.
Bad behavior at Balduccis: The manager of Balduccis called police on February 2 when a terminated employee continued to loiter in the store. A former employee in the meat department came into the store to pick up his knives, but then approached the store manager with the knives in his hand and argued with him. The manager asked him to leave, and the former employee complied but said he would be back. Police spoke to the employee who agreed to stay away from the store.
Neighbors on Edgewood Road and Hamilton Road got into a dispute about the placement of trash on February 4. Police spoke to both parties who then came to an agreement about the recyclables.
Pit-bull on the loose: Police tracked a runaway pitbull for 24 hours but were unable to catch it. The first report was received on the afternoon of February 4th about a pitbull without a collar on Crossway. Police tried to catch the dog but it was too aggressive. The Greenburgh Police animal control unit was called and they tried to sedate it with a dart but were unsuccessful as well. The following morning, at 7:30 am the same dog was spotted near the Crossway Firehouse but by the time police arrived it was gone. At 11:00 am, police got a call that a pitbull was found at the intersection of Saxon Woods and Mamaroneck Roads and at 2:30 pm the dog was reported to be at the back of Westchester Reform Temple. At 3:55 the dog was trapped in the temple play area but when police arrived it had escaped.
Update on the Pit-bull February 8: On Tuesday morning February 7 a Myrtledale Road resident called police when a pit-bull got trapped in the fenced-in area of her yard. When the dog saw the officer, he "charged at him with it's teeth exposed." The officer reported that the dog looked sick and he fired at the dog in self defense. However, the dog got away and police received numerous reports that the dog was running around. They tracked him for a few hours, near Saxon Woods Road and through area yards. The dog eventually ran to the Heathcote Playground where children were playing outside. The children were evacuated from the field and sent inside where the school was locked down. Westchester Reform Temple was also locked down after the dog entered the property. Finally, on Myrtledale Road again, Officer Armando Nava was following the dog in his car, when the pit-bull charged at the driver's side door of the patrol car. Nava was able to shoot him, and the New Rochelle Humane Society came to pick up the dead dog. The dog had no collar or tags.
Disorderly kids knocked over a port-a-potty on Rochambea Road around 10:30 pm on 2/4. Four kids travelling in a car had driven past the site several times and finally knocked over the potty.
This police report is sponsored by Scarsdale Security who does more than just security. Contact them about remote video for your home or business. Call 914-722-2200 or visit http://scarsdalesecurity.com/
Scarsdale and Greenburgh Police Blotter - January 30, 2012
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An angry tenant slashed all 12 tires on three cars parked on Swarthmore Road overnight on 1/22- 1/23. The cars included one 1997 Mercedes and two 2007 Hondas. The Scarsdale man owns real estate in Elmsford and is in the process of evicting some tenants who failed to pay their rent. On January 17, the Scarsdale man received a threatening phone call from the tenant and an eviction hearing was scheduled for the following week. On January 25, the tenant who was identified as Guillermo Enrique Lopez-Torres, age 45, was taken into custody and charged with aggravated harassment.
An iPad was stolen from the CVS parking garage attendants’ booth on January 23rd. Surveillance video of the garage will be reviewed to see if the theft was filmed.
Copper leaders, valued at $750 were stolen from a Park Road home that is currently under repair sometime between January 21 and January 22. The suspects’ footprints could be seen in the snow.
Lost man: An 86 year-old Colvin Road man who suffers from Alzheimers walked out of his house around noon on 1/24 and could not be found. Police searched the area and found him at the corner of Greenacres Way and Goulden Road in White Plains. Police transported him back to his home.
A red Raleigh racing bike, valued at $600 was stolen from a rear patio of a Meadow Road home sometime between January 10 and January 25.
A Wildwood Road woman reported unauthorized transactions on her Chase Debit card totaling $1,700. The purchases were made in Pennsylvania and in New York City.
A white steel figure from a lamppost on Beechwood Lane was stolen overnight on 1/27 – 1/28.
A Yonkers woman called police on January 23rd from the Christie Place Garage, where she had lost the only key to her car. Police helped her retrace her steps and the keys were found inside the Patisserie on Christie Place.
Noisy trespassers: Just after midnight on 1/29 Birchall Drive residents complained that kids were congregating on their property. Police found a car full of noisy kids and saw more kids fleeing the property. Police agreed to have an extra patrol watch the property and instructed the residents to put on outside lights and set the alarm.
