Police Report: Suspect Arrested with Stolen Groceries

On May 17, police arrested Maria Deluca, 39, of Scarsdale, on charges of petit larceny after she was found with a basket of stolen groceries, taken from DeCicco's Marketplace on East Parkway. According to the police report, officers responded to DeCicco's Marketplace at 2 p.m., May 17, on the report of a larceny in progress. There, they learned the suspect had already left the store and was being followed by an assistant manager. The assistant manager called in the suspect's location, and police intercepted her on Garth Road. Deluca was arrested and taken to headquarters. DeCicco's personnel compiled an inventory of the 21 stolen items, valued at $60.71, in Deluca's possession. Police also found on Deluca an itemized grocery list matching the stolen grocery items. They vouchered this list as evidence, photographed the stolen groceries and returned the items to the supermarket. While Deluca was at headquarters, at 5:45 p.m., a paramedic from Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps administered her prescription medication. Deluca was released on $100 cash bail to her mother at 6:35 p.m. She was ordered to appear in Scarsdale Village Justice Court on May 27, where she will be arraigned on charges.

Burglaries
Shortly before midnight, May 17, a Brite Avenue couple reported their house had been burglarized and a safe was stolen. The burglary occurred while the couple was out of the house between 7:15 p.m. and 11:55 p.m., May 16. Upon returning home, the couple found a garage window open and the interior door from the garage into the house ajar. The couple said the garage window had not been opened in 20 years. Inside the house, the master bedroom and master bedroom closet were tossed. A safe from the master bedroom was missing.

At 10 p.m., May 17, after returning home from a weekend trip, a Tory Lane homeowner and her daughter noticed their house had been burglarized while they were away. They left the house at 6 a.m., May 15, set the alarm system and noted everything was in good order. Upon returning home, the homeowner said she deactivated the alarm. Upstairs, she and her daughter noticed all four bedrooms had been rummaged through. Drawers and closet doors were open, and jewelry boxes were open and empty. While checking the bedrooms, police noticed a second-floor window lock lying on the ground and finger streaks on the window. Police believe this second-floor window was the entry and exit point of the suspect. On the ground floor, a screen had also been removed from a locked kitchen window, and there were pry marks on the bottom of that window. The homeowner said jewelry, cash and a laptop computer were missing from the house.

Criminal mischief
The driver's side window of an Edgewood Road woman's 2011 Mazda was broken sometime between the evening of May 11 and the morning of May 12. The car was parked in the woman's driveway, close to her house, when the vandalism occurred. The car was unlocked at the time. Nothing was found to be missing from the car when the woman discovered the broken window.

Identity theft
A Fox Meadow Road couple discovered two unauthorized debits on their Chase Bank business checking account on May 13 and 14. They reported the fraudulent activity to Chase and closed the account to secure it.

Fraudulent tax returns
On May 11, two Franklin Road women reported someone filed fraudulent tax returns in their names, using their Social Security numbers. The incidents were reported separately and were unrelated.

On May 13, a Crawford Lane man reported someone filed a fraudulent tax return in his name, using his Social Security number.

On May 13, a Lyons Road man reported someone filed a fraudulent tax return in his name, using his Social Security number.

IRS scam
A Sprague Road man received a call from a person alleging to be an IRS employee May 11. The caller said the man owed the IRS $1,947 in back taxes and threatened legal action if the man did not promptly pay the back taxes. The man realized the call was a scam, hung up and reported it to police.

Marijuana
Kids playing soccer with their father in Drake Road Park found a Ziploc bag containing marijuana and drug paraphernalia in a wooded area May 16. According to an inventory contained in the police report, the Ziploc bag contained the following: a marijuana grinder, an electronic pocket scale, 7 small glassine bags filled with marijuana and an empty prescription bottle. The total amount of marijuana was approximately 15.5 grams. Police called the person whose name was printed on the prescription bottle label and left a voicemail for follow-up.

Disputes
On May 13 and 14, a Village Hall employee drove through a school lot, on Popham Road, to access the lower level of the Village Hall parking lot. The employee said a man stopped her from proceeding and accused her of speeding through the school lot. She reported the altercation to police. Police spoke with the man who stopped the employee. He was a parent of child at the school, and he expressed concerned about the employee "speeding through the lot" while children were being dropped off. The employee denied speeding through the lot. Patrol advised the man to contact police if he has any further concerns about other people's driving or safety.

