Not in this Town! Police Crack Down with Multiple Arrests, Catching Crooks in the Act

Arrested suspect found with stolen mail and fraudulent check: On Feb. 3, at approximately 4:30 a.m., a Scarsdale police officer patrolling the downtown village area observed an illegally parked car on Woodland Place. Upon investigating, the officer determined the vehicle was occupied by a person who initially provided the officer with a false name. Furthermore, it was learned that the driver was driving a rental car without proper authorization. Police contacted the car rental company, and they requested that police seize their vehicle.

While impounding the vehicle, officers found eleven pieces of sealed mail, that were later determined to be stolen out of US Postal Service mailboxes on Woodland Place and on Chase Road in front of the Post Office building.

Officers also recovered a fraudulent check for $20,866. The check was related to US Mail that had been stolen from a different location.

Police arrested the driver Rashon M. Perkins, 32, of the Bronx, based on this new information. Perkins has been initially charged with the following charges:
aggravated unlicensed operation (a vehicle and traffic misdemeanor), unauthorized use of a vehicle (a penal law class-A misdemeanor) and second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument (a class-D felony).

The Scarsdale Police Investigations Section is working with United States Postal Inspectors and the Westchester County District Attorney's Financial Crimes Division for future charges associated with the stolen mail.

Police Arrest Pair for Assault and Harassment:
Scarsdale Detectives conducted a follow-up investigation into an assault that occurred on January 21, in the Freightway parking garage. As a result of that investigation, detectives arrested the following individuals on Feb. 8: Bruno Bertozzi, 21, of Tuckahoe on charges of harassment, and Jasmin Rodriguez, 19, of Eastchester, on charges of third-degree assault and harassment. Bertozzi is accused of striking a Crest Lane man in the face on Jan. 21. The incident caused pain and swelling in the victim's face. As part of the same incident, Rodriguez is accused of grabbing a Crest Lane woman by the hair and punching her in the face multiple times, causing bruising, swelling and a broken nose. On Feb. 7, detectives called Bertozzi and Rodriquez, advised them of the charges against them and requested that they respond to headquarters. On Feb. 8, Bertozzi and Rodriguez turned themselves in and were arrested. They were issued appearance tickets for Scarsdale Village Justice Court. An order of protection was issued. According to police, the victims and suspects knew each other, and the incident was the result of a dispute.

Police Arrest Three Teens, Caught with Car of Stolen Packages
On Feb. 10, while conducting burglary patrol in Greenacres, a police officer observed a gray sedan stop in front of a Montrose Road house. Shortly after seeing the vehicle stop, the officer observed a young man – later identified as Sebastian Garcia, 19, of New Windsor – run from the driveway of the house carrying a white package. Garcia got into the passenger side of the car. The officer then stopped the car to investigate his observations. Additional patrol units were called in for assistance and safety.

Inside the card, was a driver, Garcia and another passenger. The officer noticed a large brown cardboard box between Garcia's legs inside the car. A second package was seen on the floor of the car behind the driver. The officer asked the occupants of the car if they knew the Montrose Road resident where they had stopped their car, and the occupants said, "No." The officer asked the teens for an explanation of their conduct, and they said they "were doing a school project on Donald Trump." According to police, "The subjects appeared evasive and were stammering nervously."

Investigation revealed the packages in the car were stolen, and the occupants of the car were arrested accordingly. Along with Garcia, two other young men were charged with petit larceny and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property. They were: Kevin Dominguez, 19, of White Plains, and Ailyn Morales, 19, of White Plains. The car was impounded for further investigation.

Garcia was also charged with trespassing and had an active arrest warrant issued out of White Plains. Following arrest processing in Scarsdale, Garcia was picked up by detectives from White Plains Police Department.

All three defendants were issued appearance tickets for a future court appearance in Scarsdale Justice Court.

DWI Arrest
Police arrested John Daniel Rodriguez, 23, of the Bronx, at 4 a.m., Feb. 11, after picking him up for drunk driving. Rodriguez was initially stopped at Fenimore and Donellan Roads. He was unsteady on his feet, smelled of alcohol and admitted to having "two or three beers" at Don Coqui bar in White Plains. He failed field sobriety tests, and his breath tested positive for the presence of alcohol in an alco-sensor test. Later, Rodriguez's blood alcohol level was measured to be .10. He was arrested on charges of second-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, driving while intoxicated (first offense) and operation of a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol level of .08 of one percent. Rodriguez was released on his own recognizance to the custody of his girlfriend. He was issued an appearance ticket for Scarsdale Village Justice Court.