A Madison Road man came to police headquarters on the afternoon of 1/29 to report the receipt of unwanted emails from his ex-girlfriend. She was also emailing his friends and family. He was annoyed and wanted to document the incidents.
Greenburgh
At Joann’s on Central Avenue, an employee was found to have stolen $1,766.43 in cash from the register between 12/17/11 and 1/23/12. When the store manager discovered the loss and asked to speak to the cashier, she put on her coat, left the store and failed to return after her break.
On Sunday morning 1/29, a Yonkers man found a burned Buick on West Hartsdale Avenue near the Woodlands School. It appeared as if the car had been torched. A search of the license plate number revealed that the car had been reported stolen in Yonkers.
Feuding neighbors on Elizabeth Street called police on the morning of 1/23 over a parking dispute in their shared driveway. On 1/25 police were called again concerning a dispute over the location of a car on the property. On 1/29 one of the parties reported that she returned home to find a subpoena on her living room floor. Whoever dropped it off had entered her home without permission.
A Yonkers man had his credit cards and cash stolen from his wallet while he was working out at Planet Fitness on Central Avenue on Sunday 1/22. He believes his wallet fell out of his pants during his workout and when he noticed, he searched the gym but was unable to find it. On his way out of the gym a woman approached him and asked him if he had lost his wallet and returned it to him. He later realized that $40 in cash was missing as well as a credit card. Shortly thereafter he found that $365 in unauthorized charges were made on his credit card at Victoria’s Secret in Yonkers.
Death: Ethel Spindler, age 89 of 170 East Hartsdale Avenue was found dead in her apartment on January 26th by her home attendant.
A car driven by Roberta Graf, age 52 of Country Ridge Road, Scarsdale was reported to be blocking two lanes of traffic on Ardsley Road on the morning of 1/26. Police arrived and found Ms. Graf slumped over the wheel of the 2005 Mercedez Benz. A witness said the car had swerved from left to right before hitting a curb. The driver was taken to White Plains hospital.
A solicitor without a permit was given a summons for violating town code when he was found going door to door in the Poets Corner area of Hartsdale on January 26th. The man who was identified as Jason Williams of the Bronx had been caught soliciting on January 14 and January 15 as well.
This police report is sponsored by Scarsdale Security who does more than just security. Contact them about remote video for your home or business. Call 914-722-2200 or visit http://scarsdalesecurity.com/
Car Chase Leads to Overturned SUV in Murray Hill
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Murray Hill was the scene of a high-speed car chase at 1 am on January 18 that ended with an overturned car on Birch Lane. Police spotted a speeding Mercury SUV driving south on the Post Road at 1 am on Wednesday January 18th. The policeman tried to stop the car at Post and Olmsted Road but the driver failed to cooperate, so the policeman turned on the cruiser’s emergency lights and siren and pursued the speeding car.
The Mercury swerved between the right and left lanes as it sped down the Post Road and them turned left onto Richbell, onto Lakin Road and finally turned into Birch Lane at the end of Lakin Road. As the police car pulled into the driveway of 7 Birch Lane he heard a loud crash and pulled around to find that the Mercury had rolled over onto its roof.
He found a male passenger in the car, strapped in by a seatbelt, upside down in the car. He was dazed and did not respond. The female driver of the car was also upside down in the car, held in by a seatbelt. More police, SVAC and the fire department arrived and were able to stabilize the car and extract the two from the car.
The driver identified herself as Vivian Arkanmachado Bottino, age 27 of 21 Tunstall Road and the passenger was identified as Mark Matthias, also age 27 of 21 Tunstall Road. The driver turned out to be drunk and admitted to drinking vodka at the Black Bear in White Plains. Mathias, who also appeared to be drunk, was described by the police as “agitated and belligerent.” Bottino and Matthias were taken by ambulance to Westchester Medical Center. Matthias was not injured but Bottino had pain in her head due to a contusion. Bottino freely admitted to drinking earlier that night and submitted to an alco-sensor and a blood tests. After being evaluated, Matthias was released. However, when Bottino was released from the hospital, she was handcuffed and driven back to police headquarters where she was charged with:
- Criminal mischief, reckless property damage greater than $250
- Speeding
- Failure to keep to the Right on a 2-Lane Road
- Reckless driving
- Failure to yield right of way to an emergency vehicle
- Reckless endangerment
- Driving while intoxicated
- Unlawful fleeing of a police officer in a motor vehicle
At 1:25 in the afternoon, Bottino was arraigned before Judge Galloway at Village Court, given a court date of February 15 and released on her own recognizance.
