Two Scarsdale Men Arrested Early Sunday Morning Plus an Intruder on Franklin Road

After midnight, Saturday, Jan. 28, police arrested Benjamin M. Reuter, 41, of Drake Road, on the misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated (first offense), as well as the infraction charges of refusal to take a breath test, having an open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle on a highway and failing to stop. Police were called to a noise complaint at a tennis club on Wayside Lane. While there, Reuter drove up next to the patrol car and attempted to speak with police. Reuter's glassy, bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and incoherence led police to believe Reuter had been drinking alcohol.

Since the incident occurred on private property, Patrol instructed Reuter to park his 2005 Jeep Wrangler, which he did. According to the arrest report, Reuter "had poor hand eye coordination; his movements were lethargic; and there was a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath." Police advised Reuter he would not be able to drive home and encouraged him to call a cab or get a ride from a friend. During Reuter's encounter with police, Reuter allegedly became "belligerent." At 1 a.m., approximately 30 minutes after police arrived at the club, Reuter was escorted to another black Jeep, ostensibly to be driven home. According to police, no open containers of alcohol were observed in Reuter's car at this time.

Approximately one hour later, around 2 a.m., patrol noticed Reuter's black Jeep Wrangler in motion. While patrolling a tour of schools, parks, houses of worship, the library and Village Hall, police saw Reuter's Jeep fail to come to a stop while exiting the tennis club parking lot and entering Wayside Lane. Police conducted a traffic stop at Wayside Lane and Paddington Road. At this time, Reuter got out of his car, and started going through his wallet to look for his ID. Police ordered Reuter to get back inside his car, but Reuter did not comply. While going through his wallet, Reuter was allegedly swaying back and forth and dropping numerous cards to the ground. According to the report, "Reuter struggled to locate and pick up the dropped cards, as he was unsteady on his feet and was having difficulty using his hands."

A sergeant and two additional patrol officers arrived to assist. A 50 ml bottle of Nomad whiskey was found in the Jeep's center console during the traffic stop, and it was empty. It was confiscated during investigation. Reuter agreed to perform field sobriety tests, which he failed. He was asked to submit to an alco-sensor pre-screening test. At this time, Reuter refused to perform the test. Police arrested Reuter for driving while intoxicated. Reuter was taken to headquarters for arrest processing. At headquarters, Reuter was advised of the DWI warning. He refused to take a Datamaster test to measure his blood alcohol level. He refused to be fingerprinted or photographed. He refused repeated offers to make a phone call, and he refused to answer any of the suicide screening questions. For this reason, he was placed under constant supervision.

Reuter was arraigned before Judge Joachim Alemany and released on $100 cash bail. He was ordered to appear in Scarsdale Village Justice Court on Feb. 1. Reuter's Jeep was parked and locked on Paddington Road. As part of the bail hearing, the car keys were vouchered and kept at police headquarters.

3 a.m. Stop of Post Road Speeder Leads to Warrant Arrest

While conducting DWI enforcement on Post Road at 2:47 a.m., Jan. 29, police noticed a 2010 Acura MDX travelling south at a high rate of speed. Police conducted a traffic stop and asked for the driver's license and registration. A DMV check of the license yielded an active arrest warrant for "failure to appear" in court, issued by the Village of Scarsdale in December 2016. Further inquiry also showed that the driver's license was currently suspended for "failure to pay a fine" in Suffolk County. The driver – Matthew G. Lestrange, 20, of Scarsdale – was arrested on warrant and charged with speeding in zone (a violation) and third-degree aggravated operation of a motor vehicle (a misdemeanor). Lestrange was placed on constant supervision while at headquarters. Following the processing of his arrest, Lestrange was released on $100 cash bail. He is due to appear in Scarsdale Village Justice Court Feb. 1.

Intruder Enters Occupied Home on Franklin Road

An intruder entered a Franklin Road house during the early morning hours of Jan. 23. According to a nanny employed by the homeowner, intruder was moving through the house with a flashlight. She thought the person was the homeowner's son as he peered into her first floor bedroom with a flashlight and briefly awakened from sleep. She then heard the basement door opening. In the morning, when the homeowner realized things were missing from an office in the house, the nanny realized the person must have been the intruder. Stolen items included a computer, camera and money. These items were removed from their cases and from purses. An iPad was left in the room. Police are following up.

