Police Report: Burglar hits Harvest Drive, Bronx man charged with check fraud, bones found in White Road yard

Burglary on Harvest Drive: Police rushed to a Harvest Drive house in response to an activated burglar alarm shortly after 7 p.m., Oct. 4. Investigation found a dining room casement window pried from its frame and hanging from hinges. Police watched the house and waited for backup, before they entered. Some officers went in through the open window, where a large plant had been pushed out of place; and other officers went through the front door. Inside the house, police found the master bedroom in disarray. A pillow case was missing from one of the pillows; a jewelry box was found empty on the bed; numerous drawers and doors had been opened; and a fireproof locked box was left outside a closet. One diamond stud earring and a check written to the homeowner were found on the floor. Police checked the rest of the house and confirmed the suspects were no longer there. Outdoors, the lawn showed disturbance leading from the roadway to the dining room window – ostensibly the path travelled by the suspects. Police called the homeowner who said the dining room window had been previously damaged and was possibly left ajar. The homeowner planned to provide a list of stolen items as soon as he returned home and took inventory. In the meantime, police secured the house and are following up.

Bronx man arrested for check fraud: On Sept. 29, police arrested Rabon Brown, 22, of the Bronx, on charges of second-degree criminal possession of a forged document and petit larceny. Police picked up Brown from outside his residence, where he was smoking a cigarette. When police arrived, they questioned Brown about a copy a fraudulent check and Brown stated, "It wasn't mines" [sic]. Based on other evidence, Brown was handcuffed, arrested and brought to headquarters for questioning. Police read Brown his Miranda Warning, and Brown participated in an interview for approximately 20 minutes. Brown was arraigned at Scarsdale Village Justice Court, and Judge John Galloway set bail at $2,500 cash or bond. Brown was unable to make bail, so he was committed to Westchester County Jail. He is scheduled to return to court Oct. 15.

Stolen wedding clothes, ring: A silver-colored carry-on suitcase containing $7,500 worth of handmade wedding clothes was stolen from a Herkimer Road driveway Sept. 29. The owner placed the suitcase on her driveway at approximately 11 a.m. She accidentally left it there when she and her husband went to work. At approximately noon, her husband returned to the house to retrieve the forgotten suitcase, but it was not there. Police said they would contact the sanitation department to ascertain if trash had been picked up from the house and if the suitcase had possibly been mistaken for trash.
A Barry Road woman reported her $30,000 ring went missing after her daughter borrowed it on Oct. 27, 2013. According to the daughter's account, the daughter placed the ring on her bedroom dresser while living in a building on Thompson Street in New York City on Oct. 28, 2013. She returned to retrieve the ring from the dresser a few hours later, but it was no longer there.

IRS Scams, altered check: A person posing as an IRS representative called a Farragut Road woman, alleging she would be arrested if she did not pay money owed to the IRS Sept. 29. In fact, the woman did not owe any money in back taxes, so police advised the call was most likely a scam.
On Oct. 1, a Boulevard couple reported someone altered one of their personal checks. Police are following up.
On Oct. 4, a Mamaroneck Road man reported someone used his and his wife's Social Security numbers to file a fraudulent tax return for the purpose of receiving a refund. The IRS confirmed that, despite the suspect's attempt to defraud the government, the IRS caught onto the scam and did not issue a fraudulent refund check.

Unwanted texts: While police were patrolling Fox Meadow Road shortly after midnight, Oct. 4, a Garth Road woman approached an officer to report receiving unwanted text messages at 10:30 p.m., Oct. 3. According to the woman, the messages contained multiple photos of her 19-year-old daughter posing in a bathing suit, followed by the question, "Aren't you proud?" The woman said the photos had been posted on social media sites but had since been taken down. The woman said her other daughter also received similar messages about the pictures. Patrol advised the woman that although she did not like the content of the messages, no crimes had been committed. The woman asked police to call the number from which the messages originated and ask the sender to stop sending such messages. Police attempted to call the number but got a busy signal. Police advised the woman to block texts and calls from the sender's number.

Confused: A cleaning woman at a Kent Road house reported an unknown elderly gentleman entered the house and was walking around inside Oct. 1. When police got to the house, the man answered the door and identified himself as the homeowner. Shortly thereafter, the homeowner returned. She explained she bought the house in August, and the man, who was the former owner, was confused about the change of ownership. Patrol spoke with the man, and this triggered his memory to recall moving out of the house to an apartment in White Plains. Through the help of the new owner's former real estate agent, police contacted the man's wife. When she arrived to pick up her husband, she advised he suffers from dementia and had been mistakenly dropped off at the wrong address by his driver. Patrol offered the couple further assistance, but they declined.