Bench Warrant Arrest
On Feb. 8, police arrested Jerson Alexis Barragan, 19, of Bronxville, on the strength of a bench warrant issued by New York City Police on June 22, 2016, for fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Barragan was transported from Scarsdale Village Justice Court, where he had appeared for an unrelated matter, to headquarters. A team from NYPD came to Scarsdale to execute the warrant and pick up Barragan.

Burglary
A Webster Road house was burglarized Feb. 10. Investigating officers found signs of entry at a rear sliding glass door, miscellaneous items tossed on the first and second floors and possible evidence of a front door exit. Various footprints were found around the house. The homeowner said the prints were not there before he left his house to attend a party at 7 p.m. The homeowner said he received two messages from his home security system, not connected to a central monitoring agency, that his sliding door had been opened at 7:59 p.m. and that a garage door opened at 8:28 p.m. The messages prompted the homeowner to return home. The homeowner entered the house, found it in disarray and noticed two MacBook computers were stolen from the dining room table. Two pillowcases were stolen from the bedroom, which were probably used to transport stolen items. A safe containing documents was also stolen. Police found a screwdriver on the master bed and took it into custody, as evidence. Detectives are following up.

Fake Driver's License
On Feb. 8, police followed up on a driver who was believed to have presented a forged Maryland driver's license to police. The license did not contain any of the UV security features that are present on valid Maryland licenses. The bar code on the back of the license, although intact, could not be read by three separate driver's license readers. The word "Driver's License" was incorrectly written as "Drivers, License, and the initials "DL" were not properly positioned on the document. Additionally, the image of the State of Maryland, which appears on all legitimate Maryland licenses, lacked detail and was not identical to the image normally seen on licenses. As a result, police suspected the license was fake. Scarsdale police called Maryland State Police and Maryland Department of Motor Vehicles and provided the driver's license number for verification. Scarsdale police learned the driver's license was fake. Police are following up.

Identity Theft
On Feb. 7, a Sherbrooke Road woman reported fraudulent charges on her Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale's credit card statements. Fraudulent charges at these two stores totaled $20,527.24 and occurred while the woman was out of the country on Dec. 31, 2016 and Jan. 1, 2017. The charges occurred in physical stores, and the perpetrator presented a fraudulent ID.

On Feb. 13, a Brown Road resident reported someone attempted to open a fraudulent account in her name.

Suspicious
A caller reported a man in a green Jeep liberty parked outside Scarsdale High School at 1 p.m., February 6. The man told police he was waiting to pick up his mother, who works as a teacher's aide at the school. Patrol told him his presence and allegedly erratic driving alarmed residents, and the man apologized. Police noticed camouflage vest and an airsoft vest with the word "police" written on it, in the man's car. The man said he and his friends enjoy playing scenario games, and he ensured police there were no firearms in the car. Patrol advised the man to keep airsoft equipment at home until it could be used in a controlled environment, Eventually, the man's mother left the school, and the two parties left the area.

On Feb. 6, a Post Road woman called 911 because a group of men came to her house stating they were there to repave her driveway. She had not hired them; so she felt their presence was suspicious. Patrol arrived and learned the woman's brother had hired the men to repave the driveway and help his sister.

An unknown white man in his 40s, wearing a blue jacket, knocked on a Greenacres Avenue door and told the homeowner he was there to look at her roof Feb. 6. Since the homeowner had not scheduled roofing services, she felt the man's presence was suspicious. The man left in a gray hatchback. Police canvassed the area but did not find the man.

A Horseguard Lane woman called police because she saw a US mail truck at a neighbor's house at 5:30 a.m., Feb. 10. She thought the truck's presence was unusual. Patrol verified the driver of the truck was a postal employee. The driver was making a delivery of Amazon Fresh Direct groceries to a neighbor.

A black Mercury Mountaineer, with Pennsylvania license plates, entered a Richbell Road driveway and circled the driveway several times around 2:30 p.m., Feb. 10. The property manager spoke with the occupants, but could not discern their intentions The occupants then left in their car. They were described as a black man, with a hat and glasses, in his 50s and a black woman in her 50s. The homeowner wanted police to document the incident.