Car break-in

A Mayflower Road woman reported someone entered her parked and unlocked Volvo overnight Jan. 24 to 25. The glove box was open, and papers were scattered about. However, the woman did not believe anything was stolen.

Identity theft

On Jan. 28, a Cooper Road man reported someone used his personal information to open a fraudulent Ameritrade account Jan. 28. He learned about it through paperwork he received on the account. No monetary loss was reported, and the man contacted Ameritrade to close the account.

Check fraud

On Jan. 28, a Crest Lane man reported a Chase check he had written to MasterCard and mailed at the mailbox at Heathcote Road and Palmer Avenue on Jan. 20 or Jan. 22 had not been received by MasterCard. Instead a fraudulent check for $350, bearing the same check number, had been cashed on Jan. 23. The signature on the check was fraudulent. There was no name written in the "Pay to order of" section. The man reported the incident to Chase Bank for follow-up.

Broken window

A Farley Road man reported finding the rear window of his Chevy Volt broken Jan. 23. The man first thought someone might have thrown a rock and damaged his car. However, investigating officers believe the damage was not caused by criminality. Officers found the core of a piece of fruit in the car's back seat and noted the car's location under a tree. Officers surmised that most likely an animal dropped the fruit from a tree limb, causing the car window to break.

Dispute

A taxi driver called police reporting a fare dispute on Brittany Close Jan. 23. Upon arrival, patrol spoke with the driver who stated there had been a misunderstanding. He said he thought his passenger was trying to skip out on a fare, but she was only delayed with an interview that lasted longer than expected. She was in the taxi when police arrived. She agreed to pay her full fare after the driver drove her home.

Goal post

A caller reported seeing a goal post swaying in the wind on the front field at Quaker Ridge School Jan. 23. Police notified the principal's office for the maintenance and grounds crews to check the post's condition.

Flashlight

A person reported seeing a man with a flashlight "looking through windows" at Edgewood School at 10:30 p.m., Jan. 24. Police arrived at the school and saw that the person there was a school district employee. He said he had been checking the exterior of the building with a flashlight, as he has done every night for the past four years.

Missing

On Jan. 26, a manager of a Post Road group home reported one of the home's residents left the home Jan. 24 and had not yet returned. She was described as a 44-year-old white woman. According to a transportation provided, the woman was taken to an appointment at 9 a.m., Jan. 24, and dropped off at the group home at 12:41 p.m. that same day. Patrol checked with acquaintances who might know the whereabouts of the woman, but no one had seen her recently. Police contacted area hospitals and consulted with other police departments, but these facilities did not have any records of seeing her recently either.

Water

A water department employee reported water was flowing from a Lincoln Road garage Jan. 27. Police contacted a real estate agent whose name was on a sign posted in front of the house. The agent said the homeowner would be notified.

Locked out

A caller reported a boy trying to wedge something into a Taunton Road front door in an attempt to get inside the house Jan. 27. Police determined the boy was a resident of the house. He had gotten locked out, and his parents would not be home for another two hours. The boy said he would stay with a friend in the meantime.

Shelter

A girl walking to school reported seeing a person sleeping in the fireplace area of Scout Field Jan. 29. Patrol twice went to the location and eventually encountered the person at 10:45 p.m. The person said he had been sleeping there because his parents allegedly kicked him out of their house. Patrol advised the person he could not stay there, as he was on private property. The person contacted a friend and asked to stay with the friends. He gathered his belongings and left.