Theft: A heating contractor, at work at a home on Park Road in Scarsdale reported that tools, valued at $1,200 were stolen from the house 
overnight on Tuesday January 17- Wednesday January 18. As the house is under construction, it is unlocked at night.
Missing: A worried Brewster Road mom called police at 6 pm on 1/17 when she couldn’t locate her 14 year-old son. Following an argument about his cell phone usage, the boy left the house. She subsequently reached the boy on his cell phone and picked him up at Fox Meadow School.
Identity Thefts:In a new twist in identity theft, a Johnson Road woman reported that one of her checks was “washed” and rewritten to use for payment for an item on Ebay. On January 2, while in Las Vegas, the Scarsdale woman mailed a check for $40 to her credit card company to pay a bill. However the check never reached it’s intended destination. Instead, someone intercepted it, and changed the payee name and amount and use it to pay for an item on Ebay. It is not know whether the check was ever cashed. The incident was reported on 1/16.
On January 17 a Nelson Road woman reported that three credit cards had been stolen from her wallet and used to make unauthorized purchases. Whoever stole the Nordstrom Visa and American Express cards used them to make purchases on January 17 between 5 and 10 pm.
On 1/20, a Ridgecrest West man reported that someone had used his identity to open credit cards at Victoria’s Secret and Justice and make purchases totaling $1,500 on the cards between 12/11 and 12/24/11.
Olmstead Road residents were defrauded of over $20,000 due to unauthorized charges on their credit cards. A review of their online banking account revealed over $20,000 in charges on their bankcard with $4,000 in purchases from Bloomingdales.
Last, noticing that his bank account balance was lower than expected, a Reimer Road man went to the Bank of America at the Golden Horseshoe on 1/20 and found that $9,000 had been transferred out of his account without his permission. One transfer for $4,500 was made to another bank and two transfers, totaling $4,500 were transferred to an E-Trade account.
Spinning: Just before midnight on 1/16, police received a call about two cars, one red and one white, doing 360’s in the parking lot of Trinity Lutheran Church on Crane Road. By the time police arrived, the cars were gone.
Errant Paper: On January 18, a Sycamore Road woman came to Village Hall to complain that she was receiving a copy of the Journal News Express in her driveway every Thursday thought she is not a subscriber. Police called the Journal News subscription office who found that the woman was not a subscriber. They promised to follow-up with the delivery company to cease the service.
This police report is sponsored by Scarsdale Security who does more than just security. Contact them about remote video for your home or business. Call 914-722-2200 or visit http://scarsdalesecurity.com/
Scarsdale CNC Announces Candidates for Village Trustee
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The Scarsdale Citizen’s Nominating Committee, chaired by Dan Hochvert announced the results of their deliberations for selection of candidates for Village Trustee and Village Justice on Wednesday night January 25th. Trustees Kay (Katherine) Eisenman and Jon Mark were nominated for second two-year terms, and David Lee was nominated to serve a first two-year term. John Galloway III was selected as the nominee for Village Justice – a role he has held for over 16 years, since he served as Acting Village Justice in October 1995. Commenting on the process Hochvert said, “I thank the entire CNC team for working harmoniously together and agreeing upon a set on nominees for the Scarsdale Citizens' Non-Partisan Party's slate, that I believe, if elected, will serve our Village well.
Petitions to nominate these candidates need to be filed by February 7 and the Village-wide election will be held on Tuesday March 20th, followed by a reception at the Scarsdale Women’s Club that night.
Kay Eisenman has lived in Scarsdale for over 42 years and raised three children here. She works as a planner in the Planning Department of Westchester County giving her a broad understanding of land use issues. In her statement to the Nominating Committee, Eisenman said, “As in most municipalities, here in Scarsdale we are constantly called upon to deal with these types of issues, and in the last two years alone have grappled with the possibility of a new community center under the pool house, development in the Heathcote Five Corners area, the possibility of a roundabout and the important issue of property re-evaluation for the entire Village. We oversaw the Popham Bridge reconstruction and a new pump station on Ardsley Road as well as the completion of the new police and fire safety building on Fenimore Road. I think that having started work on all these projects, and with more to come, I would like the opportunity to see them thru to completion in the next couple of years.”