A Kensington Road homeowner reported seeing, over video surveillance, a man dressed in white ring the doorbell to his house and peer through his windows, at 7:45 p.m., Feb. 11. Police went to the house to investigate. The nanny was home, and she confirmed the man had been there to deliver food.

An Oak Lane man reported seeing an unrecognized white van in his driveway Feb. 13. While police were investigating the van, the man received a call from his wife. She stated the van belonged to her driver, who was picking her up from the city.

Wrong number
A Carstensen Road woman called 911, stating she was calling to cancel her doctor's appointment Feb. 6. The woman seemed confused. She told patrol she dialed 911 in error.

Tree
A tree fell on a Crossway garage Feb. 9. Branches were resting on secondary power lines. Con Edison was notified. The highway department responded but was unsure if the tree belonged to the Village. A survey is pending.

What Did You Say?
A Lee Road woman reported a man yelling for "help" outside her house Feb. 10. Police encountered the man, who was actually yelling "Elsie" in an attempt to locate his dog who had run away. He apologized for any confusion and located his dog. The Lee Road woman was advised.

Safety
Police advised the owner of Organic Pharmer, on Garth Road, to keep the sidewalk trap door to their basement close Feb. 11. Leaving the door open was deemed a safety hazard. This was the second time police have had to remind the owner to keep the door closed.

Open doors
While patrolling the village during the early morning hours of Feb. 12, police observed several houses with open garage doors. Patrol spoke with homeowners to make sure everything was in good order. In each case, the garage door was inadvertently left open, without any sign of criminal activity.

Snow
A Brite Avenue woman reported her neighbor's plowing company pushed snow onto the curb in front of her house Feb. 12. Patrol explained this action was not in violation of village code. The woman was advised to speak directly with her neighbor.

Police helped a Cohawney Road couple leave their house and walk down icy steps to get to their car during a power outage related to an ice storm Feb. 13.

International assistance
On Feb. 6, a Parkfield Road man reported wiring $30,000 rand (approximately $3,000) to a contractor in South Africa, for proposed work to install an electric gate on the man's property in Pretoria, South Africa. The wire transfer occurred on Dec. 12, 2016, and the man has been unable to reach the contractor since that time. The man thought he might be the victim of a scam. Scarsdale police were unable to verify the validity of the alleged contractor and suggested the man follow up with Pretoria police. The incident was documented by Scarsdale police to assist Pretoria police.

Scofflaw
A parking enforcement officer identified a parked car with $740 in accumulated unpaid parking fines in village center Feb. 8. The owner returned to her car and was informed she must address the issue and pay the fines at Village Hall immediately.

Accident
One utility pole was struck by a car at Heathcote and Sherbrooke Roads Feb. 12. Damage required immediate attention. Police blocked off the area and stood by for Con Edison. The driver – a 36-year-old White Plains woman – left the scene of the accident, but the car's license plate fell off and enabled police to identify the driver. Police called her to respond to headquarters, where she would be issued a summons for leaving the scene of an accident. As of the report time, she had not yet responded to headquarters.

Cars and roadways
On Feb. 7, a driver experienced a flat tire on Fenimore Road, near the Bronx River Parkway exit. Patrol stood by for safety while the tire was changed.
An Avis rental car was recovered from Ramsey Road Feb. 7.

On Feb. 8, a Hampton Road woman reported a student parked a car on the street and accidentally left it running with the windshield wipers on. While police were on scene, the student returned to the car and turned it off.

Patrol contacted the water department for a large amount of water in the roadway at Parkfield and Butler Roads Feb. 8 and a lack of running water in a Tompkins Road house Feb. 9.

Con Edison and the highway department were called about a fallen tree and wires on Crossway Feb. 9.

Portable stop signs were erected at the intersection of Greenacres and Walworth Avenues, due to a malfunctioning traffic light, Feb. 9. Approximately three hours later, the light was repaired.

A driver left a disabled car on Hutchison Avenue with its hazard lights flashing Feb. 9. Since the car was in a dangerous location and appeared to be abandoned, police called for an impound tow. While waiting for the tow, the driver returned to attempt to start the car again. The driver was admonished for leaving the disabled car in a dangerous location without notifying authorities. Police provided the driver with the police department phone number in case the driver needed additional assistance.

Con Edison was notified about a dislodged gas box on Fox Meadow Road Feb. 9. Con Edison workers addressed the issue within an hour.