Cars and roadways

On Jan. 23, Verizon was notified about a low-hanging wire from poles on Barry Road.
Police called the highway department to clear a fallen tree from the intersection of Greendale Road and Windmill Circle Jan. 23.
Police issued a parking summons to the registered owners of parked cars blocking the passage of a school bus on Sage Terrace Jan. 23.
Police helped untangle a fallen phone wire from a parked car on Mamaroneck Road Jan. 23. The wire was moved to the side of the road, and Verizon was notified.
A caller reported a Christmas tree in the middle of Saxon Woods Road Jan. 23. Patrol moved the discarded tree from the roadway, where it had become a partial obstruction.
The highway department removed a fallen tree from Reynal Crossing Jan. 24.
Scarsdale and New Rochelle police directed traffic around a pothole on Weaver Street, while waiting for the pothole to be coned off, Jan. 24.
Patrol stood by while a driver changed a flat tire at Sheldrake and Mamaroneck roads Jan. 24.
Police asked the driver of a construction vehicle to move it from Fenimore Road onto Oakstwain Road Jan. 25.
The highway department dispatched a hot patch team to address a large pothole on Post Road Jan. 25.
A tree branch fell on a car parked in the Wilgrin parking lot, on Palmer Avenue, Jan. 26. It broke the windshield. The driver requested a tow to bring the car to her house in the Bronx.
Police moved a fallen phone wire off the sidewalk at Weaver Street and Haverford Avenue Jan. 26. Verizon was notified.
Patrol helped a driver with a flat tire move her car into a Fenimore Road driveway while the driver was waiting for a tow Jan. 27. Police first consulted with the homeowner of the Fenimore Road house to ask permission for the car to be parked there while waiting for roadside assistance because there was heavy traffic on Fenimore Road and the disabled car was making it worse. The homeowner was gracious and accommodating.
Police placed flares around a disabled car on Weaver Street while the driver waited for roadside assistance Jan. 27.
Patrol placed traffic cones on Olmsted Road to facilitate congested traffic during an estate sale on Brite Avenue Jan. 28.
A car was illegally parked on Wayside Lane Jan. 28. Patrol contacted the owner, and the owner moved the car.
Police called roadside assistance for a man who accidentally locked his keys in his car on Mamaroneck Road Jan. 28.
An unoccupied, parked car was left running in Wilgrin parking lot Jan. 29. Police contacted the driver who said she must have accidentally left the car running. She returned to the car and turned it off.
A moving truck was blocking traffic on Mamaroneck and Sheldrake Roads Jan. 29. Patrol advised the movers they needed to use a flagman to assist with traffic flow. One of the movers was assigned to that task.
Four car accidents were reported in the village this week.

Dogs

A man called 911 at 9:45 p.m., Jan. 23, because he felt unsure about getting out of his car in his mother's Meadow Road driveway due to a neighbor's two dogs standing there. The dog's owner brought the dogs inside the house before police arrived. The owner said he would be more careful with the dogs in the future.

Dogs were reported to be on playground equipment on Hyatt Field, on Boulevard, at 8:48 a.m., Jan. 29. On scene, police spoke with three men who had brought their dogs to the park. Patrol advised them dogs were not allowed on the park – either on or off leash, as per signs bordering the park. The men and their dogs left.

Village code

An advertising sign for a sports camp was posted at Rodney and Nelson roads in violation of village code Jan. 27. Patrol removed the sign and mailed a summons to the company that posted it.

A Stonehouse Road caller reported kids making noise on Wayside Lane after midnight Jan. 28. Patrol responded and found an ongoing event at Fox Meadow Tennis Club. Patrol spoke with the Club's president regarding the noise complaint. The president and other guests complied with lowering the noise level.

Patrol advised a Nelson Road landscaper of village code regarding use of power tools on weekends Jan. 28. The landscaper was issued a verbal warning.

Lost and found

On Jan. 23, a person reported losing a license plate somewhere in the village Jan. 12.

 A passerby found a wallet on East Parkway and brought it to police Jan. 23. Police used identifying information inside the wallet to track down the owner, who was a 7-Eleven employee. The owner confirmed nothing was missing from the wallet.

An iPhone was found outside the train station on Depot Place Jan. 27. It had a name taped to the back of case. The owner used a "Find My iPhone" app to track down her phone to headquarters. She came to headquarters and claimed her phone.

Firefighters

Fallen wires on Mamaroneck Road were reported Jan. 23. They were determined to be phone wires.
Firefighters helped removed a fallen tree from Secor Road by using chain saws to cut up the tree Jan. 23.
Firefighters stood by for Con Edison at the site of a Barry Road gas leak Jan. 25.
A smoke odor on Sycamore Road was traced to a roadwork crew using hot pot to patch the road Jan. 26.
Firefighters helped a Secor Road resident change a smoke detector battery Jan. 27.

This week, firefighters assisted at one car accident in the village. They responded to eight false alarms caused by device malfunction, shower steam, cooking smoke and pipe soldering.

This report covering police and fire department activity from Jan. 23-29 was compiled from official information.

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 their website.