Resident Charged with Criminal Mischief After SUV Is Found In Water Retention Basin

On May 28, police arrested a 44 year old Scarsdale man on charges of fourth-degree criminal mischief, after his SUV was found stuck in the marshy section of George Field Park's south-side storm water retention basin, near Greendale Road. Specifically, the SUV was stuck in the engineered water drainage system, south of the foot bridge. When police arrived, they saw a man in a red Jeep near the basin. Patrol asked him if he was the person who originally reported the stuck SUV to police. He said he was not; so patrol continued looking for the SUV's driver. Later, another officer arrived at the basin and determined that the man was, in fact, the driver of the SUV. The first patrol officer asked him why he had not properly identified himself as the SUV's driver, and he allegedly replied, "You asked me if I called the police, and I did not." Firefighters and the Village Engineer responded to the basin to check the water drainage system. A tow truck pulled the SUV out of the basin. The car was left on the street, and the man called his daughter to take the car for safekeeping. At approximately 8:45 p.m., he was placed under arrest on charges of criminal mischief. According to the arrest report, the man displayed "passive aggressive" behavior during the arrest process. At headquarters, he was placed in a detention cell. At 10:30 p.m. He was released on his own recognizance with an appearance ticket scheduled for June 3.

Identity theft

On May 26, a Hamilton Road man received a letter from Target, stating his credit card application had been denied. The man became suspicious because he never applied for the credit card. Investigation showed that the application was processed at the Target store in White Plains. An employee stated a person presented a driver's license in the man's name for identification. The phone number written on the application belonged to the man's brother. The brother said he had been in Target that day, but he did not attempt to open a credit card.

On May 26, a Catherine Road woman reported someone hacked into her Gmail account and sent fraudulent emails to various contacts. One email was sent to her accountant, requesting him to issue a check for an undisclosed sum of money. The check was to be sent out via overnight mail following certain instructions. She instructed her accountant the email was fraudulent. The woman also told police she received a call from Charles Schwab bank on May 19. The purpose of this call was to ask for a verbal authorization to release funds, as per instructions on an electronic letter of authorization. The woman initially agreed to release the funds because she assumed the letter of authorization was valid. Although she did not immediately recognize the letter of authorization, she thought her husband might have initiated it. However after she realized the letter was fraudulent, she attempted to cancel the transaction. The suspicious letter of authorization contained an image of the woman's signature inserted via Photoshop. Further investigation revealed the woman recently received an invoice for a painting that neither she nor her husband purchased. The woman was following up with Charles Schwab.

On May 26, an Olmsted Road man received a Visa card in the mail. He called the issuing creditor and explained he never asked for the card. The creditor said someone applied for the card at a Wal-Mart store in Georgia. The creditor cancelled the fraudulent card. After this occurred, the man realized a similar incident happened with his wife. On May 18, she received a Chase credit card in the mail, even though she never applied for this card. She contacted Chase's fraud department and cancelled the card. The couple also contacted the credit reporting agencies and placed a fraud alert on their credit profile.

On May 30, a Barry Road resident reported someone filed a fraudulent 2014 tax return in his name, using his Social Security number.

Missing person

A Heathcote woman called police around 1 a.m., May 28, because she had not seen her husband since 7:45 p.m. the previous evening. She was worried because her husband did not have any identification on him. Police called neighboring jurisdictions and area hospitals. A nurse at White Plains Hospital Center said there was an unidentified patient fitting the husband's description at the hospital. Police drove to WPHC and used a Facetime call feature to connect the woman with the patient. She identified the patient as her husband. The husband's name and other pertinent information were given to hospital staff.

Father/son dispute

A Heathcote father called police to help mediate a dispute with his son over the use of a car May 28. The father said his son was attempting to drive away without his permission. The son said he needed to pick up prescription medication from CVS. Police mediated the disagreement and provided information about family resources, in case the father or son needed further assistance.

Mother/daughter dispute

On May 31, a Greenacres resident called police about yelling coming from a neighbor's house. Patrol arrived and found a mother and her 18-year-old daughter arguing. The argument was about the mother's boyfriend, whom the daughter said she did not like. Patrol advised the daughter that since she is 18, "she either needs to cooperate with her mother or find another place to stay."

Criminal mischief

Police suspected three young men in their twenties, who were walking from White Plains to Eastchester along Post Road, might be responsible for several acts of criminal mischief on Post Road at 3:30 a.m., May 30. According to the report, the men were each dressed in black shorts and black tee shirts, and they were "sweating profusely." Police were first called to the area by a passing motorist who reported debris in the roadway. Patrol noticed several contractors' bags filled with grass clippings placed in the center of the street. The young men denied any involvement the bags. Further investigation uncovered traffic cones in the roadway, more bags of lawn clippings in the roadway, and a damaged wooden fence.