Patrol issued a summons to an illegally parked car on Rectory Lane Feb. 10.

Police removed a fallen cable wire from Bradley Road, as well as debris from Mamaroneck Road Feb. 12.

During high winds in the early morning hours of Feb. 13, trees, wires and signs fell on Meadow, Mamaroneck, Catherine, Kelwynne, Reimer, Cooper, Chesterfield, Hampton, Post, Kingston, Popham, Oxford, Fenimore, Cohawney, Donellan, Circle and Saxon Woods, Drake, Brewster and Ferncliff roads and Hutchinson Avenue,

A tree fell on top of a car in a Hampton Road driveway Feb. 13. Con Edison was on scene to "watch wires" and ensure safety.

Seven car accidents were reported in the village this week.

Animals
A caller said a loose dog was secured at Kingston Road and Greenacres Avenue for pickup Feb. 10. While police were on their way, someone picked up the dog and put it in a car. Ostensibly, the person was assumed to be the dog's owner.

A Broadmoor Road caller reported the sound of animals fighting outside after midnight, Feb. 12. There were no sign of any injured animals when police arrived on scene – only multiple sets of animal tracks in the snow.

Village code
A caller complained about drum noise coming from a house at Boulevard and Potter Road around 12 p.m., Feb. 7. Police informed the homeowner about the complaint. The homeowner said he would attempt to install noise reduction material to block the sound of his son's drum practice. He said he would also make sure the practice sessions occurred at more reasonable hours.

Police stood by while a youth party was breaking up on Ogden Road and kids were beings picked up by parents at 10 p.m., Feb. 8.

Police stood by while approximately a dozen teenagers waited for rides home from a Morris Lane party Feb. 10.

Civil Matter
An employee of a Popham Road skin therapy salon reported a customer's check for $1,295, from Dec. 27, 2016, was returned for insufficient funds on Jan. 6. The salon made several attempts to contact the customer about the returned check and outstanding bill; however, the customer never returned the calls. The employee was advised this was a civil matter and civil court action could be taken.

Two boys under the age of 16 were standing on Palmer Avenue, asking passersby if they were Jewish, and handing out candles and a prayer for a holy day Feb. 10. Patrol advised the boys they needed a permit to do any type of soliciting in the village. The boys apologized and left.

Lost and found
On Feb. 8, a person found a New York State driver's license on Ridgecrest North and brought it to headquarters. Police vouchered it, pending an attempt to contact the owner.

On Feb. 11, a man reported losing his iPhone 6. He last saw his phone the previous day, inside his taxi. He needed a police report for insurance purposes.

A woman found keys on Brewster Road and brought them to headquarters for safekeeping Feb. 12. Patrol called a Subaru dealership in Rye, as identified through a keychain telephone number, in an attempt to locate the owner. The dealership, however, was closed.

Firefighters
Steam from a high-efficiency boiler in a Rural Drive house was mistaken for smoke Feb. 7.
Following up on a natural gas odor, firefighters turned off gas in a Burgess Road house's mechanical room while the resident waited for Con Edison Feb. 7.
A 17-year-old boy sustained a knee injury at Hyatt Field Feb. 9. Firefighters assisted Scarsdale Volunteer Ambulance Corps to move the boy from the field to the ambulance.
Firefighters stood by for Con Edison at the site of a gas odor near a newly installed dryer in a Kingston Road house Feb. 10.
Elevated levels of carbon monoxide were detected in a Drake Road house Feb. 10. Firefighters stood by for Con Edison.
Con Edison investigated a reported gas odors on Highland Way, Oak Lane, and Parkfield, Fenimore, Kent, Fox Meadow, Brewster and Chesterfield roads Feb. 11. No origination or cause of alarm was found.
Con Edison was called about fallen electrical wires on Tompkins, Chesterfield, Hampton, Cooper and Reimer roads Feb. 12.
A large tree limb fell on the roof of a Cohawney Road house Feb. 12. It did not interrupt electrical wires, and it did not penetrate the roof. The resident was advised to call a tree service.

This week, firefighters assisted at three car accidents in the village, one involving damage to a Lorraine Place fire hydrant. They responded to six false carbon monoxide alarms and 14 false fire alarms caused by cooking smoke, device malfunction, dust, electrical outages and burnt food.

This report covering police and fire department activity from Feb. 6-12 was compiled from official information.

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