SOUTH SALEM, N.Y. - The latter half of July was a relatively quiet period for Lewisboro Police, with traffic incidents dominating the scene. However, two cases involving assistance to emergency services stood out, both taking place hours apart on July 19.
The first incident involved a youth riding an electric scooter on Glen Drive in South Salem. A bystander saw the youth turn a corner too quickly, causing the rider to lose control, fall and strike his head on the pavement. The witness said the young man was not wearing a helmet at the time. He was transported to Norwalk Hospital for evaluation.
Police later responded to a report of a man walking on the tracks at the Goldens Bridge train station. He had climbed back onto the platform when police arrived and appeared to be intoxicated. He told officers he had dropped his glasses on the tracks and gone to retrieve them. He was taken to Northern Westchester Hospital for evaluation.
A case of identity theft brought a Lewisboro resident to police headquarters on July 20. The resident said he had been notified by Costco of fraudulent purchases of four Apple laptops totaling approximately $10,000. Upon calling the store, Costco canceled both transactions, which involved shipping the computers to two separate locations.
The resident also reported that he had not received his mail in some time and learned from the South Salem Post Office that it was being held there. The request apparently had been made by the scammer.
The fraud victim had already frozen his credit with the three major credit bureaus. The officer on duty contacted the U.S. Postal Service's fraud hotline, which advised the victim to file a report at the South Salem Post Office after retrieving his mail.
Traffic accidents in Lewisboro continued their downward trajectory during the latter part of July, with police responding to the following cases:
Friday, July 17: An accident involving personal injury took place on Route 35 in Cross River when a car turning west from a parking lot failed to yield to another vehicle. The driver was taken to Northern Westchester Hospital with pain in the elbow, lower arm and hand.
Sunday, July 19: A vehicle turning left onto Route 35 from Spring Street in Cross River failed to yield at a stop sign, striking an eastbound vehicle.
Tuesday, July 21: A vehicle backing out of a driveway in South Salem struck a neighbor's mailbox. The driver agreed to reimburse the neighbor for replacing the mailbox, and no accident report was filed.
Sunday, July 26: A vehicle turning left onto Route 35 in Cross River collided with an eastbound vehicle. Both vehicles were damaged, but no injuries were reported.
Monday, July 27: Police responded to a deer strike involving a car traveling north on Route 22 in Goldens Bridge. No injuries were reported.
However, Lewisboro Police also responded to a spate of incidents involving improper credentials and vehicle impoundments, beginning with a traffic stop on July 20 in Cross River. An officer stopped a box truck traveling at 58 mph in a 45-mph zone. An eJustice check of what appeared to be a valid New York driver's license revealed that it had been suspended for failure to answer a summons.
A check of the passenger's license found it to be valid, and he took the wheel. The original driver received two tickets, for speeding and driving with a suspended license. The passenger received a ticket for permitting the vehicle to be operated by a driver lacking proper credentials.
A vehicle was impounded on July 21 after an officer stopped a vehicle in South Salem for having darkly tinted windows and a license plate obscured by a dark cover. The driver produced a Connecticut photo ID, which is used in lieu of a driver's license. The driver received three tickets, for improperly displayed plates, unlicensed operation and an equipment violation for the darkly tinted windows. Sal's Towing impounded the vehicle.
A broken brake light resulted in another traffic stop on July 21 in South Salem. The driver produced an identification card from Nicaragua, and an eJustice inquiry found no valid license. The driver received tickets for unlicensed operation and improper equipment, and Sal's Towing impounded the vehicle.
On July 24, Lewisboro Police stopped a vehicle on Mead Street in Waccabuc for possibly fraudulent temporary plates. The driver told the officer that the vehicle had been purchased in North Carolina by his boss, who intended to register it in New York. The vehicle had a temporary 60-day plate set to expire on Aug. 22.
A call to North Carolina police revealed that the registration credentials matched the truck, but the dealer had not yet posted the registration with the state's DMV. The driver was released without charges.
An officer conducting surveillance in South Salem spotted an SUV with a broken windshield. When asked for a license, the driver produced a Brazilian passport. Sal's Towing impounded the vehicle, and the driver received tickets for improper equipment and driving without a license.
On July 26, an officer conducting surveillance at Sal's Towing in Cross River spotted a vehicle with dark windows and a tinted license plate cover. An eJustice check found the driver's license to be valid, but the officer spotted various irregularities in the tag number for the temporary Maryland plates displayed on the vehicle. The driver said the vehicle was owned by his employer.
The officer determined the plate to be forged and placed the driver under arrest. Sal's Towing impounded the vehicle, and the driver was transported to Lewisboro Police Headquarters for processing. He received four tickets and a court appearance summons.
On July 27, an officer spotted a vehicle in South Salem traveling with a broken windshield and no working brake lights. Upon stopping the vehicle, the officer learned that both the driver's license and vehicle registration were suspended. Sal's Towing impounded the vehicle, and the driver received three traffic tickets.
An officer conducting surveillance along Route 35 on July 30 observed a van with no front license plate and darkly tinted windows. Upon stopping the vehicle, the driver produced a Brazilian photo ID and said he had no license. An eJustice check also revealed that the driver was subject to a protective order prohibiting him from carrying firearms. Sal's Towing impounded the vehicle, and the driver received two tickets.
Later that day, another officer spotted a motorcycle traveling without license plates in Cross River. The driver produced a Connecticut CDL with no motorcycle endorsement, and an eJustice check revealed that the motorcycle was unregistered. Sal's Towing impounded the motorcycle, and the driver received three tickets.
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