Bones: A White Road woman reported finding bones in her yard Oct. 3. The woman was having excavation work done in her yard when she noticed skeletal remains in one of the excavation holes. The woman said she jumped into the six-foot hole and began looking bone fragments. She placed these fragments into two medium-sized Ziploc bags and brought them to headquarters. Police took the suspected bone fragments to the medical examiner's office to determine the nature and origin of the bones. The medical examiner determined the bones were non-human skeletal remains. Police advised the woman of their findings.

Taxi fare dispute: A passenger and a taxi driver were arguing over the fare on Hutchinson Avenue at 10:30 p.m., Sept. 30. While police stood by, the passenger agreed to pay the fare from New York City to Scarsdale, but he decided to hire Central Taxi to take him from Scarsdale to Connecticut.

Walker: A man walking on Scarsdale Avenue said he needed to lie down to rest in the grassy area near the Scarsdale/Eastchester border at 5 a.m., Oct. 1. The man said he did not drive a car and travelled only by foot. He declined medical assistance and refused help getting home.

Parking garage: On Oct. 1, a driver called police from an Overhill parking garage because the parking attendant would not allow her to leave, she said. When police got to the garage, the driver had already left. The garage attendant said the driver had refused to pay one dollar for the printed ticket needed to exit the garage, because she changed her mind about parking there after she entered the garage. The attendant said he permitted the driver to leave, in order to avoid further discussion.

Missing mother: A Lorraine Place woman asked for help finding her 67-year-old mother Oct. 1. The mother, who was visiting from China, left for the train station that morning and had not been seen for five hours. Eventually, police determined the mother had gotten lost. The mother was eventually located several hours later.

Suspicious: A man was seen "digging through garbage cans" on Depot Place Sept. 29. Police canvassed the area but did not find him.
A man sleeping in a black Mercedes-Benz on Claremont Road was a taxi driver who arrived early to pick up a passenger and decided to take a nap Sept. 30.
A caller reported a "suspicious bag" hanging from a tree near the dead end of Tunstall Road Sept. 30. Patrol examined the bag. Empty and in poor condition, it was discarded in a nearby dumpster.
A Ridgedale Road man asked police to check his house after his garage door mysteriously opened at 8:30 p.m., Oct. 5. Police found nothing suspicious in the house or garage. They advised the man to change his garage door code, lock his doors and arm his home security system.

Pedestrian struck: A 63-year-old Garth Road woman was struck by a 2004 Volvo at the intersection of Garth and Freightway roads Oct. 5. The driver of the Volvo was a 17-year-old Scarsdale boy. He said he completed a full stop on Freightway and was making a right turn onto Garth Road when he hit the woman in the crosswalk. Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps treated the woman at the scene. The woman refused further medical assistance and did not want to be taken to the hospital for evaluation. Two witnesses who observed the accident completed voluntary traffic statements. No citations were issued at the time of the accident.

Cars and roadways
Police notified Verizon about a loose wire on Bradley Road Oct. 1.
On Oct. 2, police issued a summons to a car parked too close to a stop sign on Oxford Road.
A driver stopped on Secor Road thought her car was moving backward instead of forward Oct. 2. Police advised the driver to turn off her engine and place the car's gear in "drive." When she did, the car worked properly.
A Rochambeau Road resident complained of congestion on the street due to a neighbor's tag sale Oct. 3. The organizer of the tag sale said he was expecting an influx of cars for the event. Police advised him to place "no parking" signs on one side of the street to lessen the sale's impact on traffic.
On Oct. 3, police issued citations to the drivers of cars parked in violation of two-hour parking restrictions on Lockwood and Stonehouse roads and Church Lane.
Police notified the highway department about a flooded drain, during heavy rain, on Tisdale Road Oct. 4.
Police notified the water department about a large amount of water collecting on Brewster Road Oct. 5.
Ten car accidents were reported in the village this week.

Animals
Police shot an injured raccoon on Sharon Lane Sept. 29. The sanitation department disposed of the carcass.
After a neighbor complained about loud barking from a Kensington Road dog, patrol informed the homeowner, and the dog was brought inside Oct. 5.