On May 17, the manager of Patisserie Salzburg reported a customer verbally insulted her, following confusion with the customer's order May 17. When police arrived, the customer was sitting at an outdoor table, eating her food. The manager said the customer was welcome to remain there and to return in the future. However, the manger asked patrol to speak with the customer with regard to the incident. Patrol asked the customer for her side of the story. The customer said there had been confusion with her order, and she believed she might have been charged for the meal twice. She said she had asked the manager for a receipt to verify the amount charged. The customer said a verbal altercation ensued, and the customer was then given two receipts – a customer copy and a merchant copy. The customer said she was no longer concerned about possible duplicate charges, but she was upset about "poor customer service." She said she was planning on speaking with the restaurant's manager the next day.

Baseball
While parked at a Little League game at Crossway field May 15, a Mayflower Road man's 2014 Mercedes-Benz was stuck by an errant baseball. The baseball dented the car's hood.

Suspicious item
On May 11, a caller reported an open bottle with a rock placed on top of it in a Freightway garage elevator. Police examined the bottle in question – an empty Snapple bottle – and the rock. Police determined these items to be safe and disposed of them.

Suspicious men
Two men claiming to be Verizon employees knocked on a Woodland Place door, advising a resident (who was a young boy) about an alleged "update" May 11. The boy spoke to the men through the door and told them to come back at later. The boy saw the men leave the doorstep, but he did not notice their method of travel. After the boy's mother got home, she called Verizon to inquire about the men. A representative said Verizon did not have any scheduled solicitors in the area that day.

Lost in the house
A Boulevard man called police because he was worried about his daughter at 10 p.m., May 12. The man told police his daughter had left the house to walk the dog at 6 p.m., and she had not yet returned home. Police called the daughter, who said she was actually at home – in the same house as her father. Apparently, he had not seen her come in.

Unattended bag
Police responded to HSBC Bank, on Popham Road, on the report of an unattended backpack outside the building May 15. There, they found a green canvas bag containing garbage. They disposed of the bag.

Help
A man walked to headquarters with his dog and told police he was too tired to walk home May 13. Police called the man's mother, and she picked up the man and his dog.

A caller reported a homeless man sleeping on a bench on Chase Road at 7:15 a.m., May 15. On scene, patrol saw a woman, who lives at a New Rochelle shelter, reading a newspaper on a Chase Road bench. She had bottles with her and said she was waiting for DeCicco's Marketplace to open. She wanted to return the bottles for deposit and do some shopping. Police offered medical assistance and support services, but the woman declined.

A caller reported a coyote on Brittany Close at 8 a.m., May 15. When police arrived, they did not see any coyotes in the area. However, as a safety precaution, patrol stayed on scene as a group of school children got on a school bus.

Scofflaw
On May 11, while writing a ticket for a 2007 Honda Accord parked at an expired meter on Scarsdale Avenue, the parking enforcement officer realized the car's registered owner – Denise Lubowsky, of Putnam Valley – was associated with a scofflaw. A Scarsdale Village Justice Court clerk confirmed Lubowsky owed $360 in parking fines. As a result, police impounded the car.

On May 14, while police were writing a parking ticket for a 2014 Mercedes-Benz parked at an expired meter on Scarsdale Avenue, the owner – Helen Badt – returned to her car. Police told her she owed $720 in unresolved parking fines. She was advised to resolve the matter at Scarsdale Village Justice Court.

Cars and roadways
Police called a tow truck to remove a sanitation truck with a broken clutch from Post Road May 11.
A man sleeping in his car on Herkimer Road at 7:30 a.m., May 12, told police his car had broken down. He said he was napping while waiting for AAA.

Police stopped a truck without a visible license plate on Popham Road May 12. The truck driver showed patrol the location of the rear license plate. Patrol noted the truck contained construction debris and questioned the driver about the truck's lack of a solid waste decal issued by Westchester County. The driver said he had a New York City solid waste permit. Police advised him of local regulations and issued him a summons.

Police informed Cablevision about a low hanging wire on Ardmore Road May 12.

Police closed Bell Road while Con Edison repaired a fallen electrical wire May 13. Firefighters assisted.

A caller said some kids moved a wooden board covering a hole on Montrose Road May 14. Patrol found a group of boys skateboarding behind Greenacres School. The boys admitted to moving the board. The boys returned the board to its proper place after being instructed by patrol.