Reached at her desk at 8 am on January 26th, Eisenman spoke about her years as Chair of the Scarsdale Conservation Advisory Council and recollected how difficult it was to get people to recycle in the early’ ‘90’s, a practice that has become routine today. She likened this effort to a new Village campaign to ask residents to mulch their leaves in place, rather than blow them to the curb for pick up. This new practice would require leaves to be finely ground and left on the lawn as mulch, serving to enrich the soil and conserve funds and energy that are required for leaf blowing and pick-up.
Looking ahead, she anticipated continuing to work on storm water management issues to relieve flooding as well as the upcoming Village budget. She is pleased that the Village may be able to propose a budget that complies with the 2% tax cap.
Asked for a comment on her renomination, Eisenman said she felt “she was doing important work,” and added, “Once you start something like this you want to see it through to the end.”
Jon Mark, also nominated to serve a second term grew up in Scarsdale in a family with a tradition of public service. His father served on the Town and Village Committee and his mother was an elementary school teacher at Heathcote, Greeenacres and Edgewood for over 20 years. He returned here with his wife B.K. Munghia to raise their two children and works in corporate law as a partner at Cahill, Gordon and Reindell.
As Chairman of the Land Use Committee during his first term as Trustee, Mark managed a very difficult negotiation with residents and the property owner at 2-4 Weaver Street concerning the sale of a strip of Village land at the site. Listening to both the residents and the developer he was able to draft a term sheet for the sale of the land that addressed concerns about potential development on the property while permitting the developer to move forward.
Mark said, “I am honored and delighted to be re-nominated as a candidate for election as a Village Trustee. Among the issues that came before the Board during the last year and nine months, issues involving budget, land use, storm water management and re-valuation were among those that presented the greatest challenges. These sorts of issues will continue to present themselves in the years ahead. Of course, analysis of budget issues has been made even more complex by virtue of the State property tax cap legislation, the absence of mandate relief in that legislation and the continuing decline of Village property values due to general economic conditions. If elected, I look forward to having the opportunity to address these issues, and other issues that come before the Board, together with the Mayor and fellow Board members.”
First-time nominee David Lee is also a Scarsdale native. He and his wife grew up here and later returned to raise their own family in town. Like Trustees Brodsky and Mark, Lee is a lawyer, and his specialization is trusts and estates. Lee spent many years coaching soccer, baseball and softaball teams in Scarsdale. Most recently he served as Co-President of Congregation Kol Ami in White Plains where he developed and managed the annual budget and worked with many constituencies to build consensus.
In comments about his nomination, Lee said, “ I was thrilled to get the call last night that I had been nominated and given this chance to become engrossed in Village issues. I'm excited about what's ahead - the election, and, assuming I'm elected, getting up to speed on the issues, working with the mayor and other trustees, and meeting and talking with Scarsdalians about what's on their mind. My schooling, professional work, and civic efforts have taught me the value of listening carefully to others, asking questions to help draw out relevant facts, and analyzing issues thoroughly. I have a good bit of experience at working on thorny issues in a group setting and helping the group reach consensus. Most of all, I have deep respect for the process, that it be fair, open-minded and respectful of all who wish to provide input, so that the decisions reached are not only sound but arrived at with integrity.”
And finally, John H. Galloway, III was re-nominated for the position of Village Justice. Galloway has a long resume of service to Scarsdale dating back to 1975. He has served as the Special Assistant District Attorney for the Village of Scarsdale, the Scarsdale Village Prosecuter, the Acting and Interim Village Justice and has held the position of Scarsdale Village Justice since 1996.
The Village Justice is a paid position while the Trustees serve as volunteers.Residents will have the opportunity to vote for the nominees in the Village-wide election on Tuesday, March 20, 2012.
Another Burglary - And This Time the Residents Were Home: Scarsdale Police Report
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Another burglary took place in Greenacres this week – but unlike the previous incidents, this time the residents were at home and asleep upstairs. Fairview Road residents went to bed just after midnight on 1/12, leaving an iPhone, iPod and Nintendo 3DS charging in the kitchen. When the homeowner awoke at 6 am the following morning she found the back door open and the three items gone. She also noted that $100 in cash was taken from her purse that was in the living room, though nothing else was missing from her wallet or bag. Family members did not hear anyone during the night but they did find that a basement window had been pushed open. Scarsdale10583.com asked Scarsdale Police Detective Thomas Altizio for a comment on the burglary and here is what he shared. "The Fairview Road burglary was the first one that had occupants in the residence. I think this latest burglary should emphasize to residents the importance of effectively securing doors and windows, and utilizing burglar alarm systems, even when home. As far as the police department’s response, we have, and will continue to increase both marked and unmarked plain clothes patrols in the Greenacres area. We are continuing to utilize our license plate reader in the area, and have begun sending officers door to door in certain areas to personally advise residents on crime prevention and encourage a heightened level of awareness, and encouraging residents to notify the police of any suspicious activity."