Village code
Patrol issued summonses to landscapers using gas-powered leaf blowers on Wayside Lane Sept. 29 and Post Road Oct. 3.
Police issued a summons to a person soliciting without a permit on Murray Hill Road Sept. 30.
On Oct. 2, a Palmer Avenue resident complained about noise from Balducci's deliveries between 5:30 a.m. and 7 a.m. every morning. Patrol advised the manager that village code forbids deliveries prior to 6:30 a.m. The manager said he would inform his boss, who could change delivery schedules.

Lost and found
A passenger left her purse in a Central Taxi cab Sept. 29. While attempting to locate the owner, the owner's son called police to report the lost purse. The son picked up his mother's purse from headquarters and confirmed nothing was missing.
A man reported losing his Blackberry phone somewhere in the village Sept. 29.

Fire
Firefighters forced their way into a Meadow Road house to turn off a stove with an unattended pot left cooking Sept. 29. No damage was caused to the house.
A gas odor at Post Road and Boulevard was caused by Con Edison venting a gas line Sept. 29.
Firefighters shut the gas supply to a malfunctioning stove on Secor Road Sept. 29. Con Edison was dispatched.
Firefighters stood by for Con Edison at the site of a kitchen gas leak in a Stonehouse Road house Sept. 30.
To assist Con Edison, firefighters checked the Harwood Building and various buildings on Spencer Place and Popham and Autenreith roads for possible gas migration Sept. 30. The source of the suspected gas leak was a gas line break inside a Spencer Place sanitary sewer. No sign of gas migration was found in any of the investigated buildings.
Firefighters stood by for Con Edison at the site of an electrical transformer fire on Mamaroneck Road Sept. 30.
A magnetic coil transfer switch melted in an electrical panel in a Meadow Road basement Oct. 1. Firefighters confirmed power to the panel was shut off and there was no extended damage. An electrician was en route to service the panel.
Firefighters stood by for Con Edison at the site of a possible gas leak in a Stonehouse Road house Oct. 2.
Firefighters helped residents of an Edgewood house take shelter in a neighbor's house while Con Edison was addressing a gas leak in their house Oct. 5.
On Oct. 5, firefighters traced the source of smoke on Brambach Road to a backyard fire pit. Firefighters advised that wood must be burned in a metal fire pit for safety. The resident responsible for burning the wood promised to use a proper fire pit in the future.
Firefighters assisted at three car accidents in the village and on parkways this week. They responded to one false carbon monoxide alarm and 18 false alarms caused by device malfunction, heating system maintenance, construction dust, cooking smoke and burnt toast.

Scarsdale Village Justice Court
On Wednesday, Oct. 1, the Scarsdale Village Justice Court calendar consisted of 23 defendants charged with criminal and/or vehicle and traffic offenses and four defendants charged with village code violations.
Mario J. Fernandez pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of a registration violation. He was granted a conditional discharge and fined $93.
Donald M. Fitch pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of a registration violation. He was fined $168.
Bladimir P. Prada appeared on charges of aggravated driving while intoxicated, DWI (first offense) and a stop/park violation. The case was adjourned to Oct. 8, when Prada is anticipated to pay fines and enter a plea. The original charges date back to Dec. 21. 2013.
Franklin J. Rodriguez appeared on charges of aggravated DWI, DWI (first offense), DWI with a blood alcohol level of at least .08 of one percent and unlicensed driving. The case was adjourned to Oct. 8, when Rodriguez is anticipated to pay fines, enter a plea and face sentencing. The original charges date back to Jan. 26, 2014.
Gino J. Uli pleaded guilty to the reduced charges of driving without a license and disobeying a traffic control device. He was granted a conditional discharge for driving without a license and fined a total of $286.
Segundo N. Vaccela pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of a registration violation. He was fined $168.
Nicole Pencola returned on warrant and pleaded guilty to a registration violation. She was granted a conditional discharge and fined $93.
Upon proof shown, the court dismissed charges from two defendants. The incidents were unrelated. One involved vehicle and traffic charges; the other involved an alleged village code violation.
One case involving a youth offender was sealed.
Three warrant letters were issued to defendants who did not appear in court as directed.
Additionally, two defendants charged with village code violations did not show up for court as scheduled.

This report covering police and fire department activity from Sept. 29 – Oct. 5 and the Scarsdale Village Justice Court calendar from Oct. 1 was compiled from official information.

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