Police put cones and tape around a sinkhole on Circle Road to maintain safety while waiting for the highway department to repair it May 15.

A sign advising drivers to "Stay to the right" fell over on an entry ramp to the northbound Hutchinson River Parkway, at Mamaroneck Road, May 15. Police placed the sign by the side of the road and informed Westchester County police.

Police helped push a disabled car off of East Parkway May 15. The driver had called AAA and was waiting for a mechanic to respond.

While on overnight patrol May 16, police noticed the SPD speed wagon, placed on Heathcote Road to monitor drivers' speed, had fallen over. Police set the unit upright and examined it for damage. No damage was found, and police confirmed the device was in proper working order.

Fifteen car accidents were reported in the village this week.

Dogs
After callers complained about a previously loose dog on Boulevard, police found the dog's owner and advised him of village code May 12. The owner apologized and said his dog had been off leash only for a moment.

On May 13, a Sprague Road woman found a neighbor's dog loose in the street. She called police because she was worried the dog's elderly owners might need assistance. Police attempted to contact the dog's owners, but they were not at home. The woman said she would keep the dog at her house until the owners returned. Police left a message for the owners, informing them of the dog's whereabouts and providing them with the woman's contact information. Later the woman called police and told them the dog had gotten loose from her backyard and was possibly heading home. Police went to the dog's house and found it on the front porch. The owners still were not at home. Police secured the dog to the front porch and contacted the owners' landlord. The landlord said he would try to contact his tenants, who were the dog's owners.

A Nelson Road woman expressed concern about a Roosevelt Place pit bull possibly showing signs of aggression around children May 15. The woman alleged the dog bangs into the front door and barks when it sees children playing at Edgewood School. The animal control officer spoke with the dog's owners. They provided paperwork documenting the dog's license and vaccines. According to the police report, the dog showed no signs of aggressive behavior in the presence of police.

Civil matter
A Scarsdale postal worker reported a "difficult" working situation with his boss May 14. The boss said the worker has had problems with various postal branches in the past. Police advised the worker and his boss to report the situation with their union and attempt to resolve the matter through civil means.

Village code
Responding to a report of kids "drinking and smoking things" by Crane Berkeley Pond at 10:30 p.m., May 11, police encountered a girl and a boy smoking cigarettes and talking by the lake. There was no evidence of alcohol or criminal activity. Police advised them that the park was closed after dark, and the couple left.
At 11:30 p.m., May 11, police dispersed a boy and a girl from the Edgewood School playground after a neighbor complained of noise.

On May 13, police advised a construction worker at a Huntington Avenue job site about village code concerning noise and the use of power tools.

Neighbors complained about loud music at Saxon Woods Golf Club at 9:30 p.m., May 14. Patrol advised the club's manager to lower the volume of the music.

Police issued a verbal warning to workers cutting blue stone with power tools on Hampton Road at 8:40 a.m., May 17. Police advised the workers of village code regarding noise and power tools.

Lost and found
On May 11, a Vernon Road doctor reported losing his New York Police Department surgeon ID card. He said he lost the card on April 4, while traveling home from work in the Bronx. He said his young child had been playing with his wallet at that time, and this might have caused the card to fall out and get lost.

Fire
An Innes Road resident accidentally got locked out her house May 11. Firefighters arrived to help the resident, but she found her keys in the meantime.

Firefighters helped a Brown Road resident get back in her house after she was accidentally locked out May 12.

On May 12, firefighters stood by for Con Edison at the site of a fallen branch on primary electrical wires on Boulevard.

Firefighters checked a Madison Road house after the homeowner reported a possible interior natural gas odor May 16. Firefighters checked the house and determined the odor was not dangerous. It was determined to be caused by cleaning products.

Firefighters evacuated Saxon Woods Golf Club after someone mixed ammonia and bleach in a cleaning bucket May 17. Firefighters advised management and staff about the danger of poisonous gas resulting from the mixture of these two chemicals. Firefighters safely dumped the bucket of chemicals, set up fans to ventilate the clubhouse and confirmed oxygen levels were safe.

This week, firefighters assisted at five car accidents in the village and on parkways. They responded to three false carbon monoxide alarms and 20 false fire alarms caused by device malfunction, cooking smoke, water leaking into detector heads, construction dust, a basketball striking a detector head, shower steam and smoke from an E-cigarette.

This report covering police and fire department activity from May 11-17 was compiled from official information.

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