Cracked windshield

On May 27, a Webster Road man reported finding a crack in his car's windshield. It occurred while the car was parked in the man's Webster Road driveway from May 22 to May 27. The man said village highway workers were repairing the road during the time the windshield was damaged. Police noted gravel in the road and near the car. They attempted to contact the highway department for follow-up.

Shattered car window

The driver's side window of a 2014 Subaru parked on Sheldrake Road was shattered by an unknown object between 1 p.m. and 2:45 p.m., May 28. Nothing was missing from the car; nor was the interior disturbed. Police noticed loose gravel in the roadway, near the car's location.

Road rage

Police mediated a verbal dispute between a taxi driver and an ambulette driver on Cushman Road May 29. The taxi driver claimed the ambulette driver "banged on his window and asked him to move" so the ambulette could pull into traffic in Greenburgh. The ambulette driver said the taxi driver was blocking his way and he only "tapped" on the widow. The ambulette driver said the taxi then followed him to Cushman Road, where he was scheduled to pick up a passenger. Police advised the drivers to refrain from speaking with each other and to contact Greenburgh police for further assistance.

Suspicious vans

While a teacher from The Little School, on Mamaroneck Road, was walking to her car around 1:15 p.m., May 27, a man got out of gray van and approached her, made compliments about her appearance and started to follow her. He left his car idling during this time. The teacher found the man's behavior suspicious and did not welcome his compliments or his attempt to shake her hand. According to her account, she replied "No, thank you" and started dialing her cell phone to call the school's office. At this point, the man returned to his van and left. The man was described as a tall, black man with a slim, athletic build. He was described as wearing shiny red athletic shorts and a fitted black tee shirt. Police increased ride-bys as a precaution.

On May 27, a Farragut Road mother reported a man in a gray van called out to her daughter around 3:45 p.m. The man was described as a white man with gray hair, wearing sunglasses. Black letters spelled out "4 x 4" on the side of his van.

Knock knock

A Berkeley Road woman reported someone knocked on her door at 7:45 p.m., May 27. The woman did not look out the window or answer the door because she found the unexpected knocking unusual. Police canvassed the neighborhood but did not find anything suspicious.

Domestic trouble

A woman came to police for help contacting her daughter May 31. The daughter was allegedly with the woman's husband, from whom the woman was getting a divorce. The woman said she had not heard from her daughter and was worried about her whereabouts. Police contacted the husband. He said he was out to dinner with the daughter and advised that she would most likely be spending the night at his house. Patrol advised the divorcing couple to contact their lawyers for help in resolving the issue, which had been ongoing.

Welfare checks

Around 12:30 a.m., March 27, police checked the welfare of a student after a classmate expressed concerns due to Facebook messages. The messages spoke about a decline in the students' friendship and concluded with "an unusual poem" and statements like "Goodbye, old friend." Police checked on the classmate who posted the poem and messages. They determined he was not a risk to himself or others. Police admonished him for using social media to convey statements that could be construed as indications that he wanted to harm himself or others. The boys were advised to refrain from communicating with each other through social media in the future.

On May 31, police checked on a Woodland Place man at the request of his son. The son was concerned because he had not been able to reach his father for several hours. Patrol went to the man's house. He was fine, and he promised to contact his son.

Dog bite

On May 27, a Popham Lane mother reported her nine-year-old son was bitten by a friend's dog while on a play date at the friend's house on May 21. The boy's left forearm and the left side of his chest were bitten. The boy received one stitch in his forearm to treat the bite. The dog was allegedly confined in the kitchen at the friend's house when the bite occurred. The mother of the friend was not home during the play date, and the boys were being supervised by a nanny. Police talked to the dog's owner. She said the dog was properly licensed and up-to-date on all vaccinations.

Lost dog

A woman found a black and white Border Collie near Drake Road and brought the dog to headquarters May 27. About 10 minutes later, the dog's owner arrived at headquarters looking for his dog. Police reunited the man and his dog.

Injured bird

On May 29, a Kingston Road resident reported "animal noises" in her attic. Police pulled down the attic stairs and noticed a small bird trapped there. The bird seemed injured and unable to fly. The resident offered to place the bird in a cardboard box and contact an animal rehabilitator. Patrol provided her with appropriate contact numbers.