Car break-in at SHS: A teacher at SHS reported that his car was vandalized when it was parked at SHS on the afternoon of January 11. The driver’s side passenger window was broken and his laptop computer, personal papers and two pairs of eyeglasses were taken. At the time, the SHS basketball team was playing a game against Mt. Vernon in the SHS gym.
Unwanted Visitor: Casey Jay Bennett of Jamaica Queens was arrested for trespassing, mischief and harassment when he appeared at an Old Lyme Road home at 6:40 am on January 15 and forced his way in. He kicked in the side door of the house and grabbed the 63 year-old man who lives at the home and threw him to the ground. The Scarsdale man told police that he sometimes gives Bennett money for medicine, but that Bennett had failed to show up at the appointed time and place the previous night to get the money. Instead Bennett came to the man’s home in Scarsdale the following morning. The taxi driver who brought Bennett to the house called police when he saw Bennett banging on the door. Bennett twisted his ankle in the altercation. After he was arrested he complained of pain and was taken to White Plains Hospital for treatment and ultimately was sent to the Westchester County Jail where he was held. Bail was set at $1,500.
Paparazzi: On January 12, a photographer from the NY Post was found outside 15 Heathcote Road trying to get a photo of a celebrity. Presumably he was trying to get a photo of Beyonce and Jay-Z who were rumored to have moved there. However the photographer was informed that they do not live there and he left.
Missing: A subcontractor for Con Ed who was working on Dolma Road had his $2,000 Subsite Transmitter stolen on the afternoon of 1/9. The contractor was marking gas lines on Dolma Road and used the transmitter to identify underground lines. When the man completed his work on Dolma he inadvertently left the transmitter on the site. When he returned two hours later, it was gone.
Pothole: A New Rochelle woman damaged the tire of her 2008 Mazda when she drove through a pothole at the intersection of Mamaroneck Road and the Hutchinson River Parkway on the night of January 9,2012.The tire was damaged and punctured.
Death: Boris Gueft, age 95, passed away at his home on Vanderbilt Avenue on the morning of January 10. His home care provider was with him when he passed away. Gueft suffered from liver cancer.
Identity Theft: On January 10 a Bell Road woman reported that $800 had been withdrawn from her account at an ATM machine at an HSBC Bank on Canal Street in New York. The woman said that no one had her PIN number or her debit card.
A Haverford Road woman reported that her 7 year-old daughter received an email from Western Union confirming a payment to a natural gas company on January 10th. The woman was concerned that someone had used her daughter’s identity to secure credit.
Graffiti was found on the Verizon building on Locust Lane on 1/9/12. The graffiti appeared to say “POES.”
On 1/19, a Heathcote Road woman called to complain that her neighbor’s front yard was filled with garbage. Police went to the home and the homeowner claimed that the garbage was items damaged by flooding. She said her insurance company had instructed her to keep the items until the claim was settled. Police asked her to move her property inside her garage.
Man in Backyard: At 5:30 pm on 1/10, a Ferncliff Road resident called police when she found a man wearing a gray hoodie, wrapped in a blanket and under a tarp in her yard. When police arrived the man was gone.
Drunk: Around 9 pm on 1/11, a police officer found a man walking unsteadily in the northbound lane of Post Road near Fenimore Road. Police stopped the man who said he was homeless and intoxicated and identified himself as Patrick M. Blount. He said he was currently staying at a shelter in White Plains and he was transported to the shelter.
Kids! On Saturday night January 14 police received two complaints about kids ringing home doorbells and then running away. The first incident was on Brewster Road and the second was on Overlook. Police found the kids on Overlook and they admitted to ringing the doorbells. Police called their parents who picked them up.
This police report is sponsored by Scarsdale Security who does more than just security. Contact them about remote video for your home or business. Call 914-722-2200 or visit http://scarsdalesecurity.com/
