Lewisboro Police Blotter: Bear sightings, fraud, traffic infractions

SOUTH SALEM, N.Y. - Bear sightings are becoming much more common in suburban towns, with three occurring in Lewisboro in the first half of June alone.

The first such incident was reported by a Goldens Bridge resident on June 3, who informed police that he scared the bear away by making noise. After a bear report the following day in Cross River, police were unable to locate the animal.

Later that day, a youthful bear was reported in a horse pen in Cross River. The responding officer witnessed the bear run toward the horses, which then charged at it—causing the bear to run in the opposite direction but not leave the pen. Ultimately, the bear left the area and was no longer visible. An officer from the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) was reportedly scheduled to visit the scene after police left.

A resident came to Lewisboro Police Headquarters on June 3 to report fraudulent activity on his credit card. He had been notified by the card’s fraud department of suspicious Amazon.com purchases totaling more than $1,100. In addition, the card was fraudulently used at a Best Buy store in Florida to purchase approximately $3,400 worth of computer equipment, while more than $7,700 worth of fraudulent Amazon purchases were made on a second card. The resident reported these incidents to the respective card companies, which froze his credit.

Lewisboro Police otherwise had a typical early-summer array of vehicle impoundments and traffic mishaps. A June 1 incident on Todd Road in Goldens Bridge led the month, when an officer ran an eJustice check on a car he was following and discovered that the registration had been suspended. After stopping the driver, the person’s driver’s license checked out in good order. The driver received a ticket with a court appearance summons, and Sal’s Towing impounded the vehicle.

The next day, a Lewisboro officer was conducting surveillance near West Lane and Stonewall Court in South Salem. The officer saw a motorist run a stop sign at that intersection while also failing to wear a seat belt. The officer stopped the vehicle on West Lane; upon requesting the driver’s license, the motorist produced a foreign identification card. The officer entered the driver’s name and date of birth into eJustice, which returned no license on file. The driver received multiple summonses, and the vehicle was impounded by Sal’s Towing.

On June 3, an officer patrolling Bouton Road in Waccabuc recognized a red van from a previous traffic stop. During that prior incident, the vehicle’s owner had stated he would register the vehicle, but a check on eJustice revealed that had not occurred. The officer pulled the van over on Post Office Road. The officer contacted the owner, who requested that the vehicle be towed to his business. Sal’s Towing arrived at the scene and refused to tow it to the job site, instead impounding the vehicle at its lot. The driver received a traffic summons.

Two impoundments took place on June 8 in Cross River. In the first, an officer traveling west on Route 35 that afternoon observed a car with a faulty brake light and a driver operating a phone screen with his right hand. After stopping the vehicle, the officer requested the driver’s license, and the driver produced an Ecuadorian license. The officer then learned that the man had been living in the U.S. for three years and had been released on probation (and was wearing an electronic monitor) by the City of Danbury, Conn. The driver received three traffic tickets, and the car was impounded by Northern Westchester Auto Body.

Several hours later, an officer traveling west on Route 35 observed a car with dark-tinted windows heading east. The officer made a U-turn, activated emergency lights, and pulled the vehicle over at the intersection with Boutonville Road. When asked for his license, the driver produced an Ecuadorian identification card. The officer also observed multiple open containers of alcohol on the rear floor of the vehicle. The driver received two tickets, and East Towing impounded the vehicle.

Lewisboro Police responded to just two vehicle accidents during the two-and-a-half-week period, as well as two road blockages and a downed-wire incident:

Thursday, June 4: A vehicle traveling north on Route 123 in South Salem struck a second vehicle ahead of it, which had stopped when a third vehicle suddenly turned right onto Spring Hill Lane. The driver of the second vehicle was uninjured and was later driven from the scene despite rear-end damage. The driver of the first vehicle complained of stomach pain and was taken by Vista Ambulance to Norwalk Hospital. The vehicle sustained front-end damage and was removed by East Towing.

Thursday, June 4: A resident came to Lewisboro Police Headquarters to report a fallen tree blocking Main Street in South Salem near the Connecticut line. This was confirmed by an officer who responded to the area. The town’s Highway Department was notified to clear the tree, while the officer directed traffic in the meantime.

Friday, June 5: The driver of a vehicle turning onto Route 123 from a South Salem gas station said her vehicle was struck by a southbound vehicle. The driver of the second vehicle said his car was struck by the first vehicle when it pulled onto Route 123. The driver of the first vehicle was transported to Norwalk Hospital, while the driver of the second reported no injuries.

Saturday, June 6: A report came in of downed wires on eastbound Route 35 in Cross River. The responding officer instead observed a tree with branches hanging into the roadway and partially blocking traffic. The officer notified the state Department of Transportation to clear the hazard.

Saturday, June 6: An officer was dispatched to Goldens Bridge in response to a report of a tree blocking a roadway. Upon arrival, the Goldens Bridge Fire Department had already removed the tree. The officer advised the emergency dispatcher to contact the state DOT to finish clearing a low-hanging limb.

Saturday, June 6: Police responded to a second downed-tree incident later that day in South Salem. The fallen tree blocked the entire roadway. The state DOT removed the tree.