Parking scofflaw

On May 28, while police were issuing a summons to the owner of a car parked at an expired meter on East Parkway, it was determined the car was associated with a parking ticket scofflaw. The registered owners of the car – Michael Rubin and Linda Sarett, of Scarsdale – owed $360 in unpaid parking tickets. Their car was towed to the police impound lot.

Gas pump

After paying for gas, a customer drove away from a Scarsdale Avenue gas station with the gasoline pump hose attached to her car May 29. It damaged the gas pump. The customer requested a police report for insurance purposes.

Cars and roadways

On May 29, a Secor Road resident complained about school buses "idling" in front of his house and causing "fumes" to come in through the windows. Police observed traffic on the street and did not see any idling buses. Patrol brought the resident's concerns to the attention of the school bus transportation supervisor. The supervisor thanked patrol for the information. He said he would speak with drivers about the resident's concerns.

A landscaper was using a wheelbarrow to transport mulch from a pile in the roadway to a landscaping job on Brookby Road May 29. Police advised the landscaper to move the mulch out of the roadway and deposit it in a less obtrusive location.
Police stopped two motorists for passing a stopped school bus on Popham Road May 29. Summonses were issued, with court appearance dates of June 17.

Five car accidents were reported in the village this week.

Arrest on warrant

Daniel Raymond Smith, 35, of Bronxville, was arrested on the strength of a bench warrant issued out of Scarsdale Village Justice Court for failing to appear on vehicle and traffic charges on Jan 21. The arrest was a result of an unrelated arrest in Harrison, during which Harrison police uncovered the outstanding warrant in Scarsdale. An additional warrant was also outstanding in Yonkers. Smith was released on his own recognizance with an appearance ticket issued for June 3.

Civil matters

On May 28, a Fenimore Road woman reported workers from a neighbor's construction site ruined some of her plants by walking and driving on them. Police talked to the construction foreman, who said he would talk to his workers about being more careful. He offered to pay for the damaged plants. Patrol advised the woman she could follow up in civil court if necessary.

A Stratton Road resident complained that dust from masonry work in Penn Boulevard was blowing into her house, causing her allergies to worsen, May 29. The resident accused the mason of not properly wetting down the stone before cutting. The contractor said the resident yelled at him. In turn, the resident said the contractor cursed at her. Patrol advised them to refrain from speaking with each other and told them they could follow up in civil court.

Village code

On May 28, a Crest Lane resident complained that a neighbor habitually leaves garbage cans at the curb for long periods of time and does not properly cut the lawn. The resident told police she had already spoken to staff at Village Hall and learned that village code identifies grass "higher than 15 inches" as a violation. When the resident complained to police, the grass was shorter than 15 inches. Police told the resident they could not issue a summons for the garbage cans unless a violation was being committed. Since it was a sanitation pickup day, police could not issue a summons for the cans left at the curb that day. The resident said she would call back when she noticed a violation was occurring.

On May 31, police removed an advertising sign from a telephone pole on Post Road. The sign was for handyman services.

Lost and found

On May 27, a Tompkins Road man reported losing his and his wife's Japanese passports. He last saw them in his house in February. He said the passports might have gotten misplaced when he and his wife were moving furniture around.

On May 27, a woman reported losing her black Gucci wallet somewhere in the village. The wallet contained her driver's license, credit cards and cash.

Fire

Firefighters stood by for Con Edison at the site of a possible natural gas leak on Gaylor Road May 26.

Firefighters opened windows to ventilate a Dunham Road house after a carbon monoxide alarm sounded May 26. They shut off the stove and stood by for Con Edison.

Firefighters rolled up a broken telephone wire to get it out of the way on White Road May 26. They informed the dispatcher, who reported the broken wire to Verizon.

Firefighters assisted emergency Haz-Mat workers with a leaking 500-gallon, underground propane tank on Mayflower Road May 27.

Firefighters were called to a "brush fire" on Forest Lane May 28. There, they found a resident burning bamboo in his backyard. Firefighters extinguished the fire using the residents' garden hose. Since the house was actually within the jurisdiction of New Rochelle, New Rochelle Fire Department was informed and responded to the scene.

Firefighters stood by for Con Edison at the site of a natural gas odor on Black Birch Lane May 29.

On May 29, an overheating air handler in a Willow Lane house was creating a burning odor and smoke. Firefighters shut down the air handler and advised the homeowner to have it serviced.

Firefighters forced open the doors and released one person from a stuck elevator in Village Hall May 30. They placed the elevator out of service and notified management to have the elevator serviced.

This week, firefighters assisted at one car accident in the village. They responded to two false carbon monoxide alarms and 14 false fire alarms caused by device malfunction, cooking smoke, shower steam, construction dust and cigarette smoke.

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